Last Day...

I'm sad to say it's our last day in Israel...I'm excited to go home yet very sad. I've had an amazing time here, learned so much, and just had a chance to make memories that I'll remember always!
I didn't think I would be going on this trip, my friend Mandy pretty much told me I was :) I was scared, for I have never been outside the US before. I also had no idea how I would even be able to pay for this trip, but God provided a way. He's opened so many doors for me and I hall rejoice in that always.
I had many ideas in my head what would happen when I got here, and what it'll be like. Reading the Bible I've just come up with these crazy pictures in my head of what Israel looks like, but it's not the truth. But even though it's become very modern over the past few thousand years, I can still picture what it would have been like when Jesus was walking the Earth, when David killed Goliath or when Elijah called down fire from heaven to show how powerful our God is. It's amazing, beautiful and leaves in awe. This country, people and way of life will stay dear to my heart. One day I'll come back and relive it all again, but until then I'll have my memories close to me. You can take me out of Israel, but you definitely can't Israel out of me!!!

Day 25!!!

So, the plan was to start off the day by going back to the Temple Mount, but unfortunately when we got there it was closed off. Instead we went to the Pools of Bethesda. This is the very same pool mentioned in the book of John, where Jesus healed the paralyzed man. The man was laying by the side of one of the pools, waiting for someone to help carry him in. He had enough faith in these pools, that he risked drowning, to be healed. But God had other plans, Jesus was the one who came and healed him instead, not by the "powers" of the water, but through the magnificent power in God. Fun fact~ this is also the place where Mary was born...
But anyways, after that we walked along the Via Dolorosa or "the way of suffering," it's basically some sort of path that one follows with 14 different station, representing the way of the cross. Even though some of the stations aren't biblical, it was still interesting to scope out the Roman Numeral Signs hanging on the buildings. My favorite part was being in the spot where Jesus was beaten, not because it was fun, but I can now have a clear picture of what it would have looked like to Him, as the Roman Soldiers mocked, tortured and humiliated him as the played the game of the kings. It's given me a deeper understanding. I'm not more in love with God, or more thankful for what he did for me, I don;t think I can be, but what I do have is almost like an understanding. Why Jesus would want to die for me, I have no idea what so ever. But what I do realize now, is that the least I can do is live out every second of everyday for him...that's all he asks for, yet I wish I could give him more, I love him that much. God is mysterious in that way for a reason, his romance to humankind is unfathomable. What better way to worship Him, than to give up yourself, and testify his love?

A Day To Never Forget...

Today was so much fun!!! We started out by going to the City of David, where Jerusalem actually began. We were able to see the valley where Solomon was crowned king, and learn about a wall that was found dating back to the time before King David, showing that there was a city there years before. But one of the main reasons for going to this site was so that we could walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel. It was basically this cave/ tunnel that was built under the city and led to the valley so that the people could obtain water, especially during times of war. When we first went into the tunnel it was just above our knees in cold, natural spring water. It was very dark (which is why we all had to carry these little flash lights), and as we continued the water only went to our ankles or calves the rest of the way. The only thing that was tricky, was that you had to pay attention to the ceiling because it would just become super low out of no where! Needless to say, I did bump my head a few times! Towards the end, we ended up being a little further away from the group, so we thought it would be fun to turn off all our flash lights and just walk in the dark...it was fun, yet scares at the same time because all you could do was feel the water rushing against your feet, and feel the cool damp walls surrounding you.

After Hezekiah's Tunnel we broke off to eat lunch,, and then met back at the school to go to the Garden Tomb, which is suspected as being one of the two places where Jesus' tomb was. It was interesting, and we did have the chance to go inside the actual tomb that was discovered, I'm just not sure that that was Jesus' Tomb. Many things just didn't add up...but I guess it is nice to commemorate a spot for it!

Scavenger Hunt!!!

Well today was a pretty eventful day...to start it all off we went to a very small Baptist church. And after that we all got split up into teams of 4-5 people. We were all given a sheet of paper, with 10 different riddles. Describing various places around the Old City of Jerusalem. My group didn't have a problem figuring out the riddles themselves, and we also had an idea of where everything was in the city, needless to say we weren't too worried. As soon as our group was allowed to leave we run out of the building, to the mall, and towards the Jappa Gate to get a picture in front of it. The point of this was to not only get a picture in front of the landmark, but also try to get everyone in your group in the the photo. And if your group was able to make the picture creative, you received extra points!

So after our first stop, we actually passed one of the other groups that was ahead of us, and Ran the the Church of Dormition. After that we needed to figure out a way to get to the Western Wall. Well...instead of just running through the city, on the map we had it looked quicker to just go on the outskirts of Jerusalem and follow the wall all the way around until we reached the Dung Gate and then be at our destination. So that's exactly what we did, only we didn't take into consideration eh topography of the valley we were going through! Not only was it very hot out, but we tried to keep a good pace going down and the straight up this "mountain!!" ANd to make it all better once we reached some civilization, we were practically in the slums of Jeruslame,with trash everywhere, people running around with guns, and when we finally asked an Isaraei where the Dung Gaate was, he had no idea what we were talking about. Apparently the call it something sle in Hebrew. But in the end of getting lost because of our stupid mistakes and just not going the way we knew originally we came in last place! But I still had a blast and really did have a great time running around the city of Jerusalme like a complete idiot :)

September 17th...

So today was one of our slower days. We stayed in Jerusalem, and walked down to the Old City. We would mainly stop at different spots, and learn about the history of the city, and how it's come to be what it is today. After walking around for a little bit, we went to an Orthodox Church, which was actually the first Christan Church to be established. It was commemorated as being the place where the Upper Room was...which was actually in the basement of the old church.
After that we wen to see the burnt house. Which is from the time when the 2nd temple was destroyed and all that was left from the house was the basement full of ash and many products covered in the ash as well. It said to have belonged to a Priestly family because the items that were found in the temple were used to make the incense for the temple. Also, a piece of a pot had a family name on it, unfortunate that isn't enough evidence to prove that it was that actual family who owned the house.
After seeing the burnt house we went to a shop hat was owned by an Orthodox Jew, and we had a chance to ask him questions and find out the differences between our beliefs. It was great because it was a chance to have questions and thoughts come out in the open and have no one be offended. One thing he said really effected me though. He said that what ever thought we have in our minds for being here, they're all wrong, God has brought us here and once we leave and go home, we'll all be different. We might not be more spiritual, but in a sense more patient for we're going to want to work and wait upon God. Overall it was great listening to him speak...and I'm glad we sopped in his store on the corner!!!

Pretty interesting day...

Our day started off in at the Bedouin Museum, where we learned more about the Bedouin culture. To be honest it was pretty much redundant, yet we did go in more depth about their beliefs and the way they live. The part I found interesting was the way their boys and girls, meet and how they interact before they get married. What he mainly talked about was how if a boy goes to the well, where the girl would be, he can ask her for water. If she gives it to him, that means she somewhat accepts his intentions, but she does have the right to completely ignore him by refusing him water.
Such things as what color a woman was wearing established what her social status was. If she wore red she was married, blue she's single and green meant she was either divorced or just elderly.
After that we went to the place where David Ben-Gurion lived. He was the first Prime Minister, and part of the labor party, as well as a leader of the defense unit.
We didn't do too much else besides visit Abraham's well, supposedly it was a well that Abraham had actually dug out himself.
Over all we really didn't do too much today, but it was still pretty interesting nonetheless.

Great Day!!!

Well...where to start? We started off the day at the a Holocaust Museum. And I just have to say, that it was one of the most heart wrenching experiences I have ever had at a museum. In the United States, whenever I had a class on the Holocaust, or went to a museum on one, they always taught me about the camps and what happened at that time, but it seems like they would just go over everything quickly to get right to the involvement of the US. When we went in we were given 2 hours to explore and learn on our own. At first I really didn't think that we would need all that time to go through everything, but once we started going through the different rooms and reading the stories of the people I couldn't help, but stop and take everything in. These were real people, who had lives, hopes and dreams. These were also all their possessions all across the museum. For example at one point there was a pile of shoes in the ground, covered by glass, taken off a group of Jews after they were exterminated, and it just hit my like a ton of bricks. Someone actually walked around, saw the world and experienced different things in those very shoes. They hoped for someone or something to save them, yet all that remains of them were a pile of worn shoes.
i read stories of fathers, mothers and children...they were just regualar people, living regular lives, but because of their beliefs and backgrounds they were singled out and punished. I now pray for those who went through this horrible time in history, and that the world will never forget what happened all those years ago...for all we know, as Christians that can very well be us one day. Having our picture in a museum, because we were Christians and someone didn't believe in our cause, so they felt it right to do the same to us.
Overall today was quite the eye opener...the Holocaust wasn't just something that happened during WWII, but it was a time in history where a generation was killed off. It's said that if all those children hat were killed, were still alive we would have things such as the cell phone over 60 years ago, and would have been so much more advanced than what we are today. At the end of the museum, they have building commemorated to all the children that died during the Holocaust...when you walk into this dark building, resembling the night sky a child's name and the age that he/she died is said. If the recording were to play nonstop, for 24 hour, t could play for over 4 months. I know, that's a a ton of lives lost! Yet, the only thing we can do is remember, and pray for those who died, and hope that this memory lives on in everyone's mind, so that something like this never happens again.