Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Holy Land Tour - Post from Bethlehem, Thursday, June 9

I learned a new word today -- an Arabic word -- Dar means "home" and we learned about multiple homes under one umbrella. We learned the Arabic word "diyar" which is plural for dar. We were guests of the International Center of Bethlehem, which has grown out of Christmas Lutheran Church and is a consortium which provides services to over 2000 people.

The congregation at Christmas Lutheran is small, only a bit over 200 members, and they live under very stressful conditions, Yet as our guide told us the first thing, the Congregation, and the people they serve have chosen not to be victims. They are living life abundantly, as abundantly as their circumstances allow. The church was established by the Germans in the mid-1800s, and its first mission was education for girls. That school presently houses church offices. Now, both boys and girls, Christians and Muslim attend school still sponsored by the church, but in another location.

At the end of the day we had an opportunity to listen to the Pastor of the church, the Rev. Mitri Raheb. talk about this amazing congregation and the things they are doing. His emphasis is that Christ has done the work of redemption, and that leaves us free from having to earn that. It is now up to us to carry on that part of the mission which Christ was doing when he was walking this very area: teaching, preaching and healing. Pr. Raheb grew up in this area. When he returned from theological trainingin Germany, he told us how he puzzled over what his ministry in this context should be. After seven years of prayer and thought, the emphasis was placed on thriving, not surviving. In order to do that he said, one had to take action. And action is what this church is about.

They sponsor several programs of which they are very proud. One is a wellness center. With the stress and frustration so common in Palestinian lives they need a place to unwind and just live -- so courses are offered in ballet, Palestinian folk dancing, swimming, yoga, theatre and intergenerational discussion. They also have the first program in Palestine for seniors, and have over 700 people participating in those programs.

In addition to visiting the wellness center,we also toured a brand new building for their college which focuses on the arts. They have music students, film and documentary students, potters, jewelry makers, and are working out partnerships to provide faculty and exchanges which will benefit not only their students, but colleges abroad. The facility is beautiful and students are carefully selected via interview, and testing. The college is fully accredited at the Associate Degree level, and the Dean is very hopeful that within the next few years, they will receive accreditation for the BA and MA degrees. We also saw the bulding which will become the future home of a sports program for Women, and visited a K-12 co-ed school for Muslim and Christian children operated by the international Center of Bethlehem.

It is difficult to explain the energy that has gone into the planning and developing of these programs, and an example might give you an idea of why it is so dynamic. Continuing education courses are available, and computer courses are very popular -- who takes them? Our answer was anyone from a 15 year old young techie to an 86 year old grandmother who wanted to be able to email her grandchildren. I'd say that is living life abundantly!

We learned a lot -- and we heard about the wall divind Israel and the West Bank, the land grabs, but I shall never forget a young woman who is not allowed to travel 5 miles to see her grandmother who lives in Jerusalem saying, "I choose not to be a victim. I choose to live life abundantly." How can we not support such work with our prayers!

Kathryn Koob '60

Des Moines and Ankeny Outflys

By far the most dicey weather of this season so far and last season combined happened on June 22nd for the Des Moines Outfly. The strong winds and rain did not deter the alumni though! Over 2/3 of the registrants came out sporting their orange and still enjoyed the event even though it was not picnic weather. Alex Madole '13 represented the student body and spoke about some of the opportunities she has had while at Wartburg. She had just spent the past May traveling with the choir throughout Europe performing and will be studying abroad next semester in Berlin! Alex also told about the Des Moines Orange Connection program she participated in. She got to stay in Des Moines with an alum and learn about the magazine industry.
One of the top five reasons to attend an Outfly could very arguably be to get good dessert and the Madole's definitely supported that logic! The cream pie they brought was gone in no time!
In Ankeny, there were several toddlers who enjoyed all the Wartburg memorabilia. They ran around the Lakeside Center playing with orange and black beads, balloons, knights, and spent time with the Wartburg coloring books as well. Rex Davidson '12 spoke at the Ankeny Outfly where he, like Alex, shared about his experience with the Wartburg International Choir Tour and additionally informed the attendees about his vision for Student Senate next year as he will be the President of Wartburg's student body.


To check out photos from the event (and Tag Yourself!), click here.

To see the videos taken from the Outflys and what others had to say, click here.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Photos from the Holy Land

Western Wall (titles for pictures above)



Spices in Souk


Ruins of Capernaum




Pastor Ramona at Qumran




Jerusalem




Dome of the Rock




Church of Sepluchre




Church of Nativity















































Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Holy Land Tour Post 5


Thoughts on Masada

Most people who visit Masada think of the human story of the desire for independence and freedom from slavery that was exhibited by the Jews who committed suicide (almost 1000 of them) rather than be captured by the Romans and turned into slaves. That story is commented on in another blog by one of my fellow travelers.

I have spent over forty years working as an engineer so my interest was in the engineering and logistical aspects as well as the human story.

Anyone who has studied ancient warfare understands that it is advantageous to place a fortress on high ground. It is hard to attack. The problem is that of water and food if the fortress is put under siege. Since water flows downhill, it is hard to supply a high mountaintop fortress with water unless there is a spring nearby.

Every king and every general has engineers and logistics personnel on their staff. The logistics experts are concerned with, in today’s armed forces, “beans, bullets, & fuel” and everything in between. It concerns the flow of goods & materials from the point of origin to the point of consumption. If a commander outruns or exhausts his supply line, he has a major problem. The same held true back when the fortress and the siege were the primary method of warfare. Instead of beans, bullets, and fuel it would be weapons such as spears, shields, fuel for fire, food, horses, donkeys, and water.

It was the job of the engineer to either (1) design & built the siege machines or (2) design & built the fortress to withstand the siege machines. So, while some folks view the battle as between warriors and tactics, I tend to view it as a battle of ideas and designs. If the engineers and logistic folks don’t do their jobs well, the battle may be lost before it starts.

Masada is a high mountain plateau (mesa, rock cliff) in the desert of Judea in Israel (formerly Palestine) right next to the Dead Sea. This mountain plateau sits on sloping land, essentially a long mountain ridge, so that one side of the mesa rises higher above the land below than the other side. The eastern face of the mesa is 450 meters tall (1500 feet). This is the side that faces the Dead Sea and it gives quite a spectacular view of the sea. On the western side of the mesa, the face is 100 meters high (330 feet). The top of the mesa measures 600 meters by 300 meters (2000 feet by 1000 feet). For readers who are not familiar with metric measurement, a yard and a meter are about the same length. So the top of this mesa is six football fields long and three football fields wide.

Herod The Great (some folks dispute the title as he murdered most of his family and betrayed his fellow Jews) was a Idumean (one of the several tribes or subtribes in the greater Judean area). He was a practicing Jew and was a client King of Judea appointed by the Roman Senate. Herod was quite practiced in currying favor and playing the politics demanded of Kings and their courts. He is well known for his colossal building projects; the most well known one is the expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

Herod was smart enough to understand that his Kingdom could be invaded by neighbors or that the Romans could turn on him if he made a mistake and alienated them. So one of his colossal building projects was to build a fortress with all the comforts of living the Roman life, including a bathhouse, on top of Masada. He had access to Roman engineers as well as to the Arabic and Jewish engineers in the region. So from 37 to 31 BCE his engineers and logisticians built this fortress on a rocky mountain mesa in one of the most arid places on earth.

In order to live anywhere, people have to have water, food, salt, shelter, sanitation, and protection from invaders. Building the fortress on top a high rocky cliff plateau (mesa) gives protection against invaders but it complicates all the other aspects of the necessities of life. Herod’s engineers and logisticians built a masterpiece of a fortress that included a casement wall (think two walls with rooms in between) 1400 feet long with halls, rooms, and living quarters between the two sides of the wall. For water, they dug out huge cisterns at the base of the mesa on the uphill side. They put in a series of ditches that would channel the runoff down the slopes of the long mountain ridge into the cisterns. It only rains in this area a few months of the year so they had to capture as much runoff as possible every time it rained. Having the water at the base of the mesa does not help the folks living on top the mesa. To solve this problem, they dug large cisterns on top the mesa that could hold over a million gallons of water. The problem then became how to get the water from down below up to the top. The answer is donkeys (and, I suspect, slaves). A pint of water weighs a pound. So a gallon of water weighs eight pounds. A donkey can carry between 60 and 90 pounds depending on the size of the donkey. So one donkey can carry between 8 gallons and 11 gallons of water. A slave can carry half that much and still be able to climb the side of the mesa. So it is going to take a lot of trips up the mountain by lots of donkeys who drink lots of water. Herod’s engineers really took on a major endeavor but they succeeded. There was enough water on top for swimming pools and a Roman bathhouse. All this in an absolute desert area that is hot and below sea level.

On top the mountain (mesa) they built storehouses for food, barracks, an armory, and several palaces as well as the Roman bathhouse so Herod could live there and entertain visitors in relative safety.

Approximately 75 years after Herod’s death (66 CE), Masada was a Roman garrison. During the Jewish uprising against the Romans, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison and began stocking the fortress with supplies and water. Four years later came the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple. The Jews at Masada were joined by zealots and their families who had fled Jerusalem. This increased the population on the mesa to just less than one thousand. For two years, this Jewish group of rebels, raided and harassed the Romans. Then in 73 CE, the Roman governor marched the Tenth Roman Legion against Masada. By this time, the Jews living on the mesa had laid in stores of food and water that should last them for five years. So now the battle became one of siege. The Jews on Masada held out for over a year while the Romans constructed a siege engine (battering ram) to batter down the wall on top of the mesa. To get the battering ram up to the wall, the Roman army constructed a rampart of thousands of tons of rock, rubble, and dirt. The Jews on top could tell exactly where the battering ram would be located and they reinforced the rock wall with wood beams lashed together to help protect the wall from the blows. Unfortunately, when the time came, the use of liquid fire being poured by the defenders onto the Romans also set the wood on fire. With the wood reduced to cinders, it was not long before the battering ram did its job and the Romans gained entry only to find every defender had perished to avoid being carried into slavery.

This story could have swung either way. If the Roman logistic’s men had been unable to provide supplies for the 10th Roman Legion as they encamped below Masada, they would have been forced to leave. If the defenders of Masada could have reinforced the wall or stopped the construction of the rampart they could have outlasted the Romans. In the end, the tactical battle was won by a superior force whose engineers and logisticians had years and years of experience and knew exactly what to do to achieve the tactical victory.

Picture courtesy of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

By R. Lance Remick

Holy Land Tour Post 4

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Today is our last full day in Jerusalem. It is particularly poignant for me, as I am heading for home tonight. Lots running through my mind about what I have learned and seen, the new friends I have made, and the complex situation in Israel/West Bank.

This was our first time with driving through the ‘fancier’ parts of ‘new Jerusalem’. If ever there was an experience reflecting the disparity of the Jewish people in Jerusalem and the Palestinians, this would be it. First of all, the buildings in this area are very new, very tidy, and there are stand-alone private homes in tree-lined shady streets, with many buildings with names boldly stating the name of the donor. A way, I guess, to be remembered (at least until the next earthquake!) If this was my only experience of Jerusalem, I would never know of the conflict that exists internally, much as going from a wealthier part to a much poorer part of any large city in North America. But, because there is a much longer history, the conflict goes much deeper than that.

Our first stop today was at Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. I think it was a wise choice the tour leaders made to save this for our last day in Israel. The entire site, made up of many separate buildings , was beautifully done, and had a lot of emotional impact to me, despite the fact that I already knew much of the history. The largest building slits through the earth, for the most part underground, and tells the story of the initial movement of the German government to encourage Jews to emigrate, through the laws creating ghettos and taking away civil liberties, to the enforced work camps and on to the death camps. There were maps showing the steady progression of reduced numbers of Jewish people throughout Europe as the Germans took over other countries during the war, many displays reflecting the propaganda that encouraged the German citizens to blame all their problems on the Jews, videotapes of Jewish people telling their own stories of their experiences at the time in Europe, articles that were taken from the Jewish people when they arrived at the camps, stories of individuals who, at extreme danger of losing their lives (and many who did), assisted Jewish people in escaping from Germany, and many more visuals. To give justice to the Museum, one would have to spend several days there. Other buildings include a huge nearly-dark empty space listing each of the death camps, with a walkway around a recessed area; another large building with a circular room supports layer after layer of books presenting pages telling the stories of hundreds of thousands of Jewish individuals who lost their life during this time (the museum is still encouraging people to tell the stories of their relatives who were sacrificed in the Holocaust, so they can be added to the books) and, most memorable, the Children’s memorial, which is hard to describe, but with candles reflected in many, many mirrors that seemed to go on endlessly, and 24/7 reading of the name, age (at time of death), and nationality of each known child who was murdered during the Holocaust. Although many people on our tour have been to the Holocaust museums in Washington, D.C., in Germany, and in other places, I have not been to a Holocaust museum before, so the impact of Yad Vashem on me was powerful.

Very interestingly, it was hard to ignore the comparison of the beginnings of the Holocaust with what the Jewish government is now doing to the Palestinians, particularly the ‘ghettos’ (in this case, the ‘refugee camps’), the separation of the Jews and Palestinians in Israel (Palestinians not allowed to travel into Jerusalem, Jews not allowed to enter many West Bank areas, as mandated by Israeli law, not Palestinian rules), the confiscation of land and private property of the Palestinians, the restrictions on Palestinians against freedom of travelling throughout Israel, the checkpoints that Palestinians are not allowed to cross, even within the West Bank, which is supposed to be Palestinian land, and so on. It is amazing that the Jewish people cannot see the similarities that their government is imposing on Palestinians, without allowing the two groups to get to know each other in reality. Nothing will ever compare to the Jewish Holocaust (we can only hope), and I pray that people in the world will never forget that we earthlings allowed that to happen, but it is amazing that the Jewish government would turn around and do some of the same things to another group of people. I hope to return to see Yad Vashem again in the future.

Our next stop was at the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book, where the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls and actual pieces of them, and replicas of them, are found. This was fascinating, since we heard the story earlier in the trip and had been to Qu’umran to see where and how the copies of the original books of the Old Testament/Torah had been copied (as well as how the Essenes, who worked there, lived). Some historians believe that John the Baptist and Jesus, for a time, was part of this group of religious hermits. The Jewish people are known as ‘the people of the Book’.

Then we went back to the Old City area for lunch. Some of our group stayed near the bus, at the fancy shops near the Damascus Gate, while others of us (including me) returned to the old city for a last immersion into the experience of middle-east food from small souk shops.

Finally, we visited the Garden Tomb, outside the city walls. There is a controversy about where exactly the crosses were erected and where Jesus was so briefly buried. The Old City has a massive cathedral (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which we visited a few days ago) built around the area where some people (including Queen Helen, Alexander the Greta’s mother) strongly believed that Jesus was buried. Another group of people felt that the ‘death on the cross’ area was outside the city gates, in the area of what is called ‘the garden tomb’. This ‘Calvary site’ would have been very visible at the side of the road in the time of Jesus where travellers would see the strength of the Roman power when ‘criminals’ were put to death. A nearby cliff face looks like a ‘skull’ (actually looming over the City Bus terminal area), and Golgotha actually means ‘skull’. The Garden is managed by an organization from Great Britain, and the tour guides are all volunteers from the British Isles who each spend a few months telling about the story. Also within this garden area, beautifully kept and maintained as an oasis within the New City, there is what appears to be a tomb site. Once again, it hits you in the face that no one can actually prove exact sites in this area, but more importantly, it doesn’t really matter, as the story is what is important, and the faith it has created, rather than the proof. We ended our visit to the Garden Tomb with a brief meditation period and communion in the Garden.

At the end of the afternoon we returned to the haven of the Guest House managed by Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church, had a farewell dinner, as 7 of us will not be travelling on the final leg of the trip to Egypt tomorrow. It was wonderful to make new friends, to see the Land of the Bible, the Land of the Koran, and the Land of the Torah. The tour guide, Nahim, was marvelously knowledgeable about everything we saw, and even things we did not see, the Chip did a great job bringing it to life, adding enthusiasm and magic to the stories.

Hate to leave, hope to return.
Nancy McIntyre.

Holy Land Tour Post 3

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Today we entered Jersusalem, not as Jesus did so many years ago, but in an air-conditioned bus. We entered the Old City by the Jaffa Gate, while Jesus entered through the East Gate. Rather than being greeted by shouts of Hosanna! and palm branches, we went through several check points, including one where an armed soldier walked through the bus.

We spent time at a place that may be the Garden of Gethsemane. This may not be the exact location, but is very similar to what the Gethsemane would have been like. It was a very peaceful garden with many very old gnarly olive trees. Near the Garden was the Church of Gethsemane, designed to capture the feeling of that night. It was a beautiful church The ceiling was dark with muted stars, representing the night sky,

We also visited Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We walked/climbed into a tomb that may be the actual tomb or a similar one. Although Bethany is only about 2 miles from the Old City, we had to drive quite a distance to get there, as not all roads are accessible to us.

Many years before the time of Jesus, this is also the area where Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah.

I feel so blessed to be in the land that Jesus walked and to be a part of this tour group as we explored the Holy Lands together. It has been a fantastic experience.

Barb Dahlby, '69

Holy Land Tour Post 2

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Hello fellow Wartburg alums, friends of Wartburg and friends of friends of Wartburg. Greetings from the Holy Land. This is Carolyn McClure '83 Roys coming to you on day six of this grand adventure. If you haven't taken a Wartburg trip - consider it. You don't have to be an alum. This is our second and both have been fabulous.

Actually, I'm lying. Steve (Roys '86) and I added a few days in Jordan to visit friends in Ammon and see Petra. So far this trip has have been beyond our expectations.

Today was a visit to Masada (Hebrew for fortress), the Dead Sea, and Qumran. I've been asked to reflect on this day. I'm a closet historian wannabee. I love the historical aspects of the trips and when I can relate the places to things I've read, I'm happier. I've read several young adult and adlut historical fiction novels of Masada so was anxious to see it to understand more. The first challenge from Chip was to climb the Snake Trail (http://www.donaldlemma.com/masada.htm) rather than take the cable car. Steve and I joined Chip's son Gabriel on the climb. It was 1500 ft - the equivalent of two Sear's Tower treaks back-to-back. I can proudly say I made it though with much more of a struggle than I would have liked. It made me think about the harsh realities of these revolters (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Masada1.html), challenging Rome's authority and fleeing to Masada so as not to be slaves of the Roman's. Our friends from Ammon would love to visit Masada - as Iman put it, "It is my dream," - but it is one she will probably never see fulfilled since her passport says Palestinian. They are not allowed on the road here and would be arrested even though she also holds an American passport. I'll leave the politics to others but that my friends cannot move freely around the area is a great source of sadness for me.

The story of Masada has always intrigued me. These Jews refused to accept slavery under Rome and lived under siege for fur years before the Romans were able to breach the stronghold. The complex was built by Herod as a refuge though he never enjoyed it, in fact he never even saw it according to many sources. He was a tool for Rome yet he built a fortress that became home to 900 Jews. These Jews saw that their fate was sealed and decided to die rather than be taken back to Rome. Remains were found of what archeologists believe are the lots drawn to determine who did the killing, what order it was done and who would be last and throw himself on his sword.

Likewise, as exceptional as this courage was to withstand the siege, the Romans had eight camps around the mountain maintaining the siege. The logistics must have been a nightmare not to mention the heat. I spent less than an hour climbing the trail and probably that much walking the site and I was drenched in sweat. Soldiers would also have their gear and weapons engage in training when they weren’t working on entering Masada and struggling to survive. The complex is massive and would have been opulent for Herod but proved functional for the Jews. Is it bad to admire the ingenuity of the Romans in designing a device to breach this place? The ramp is still visible and the plans for the machine show massive engineering. Also, the Jews lived for over four years under constant siege. Very large rocks that were thrown into the complex were piled together. These are reminiscent of the missiles the two sides lob at each other now so these thousands of years later, little has changed except WHO is under siege. I was happy to walk the site with Chip as he explained so much more of the history that I didn’t know. It’s a story of sacrifice and courage. I’m not sure I would have been able to do this, but I also know I would not have wanted to be a slave in Ancient Rome or at any time in history.

We moved on to a visit to the Dead Sea. Floating in this most salty of places is incredible. It is truly impossible to sink. The salt and mud of the area are said to have healing properties. Sadly, the Sea is dropping at a rate of three meters per year and will disappear if nothing is done. Various things have been discussed and it is being studied. I hope they don’t study it literally to death. I can’t imagine what people in the time of Jesus thought about it but could see benefits to those who wandered by. These two sites left me with lots to ponder.

If that wasn’t enough, we moved on to Qumran where scrolls were found that were many of the Bible scriptures – the famed Dead Sea Scrolls. The discovery story is fun in that a young boy didn’t want to in trouble for losing a sheep so climbed in a cave looking for him and found a scroll instead. HE sold it to the local tanner who showed it to people more in the know and the hunt was on. The site shows ruins of the life as much as some others we’ve seen on the trip. The scrolls however were found in the surrounding ten caves. They were mostly in tact and Chip said they answered some theological questions yet raised many more. Hmmmm, that sounds like most archeological finds. I can understand why people like to be part of digs and hearken back a couple days to thank Wartburg for supporting the work at Bethsaida with some funds and with students. Their learning on a theological and scientific level must help them understand more the significance of what is found at places like Masada and Qumran. Using scientific methods and equipment aids in the work. Knowing the significance of ground penetrating gear, how it works and how to interpret results can spill over into their lives as they apply these basic principles to everyday living. It is a joining of science and religion yet at no expense of one or the other. I hope this opportunity can be made available for future Wartburgers and the college might even think about an alum dig trip.

This day is a blessing for me to see the passion of people interested in learning about history and marrying that to what they might know of the religious era. Some may be clear. Some may need focusing but for me – more study will come and I welcome it.


Carolyn Roys

Friday, June 17, 2011

Alumni Holy Land Tour: Group Photo

Wartburg Alumni Holy Land tour: Group photo at the Garden Tomb.





If this day had a theme it would be "key places in the Early Ministry of Christ."

Monday, June 6, 2011.

Following breakfast at our hotel (Kibbutz Nof Ginosar), our group headed north along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (a/k/a Lake Kinneret). Our scenic route hugged the sea in some places, and then curved inland along large fields of banana trees...something I didn't expect to see in Israel!

After a short drive, we reached the area of Tabgha (meaning "Seven Springs"). Our first stop was the gardens and chapel of the Church of the Beatitudes, a peaceful spot high above the Sea of Galilee. After Pastor Ramona read the familiar words from scripture, our group divided: some rode the bus to the next stop and others of us trekked down a dirt path on the hillside to reach the bottom fo the mount.

Tradition locates the feeding of the five thousand on this hillside, and one could only hope that it was well grazed and covered with soft grass at the time...not scratchy undergrowth that we encountered. At points the path descended steeply and the trail divided, prompting statements such as "Are you sure you want to follow Jesus? Yes, but I'm not so sure about following Chip!"

At the bottom of the trail, our group reconnected for a tour of the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. The chapel is thought to include the rock where Jesus laid five loaves and two fish, a motif that is depicted in one of the beautiful mosaic floors within the building.

From there, we walked a fews steps down a garden path to reach the Church of the Primacy of Peter. The church covers a flat rock where Christ is said to have passed the church leadership to Peter following the resurrection.

After climbing back on the bus, we took a short ride to Capernaum, the village where Jesus healed the sick, preached in the synagogue, and recruited the first disciples. The ruins provide a sense for a first century fishing village.

Another short ride took us back to the kibbutz area, and we headed for the dock to board a boat for a short ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was interesting to see each of the mornings destinations from the water.

Back on shore, we headed for the Yigal Allen center, home of preserved fishing boats from the Bethsaida site that are being processed in the basement of the facility. Dr. Carl Savage (Drew University) and our own Dr. Chip Bouzard gave a helpful orientation to the work being done at an archeological dig site.

Few of us had any energy left after such a full day! But after a welcome rest under a shady tree, we walked to the kibbutz grocery store for a few supplies. It was an interesting glimspe into the kibbutz community and daily life.

A packed day...full of insights into life along the Sea of Galilee in the first century and our own time!

Rachel Riensche, '80

Thursday, June 16, 2011

First Outflys of the 2011 Season!

Milwaukee and Madison were the first two Outfly events on the Wartburg Alumni Association's summer calendar. The beautiful Root River Parkway was the location near Milwaukee where alumni gathered on June 14. A group of 19 Wartburgers enjoyed an evening with perfect picnic weather! This has to be a first in all Outfly history! Wartburg spirit was present as the alumni told stories about how they still remain in contact with college friends via trips to Florida and outings at baseball games.
Madison's Outfly lasted over three hours as the good food never ran out and neither did the conversation! The Salzwedel's were the hosts of this event and due to the chance of showers, guests filled their house. Sam, the youngest Salzwedel shared his love of hockey with the attendees and had the final game playing on the TV. The new miniature Wartburg Knights were a hit with the kids! Check out the facebook page for more photos from both evenings and see the miniature Knights the Alumni Association now has!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Holy Land Alumni Tour

What is the beginning or the end of a pilgrimage? When does life start? What was the first miracle? Creation? The Cana wedding? Why begin our pilgrimage in Nazareth rather than Bethlehem where Jesus was born?

Just as with any pre-birth preparation, our hearty band of Wartburg alumni, friends, and family had been preparing for this journey for some months. As we drove into the Gallilee area I realized that our journey was not one merely of distance, but through time. How appropriate then, that we should begin in Nazareth where time and place met, where God reached into humankind to create a new life that would save us for eternity, where the angel announced to Mary that she was impregnated by God with the Savior of the World.

We think of Nazareth most often as the town where Jesus grew up, but it is also the site of the Annunciation, or rather two announcements: one of the pregnancy, and one to assure Joseph and to ask that he serve as earthly father of this new and very unique family. And as has happened so often with God's church over the years, there are several Churches of the Annunciation, where "it really happened." There's an Orthodox one, a Roman Catholic one, and another one dedicated to Joseph. Meanwhile there is Mary's well nearby, where some say she really received the Word.

As it occured it was Sunday and as it occurred, our brief time in the RC sanctuary was at the exact time of the Eucharistic Prayer during the service in Arabic. I had feared I might miss the Eucharist this Sunday, but there we were, right at the right time, at the right place, as the Host was elevated. Fear not, I said to myself, this is going to be SOME journey.

Barbara E. Solt,
friend of a Wartburg alumna

Holy Land Alumni Tour

Tuesday, June 7, day 4 on the ground in Galilee

Our day began at Bethsaida, an ancient fishing village from which Jesus called Peter, Andrew, Nathaniel, and Phillip. Chip Bouzard was so excited to share the story of this place. He literally bounded up the path to the archeological site that he and several Wartburg students have helped explore. The first part we came to was the oldest part. Bethsaida has been inhabited from about 2000 BCE. What we saw first was the city gate, a street, and walls of buildings dating from the Iron Age around the time of the prophet Isaiah and possibly even King David Very impressive to see as well as to learn about Wartburg's role. And so much fun enjoying Chip's excitement for this place.

As we moved into the "New Testament" portion of the dig it was exciting to see the house of a fisherman, based on the tools and equipment found in the house. Who knows, maybe it was the home of one of the disciples? Then we came to the road. In our path were the actual stones from road that was in use at the time of Jesus. We knew he had been in this place and had walked these streets. Could we be walking on the very path he had once taken? Maybe yes!
We moved on to other archeological sites at Caesarea Phillipi and Tel Dan. Banias Springs which was the location for Caesarea Phillipi is one of the sources of the Jordan River.

We ended our touring for the day with a drive through the Golan Heights. Before the 1967 war this was part of Syria. Now it is part of the territory Israel has claimed as necessary to keep for their security. Prominent features of this land include several mine fields, a barbed wire fence backed up by what appears to be an electrified fence, and a strong military presence--both UN peace keepers and Israeli military. Though there had been an incident at the Syrian border just days before, we had no problems passing through this area on our return to our Kibbutz.

Jack Dahlby '67

Friday, June 10, 2011

Alumni Board Spotlight - Nancy Heiter, '80

Majors/Minors: Biology


Family Information: I married Mike Heiter in '79 and we have two children: Beth, an '07 Wartburg Alum, and Jeff, currently a junior at Culver-Stockton College.


Work Information: I am co-principal at Charles City High School.


What do you enjoy doing? I enjoy traveling, reading, exercising, watching sporting events, and spending time with my family and friends.


What do you think makes Wartburg stand out from other schools? I think the quality of education, both formal and informal, and the opportunities for many experiences that allow the learning to be "real."


What is currently your favorite thing about Wartburg? It thrills me to see Wartburg's successes in academics, athletics, and the arts. I am very proud to have been part of Wartburg.


What does "Be Orange" mean to you? It means that pride that you feel when anyone mentions Wartburg. It also means leading lives of leadership and service because of our faith and learning that was instilled while at Wartburg.