last day in I S R A E L.

What an incredibly sad day. Last trip through the old cemetery/park filled with broken glass...last meal at our favorite little pizza place... last time through the busy Arab market with all our new Arab friends... last time through the new open air mall- hello Jerusalem!...last time to witness the hush of a quiet Shabbat Saturday morning...one more time before we get on a plane heading h o m e... at least for a little while. I think most of have already decided in our hearts: we will be coming back someday. 

V I A D O L O R O S A

Today was very simple, yet very meaningful. We attempted to go back to the Temple Mount, but it was not open to visitors today. We went to all the stations of the Via Dolorosa- the Way of Suffering. There was something about visiting all the places Jesus crossed on the day he was crucified. There were so many people in the streets of the Old City today. There were so many tours and people praying and carrying crosses on the Via Dolorosa. Lastly, we stopped at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Yesterday we visited the Garden Tomb- and today the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the other place he might have been crucified and buried. The church was very elaborate, although I think it is much easier to imagine the actual place being at the Garden Tomb. 

It is hard to imagine leaving this captivating place. I could stay here for the whole semester, and still desire to learn and experience this city even more. I don't want to leave at the end of this week! Tomorrow we have a free day to spend however we want. I think we might try a sushi place for lunch, and then explore the Old City a little bit. I just want to take advantage of every opportunity I have while I am here. It is difficult, because every moment I spend in our dorm, I feel as if I could be outside these walls- seeing more of Jerusalem. I love living life to the fullest. I love making the most of my time... and yet, I know that it is in the quiet moments where I am just enjoying the stillness, that God captures my heart. He shows me things I didn't see before- and I am completely in awe. We are walking WHERE JESUS WALKED. I feel so incredibly blessed, and undeserving. God is so faithful. I LOVE life here... but I also look forward to the moments I can share what I've learned here with people in Florida. I cannot forget this place.

Hezekiah's Tunnel

We walked around the City of David this morning. I learned that Muslims actually consider Abraham to be the first Muslim. The city of Jerusalem is known as the center of Monotheism. After that we went through Hezekiah's Tunnel. It was A M A Z I N G! It was so much fun. The tunnel was carved by King Hezekiah to bring water from one side of the city to the other. The water in the tunnel only reached about mid-calf or up to our knees, at times. The water was above the waist of the group that came last spring! We all were given little lights to guide us through the pitch black tunnel; but half way through, we decided to turn them off and feel our way through. I loved it! It kind of reminded me of the little tunnel Noelle and a couple of the guys and I went through a couple weeks ago- except that one was a little more intense. We actually had to crawl/swim through the tunnel at times. We also visited the Pool of Siloam. That is the spot where Jesus put mud on the blind man's eyes and healed him. The pool is located in the southern slope of the City of David. 

We ate lunch at a delicious little Thai restaurant called Thailandi- and it was wonderful. After lunch we went to the Garden Tomb- one of the places believed to be the place where Jesus was buried before he rose from the dead. It was such a beautiful garden- flowers everywhere. The tour guide made a point to say that they do not know for sure if he was actually buried there- but after all, thats not the important thing. The key part of the story is that we know he is alive. It was very awesome, nonetheless, to be there. We found a new coffee place tonight- Dolce Latte. Justin and Jeff also found a new place so we are getting a little more variety than the usual four places we have been going. Oh, and we finally went to Sambooki and found some delicious little pastries. It was a great day. 

Rosh Hashanah

This weekend has been very chill and relaxing. We are celebrating Rosh Hashanah- the Jewish New Year. It was absolutely wonderful. We kicked the weekend off right with our Shabbot  service and then a party afterwards on Friday night. Saturday we went to the Great Synagogue on in the morning. It was very traditional, and all in Hebrew. The women sit on the second level and the men on the first. The men all where their prayer cloths and their heads have to be covered. I am thankful for the opportunity to see how the Jewish people spend their Shabbot, even though we couldn't understand what they were saying. You can feel the intensity of their prayers just by observation. Yesterday was Lauren's birthday, so we took her out for coffee and dessert later on. It was so great! It was extremely hard to find something open, with the holiday all weekend. We randomly found a lovely little cafe' called Focaccia. We had Tiramisu and Creme Brulee and some delicious iced coffee. 

Today, we visited an Arabic Baptist Church. I am always fascinated by the variety of religions and how people worship in other countries. The service was actually in English, so that was rare, considering the places we have been before. We ate at a quant little Italian place that we found be chance, when we realized Thailandi was closed... again. I had the best eggplant, garlic, herbs, and goat cheese penne pasta today! It was so wonderful. I want to try making it myself when I return home. Later this afternoon we went for a scavenger hunt! I love scavenger hunts. We were split into groups and sent out to take pictures all around Jerusalem. It was such fun. I also feel as if I know my way around even better than before. It was also fun just getting to run around making memories in Jerusalem. 

Our new guide Aton, whose name is incredibly close to the rapper Akon, took us around the Old City today. We went through New Gate, instead of Jaffa Gate to get a sense of a different area. We went to the church where the upper room is remembered to have been. It is extremely old because we know it was reconstructed after Titus burned down the second temple. We listened to a funny little nun talk about how the Holy Spirit is right there in the church. She was adorable. We also went to The Burnt House of Kathros and watched a video of the story of the priestly Kathros family. It was really interesting to learn about how a family was personally affected when the Romans invaded Jerusalem. This is the only house they have found that was from the time when the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.

At lunch we had two pizza places across the street from each other competing to give us a better price for pizza and drinks. It was hilarious, but we actually got a great deal. Who knew you could barter for food, too? We went to visit a quaint shop of an orthodox Jewish man who was so sincere. He enlightened us on the origin and specifics of Judaism and how it differs from Christianity. This man said something that I know is engraved in my heart forever. He said, “If you think you made the decision to come to Israel, you can just kiss that idea good bye. God chose you, and brought you here to his chosen country for a specific purpose. You will not be able to get Israel out of your mind, because you leave a piece of your heart in the Holy Land… and you will be back.”  We also went to the Temple Institute to listen to the history of the first and second temple. The lady giving the tour was absolutely crazy, so it was hard to concentrate on the material. It was really cool to hear of their plans to build a third temple.

After all the touring we took our time going back to campus and did a little more shopping. I went back to some of the same places we went last weekend, and I had two different guys tell me, “You are making me crazy!” But I almost always walk away with the best deal possible. I love bartering. I miss traveling overseas with my brother! Some of the thing these shopkeepers come up with is hilarious.  However, I think my favorite so far is, “Because of your nice eyes, I will give you good price.” What will they come up with next? 

N E G E V

Today was a little slow. We went to the Negev and learned about the Bedouin culture. I love learning about the people who live in the desert. Most of the Bedouin people are Muslim. The men are allowed to have up to 4 wives. Can you imagine?  It was really interesting to learn more about their unique lifestyle, since we had the chance to spend the night in the desert in a Bedouin camp. There are so many culture codes and ways the Bedouin people can express something without even speaking. There are also specific ways they dress in order to express a specific message. They served us a delicious, sweet hot tea, and learned how to make fresh tortillas like the Bedouins make.

We also went to see the grave and desert home of David Ben-Gurion. The view of the desert was beautiful. People compare the view to the Grand Canyon.  The view of the desert really is incredibly overwhelming.  Lastly, we went to see Abraham’s Well in Be’er Sheva.  We watched the funniest video about the history of Abraham and the story of Be’er Sheva. I learned that Be’er  Sheva means “well,” and a well is a place a single women go to meet men.

At dinner, one of our hosts gave us a small gift of an apple, candy, and honey. Rosh Hashanah is this weekend, and traditionally people dip apples in honey to bring in a “sweet” New Year.  I am excited about celebrating a Jewish holiday this weekend. Tonight we went to Coffeeshop and we talked about Theology, hunting, and our lives before Southeastern. 

..s i f t i n g..

Oh my goodness. I am speechless. We visited the Holocaust Museum today, and it is so incredibly extensive. I went through in about two hours; however, I feel as if I could have stayed about 6 hours or more. There was so much to see! Some of the things that really struck me was seeing the journal entries and the artwork of the Jewish people who went to the concentration camps. Some of them were writing right before they were murdered. I honestly couldn’t believe the mass destruction of a people group, and how anyone could ever think that would be “ok.” It breaks my heart to think of the fear the Jews must have lived in.

We also went to sift through rocks searching for archaeological treasures at the Temple Mount Salvage Project. This organization is dedicated to sifting through all the ruins found at Mount Moriah. They have been sifting for the past five years, and are still only about twenty percent through it all. So Gabe and I were joking around that we were going to do another twenty percent in our short afternoon there! However, I am sure they will still be working at this project for many years to come. We had so much fun! Mandy and I found quite a few missing links to civilization from a time long ago. Kaleb and Gabe found a really old Byzantine coin, and that was definitely a big deal.  Tonight I called my Dad for his birthday and got to tell him all about my day.  Oh, and I video chatted with Michael the other night and that was amazing. Life is beautiful!