So yesterday we went back to the old city for a 5 hour tour. How exhausting (next weekend I have an 11 hour walk to look forward to.. yikes). It went by so fast though. From learning about the topography of the land *and how it relates and is good to know for the Bible* to seeing sights that most people only read about, to learning what is legit to what is totally not true... it was just unbelievable. I have learned more in the past 2 days than I feel like I learn in a semester at home. perhaps thats not fair to Taylor, but it's how I feel at this point. Speaking of learning I haven't even mentioned the classes. I have had two classes so far this morning: History of Ancient Egypt and Matthew in it's Biblical Jewish Setting. Wow. In Ancient Egypt we went over the 8 day field study we will be going on. 8 days PACKED with learning and doing awesome things. We're even riding camles and walking up mt. Sini at 2 am to catch the sunrise from the top. WHAT>!?!?!?! Amazing. But what really caught me off guard was the gospel of matthew. The prof (Akiva Cohen, sweet jewish name) is a genius. He did his doctoral dissertation on Matthew, and so not only does he know all the crazy things that only someone who has studdied tons would know, but he knowsll the crazy jewish things that a gentile like me (even ifhe studied for a while) would never catch. Unbelievable.

As I upload these pictures and try to process everything I just wonder at the plan of God for his people (well, the Jewish portion). I dont think he has given up on them, but I just wonder what his plan is for them. He told Abraham that he gave his decendents from the Euphrates river to the River inEgypt (the Wadi not the Nile). Thats so much land. When will they have (or will they ever after all of their disobedience) have that land? Learning about the MISHNA is cool too... Just seeing how the commentary of Rabbi's on the Torah led to the Talbut which is commentary on commentary, and its easy to see how the Pharasees could get caught up infollowing rules which helpt them keep the Torah. the way these things go the commentaryon Torah is almost treated like the Torah itself. Crazy.

Well my computer is dying, but I will write more in the future I am SURE.

Cheers