We started Saturday morning in Mount Zion just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. Our first stop was the Upper Room. Here, Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples. It was also in this place that the disciples, after waiting and praying, first received the Holy Spirit. We read about the Day of Pentecost from Acts 2. Just below the Upper Room is the traditional site of King David's Tomb. Although King David is not actually buried here, people use this site to commemorate him. Men and women are separated and each only sees half of the cenotaph containing the empty sarcophagus. Because this site is important for Christians, Jews and Muslims, all three religions have built places of worship on this site.
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| Rick and Lee Ann in the Upper Room |
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| Connie, Shande, and Kendall |
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| Sherry and Lee |
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| Philippe on the streets of Mount Zion |
Walking through the streets of Mount Zion, we arrived at the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu. This church is built on the house of the high priest Caiaphas. Jesus was brought here when he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:57-27:1). While standing in the pit where Jesus was kept overnight, Cole read Psalm 22 to our somber group. Leaving the pit, we walked to the courtyard where Jesus denied that he knew Christ before hearing the rooster crow. From this courtyard, the very steps that Jesus used to walk from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane and back to Caiaphas' house under guard have been uncovered.
After a time of reflection, we returned to the bus to drive to the Jaffa Gate and enter the Old City. Walking down the narrow streets, Jacob (our guide) showed us the markings on the doors that signified the church to whom the residence belongs in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. We were surprised when he opened one of these doors and invited us into his house! It was special to see Jacob's house and celebrate the bond that had been forged between us. We continued to the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some ventured in to the crowded chapel while others enjoyed shopping in the short time we had before lunch.
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| Terry and Emma just inside the Jaffa Gate |
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| Lee, Matthew, and Cole |
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| Elise at Jacob's door |
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| Jacob's living room |
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| Shande and Cole found Jacob's cologne stash! |
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| Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| Vicki and John |
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| Lunch in the Old City |
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| Sherry, Matthew, and Bethany |
Along the way, we stopped in the Valley of Elah to reenact David's defeat of Goliath. We first read the story from 1 Samuel 17. Then, we chose Philippe to be Goliath and Emma to be David. It was a great victory for David as our Goliath fell to the ground! To remember our visit here, we each chose stones from the brook. Some chose five like David. Others chose only one since that is all it took to slay the giant.
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| Emma |
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| David cuts off Goliath's head (a.k.a. Emma waves wheat around Philippe's neck) |
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| Chris chooses her stones |
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| The Ritchey family shows the stones they chose |
Jaffa was our final destination before boarding the plane in nearby Tel Aviv. Jaffa (also known as Joppa) is the oldest sea port in the world. It was here that Jonah took a boat to Tarshish in disobedience to God's call to Nineveh. It was also from here that the gospel went forth to the Gentiles. While Paul was staying with Simon the Tanner, he had a dream where God said, "what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." While Paul was wondering about this vision, visitors from Cornelius arrived asking Paul to come with them to Caesarea. We read this story from Acts 10 standing in front of that very house where Paul had the dream. Thus, we ended our journey with the same story that began it - the gospel going forth to the Gentiles. This fulfills God's promise to Abraham about the Promised Land. Through his descendant, Jesus, all the world is blessed.
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| Jacob took a nap on our way to Jaffa. |
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| Matthew and Bethany at Simon the Tanner's house |
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| The Old Jaffa Port looking over to modern Tel Aviv |
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| Lee and Elise enjoy a tangerine and a view |
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| Mufeed, our driver, and Jacob, our tour guide |
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| Farewell Dinner |
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| Farewell Dinner |
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| Farewell Dinner |
Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. We had a wonderful trip and are back home. Although our time in Israel is over, our journey is just beginning. We look forward to reading the Scripture with new eyes and sharing the story of how we walked with Jesus where Jesus walked.
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