Yoderlicious!

New Summer, New Adventure

2010-06-11T18:33:00.003-04:00

Recap of last two weeks.
*Memorial Day weekend: Move out of Des Plaines, Thanks best Small Group Ever + Hills! Put out belongings into storage, fly to Stacey's house (coworker and friend from Unity)

*First Week of June: Say Goodbye to friends, students and Unity family and fly to Florida

*Second Week in June: Enjoy Florida (Dana and Taylor's wedding was beyond Beautiful!) fly back to Chicago, pack our car and drive to Ohio...which leads us to Shreve..

Needless to say the Yoder's are in a transition period. Tyler is starting a Ph.D at The Ohio State University this fall and I am currently on the hunt for a teaching job...any leads??

Meanwhile we just settled in to my parent's basement, we have arranged it and I think it will do the job for the time being.

It took a little bit of organization to make the basement feel like an apartment. Mostly because our room used to be my brother's room. I don't think that boy ever threw anything away. He has like every Sports Illustrated since the time he could read...He always was big on "It'll be worth something some day." Taylor, his new bride, I am sure will be quick to remind him that the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure," doesn't always apply. To make it easier on us, my mom packed up a majority of his belongings and moved them to the unseen part of the basement. Thanks Mom!!

Alright, time to relax.

..............The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...

2009-09-12T12:54:00.011-04:00

Nuweiba, Egypt!

The most stressful, relaxing part of our trip.

The Americans we traveled with across the Sinai Dessert

Egyptian Drinking Fountains

Family

Beautiful Park

Beach on a Tuesday Morning

Americans=Celebrities!

Saying Goodbye to Alexandria

Eh, not as big as we thought...

But they are heavy!

okay..they're HUGE!

One of the Seven Wonders of the World...Rightfully so!

Going into one of the Pyramids!

Inside the tombs

Solar Boat, 5,500 years old!

The Sphinx

Amazing!

The life source of Egypt: The Nile

Our Nile Cruise

Outside the Cave Church

We don't have this type of worship in America

The Cave Church...built churches inside a cave.

Shopping

The Egyptian Museum

Two lane road with three lanes of traffic...gotta love that stress!

................................Home!

2009-08-02T19:12:00.002-04:00

After a wonderful week in Egypt with Clint and Vivienne we have made it safely home! We were greeted with a freshly painted house and deck when we arrived, it was quite a nice surprise!

I will update with pictures and our activity in Egypt soon, but if you are in the Ohio area next Sunday, August 9th and want to hear about our trip, see some pictures and enjoy good food and fellowship, I invite you to stop by Grace Brethren Church in Wooster at 4:30 for an Israel/Egypt Potluck Party! If you need more information, send me an e-mail cathy.yoder@hotmail.com. Otherwise bring a dish and we look forward to sharing our adventures with you!

Thank you for your prayers,
Cathy and Tyler

Snapshots from Israel

2009-07-23T13:16:00.010-04:00

We made it out of Israel safe and sound. We had a wonderful time and cannot wait to share the stories behind these pictures and more!

Last Day in Israel, walked 2 miles with our backpacks!
Megiddo!
Mediterranean Sea at Dor
Meeting up with friends in Jerusalem
Malachi's Tomb (but probably not)
Hezekiah Tunnel!
The Sea of Galilee
Roman Theatre
The Western Wall

Squeezing my way out of an old lookout from one of the walls around the old city.
The Dome of the Rock
"The rock" that cracked from the earthquake when Christ died on the cross.
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, do all three??? (getting out of clean up duty on the last day of the dig).
The first guy that ripped us off, I ordered a lamb pita, I got a liver pita...not the same.
Tel Games: They didn't realize what they were getting into.

The oldest arched gate ever discovered (Ashkelon)
View from Tyler's Grid
Tyler's Grid, Grid 38 - Residence to the first group of Philistines in Ashkelon
Pottery washing: Everyday 4-6

..........................................Jerusalem

2009-07-19T00:32:00.004-04:00

We made it to Jerusalem, it took awhile longer since we were pulled over twice by the police making sure everything was on the up and up (It was Shabbat). We were dropped off at the Damasks Gate and made our way to our Bed and Breakfast to drop off our luggage, Tyler was a trooper he carried both our bags as I still can't put a lot of weight on my ankle.

We turned right around and made our way back to where we were dropped off (our walk to the Old City is about 5 minutes!!) and headed to the Rockefeller Museum, which has a lot of pottery throughout the different ages. As soon as we walk in Tyler runs into a guy he knows at Trinity who is also on an archeological dig in Israel this summer!

After the museum, we went to another museum, The Israel Museum, where they had a layout of the Old City in the time of Jesus, it was so cool to see the sites we read about and to visualize the whole city of Jerusalem.

Model of the city of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum.

After the Museums we ventured into Old City, the Muslims Quarters, and wow, it was nothing like we thought it would be, it was a market place full of cheap items ranging from candy stores to home appliances. It was crowded and a tad overwhelming.

We walked through the Muslim quarters to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It was really neat, because there was a service going on at the time we were touring. It made the experience all the more authentic.

After we finished with the church, it was time to find our way back out, have dinner and head back to our B&B. For the first day it was a busy one, but after a good night's rest we are ready for another one! Today we are spending the whole day touring around the Old City!

.......Done!

2009-07-17T06:51:00.003-04:00

So, today was the last day of our dig, which is sort of misleading, because no one dug today. Yesterday and today were "compound days" which is where we sort, mark, store, scan, record, dump, sort, and separate pottery and bones that have been found through out this season at Ashkelon. Tyler is looking forward to sharing all that he has learned these past three weeks with family and friends, but most importantly with his future students. (He was asked to present a lecture on the Philistines). My ankle is better and I am walking around, our prayers were that I would be able to walk out of Ashkelon, and that is exactly what I will be able to do!

We leave on Saturday for Jerusalem to see the museums, since Saturday is Shabbat and nothing, but the museums are open.

Pictures from the last few days!

Pottery Compound

Scanning/Sorting

Cleaning up the Grid

New Friends!!

Braces

2009-07-07T08:02:00.006-04:00

..not the teeth kind.

So, Laura the "dig mom," took me to go get a brace for my ankle. We found one, an expensive one around 849 NSI or about $230! I am hoping once our insurance claim is filed and the whole incident is explained that the hospital cost and the cost of the brace will be covered (we did not put a hospital/brace allowance in our budget).

More coming tomorrow.

Field Trip

2009-07-04T08:14:00.003-04:00

Welcome Blogosphere. While my wife has diligently updated this site over the past few months, she kindly asked me to take over for a day. As most of you who have been following our week already know, this trip has not been short on surprises and trials. I've witnessed my wife endure utter emptiness and discouragement thousands of miles away from any glimmer of familiarity. We've been broken together, not sure quite what was the point of such unfortunate circumstances. We've contemplated going back, leaving after these three weeks; we've cried out in frustration and poured our share of tears together. While none of this has been settling or comforting, we have been comforted, and we have been granted peace--even joy. At the end of one of the harder weeks of my (our) life, it is only because of God's grace that I can utter such things. He is supremely and immutably good. His goodness is not compromised, nor can it fail. We have seen Him work, not just through physical means, but spiritually. He has renewed our understanding and belief in His perpetual sovereignty and goodness. Let me elaborate:

On the very night of Cathy's infamous fall, the last member of the dig team arrived in Ashkelon. This young woman, Nicki, happened to be the second of Cathy's roommates. Not even 24 hours after her arrival, it became ever clear that God was still fully in control of all that had been troubling us. Nicki immediately reached through, in ways that were simply outside of my abilities, to Cathy's hurting heart. She instantly began offering help, going well out of her way to accommodate, and make special efforts to encourage Cathy. While she has done these things since day one, her sacrifice today is quite noteworthy. On our field trip (which was breathtaking!) to Masada, Qumran, and the Dead Sea (see pictures below), she selflessly offered to stay back with Cathy at each site, due to the amount of walking, difficult terrain, and uphill climbing involved with each. So, while I was furiously scurrying to get all the pictures and site info I could, Cathy was forced to stay back. Knowing this, and because Nicki had already seen most of it before, she offered to come along and just chill with Cathy while everyone else ventured out. She didn't have to come. She certainly didn't have to stay back with Cathy. But she did. I say this not just to show how great Nicki has been (truly, we've both had a wonderful time getting to know her), but to show you God's benevolence. That is what a friend does--that is how a Christian acts. Her humble example of Christlikeness toward Cathy and I has re-affirmed the divine grace and sovereignty ever around us. While things could have been much worse for us, it hasn't always been easy to look at it that way. But, alas, our hearts are full. Cathy is healing, albeit very slowly. She finally got her hands on a pair of crutches. And we have been so encouraged through the Christlike servitude of a newfound friend. Thank you for your prayers. Be encouraged, friends, at God's work in our lives.

Now, to what I was originally going to say (this is why I don't blog), we did in fact have a field trip today. We left early this morning for Masada, Herod the Great's astonishing fortress in the midst of the Judean wilderness (Seriously, it's barren). It's also the same fortress where hundreds of Jews, who had fled from the Roman forces in the 60's C.E., escaped to with their families. After 7-8 years of hiding out at this locale, the Romans, after torching Jerusalem, finally made it to Masada to finish the job. This is where the Jews infamously chose 10 men to kill the remainder, 1 to kill the 10, and another to fall on his own sword rather than surrender to the Romans. The place was absolutely wicked, and I can't really even begin to explain it on here.From there we went to Ein Gedi, the oasis adjacent to the Dead Sea, also in the wilderness. This is where David fled from King Saul, snuck up behind him, cut off a part of his robe, and then came out to him to say, "what are you doing chasing me? If I wanted to kill you, I would have!" If this isn't ringing a bell, check out 1 Sam. 23-24 tonight. At Ein Gedi, I carried Cathy down to the beach, where she camped out with Nicki while I went to float in a big vat of vegetable oil, I mean the Dead Sea. Seriously, the stuff was like grease...but it sure did make you buoyant. Quite an experience. would never do it again. Finally, we went North to Qumran, where we were able to witness the ancient remains of an ascetic community of priests who inscribed one of the largest, and certainly the oldest, extant cache of OT manuscripts. We even were able to check out one particular cave which housed over 500 manuscripts alone dating to the 2nd-1st cent. B.C.E. Pretty darn cool. Like Masada, pics can be found below. This basically sums up our day. We passed through Jerusalem on the way back, only driving through--but this was more than enough to whet our appetite for more time there. Chills going down my spine...as we went through Zion. wow. Tonight, for dinner we were so excited for hamburgers, but once they touched our palettes, we realized they were nothing more than some sort of veggie/turkey burger. Man, I am craving a Culver's butterburger, a bag of cheese curds and a custard. Goodnight all.

The Synagogue atop Masada, where a hundred Jewish men met to cast lots, choosing 10 to murder the remainder of the people, 1 to kill the last 9, and the last to take his own life. This all occurred the eve before the Roman forces breached Masada's walls, where the Jews had been living after fleeing over seven years beforehand. This synagogue is where the decision was made to die, rather than surrender and submit to the Roman crown.

Cathy and her white, pasty husband at Ein Gedi.

Masada (King Herod the Great's wilderness residence which looks over the Dead Sea) from up top

Ancient Caldarium (basically a sauna, heated through the ceramic tiles) at Masada

Another view from atop Masada

A Ritual Bath (for purification purposes) at Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found). the DSS are certainly one of the most important set of OT manuscripts ever found.

Cave 4 out of a handful of known caves where scrolls were found at Qumran. The scrolls were initially found by a local bedouin youth throwing rocks into the caves, when he noticed some pottery and leather straps. This 'chance' find led to one of the greatest biblical discoveries ever.

3 Things:

2009-06-30T22:47:00.002-04:00

Good Morning!

First, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support for our trip.

Second, a quick update on my ankle, I have consulted with some American doctors and although they have not seen the x-rays, everyone I've talked to has come to the same conclusion: stress fracture. What that means is that I will not be digging the rest of my time here. Rocks and sandbags stairs are not good for an unstable ankle. So in the meantime while everyone else is digging I will be doing odd jobs. Right now I am in "the lab" a house that has been turned into an archeological learning library. I am currently by myself and scanning drawings, not super fun, but at least they gave me the internet!
I am hoping to get crutches soon, I would love a wheelchair (so would my arms) but Israel is not super handicap friendly, so with crutches I can at least be mobile and with other people.

Third, I will be giving Tyler the camera, so you can follow his progress at the dig. They are uncovering some cool things from what I hear.

Please continue to pray for a quick recovery, thank you again for your support!

PICTURES!! (Start from the Bottom and work up)

2009-06-30T00:23:00.023-04:00

Tyler brought me up dinner after a hard day. I have such a great husband!!!

The ankle...I am feeling much better today! I ventured down to the lounge on my cane to get more ice, and I was able to put a little pressure on my ankle. I am staying in today, but will go out this afternoon to help wash pottery. I will be on pottery washing duty the rest of the week, not the most exciting, but it will be the most helpful for a full and quick recovery!!

Pottery, lots and lots of pottery!

Pottery compound -Where everything collected (pottery, bones, glass, beads, etc. goes
View of my grid

Glazed Pottery!

Straight Wall!!

Working to make a the wall straight; collecting pottery, bones and glass that we find

Early morning, getting ready to be an archeologist!

The old Basilica, the front of my dig site!

Ready to go to the airport!

Getting planning done before our big trip!

(I am learning how to use pictures with the blog, the most recent pictures at the top).

Ouch!

2009-06-29T09:28:00.001-04:00

Day 3, June 29, 2009

I got to my dig site and was assigned a new square, same grid, different section. (Imagine graph paper. Each square on the paper is a 10m by 10 m that is a “square,” then a grid is made up of those squares). So, I am in a new section and about 30 minutes into being there I am bringing back more gufas (buckets) to fill with dirt and I slip off the rocks aka stairs.

Gufas go flying and my ankle goes twisting! Ouch! I immediately start to sob out of frustration, embarrassment and pain. As I mentioned before, everyone is so nice, in a minute I had people help me up and sit in a place where I could elevate my ankle. One girl told me stories of her clumsy moments to lighten my mood (it helped), because of the quick swelling and bruising I was taken to the hospital.

Let’s just say as mentioned before Israel and America have different standards of cleanliness. After waking the hospital staff we got in to see the doctor. He told us (me and Laura aptly named “dig mom” to go to x-ray room, which according to his directions, “take a right then a left.” As if we frequent this hospital often. The x-rays came back and the doctor said when I sprained my ankle the ligaments came away from one bone and pulled another bone with them…to me that sounds bad, to him he didn’t seem bothered, a nurse lightly wrapped it and the doctor instructed us to get an ankle brace.

We spent the next two hours running back and forth between pharmacies looking for an ankle brace. One pharmacy had a left foot brace (my sprain is on the right), one had a small brace (for a size 6-7 shoe) and the rest had the compression socks (no support). We ended up with a cane and an ace wrap. I cannot walk on it and am in the process of sending the x-rays to my doctor in the states for a second opinion. There is lots of bruising, but the swelling has gone down.

So for the rest of the day I am stuck in my room watching Israeli TV and reading/blogging. I am praying for a quick recovery, we have a field trip on Friday and I really hope I am able to walk by then. Please pray for a good attitude, I am frustrated now and never realized how inconvenient being immobilized can be for a person. Tyler is wonderful, he brought me lunch and slept next to me during his break. I hope tomorrow is a better day.

I will post pictures tomorrow: my book bag with my camera was left at the dig site, so I cannot upload pictures yet.

Safe and Sound and Ready to DIG!!

2009-06-29T09:14:00.001-04:00

Day 1, June 27, 2009: Saturday
Arrived in Tel Aviv around 5:30! The airport was really easy and not at all scary (I had imagined men with machine guns). Everything went smoothly! We got ourselves a taxi and headed toward our hotel in Ashkelon (Ashqelon). The drive was pretty quite, Tyler and I were still shocked from everything going so well and taking in the scenery, when our driver said, so, Jackson died!” Luckily Tyler caught on quicker than I did to what the driver was talking about. ☺ Tyler of course got into a short political discussion with the driver, quite interesting, but I will let him tell you about it later.
When we arrived at the hotel Emily Masters, Dr. Masters’s wife, greeted us right away, friendly faces are so inviting!! Soon Katie and Tim (the TIU couple we’re traveling with) met us down in the lobby and took us to our rooms, lets just say Israel and America have a different standard of cleanliness. After a quick dinner we settled into our rooms and tried to sleep in preparation for our 4:30 wake up call…Neither of us got what you would call a good night’s rest, I think it’s because we were anxious for the next day, we laid awake all night wishing for sleep. When 4:15 came around I couldn’t take it anymore and got ready.

Day 2 June 28, 2009 Sunday
4:45 We met our group for bread and jam (our pre-breakfast). All but five of us have been digging already for three weeks, so they are all friendly toward each other, but they welcomed us and everyone seems really friendly!
5:00 When we arrived at the tel (dig site) it was like something out of the movies, columns from an old basilica lined my way to my square. Tyler and I are working in two different squares. My work consisted of smoothing out a baulk (it looks like a wall) and digging a trench using what looks a big hoe and pick axe. I think being an archeologist would be frustrating, because there is a big marble slab sticking out of our ditch, but we have to do 10 cm passes, we dig 10 cm at a time, so we dig 10 cm, put the dirt in the gufas (buckets) carry buckets to be dumped and repeat the process. It is cool, however when you find something, I found a Israeli horseshoe and our site has lots of broken pottery pieces.
9:00: Breakfast and the first time I see Tyler since arriving at the dig! Breakfast consists of cheese, tuna, some veggies and fruit, yogurt hardboiled eggs and bread. Tyler feels a little frustrated because while his major may say Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Biblical Archeology, there is very, very little about practical archeology. The supervisors at his site gave him very little direction and assumed that he already knew what to do, not much of a confidence boost, but Archeology is very much a hands on training and after a day of it, you feel pretty confident.
After lunch more digging, I knew by lunch that the next day I would be sore. Imagine a day of hoeing a garden and shoveling all the dirt you knock loose and then hoeing some more and shoveling the dirt to carry it off to be dumped in another location…needless to say my back and hands are experiencing pain.
1:00 - 4:00: Back to hotel for lunch, clean up and rest.
4:00-6:00 Pottery washing – washing the pottery we find each day (not the most exciting thing, but a good chance to talk with people).
6:00 Lecture (we were fighting our eyes to stay open, so I can’t really say what it was about).
7:00 Dinner
7:30 showers and get ready for bed. I slept much better this night, but Tyler needed some help from Nyquil.

Pictures coming soon..

Packed

2009-06-25T22:44:00.003-04:00

We are all packed! (Guess which bag is mine? No, it is not the blue
one, but in his defense mine weighs more). I rolled all my clothes just the way I was taught (Thanks Rich!) We have a few more things to check off the list before we leave the country, but it is coming together well.
We appreciate all your prayers and ask for continues prayers as we have a long flight ahead of us. We get into Tel Aviv on Saturday around 5:30 Israel time and have to go through customs, get a taxi, get to our hotel and try to sleep before our 4:30 wake up call for our first day of digging! Needless to say we have an adventure ahead of us tomorrow.

Thank you for your love and support,
Cathy and Tyler

Also, during our first three weeks, while we are on the dig, we will not be able to update the blog as often due to internet expenses, but we hope to update at least once a week.

Three Days and Counting

2009-06-23T21:54:00.002-04:00

Friday is the big day, and while we get our bags packed (thanks to Jack and Chris for the backpacks!) our house is marked by lists of things to do before we go, but in the craziness of these last few days, we are reminded that life is fleeting and temporary.

Today we celebrate the life of Darwin Daniels. He was a loving and caring Husband
(62 years of marriage!), Dad, Brother, Grandpa and Great Grandpa, who was cherished by all his family. I would ask that you pray for my Grandma as she is coping with his death. While we praise God that Grandpa is home with our Lord, we also pray for peace and hope for those who continue on without him.
I love you Grandpa and I am so glad we will see each other again.

Please pray for us and our families as we are not able to make it home for the services.

Cathy and Tyler

Hotels Hotels Hotels

2009-06-17T16:03:00.003-04:00

Turns out we have a new and better hotel for about a quarter of the price!

Here is the website:
http://www.elariaresort.com/

We have all of our hotels booked and are beginning the packing process, I think we have everything it is just a matter of organizing it. Please continue to pray for us as we still have things to get ready here before we can focus on getting there! :)

Three Weeks

2009-06-07T13:29:00.017-04:00

After the Dig

So, we have found a place to stay while in Jerusalem. We are blessed to be traveling with another couple from Trinity, Tim and Katie Barker! It has been so nice bouncing ideas off each other and planning together. I know it makes me feel more at peace about the trip!

So to ease all of your curiosity, I will post our tentative itinerary thus far...
Friday July 17th
Leave Ashkelon after Dig clean up head to Jerusalem before Schabbat (Sabbath)
Head to our Bed and Breakfast for little rest and relaxation

Saturday July 18th - Tuesday July July 21st
Touring around Jerusalemof
** Pictures of our Bed and Breakfast
More details later

Wednesday July 22nd and Thursday Juy 23rd
Touring around Jericho, Galilee and Nazareth perhaps others. These two dates are still up in the air as to what we want to see and of course if it is safe to travel there on those days.

Friday July 24th
Traveling to Nuweiba, Egypt!
To go snorkeling and relax at the beach for a few days!
We are in the process of finalizing a stay at the Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel
http://www.swisscare-hotels.com/
Here are some pictures:

Monday July 27th - Friday July 31st
Head to Alexandria to meet up with Clint and Vivian Smith (cousins of Tyler's family)
They are going to show us around Alexandria and Ciaro! Being with family is a wonderful way to end the trip!

Ashkelon Dig Information

2009-05-17T16:50:00.003-04:00

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/ashkelon_dig.html

This is the website where you can learn about the dig and see where we are going to staying. We will be digging right on the coast of the Mediterranean sea!

This is one of the special finds someone found on a dig... I'd settle for finding anything!!

Our accommodations on the dig look fantastic, on some digs you sleep in trailers for four weeks, I think we got the upgrade.

Our Schedule:

Sunday through Friday

First Breakfast 4:40 AM (in hotel)

Excavation on site: 5:30 - 1 PM

(9 AM second breakfast, 11:30 AM fruit break, 1 PM return)

Lunch 1:45 PM at the hotel dinning room

Pottery Washing 4:30-6:30 except on Friday

Saturday is our day off, which means sleeping in past 4 and sightseeing!!!

Paid In Full!!

2009-05-17T16:33:00.000-04:00

We have paid for our flights and for the actual dig. So our savings is drained, but as everyone always tell us, this is a once and a lifetime opportunity, so we intend to enjoy every minute of it! God has always blessed us financially and we have no doubt He will continue to provide.

Flights are booked!

2009-04-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

Flight Itenerary

Jun 26

From:
CHICAGO OHARE, IL (ORD)
Departs:
5:00pm

To:
ATLANTA, GA (ATL)
Arrives:
8:05pm

Departure Terminal:
TERMINAL 3

Duration:
2 hour(s) and 5 minute(s)

From:
ATLANTA, GA (ATL)
Departs:
10:35pmFri, Jun 26

To:
TEL AVIV TLV, ISRAEL (TLV)
Arrives:
5:25pmSat, Jun 27

Duration:
11 hour(s) and 50 minute(s)

Coming Home

Fri, Jul 31

From:
CAIRO, EGYPT (CAI)
Departs:
1:30am

To:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK)
Arrives:
6:45am

Duration:
12 hour(s) and 15 minute(s)

From:
NEW YORK JFK, NY (JFK)
Departs:
9:05am

To:
CHICAGO OHARE, IL (ORD)
Arrives:
10:50am

Duration:
2 hour(s) and 45 minute(s)

11:00 asleep in our own beds...

Israel

2009-04-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

It's official! Tyler and I have been accepted to go on a 4 week dig in Askelon, Israel. I just got off the phone with our travel agent who got us a better deal than we expected on our flights. We leave June 26th at 5:30 in the evening and arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel at 5:25 on June 27th.