ad ha yom ha ba

As the title says: Till tomorrow! It is unbelivable that I have not written earlier. Two weeks went by and I found no time to share with you my experiences. What dereliction of pleasure! what intelectual slothfulness! But, I have been in touch with my friends in Poland. The last few days I have been energized to start packing for my trip to Poland. I communicated with the 'powers' that be in Podkowa. My trip will include a series [short lectures] of presentations on various topics from the ancient days in the Near East, otherwise known as the Biblical world. Most of my time I am spending in reading and brushing up on the facts and artifacts from antiquity. I even started reading anew the Egyptian grammar, of all things. Now I am reading up on the evidence from monuments and literature regarding the history of Egypt. In short I have topics like Elephantine, Amarna...in Egypt, Mesha stone from Moab, Incriptions in Phoenician from Sphire, Ugarit and...to name a few. Busy, but not impossible. I plan while in Poland, that in between lectures...to keep in good health, will be...of course... visits to Warsaw Synagogues, and tennis in Cieszyn. Most of all I will again relish the evening discussions with interested theology students, on any topics [Biblical] they wish to pursue. Today I went for the first time into the Museum [Archaeological] and got lost in reading the texts from Mesopotamia that are housed at Andrews University collection. Fascinating, and all absorbing exercise. I hope to buy a set of pictures that illustrate life and literature and history of the Biblical lands...from the Archaeological Society. I found a "sponsor" [my wife] who will help me in this project. My sister Zofia and her husband Jonas will be spending 3 months in Poland and I may join them at their house in Krakow. Hopefully we will squeeze a couple of weekend trips to Zakopane, Pieniny, and some other interesting places. I would like to visit the prison in Wisnicz where my father was held from '54-'56. Maybe they will let me tour the place? Who knows? Nearby lives the family of close friends, the Korostenskis, and Barrs. Poland is a wonderful country with great potential, and glorious future. The downfall and shortcomings of Poland came mainly when the nation was dominated by foreign agencies. Among the most influencial agencies must be counted the Roman section of the christian church, the military powers of Austria, Prussia and Czarist Russia, and USSR, the international communism lead by Stalin and his successors. We can only hope that Poland as a nation will not again fall under the all dominiering influence of Vatican. It was against that kind of domination that Martin Luther protested, and was successfully supported by the princes of Germany [some of them]. No one opposes the religious teachings of any church, but when a church, any church becomes a purely political power and dominates another country or nation, then it is an "invasion and occupation" with destructive results. Well it is late at night and I have a wonderful match of tennis in the morning. My 'beauty rest' is calling and I must answer the call. ET, I love you and will see you on Wednesday evening. My friends in Poland...a happy new week to you. Special greetings to Ann [you figur out which one among all twenty of them]and wishes of quick return to the courts.