The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/61487
Steve and Donna Mikel take trip to Israel A-8 Wednesday, April 11, 2012 The Press-Dispatch wouldn't consider Israel a prime vacation spot, Steve and Donna Mikel, owners of the Log Ends Bed and Breakfast near Bowman, just got back from the Ho- ly Land, and they said they would go again. "You'd think it would be Whi le most of us By Alden Heuring dangerous, but they are very safety-oriented in Is- rael," Donna said. "They have terrorists but not gangs; everyone goes into the military at age 18, and the biggest crime you see is pick pocketing." The Mikels' trip focused tinian territory, and the Church of the Nativity is right over the spot they think Jesus was born," Donna said. "When you go to the Holy Land, it kind of blows your conceptions of Christmas and Easter— they say Jesus was born in a cave, and His bed was hewn out of rock." The next big stop for on locations from the min- istry of Jesus. So, one of the first places they stopped was Bethlehem. "Bethlehem is in Pales- middle of the desert, the country has the Sea of Gal- ilee for its water supply, and uses a special "one- drip" irrigation system to grow fruits and vegetables. "They run a hose eat a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes. They put a vinai- grette dressing on a lot of things, and use a lot of cab- bage," Donna said. "You can really feel healthy eat- ing there." While Israel is in the "The food is good; they and the pool of Bethsaida, where a crippled man was healed. Some other places the lem, the Mikels stopped at the Wailing Wall, said to contain bricks from the time of Solomon; the Southern Steps, where the first Pentecost was cele- brated; two burial grounds, both touted by their own- ers as the temporary rest- ing place of Jesus' body; the site of the Last Supper; the Mikels was Jerusalem, where some of the high- lights of Jesus' ministry occurred. "We spent a lot of time in through the middle of their fields and gardens that has little holes in it, and run a trickle of water. That way everything gets just enough," Donna explained. Before leaving Jerusa- Mikels saw on their 10-day trip were the Dead Sea, which is saltier than the ocean; the valley of Megid- do, predicted to be the fu- ture site of a supernatural battle; and Pilgerhaus, a re- treat for German monks, where they spent a few nights while exploring the areas outside Jerusalem. After 10 days in the Holy Land (March 21 to March 31), they were ready to come home, but this wasn't their first trip, and it proba- bly won't be their last. "We've been before three times, and we really like it, especially around the Sea of Galilee," Donna said. "It's hard to absorb all the information in one go, so we go back. A lot of people get caught up in these plac- es—they worship the plac- es. But you don't want to get tied up in that. It's just good to see where things happened." said the rocks on the graves were placed there by visitors. She said they place rocks on the grave to denote that they had visited the site, similar to Ameri- cans leaving flowers. A Jewish cemetery with the Dome of the Rock is in the background. Mikels Jerusalem, because that's where big places like the Mount of Olives and the garden of Gethsemane are," she said. "Another place we got to see was the basement of the high priest Caiaphas, where they say Jesus was held the night before His crucifixion." The Mikels spent four nights in Jersualem's Olive Tree hotel, and got to sam- ple the Israeli food and cul- ture during their stay. of trees. This is nothing like I thought it was," said Donna Mikels. She said what she likes about traveling to the Holy Land seeing what she had read about in the Bible. Above is the Judean wilderness. "When I thought of wilderness I thought nacle of the temple where Satan tempted Christ to jump off and prove God would save him. The building pictured is believed to be the pin- Ball State study finds Pike County average and failing versity Center for Busi- ness and Economic Re- search (CBER) recently announced its findings of their Indiana Community Asset Inventory Report. The report lists all 92 The Ball State Uni- By Joe Shouse Indiana counties and how they rank in several differ- ent categories including: people, education, health, government impact and economy, arts, entertain- ment and recreation, along with public amenities. In the five major categories a grade was given based on a curve. An equal num- ber of A's, B's, D's and F's were given with the bal- ance of grades falling in- to average or C grade. For Pike County the following grade was given in each| category: People ................................C Education ..........................C Health ................................F Government Impact and Economy ................. C- Arts, Entertainment, Recreation . ......................F The purpose of the sur- vey was to provide coun- ty policy makers and res- idents with an objective, data-focused assessment of the various factors that influence the quality of life and the economic condi- tions within the county. In determining the final population growth from 2000-2010 was 0.06 percent or eight people (12,837 to 12,845). Unemployment for 2010 stood at 8.9 per- cent while 11.6 percent or 1,425 people lived at or be- low the poverty level. Educ a t ion—Pi ke County grade—"C": When businesses consid- er an expansion or relo- cation, the education of a community's workforce plays a key role accord- ing to the CBER. Informa- tion that was factored into the Pike County grade of C included the percent of students who passed the ISTEP English and math section, educational at- tainment (highest degree earned) and high school graduation rate. Health—Pike County grade—"F": The overall well being of a community was the focus of this partic- ular category. The healthi- er the workforce, the less expensive it is to insure. Several health related is- sues were considered in giving Pike County a fail- ing grade. Included in the research was the fertility rate, death Pregnant... or think you are? grade for each category the following conditions were considered. People—Pike County grade— "C": This cate- gory considered the condi- tion of people within a com- munity. The determining grade was based on popu- lation growth, poverty rate, unemployment rate, pri- vate foundations revenue per capita, and other non- profit revenue per capita. For Pike County, some of the general findings giving the county a "C" grade: • Free pregnancy testing • Free counseling and info. on pregnancy options. Call:1-877-257-1084 or Locally Call: 1-812-354-2814 • Confi dential counseling for women & men who are suff ering from post-abortion syndrome. and Economy—Pike County grade—"C-": rate, premature death rate, poor and fair health rate, poor physical and mental health days, motor vehi- cle crash death rate, can- cer incidence rate, lung and bronchus incidence rate, asthma rate, number of primary care providers, and access to healthy food. Government Impact Government inf luences and economic conditions affect the likelihood that a business will settle in a community. The Ball State survey took into consider- ation the crime rate, effec- tive tax rate, and metropol- itan development. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation—Pike County grade—"F": Both visitors and residents alike Vot sideration in developing a final grade was per cap- ita personal income, em- ployment per 1,000 peo- ple and average compen- enjoy the quality of a place that offers a variety of the arts, entertainment, and recreation. According to the study these offerings are often private and not owned by the county. 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