Israel Trip-Days 5 and 6

Ou first stop Monday morning was to the Mount of Olives where we had a breathtaking view of the city of Jerusalem. We walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane via the Palm Sunday Route.As we walked down this road we sang , o Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary...The garden contained many old olive trees, and someone has taken great care in maintaining the grounds and planting flowers. There was a sense of peacefulness. In the Christian Quarters we visited St. ann's Crusader church, the Lithostrotos, Antonia Fortress, the Via Dolorosa and finished at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church is maintained by five different denominations- Catholics, Orthodox, Armenians,Syrian Orthodox, andCoptic Orthodox. What a mess man makes out of something God makes so simple. In this space, where tradition said Jesus was buried, man has made gaudy, and gold filled, and ornate. On the contrary, our visit to the Garden Tomb, where we were led by an Irish believer,was a beautiful experience. There was a sense of calm and beauty in the gardens, and the tomb was simple. The truth is, WHERE He was buried is really not relevant. The fact that He arose is what gives us the hope that we have. There was a small gift shop there and I bought a watercolor of the open tomb that the shipowners husband had painted. I am going to hang it above my Bible Study chair to remember.

Tuesday morning we visited the Dome of the Rock, on the Temple Mount. Security there was extreme. No Bibles are allowed through security. No symbols of Christianilty. Apparently Muslims do not share our respect for ideas different than their own. It does strike me how foolish we are concerning our contacts with this religion in assuming we have foundational principles in common. We do not. I watched as some young Arab boys washed their hands and feet in the outdoor fountains to purify themselves before entering the Temple. Only Arabs are allowed inside. No Jews are even allowed on the grounds. And yet, not 15 feet away, through a much less thorough security check, we were at the Wailing Wall. My heart hurt for those who seemed burdened, knowing that I have a Father who hears my every prayer, no matter where I am. We visited David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. We visited the tunnels under the Wailing Walls, and then went to the City of David to see the Pool of Siloam and visit Hezekiah's tunnel. We walked on the dry side, as the wet side was mid thigh level! Last of all, we visited the Israel Museum with the Book of the Shrine and saw the miniature model of Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, then continued to Ein Karem, visited the Church of Visitation and St. John the Baptist, and then on to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity. At the end of the day we visited an Arab -Christian Co-op and did some shopping. I purchased a Jerusalem Cross necklace and one for each of my granddaughters. We bought olive wood crosses for each of the grown children, and wooden animals for our grandsons. Then home to our hotel for the evening.

Wednesday morning