Is 'shabbat' Hebrew for 'Laundry day'?

Here at St. Stephen's there are no automatic dryers, so laundry goes straight fro the washing machine to the clothesline. It seemed odd to me at first, but I have gotten into the routine and, frankly, I like the environmental implications! Saturday is more a Sabbath here in Jerusalem more than anywhere I have ever experienced (and I grew up in the deep South with serious Sunday blue laws!). And I have to admit, I kinda like the one day each week for real rest. God, the creator of the universe, seemed to know what He was doing when He said we should rest one day out of seven. "Rest" has developed into a day of study and reflection for me here in Jerusalem. But in the midst, I also find myself doing housework. A day when no shops are open and there is a general expectation that you stay close to home is a good day for housework! So for those of you who might find it hard to believe that I actually do domestic chores, here I am hanging my laundry on the rooftop clothesline - you gotta love the Romanesque backdrop - my clothes have never known such style!

Since our return from the Dead Sea on Tuesday evening, we have stayed close to home. I have busy about my studies and visiting and revisiting things here in Jerusalem. Today (Sunday) we made a morning trip to Bethlehem (our second time there) for some prayer time and to prepare ourselves for this week's journey to Galilee. I am very excited about this weeks travels and site visits. We leave tomorrow for 5 days on Jesus' home turf. Over the course of these days, we will visit many sites associated with the early life of Jesus and the three years of his public ministry: Nazareth, Cana, Mt. Tabor (Transfiguration), the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Tagbah (multiplication of the loaves and fishes), Mountain of the Beatitudes, Corazin, Bethsaida, Caesarea Philipi. IN addition, we will be visiting important historical sites at Beth Alpha, Sepphoris, the Horns of Hattin, Dan, Kursi, Belvoir and the Jordan Valley.

This is a very important part of the trip because it is almost all related to the Gospels and our studies here. I am well on my way to meeting my goal of taking more than 10,000 photos on this trip. I am close to 6000 now. Galilee and Jordan should provide plenty of opportunity for the rest!