A quick update on 5wretchedmen.com: The computer that was running our site crashed. The computer was the mail server at Mobynet, my friend Jeremy's ISP. He got the computer back up, but without all the software on it that was running our slashsite... As you know I'm in Israel and it will be difficult to get it back up from here. I'll try to get it back up but no promises, sorry guys. For now I'm just using this site to post a running "journal" about Israel.

Since I haven't been able to email many of you in quite some time I'll give an update of what I've been doing leading up to going to Israel:

Last semester I started taking Bible classes at the Master's Seminary. I took the following classes: Old and New Testament Survey, Bible Interpretation, Biblical Hebrew, Historical Theology, and a Research class. I studied more than I ever have and learned a lot. I very much enjoyed the classes, the professors, and getting to know other Seminary students. All of the professors that I had were extremely knowledgable and godly men from whom I learned a lot.

1-22-2002
This semester I'm in Israel and taking Bible classes here. I'm taking a class on Biblical Geography, Modern Hebrew, Jewish Thought and Culture, The History of Modern Israel, and a class on Acts. We just arrived in Israel Sunday, and I'm still a bit jet lagged. There are 25 students, mostly from the Master's College who have come over here to study. We are staying at a Moshav, which is a cooperative living environment similar to a Kibutz. This Moshav is Christian, which makes it an ideal location for the Master's College extension campus called IBEX where we are taking classes. I'm living in a dorm room here at the Moshav and have gotten a chance to talk to some of the other people here on the Moshav. There are many volunteers from all over the world working here, as well as permanent members of the Moshav. There are two permanent teachers living on the Moshav as well. So far I've enjoyed classes and am looking forward to going into Jerusalem tomorrow for the first time. The weather here has been very interesting, it has been very rainy and cold. Israel actually gets as much rain as England, but it all comes in about a three month period. I'm still in the process of adjusting to the time change and am very busy as I was asked to fix the internet situation over here. I'll keep this site updated with pictures and information as I have time. I regret not having the time to email and/or write each of you individually. Thanks for all of your prayers and check this site every week or so for updates. Also check the website www.ibexsemester.com, the offical website for IBEX that is updated quite often with pictures of the group. Praying for you all as well.

1-27-2002
On Wednesday we took our first trip to Jerusalem. We toured around all day and saw many of the sites. We have been studying the topography of Jerusalem and all of the hills, valleys, and walls throughout the different time periods, so it was great to be able to actually see how everything fit together.

Yesterday was a very interesting day. We went into Jerusalem for Shabbat (Sabbath) and went to church there, which was an experience of a lifetime. The whole service was in both English and Hebrew. I wish you all could have heard the songs that we sung, they were all in Hebrew and were like nothing I've ever heard. It was a lot of fun and with the limitted Hebrew that I know I was able to read some of the words of the songs. The main pastor who normally teaches was just getting over an infection in his lungs, so he did not preach, but they had another English speaker preach, and the pastor translated. It was amazing to hear and see Jews who boldly proclaim Jesus as Messiah and God. I was encouraged to see the work they are doing here, it is not easy and I know they would appreciate your prayers.

Then in the evening we took a hike up to the remains of a Roman fort near where we are staying and had a campfire. The weather here for the last couple days has been beautiful, and on good days you can see the ocean from where we are staying. I'll try to get pictures up here as well when I get a chance.

Loving Israel, wish you all could be here.

1-30-2002
Today we went on another field trip to Israel, this time focussing on the Old Testament parts of the city. We saw sections of Hezekiah's wall and were able to see where the walls were located at different times in Jerusalem's history. We walked around in the City of David, the part of the city where David originally captured the city from the Jebusites. But by far the best part of the day was going through Hezekiah's tunnel. After the Northern Kingdom was destroyed in 722 B.C. by Sennacherib, he started his campaign on Judah and the Sourthern Kingdom. He destroyed most of the Southern Kingdom and marched to Jerusalem to destroy it. Hezekiah fortified much of the city, including building a long, underground tunnel through solid rock to bring water inside the city walls from the only source of water in Jerusalem, the Gihon Spring. This tunnel brought the water into the safety of the city walls. With water above the knees, in a dark, winding tunnel, we began at the Gihon Spring and made our way between the narrow rock walls until we got to the Siloam Pool inside Hezekiah's wall. It was spectacular. Despite Hezekiah's preparations for the siege, it was the LORD who delevered him by killing 185,000 Assyrians in the night. You should all read the story 2 Kings 18-19. The LORD is good.

Learning a lot about God and His faithfulness.

2-6-2002
Today we went into Jerusalem again, this time focussing on the New Testament Period. Herod the Great engaged in massive building projects during his reign, the evidence of which is still easily visible today. It is easy to tell if a structure is Herodian or not, simply by looking at the stones used in construction. If they are enormous, Herod probably built it. One of the stones we saw used in the western wall of the temple was probably about 40x8x9 feet in size and weighed about 550 tons. Next to it there was another one that looked just as large. These particular stones were in a tunnel that was excavated under the Moslim quarter on the western wall of the temple. We were also able to see a model of the 2nd temple (the one enlarged by Herod) which showed how truely magnificent it was. We also saw some excavated homes from the Herodian period. These were all structures and buildings that Jesus would have seen as He walked around Jerusalem. It gave me a great perspective on what life was like during that time period. Also this week after church I was hanging out in Jerusalem reading in the Jewish quarter and some Jewish Yeshiva students (ie Jewish seminary) were playing chess. After watching them for a while and looking interested, they asked me to play. I got a chance to talk to them for a little while after a quick game. It was really interesting to hear their views on the Old Testament. Also this week we heard a Completed Jew who received his doctorate from Hebrew University on Messianic Judaism. His views on the Messianic movement in America and Israel were also very interesting, as well as his views on how the Torah applies to modern Jews. This week many of the churches are uniting together to pass flyers about the Jesus video to all Jerusalem, they would appreciate your prayers in this massive endeavor.

Pray that the gospel would go forth in Israel and that the Lord would be pleased to save.

2-15-2002
This week on Sunday we began the week by going on an amazing hike through the Nahal Darga (a huge canyon). The hike started at the top of the canyon and hiked down into the valley and then through the valley and out towards the Dead Sea. The hike consisted of crawling over, around, and down rocks, rappelling down rock faces, and swimming through pools. The view throughout the hike was great, it was amazing to be hiking in the middle of the canyon with huge rock faces on either side. The water in the pools was very cold, and having to wait in the shade for people to rappel had everyone shivvering. Then on Wednesday we went on our weekly field trip, this time focussing on approaches to Jerusalem. We went up on Gibeah of Saul and from there were able to see the large plateau in the Judean hills where Jerusalem is located. This plateau is in a very strategic spot, and many Biblical stories involve this area. We also went to the Holy Land Hotel where there is a large scale model of Jerusalem. It was very impressive to be able to see how large the Temple and many of Herod's other buildings were. Lastly, this week I finished reading J.C. Ryle's classic entitled "Holiness". I highly recommend, even implore, that every one of you read it. I think that he captured the essence of true Christianity in one book better than any other book I've read. It is highly devotional in nature and will encourage and inspire all of us to love the Savior more deeply as we seek to do His will.

Growing to love the Savior more each day.

2-23-2002
This week we started the week by going to the national Holocaust museum Yad VeShem and hearing two Holocaust survivors. The second one we heard is the father of the pastor of the Church we attend here. His testimony was amazing. It was incredible to hear someone who has suffered so much with so much peace and joy. Many of the stories he told were quite funny as well. After the Holocaust he came to Israel and tried to survive. At one point he went into a very fancy resteraunt and when they asked him to pay the bill he told them he didn't have any money, so they called the police to throw him into jail, he thanked them. When he got out he went to a nice hotel and stayed for two weeks until they asked him to pay and once again he told them that he didn't have any money, after which he was once again taken to jail. Once again he thanked them. When he was taken to the judge the judge asked him what he did this time and he said, "I ate and slept." He had many other funny stories including blowing up bathrooms in Israel's army, fleeing from the Nazi's, and smuggling supplies into the Warsaw ghetto. Also, when in the army he was put into land mine disarming, he was told he could only make one mistake. After he became a Christian he had many other stories about he the Lord allowed him to be a testimony to many, many Jews. Now his four children are all believers and have had a huge impact for the kingdom. If you remember you could pray for him, his name is Zvi, and also for our pastor Meno and the church we attend, Jerusalem Assembly.

This week on our field trip we focused on the tribe of Benjamin. My favorite spot that we went to was Gezer. From the top of Gezer you can see the Aijalon valley where Joshua pursued the kings that attacked the Gibeonites. The LORD listened to Joshua and the sun stood still on that day and the LORD hurled huge hailstones down on the fleeing armies. We visited other scenic spots from where we could see many of the historic valleys and hills where much of the Bible took place. Still learning a lot and enjoying being in the land where it all happened.

I'm just beginning to realize how glorious it will be when all Israel is saved!

3-1-2002
On Wednesday we toured around the Shephelah, the "lowlands" between the Judean Hills and the Coastal plain. Due to its position between these two areas it became a buffer zone where many battles of the Bible took place. Last week we looked at the Aijalon valley which is the first of the major East/West valleys that runs through the Shephelah. This week we started with the Sorek Valley, where two memorable Bible stories took place. Beit Shemesh is located in the middle of this valley, and it was to there that the Ark of the Covenant first came after being returned from the Philistines. After they looked into the ark and many of them were struck dead the ark came up further East to Kiriat Jearim, which interestingly is right next to where we are staying. The ark remained at Kiriat Jearim for over 40 years. Another group of stories that took place in the Sorek Valley are the stories about Samson. From the top of Beit Shemesh we were able to look down onto the valley and look down towards the coastal plain where Samson engaged the Philistines. The next valley going South is the Elah Valley. It was in this valley that the story of David and Goliath took place. From the top of one of the hills we could see where the Philistine and Israelite camps were probably located and could imagine the defeat of Philistine's champion and the flight of the Philistines through the S-shaped valley out towards the coast. Azekah is also located in this valley, the third to last major city to fall to the Babylonians when they conquered the Southern Kingdom. A letter was found at Lachish (the 2nd to last city to fall), written from Jerusalem asking how Azekah was doing because they could no longer see the signal fires from Jerusalem. The next valley was the Guvrin valley where the prophet Micah was from. Many of his prophesies use imagry that incorporates features of the Shephelah. From there we went to the Lachish valley where the city of Lachish is located. It was involved in two major sieges, the 2nd of which was the siege of the Babylonians where it fell as the Babylonians conquered the nation. Before that it was involved in the siege of the Assyrians. After Sennacherib conquered the Northern Kingdom he decided to attack the Southern Kingdom as I previously mentioned above. In his campaign up to Jerusalem he layed siege to Lachish. A very large murral was found detailing his siege of Lachish. He build a massive siege ramp to get his siege works up to the city wall to knock it down. However, while he was building his siege ramp, the inhabbitants of the city saw what he was doing and build a counter- siege ramp up to their wall so the entire back of the wall was braced by packed dirt. Eventually Sennacherib did conquer Lachish, although we are not positive how he finally did it. We do know that the Assyrians were famous for various methods of sieging a city including using siege ramps, battering rams, rams with hooks in the to pull out parts of the wall, undermining walls by digging under them, and also by flinging acrobats over the wall! After he conquered Lachish he went up to Jerusalem to conquer it and was defeated by an angel of the Lord. Several of "Sennacherib's Prisms" were found in which he says that he shut up Hezekiah like a bird in a cage. What we know this means however is that he wasn't able to defeat Jerusalem because of the LORD's intervention.

We also saw several large bell caves on this trip. These were carved out of the ground and the rock was then used to build a house on top of the bell cave underneath. This cave could then be used as a basement. Some of these caves were enormous and were quite impressive. They were variously used for different purposes including storage, and in one of the caves a large olive oil business was found with large olive crushers.

This coming up week we're going to be spending several days in the Negev desert. We will be going to Masada, En Gedi, the Dead Sea, and Eilat just to name a few places. This will be our first of a couple major field trips and I am look forward to it.

Humbled by reading and learning more about Christ.

3-9-2002
As many of you know, I injured my ankle last Saturday fairly severly. On Sunday we went to a health care center and one of the doctors thought that I tore a ligament near my ankle. Later we went to see a specialist who said that the ligament was not torn but that the tendon on my right ankle was damaged/stretched. For the last week I've been getting around on crutches and learning how to manuever all kinds of terrain with them. I am very thankful that God was gracious in allowing me to go on our Negev trip. I was able to see most of the sites, if not go on the hikes. Thank you so much for all your prayers.

The Negev trip was really great. We left on Tuesday morning and got back to the Moshav Friday night. On Tuesday we went to En Gedi, Masada, the Dead Sea and Beersheva. I was able to go to the top of Masada by taking the cable car. It was amazing to see what an impenetrable fortress it was. The fact that it took a Roman legion three years to take Masada from a few Jewish defenders is evidence of that fact. I wasn't able to go to En Gedi because of my ankle, hopefully I'll be able to go back when Sam Niblack comes :) ! It was also good to see Beersheva and picture the patriarchs walking through that area. It was also good to go into the desert where the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the Wilderness of Paran. It gave me a little insight into the severity of their situation and the necessity of relying on God. It also helped me to understand how the land of Israel is the promised land, even though it is not as lush as one could imagine. In comparison to the desert, the land of Israel truely is the promised land, flowing with milk and honey. The desert in Israel is not quite what I had pictured, because it is not like other deserts. There are no sand dunes, and the land is not flat. There are huge canyons and cliffs scattered throughout the desert making beautiful rock formations in many locations. Another highlite of the trip was going snorkeling in the Red Sea at Eilat. It was a beautiful day on Friday when we went snorkeling, and the fish were spectacular. Other things we did on our trip include going to a nature reserve to see the wildlife of Israel, seeing a Nabatean fort at Avdat, and looking down into the enormous Machtesh Ramon (crater). All in all the trip was very good and the Lord was faithful in giving me the strength to get around on crutches into places that were not designed to be traversed with them.

The Lord is faithful, thanks for your prayers.

3-12-2002
Quick update, if you want something specific to pray for you can pray that I get over the flu that I have come down with before our trip to Turkey to visit many of the early church sites... Thanks again for all your prayers.

3-25-2002
Well, we are back from Turkey and had a great trip. I was amazed at the number of Greek and Roman remains that there were, it really gave me a feel for society during the time that Paul was going through Asia Minor. It is amazing how many Biblical sites are in Western Turkey as well. We went to Istanbul, Izmir, Ephesus, Didyma, Miletus, Pamukele/Heirapolis, Laodicea, Colosai, Philadelphia, Sardis, Thyatira, Pergamum, Assos, Troy, a ferry across the Dardenelles, Gallipoli, and back to Istanbul. Some of the highlites included seeing the theature in Ephesus where the riot occured in Acts 19 and also seeing the temple to Artemis mentioned in that passage. It was amazing at how pagan these sites were where the gospel first broke through and then spread to the ends of the earth. We saw many temples to all kinds of Greek and Roman gods as well as many theatres and magnificent marble structures. Some of the reconstructions were very good and showed how these places would have looked in the time that Paul went through these cities. Turkey is also a much bigger country than Israel, we drove many hours on the bus between sites. Paul certainly had many hours and days on the road traveling through Asia Minor and having time to think and also to talk and teach his travelling companions. Turkey was also very beautiful. Much more lucious than Israel, there are large mountains with rivers flowing through the valleys. At the tops of most of the cities there was a great 360 degree view from which you could see enemies coming and defend your city. In the large valleys between the mountain ranges there were all kinds of agriculture and also large flocks of sheep grazing on the hillsides. It was a fairly strenuous trip for me, trying to get to the top of the acropolis of various cities, across, through, and over every kind of terrain. Arieh, one of the Moshav members who came on the trip with us even carried me up one of the steeper hills with an Israeli military carry. I'm sure a picture will show up on the IBEX website eventually... It was good to meet him and hear some of his stories. He is one of the people who really got the Moshav started. He was a professional musician but gave it up to start the Moshav. He taught us some Hebrew songs on the bus. He also had a lot of very interesting war stories, he has been in just about every war after the formation of the State of Israel. We also had a great time enjoying modern Turkish culture. We ate all kinds of Turkish food and had a good time haggling in the Bazaar. By the end of the trip my ankle started to feel pretty good and I am now able to walk on it on flat ground. I am going to see the doctor again today and we'll see what he says. Also on Thursday this week Sam is coming and we're going to go around and visit the country. I'm really looking forward to getting to spend a week with him.

The gospel truly is the power of God for the salvation of the lost.

3-28-2002
Sam has arrived safely and we are looking forward to a great week together.

4-5-2002
Sam has just left and we enjoyed a wonderful week together. We spent two half days in Jerusalem at the beginning of the week and then went on two trips around Israel. We rented a car and on the first trip spent two days in the Shephelah and Negev visiting Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Bet Guvrin, Lachish, Beersheva, Arad, Masada, En Gedi, and Qumran. On the next trip we spent two days in Galilee visiting Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Mt. Tabor, Tiberias, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Hazor, Dan, and Nimrod's Castle. Then on Thursday we joined the Modern Israel class and visited a tank museum at Latrun, Independance Hall and a museum for the Hagganah, (the predecesor to the Israeli army) in Tel Aviv. Going to Galilee for the first time we were able to see the lush territory in the North compared to the desert of the Negev. It rained during most of the trip although it seemed to let up whenever we got out of the car. We enjoyed swimming in both the Dead Sea and in the Sea of Galilee, especially picturing the Lord calming the storm from a boat in the Sea of Galilee. When we return from our official Galilee next week I will post more of the history of that region, suffice it to say that like most of Israel if every stone could speak it would have a story to tell. It appears that the current situation may be improving despite the news reports as Israel has been confiscating arms used for terrorism and imprisoning the known terrorists and masterminds of the attacks. God willing we have one more month here and I still feel that we are quite safe. Due to the reports that many have heard in the states the administration at the Master's college have placed additional restrictions on us and we will not be able to go into Jerusalem any more. Our teachers here are keeping up on the situation and are working very hard and being especially careful to make sure that we are safe. They both feel that our safety conditions at IBEX have not worsened in the last few days. My ankle is continuing to heal as well and I was able to walk all alround on our trip. We all thank you for your continuing prayers and I am looking forward to being able to relate my experiencies when I am back in the states.

Grateful for a wonderful week of fellowship, prayer, and touring Israel and for all the Lord's blessings, both temporal and eternal.

Josh

P.S. Please forward on this site to anyone who wants to know what I'm doing, I'm afraid I don't have everyone's email address.

Also, don't forget to check out www.ibexsemester.com for the official IBEX website with information and pictures of the group. http://www.ibexsemester.com
Also, the Scroggins, a couple attending IBEX have their own website of IBEX. http://pages.prodigy.net/scroggins7