Near the end of my junior year of college, I got a phone call from my dad. "Would you like to go to Israel on an archaeological dig this summer?" he asked. "YES!! YES!! YES!!" I responded. I was in school at the University of South Carolina, but I got a special enrollment at the University of South Dakota for the summer so that I could join the Joint Expeditions to Caesarea Maritima, of which USD was a partner school. I spent 28 days in Israel learning archaeology, but mostly acting as manual labor for the dig project. It was one of the most transformational experiences of my life, impacting me in ways that were immediately evident, and in ways that are still manifesting to this day.
Not long ago, when looking for something in the depths of a guest room closet, I came across my journal from my time in Israel. I decided to type it up in blog form and share it with whoever is interested in reading it. For me it is both interesting to read about things I'd forgotten, but also frustrating because there I things I remember vividly that didn't make it into the journal. Some of these things are called out in grayed brackets throughout the journal. The most frustrating thing is that, except for a few folks, I didn't record names. In this age of connectedness, I have no idea how to find any of them.
2013 Edit: It has been 20 years, and it looks like I may have some luck in finding folks. Joni Jefferson found me, then I found Jason, then Joni and I started on a quest to find as many folks as we can. If you know people who were part of this dig, let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment