Greetings and salutations!

The bulk of this post pertains to my time in Israel, but I want to take a moment to readdress Patmos. First off, I am planning a HUGE story update to coincide with my return to Canada. What I would really like to see before then is 30 votes on the last poll. Present votes are at 8...so that means only 22 people out of 100 have to vote. You can still find the voting box in the lower left of the screen. I want to remind you that I am trying to create Patmos and its story with all of you, as a unique creative experience. Please take the 2 seconds needed to vote. It may seem insignificant, but you will see the vote complexity developing as the story does. Of course, the forums remain open also. Patmos will now also officially serve as a real blog, and is somewhat the replacement for the Enlightened List. I look forward to seeing how things become, and I hope you will journey with me.

On a technical note, I have been unable to provide pictures of the trip due to access problems. As soon as I can when I get home I will post some pictures for you to enjoy. There are some links to pictures and further info throughout the post though. This update will be quite large but I hope you will take the time to carefully read it all. And now...on with the show!

I have now been in Israel for just over two months and have less than a month before I return home. I should mention that this will be the last update before leaving the country. I must admit I am somewhat torn as to my feelings about leaving, and it's not just the simple longings with which most of us are familiar. On the one hand, time has flown and I feel that I have not spent nearly enough of it here, or done as much as I would have liked. On the other, on the moshav there are moments where it seems time has come to a standstill. Sometimes this is a pleasant reality; sometimes it is truly aggravating. I am however, looking forward to returning home. For one thing, I can only stand being on "vacation" for so long. I prefer to be back in a productive mode, be it work or education. The second reason I wish to be home is the first big announcement of this post. Shortly after I left the country, my parents filed for divorce. This is now being processed (legally, financially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually...) and while I will leave the unsavoury details out, the house has been sold and we are all moving our separate ways (I actually need to find somewhere to live), so there is a lot to deal with. On top of this my basement flooded, destroying some of my books and such, and I certainly want to survey the extent of the damage.

The bad news taken care of, I want to reflect on the more important reason I am looking forward to coming home. In nearly every way, and as I predicted (though certainly not HOW I predicted), my time in Israel has been a critical step forward in my life. Personal and spiritual aspects aside, part of that involves coming home to finish school and take care of other things. Ultimately though, this all leads to my second announcement. I hope to return to Israel as soon as possible, where I plan to stay as long as God allows. It will likely be an extraordinary challenge trying to obtain a visa or citizenship, but my prayers and efforts are now focused on this goal and I ask for your prayers and support in this matter.

I want to lighten things a bit now and discuss other thoughts and adventures I have had during my time here. While I wailed against the poor technology available to moshav volunteers, my lobbying has seen some success and the present system is now being reevaluated by the bureaucracy. On another happy note I was able to organize two weekly movie nights for the volunteers. I am somewhat torn in this matter as well. Having been somewhat isolated from the somewhat high tech environment I was used to at home, I have found my attachment to it has faded, and I believe this to be a good thing. On the other hand, I'm not about to pretend I won't return to my techo-freakish ways (at least to a certain extent) upon my return, but there have been interesting reflections all around. Along the same lines, I have picked up some Anime since I've been here (Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust) even though its much more expensive back home....that was a lesson learned along with getting ripped off for close to 100$ by an Arab vendor for some souveniers...frustrating mistakes that will not be repeated. I also saw the Matrix Reloaded while I was here and enjoyed it immensely despite its inferiority to the first film. In fact I saw it again the other night as part of a Matrix marathon for my friend George who had never seen any of the films. We were the only ones in the theatre who waited afterwards to see the Revolutions trailer...it was fun. Above and beyond both the films, I have had the awe inspiring pleasure of watching the Animatrix. The artisitic innovation and beauty behind the short films is beyond the scope of this entry.

I have kept a paper journal while I have been here and this deals more with the endless socio-economic, religious, cultural, and political issues that are presented in this country and the surrounding region. To discuss these things would make this entry endless and I would be glad to do so in person at any time. I do want to make mention of the Jerusalem bus bombing last month as it was particularly tragic yet concurrently miraculous. George and I had just walked past the area and had boarded a bus about 5 blocks away 10 minutes before the explosion. While we were saddened at the horrific attack, we can only stand in tearful thanks for the protection we have been granted. International thoughts remind me to send a big congratulations to Vancouver for winning the 2010 Winter Olympic Games!

Onto the trips! I mentioned I would be spending some time in Petah Tikvah with my sister's boyfriend Liav and his family. Well I did make it out there. First I spent a night at a hostel in Tel-Aviv with my Finnish friends Miika and Miko (no, they're not brothers). I love Tel-Aviv because its so much more cosmopolitan than Jerusalem, and the beaches are very nice. You pay for all this with the increased humidity though, which can make things very uncomfortable. The next day I jumped on a train to see Liav. I met his family (most of whom spoke little english) who were absolutely lovely. His mom kept trying to feed me constantly which was lots of fun *S* Liav and I headed out to see Antipatris Fortress and when we saw it was closed, we simply jumped the fence and explored on our own. The ruins are in good shape and there was an eerie feeling to the place as you connected to its past. This was the highlight of my stay there.

Jerusalem Day came and went with much fanfare. There is a series of parades and the city is decorated with lion sculptures quite similar to the cows in Calgary! There have been many summer festivities in Jerusalem including Gay Pride day and an ongoing food and music festival. The colors, smells, tastes, and sounds of the city during this time are a wonderful, though expensive (as nearly everything here is) treat. I have also been able to visit the Armenian Quarter. It is much quieter and certainly more ethnic than the rest of the Old City. I hit Hezekiah's Tunnel again so George and Takako could have some fun with it. Keishiro came along too, though not without making certain...contributions to the water inside. We took snap lights this time which made for a fun and different experience.

I have had the pleasure of making two extended trips into the north of Israel. The first was a 4 day camping trip with Takako, AJ, and Nici. We traveled through the Jordan valley to Gan Haslosha. This gorgeous spring is a paradise and the swimming is excellent. This is my favorite rest spot without doubt. For some pictures see this site. We then traveled along the Sea of Galilee to Nahal Yehudia. Until I can post my own photos, someone has some here. Regardless it was a fantastic hike, quite different than Dragot, and the waterfalls were beautiful. I know I'm sacrificing some of the usual description here but I imagine this post is already large enough. After Yehudiah, which like previous locations lies in a national park, we stopped in some other places including the northern border with Lebanon. This was somewhat eerie as there are guard towers, razor wire fences, and such all around. Finally, we kayaked on the Chatzbani river as a wonderful end to the trip. In my later journey with George and Dana, we spent several nights camping on the banks of Galilee. I remember imagining Jesus walking on the water there, or calming a raging storm....simply incredible! We also traveled to a Druze village to meet a baptist missionary there. The Druze are a unqiue group in Israel. They are Arabs but not Bedouin and not really Muslim either. Their religion is a hodge podge of Islam and Judaism. They are a beautiful people and the most hospitable native population I have met in Israel.

Other places I have visited in the last months include Sorek Cave. This massive underground cave contains a colorful collection of stalactites and stalagmites in various entertaining shapes and sizes. The guides would often point out a structure that looked like an animal or a person and you could really see it, which was very cute. We also looked over the biblical "road to Emaus" and went caving/hiking in Tel Azeka over looking the valley of Ella where David fought Goliath. Also there are the secret caves built by the Bar-Cochva rebels in the revolt against the Romans nearly 2000 years ago.

Backtracking a bit, George, AJ and I spent a weekend in the coastal city of Netanya. The beach was the best I've seen so far, and I spent the time sunbathing and boogie-boarding. The salt water always takes some getting used to. We were there over Shabbat (Saturday or Sabbath) so the place was pretty dead. We ate nearly every meal at this nice outdoor restaurant called London. Everything you order comes with a massive salad that makes it very hard to finish your entire meal.

I have been able to visit some of the tourist places in Jerusalem, such as Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Western Wall. I would like to see much more such as the Tower of David, Calvary, and so on. I plan to see Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum) in the near future. I did stop into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is apparently one of the most historically accurate sites in the city. This was an emotional experience because while it doesn't matter where Jesus was buried (as his body is no longer there), and while Jesus didn't desire to be worshipped specifically (he directed worship to the Father), there can certainly be no denying the power of the place. Yes it is essentially a bastion of idolatry, but you can really feel the faith and the passion of those inside it, and though the Muslims have purposely destroyed many Judeo-Christian site, it is largely to their credit that the building remains today. It is one of the few places where there is truly peace between the three major religions.

Well that pretty much sums up recent travels, there is a final adventure in the works. George, Dana (his g/f) and I will be traversing the country before going home. From Haifa in the north to tropical Eilat in the south, stopping in Jordon to see Petra (ala Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), which I am dying to visit. I am looking forward to this trip and trust it will be the most amazing adventure I have had yet. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

News from the moshav....for the past few weeks I have been working as the night guard since Miika and Markus left. This means I stay up all night which is fairly normal anyway. But doing it on a regular basis can really affect your schedule. I have worked night shifts before though so its not too big a deal and I've avoided that jet lag effect. The double bladed sword of it is that I work by myself. The weather is getting even more hot as summer comes into effect, and then there are the bugs. These black bugs literally just fall out of the sky and cover the place. We did have an exterminator spray the kitchen/dining room the other night and it seems to have worked, though the smell is nauseating. I have met many new people as new volunteers have come. There are also many groups here on conference or vacation. There are some drama/musical groups from the US and Columbia. Of the volunteers, Remi (France) is a good friend of mine, as is Emiel (Holland).

I have been sick from time to time, and I don't know whether it's the food or the climate. I have managed to survive though. The other thing about being a night guard is I'm less active, and I think I might be gaining weight, though I eat less due to my rearranged sleep schedule. The other day they moved us out of our rooms to make space for one of the groups...it was a gestapo like raid which really pissed me off. On the up-side, the shower is better and at least George and I didn't have to accomadate a new roomate, as our room is smaller. It's all about the small blessings here! *S*

And with that, you've been brought up to date. It has truly been a monolithic experience to be in Israel and there is so much more I need to see, do, and learn. I don't know that I'd return to the moshav here (the pace, isolation, and politics aren't much my style) but it has been an important lesson for me and a balanced introduction to Israel. I have had the opportunity to experience a great deal of the nation while serving Israeli believers. Yad Hashmona is essentially the hub of the approximately 5000 Messianic Jews in Israel and I've certainly come to better understand how important a place this is. I know I need to cut this off somewhere, and it is 6am, so I will leave further detail and reflection for another time. Thanks for reading and for your support.

God Bless!

With Hope,
Joseph