Today is one of the bigest days that I have ben waiting for during this trip around the world. Today I travelto the ancent city of Jeruslem. As in the folowing paragraphes you will read about many of the places from history and the Bible. Today is a day like none other. Today I jerney to the place of our Lord and Saviors last howers on earth. The place of his death and his reserection. Whall many of the things that I will see are that of the triditions of the Kathlik and Greek Orthidox churches, by looking passed what has ben turne dinto Idolitery of the buildings and socaled stones of places Jesus was, tuched etc. WE can finde a deaper meaning and truth that our savior still is alive, and with this knolage we can gain a better understanding of his word by being able to conseptulize this place more clearly.

Now let me start at the beginning of our travles of the Holy city of Jeruslem. We the HUG studints of the summer of 2005 set out around 8:00 am this morning with great intisopation of the events that today will holde. Whall unsher and yet this great knolge from our reading and from the Bible we have a great ideat of the wonderous things that lay ahead of us today.

From the Hotell we travel through the new city of Jeruslem and then passed the old city walls on to the Mt. of Olives. On the way to the mount of Olives we all song two somgs. The first of these songs was “We shall asemble on the mounton”. The second was “Marching to Zion”. These were two up lifting and moving songs as we made our jerney to the Old city and the Mt. of Olives. During this time of songs and devotion Bruce read from Psalms 121.

Shortly after this time of devotion we had our first glimpse of the Damascus Gate to Jerusalem Heading east from this gate would have taken you to the Kedran Valley. Going to the southwest would have taken you to the Hinnon Valley. Then going to the northwest would have taken you to the Valley of Jehosophat. After passing the Damascus Gate, we continued down the hill and the back up to the Mount of Olives. The route that we were traveling is known today as the “Road of the Graves” or HW 1. Here we were 2400 feet above sea level.

Upon arriving at the Mount of Olives we got off the bus and sat in a small modern day amphitheatre with stone benches that overlooked the Holy City. From here we could see the old city walls and the temple mount where today is the mosque with the golden dome. Also from this panoramic view of the city I could see the Golden Gate, which has been blocked today. One other thing that I will mention is the old steps that would have been leading up to the temple on the mount. Obviously there is too much to list, but those are a few of the main highlights. This view was just completely breathtaking. When you see the postcards of the city this is what you actually see. One of the thoughts that went through my head was, “Am I really seeing these things through my own eyes?” It all seemed surreal, like a dream.

While we were still sitting overlooking the city, our guide, Teto, gave us an explanation of the different things we were seeing along with some background information. Following Teto’s talk, Bruce read a few passages from the Bible and we had some time for prayer. After our short devotional we gathered for a group photo with the City landscape off in the distance. Following this group photo we took some time for personal reflection and for an opportunity to have individual photos taken.

After the passing of fifteen minutes, we all gathered again to start our decent down the side of the Mount of Olives towards the Garden of Gethsemane. As we made our decent, we headed down a road much like an alley you would find in a city in the States today. This road was walled on either side and had cemeteries that were on each opposite side of the walls. This route is known as the “Palm Sunday Route”. During our decent down this road we stopped off at one of the openings to the cemetery. Here Teto gave us some information regarding some of the burial practices here. One of the first things that I noticed about this cemetery, different from any other I have seen, was that all of the plots had the same raised stone box about the size of a casket with writing inscribed on the top and the side of the stone box. One of the other interesting things that stood out from this place was that it all was made out of the natural white stone, limestone. Even the ground was covered with this fine dust on the soil surrounding the plot. One of the most prominent sites was the small stones that were piled on top of the plots. Teto then went onto explain to us what these stones represented and the burial practices of the people. He told us that the rocks were from people who had come and said a prayer for this person. They would then leave a rock to show that a prayer had been said for the person buried there. One other interesting fact was that the feet of the person buried would face the temple mount so that when the resurrection of all the people occurs when Jesus returns, all the people have to do is rise and walk to the Messiah. In addition to this Teto said what better place to be buried than on the Mount of Olives, the place that overlooks the City of Jerusalem, where they believe the Messiah, Jesus Christ will return.

Following this explanation of the burial practices we continued our decent down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Once we had reached the bottom of the road, we came to the place of the Garden. This may or may not be the place where Jesus prayed in his last days. This is a garden of Olive trees like he would have prayed under. The exact age of the trees are hard to date since the center core is not there. Olive trees loose their core when they get old. It is said that they are hollow dew to all of the darkness that was here. The experts who have examined the trees say that they are close the being the age of the time of Jesus, but are probably not quite that old. Whether or not this is the place, it is in the general location where he would have prayed and a similar garden to what he would have been in. It was a great place for more reflection and to imagine the accounts in the scriptures. Bruce read from Marks account in Mark14: 32.

Following the reading we went into the church that has been built next to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here in the Garden Church it was completely dark so that the scenes surrounding the Church reflect what was a dark moment for the church. While in the Church we all sang a song before leaving to walk back through the Garden to the bus. On the way out, the date of the trees Teto said was believed to be around 700 to 2,000 years old. This really does not matter, but what is most important is the events that did take place some where in the proximity. We will never know whether or not if these where the actual trees or the roots of the trees, but today at this place thousands of people stop and reflect on the events of that night in the Garden.

Following our time of the Garden of Gethsemane tour, we loaded the bus and drove passed the old city walls, passed the Golden Gate and then up the hill passed the old steps to the Temple. Next we continued to what appeared to be a small home through a door and a small garden to an open courtyard. This is what is considered to be the tower of David. Here the men entered one side and the women on the other. The men had to wear hats. Upon entering we went up to a small room where there was part of a rock on a hillside with a metal canister with windows hanging there. As we entered and left there was a man who was reading and bowing like he was reciting from the book.

Our next stop was up stairs to an old Byzantine Church. It is said to be the traditional place for the Lord’s Supper. Here we read from Luke 22: 7. This is believed to e the place of the Last Supper because of the following pieces of evidence. First this is the Gate of the Essenes Quarter. Second the spring was just down the hill from here. Since a man came to get water when the disciple came to find a place with an upper room; women traditionally would do this job. Since the Essenes did not have women, they believe that this would have been the place.

From here we took a walk through the city starting at the Zion Gate. After passing through the Zion Gate, we walked through the city streets until arriving at the old main street that divided the city into its four quarters. The street went for about ½ a mile in length. This street was lined with columns and stores the entire length of the street. In part of the area that has been excavated, the columns have

been restored. Where a road is today above the excavation, Palm trees have been planted to give the illusion of columns and an idea of how it would have looked. The excavations were done before this part of the city was rebuilt. The rest of the homes were constructed on stilts and the shops were underground where you could be in the old city along this thoroughfare. Along this underground main street where the old city would have been is an area where groups can sit on stone seats and look at a mosaic that was found displaying the layout of the old city streets.

After this we saw the Broad Wall that was built in King Hezekiah’s time. On this wall you see homes that were cut in ½ and imagine how wide this wall would have been. Here we read from Isaiah 22: 10 – 11. The wall was around 15 to 20 feet across made from stones stacked one on another.

When we had completed our discussion at the Broad Wall, we continued on to the Wailing Wall. Here we passed through security. We were given about ½ and hour to go through security and to spend time at the Wailing Wall. The ladies went to one side of the wall and the men passed through to the other side. A wall and a banner like cloth hanging between them separated the two sides. During our time at the wall we saw a group of young boys having their Bar mitzvah, clapping and singing. There were many movie cameras following the different groups of people around. I also saw many men going up to the wall and doing a bowing motion, as they would recite different scriptures. One of the other sites that stood out in my mind was all the little pieces of paper that had been stuffed in the cracks of this old Wall at the base of the Temple. I went up and touched the stones this old Wall. The stones had become black in color due to all the people who have come through and touched the Wailing Wall. I noticed also all the military troops that were on leave touring the different sights all over Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

Once our time at the Wall was up, we all met under a tree just outside this area where we received some more information from Teto our guide. This was also a time for asking questions. One of the questions asked concerned the little black boxes people were wearing on their foreheads. Deuteronomy 6: 4 was the scripture contained inside these boxes. Teto stated that the ________ is like a prayer the people were saying.

As we left this area we stopped and saw an old arch being taken off the Temple Wall. Today this arch is named after the man who discovered it, Robinson. This is the place where people would pay their temple tax of ½ a shekel. One of the explanations as to why the Jews came to this section of the wall and not another place on the old Temple Mount was due to the need for protection. This is the only section that is contained with in the city walls. Therefore this has become the place today where the Jews paid their taxes.

Next we went back to the bus where we drove to our next stop, the restaurant for lunch. Today we had a self-serve lunch that was like going through a café line upstairs above a store where you can buy souvenirs. Here at lunch Benet and I both ate with Deno and his son, Steven. Following lunch we had time to go down stairs and shop for about forty minutes before leaving for the afternoon’s activities. At the store David Baird found a hand carved chess board and pieces that was very expensive.

After lunch and shopping we took the goods that had been purchased back to the bus before walking to the Garden Tomb. While outside in an ally area or small street, a man drove up in his car, opened his trunk and started a little store or shop. One of the hot selling items – 30 postcards for five shekels, or one Euro, or one dollar. This was an excellent buy. So I bought one packet of postcards from this vender.

The Garden where the tomb is thought to be opened at 2:00. So we walked to an overlook where our Canadian guide gave us some information. At his place on the overlook you could see the Damascus Gate and the Rock of the Skull. While there is no way to tell what the rock, or cliff, or rocky hill side would have looked like during the time of Jesus, from the old City of Jerusalem, from the Damascus Gate you see many holes in the rock like caves that looks exactly like a skull with eyes, mouth and a nose. This was an area where there was a quarry and would have been a place where many cross roads met. In other words a very big intersection where people would have done a lot of commerce. Due to its close proximity to many rocks this would have been a place where many stonings took place out side the gates. Once we had completed our tour at The Place of The Skull, we had some time to take some photos.

Then we made our way through the beautiful Garden of large trees and flowers to an area where we could talk about the Garden itself some more. Here we had an explanation about the purchasing of the Garden in 1894. Shortly after the finding of the Garden they found a gigantic cistern that was used for the watering of the plants in the Garden. This cistern is lined with plaster to enable it to hold water. This huge cistern is still in use today and provides the water needed to maintain the Garden.

After we had finished at the sitting area joust out side the systeren the group got up and folowed our guide through more of the garden to where the toum is. The first site of the toum joust apeard out from behinde some flowers and boushes. Nesled down in a lower part of the gardon was a rock face with a stone track out side of the toum. You could see a round like shape that was carved out of the rock where a flat spot came out from the side of the hill. In this round flat area towrds the botteom was an opening like a rectangle that enterd into an area that had ben huned out of the side of the hill like a cave. Whall this may or may not be the place where Jesus was baried, it is a garden and would have ben owned by a rich man dew to the size of the watter cystern and the size of the garden based on findings when thay first discoved the gardon. The toum is like that would have ben used back in the time of Jesus and lets one see better how it would have looked where he was baried. This toum was found enptey apone the discovery and the dating of the toum dates back to joust right before the time of Jesus. Some others have dated it around one hunderad years pryer to the death of Jesus wich would roule out this being the place dew to the toum haven bean created new befor the death of Jesus. The trouth is like all the places that we have seen we joust don’t know for shere but this would have been a lot like the place where he would have ben baried.

After first seeing the toum we went over to an area that has bean created with benches that over looks the place of the gardeon toum to sit and comptenplate, asorbe in the sroundings of a place like where Jesous Christ our savior would have ben baried. We had a reading from John 20 and then had a prayer before having some time to sit in silance for selfe comtimplation. Then one by one we all got up and walcked down to the toum where we entered the emptey toum. The room in side was much biger that I had amagened it to be. We had around nine people in side one 1/2 of the toum befor it started to get full. On the other side of the toum there was two aries carved down where the person that was to be baried would have ben placed. One the moderan dore that has ben put up today was a sign that read “He is a live”. After that I left the in side of the toum and went back to where the have a smaller stone that would have ben like the one that would have roled over the front of the toum. Then I went back up and sat for more time of prayer and comtimplation. One of the other tings that our guide sead regarding the garden toum was that when they rediscovered this toum they found a bisenteen cross that had ben carved out of the rock by people during that period. As so may places where events of the bible were to have ocured they put crosses or church buildings over the places. This joust means that a prevous generation dating back to the bizenteen period had also beleved that this would have bean the place where Jesous Christ would have ben baried.

This was truly one of the hilights of out visit to the city of Jeruslem. Weather this is or is not the place it will alwas hole a speshal place in my hart as a place that resimbles the place where our lord was placed for his three days befor the reserection.

After our time at the gardon toum we walcked back to the bus where we all drove back passed the Dimaskis gate and we could see the rock of the skul through the moderan buildings today. We then drove down this road for a little longer till we arived at a place where we could walck down to the gate that I had reconstructed last summer out of carbord for our VBS. This gate becaus of that heled a speshal meaning from me to be standing at the gate that I had rebuilt not to long ago. This gate is know as the Lion gate becaus of the carvings of liions on the side of the gate at the top. The city gate was much larger than I had amagend it to have bean. The top of the rounded arch was around some 30 feet above our heads and I stood gasing up at the masive stone work that pertuded from the top of the gate. The opening was a little larger than a moderan car and there were several of them that came by whall we were standing here passing throu the gate. Once we had compleated tocking about the gate and takeing photoes we passed through the gate and walcked a short distance to where we enterd through the wall that was all along the one side of this street.

When we enterd through this dore way we came to a court yard area that had some trees in it. One of the trees here out guide Teeto reached up and rubed his hand on to smell the leaf. The first one he did this on was not the right tree becaus he did not semell anthing. He then passed to the next tree where he discoved it was the croect tree. He asked us to rub out fingers on the tree and to tell him what kinde of tree it was. After a short time he tolede us that it was a peper tree and that it smeled like ground pepper. After he sead that it did smell like a strong grounded up peper like that you would get out of a peper mill. A few feet away was another church named St. Ann Church. Whe went in and Teeto tocked to the group that was there at the time if it would be all right if we sang a few songs. Thay were quite willing and so we sat down on the benches aranged in the cethederal and opend our mouths and beguon to singing butiful hims to our God. Teeto sed prior to us ariving at this church that it was one of the best ones here for singing and that the eco in the building was so much that is was lmost inposible to tock becaus you would here each word up to 12 times after you had sead it. Becaus of this all your words would run together and would not make any sence. But when it comes to singing the acusticks were wonderful and our voices sounded angllick as we sange. The building it’s selfe was quite place, with joust basic stones and not realy any painted meerals of all the icons. This was quite refreshing after somany of the buildings had ben covered with all the other icons and incence the plan ness and the ability to joust lift our voice to God in song was wonderful. Where were several other goupes that ented behind us as we sang for about 15 mins. You could tell when we had compleated our time of worship in song that it had ben an uplifting expernce for them to here this butiful accapella musice here in this spot.

After compleateing this time of worship we exsited the church building back out into the quort yard area where we walked ferther away from the enternce where we had enterd off the street. Off on our left side of the quort yard was a stone that had some inscriptiong on it regarding the elders. Off right in front of us was one of the only place that is for shere the place that is discribed in the Bible. This place is the Pool of Bethesda. Of to the left was a huge casum in the earth that was lined with stone walls and had sever dividers like dams built into it that would have alowed for the holding of watter. Off on the right side were smaller pouls that were not as well preserved but sitill reconizible. There had bean a small church that is in ruons constructed here off to the side of the pool also. Here over looking the Pool of Bethsesda that still has watter flowing in the bottom of it today Bruce read from John 5:1. Folowing the reading we took time for prayer to God and then Teeto sead a few words. He sead there there are places that you can walck in side the dam and that thay had built laches and relce levers to alow for the watter to flow through floude gates to help keep the watter in eaveon amounds between the pouls to keep the watter from running over the top of the differnt dams causing strees on the stone walls. We then walcked back the way we had come in exitiong back on the road. We took time here for a restroom break before continuing on our walcking touor of Jeruslem.

We then turned right and started walcking up a slight hill to the top where the start of the Vea Adorosa is. This is the walck that is beleved to have ben the street that Jesus would have taken as he caried the cross to where he was crusified. At the top of the hill is what is beleved to be Antonieons Fortrest wich is loacated at the North East corner of the temple platform. Here there is an old roman arch that is beleved to have bean part of the forteres. We latter learned on the last day in Jeruslem that this is probly not an arch from this fortress but that the fortres would have bean located inside the temple mount and over looking into the temple. This would have bean one of the reasons that the jews were so upset about the forters. The group continued to walck along this rute stoping along the way at points of interst. One of these such places was one of the many enternces to the temple mount today. Here there are armed gards posted to keep people from entering who are not muslem.

All along this rout the area was lined with stores and shopes and there was the husle and bussal of a large maket place all cramed into the naro city street. This area has sence ben coverd with celing of other buildings that are now on top as you pass along the old rute. We ended this walck in a quort yard at the top of a hill around many curves and turnes and stairs along the many shopes. There were no shopes here after we turned off to the this rute and came to this quort yard.

This quort yard area is a composition of may religions and churches. There are Kathlic, Greek orthodox, and Arminians churches all here srounding the quort yard. In this quort yard is the living quorters of the Arminian people. There homes were off to the fare side of the quort yard from where we enterd and were someting that you might amgen out of Aferica. Teeto sead that the small darek rooms are cramed in with the people who live there. In the center of this quort yard is a dome from a church building that today has become an acletic building of all religous demominations. One of the stories that Teeto toled here is that of the Arck of the Covent. How it probley is located in Etheopia in a viliage with the Armenin people if it is still in existance. He tolde us about the place that is covered with gards and how they choose a high preast that is alowed to enter what is there holy of holys place where thay say that thay have the Arck. Dew to the high security and no one expted for this person to enter we will probly never know if this is the palce of the Arck or not.

After we had compleated out time of tocking about the srounding buildings and things related we went throu a small dore way down a narow stair case into what has bean created a small church building undergound for the Armenean people and then we went through another dore and passed into another area befor exoting out into another quort yard with a huge church building off to the right of where we exited.

Here Teeto tocked to a man on the stepts and he sead how if you wish to have you picture taken on these stepes you have to pay this man to do so. Here out in the quort yard that is realy joust an open sopte of buildings that all have grown toghether over time of people building one on tope of another. The church building towerd above several stories. The dores that enterd the church were huge soled wooden dores that had roler tracks with mettle gruves in the flour to alow them to open and close. This is on of the buildings that Teeto sead there had ben so much contriversy over regarding who was going to have controle. He sead that us to be that people would enter each night and would tack out the icons or simbllisom of the other group and put thers in the place. This became a place of war and fuding between the differnt religous groups untill there was an agreement reached where the building would be devided into differnt regons for each group to have there chaple with in the Gigantic church and that each grup was not to tuch the others icons and religous parfonalioua.

When I first enter the church one of the first things that I noticed was how dark and the shere size of the room. Emedoutly in front of you is a stone with lamp holders hanging from chains off of a mettel pole. Under these lights is a stone that people rube oil and aclhall on hoping to get some of the oil from when Jesus was baried. This stone is bleved that it is the stone where Jesous would have ben wraped and anointed befor being put in the toum.

After we passed this stone we went up some steep stairs off to the left of the enterence to go up to where the churches say terditionaly Jesus is crusified. Up here there was three chaples fore differnt demoninations. The first was more plain and had some merials and was for the Kathliks. In the middle where the top of the rock comes throu where thay sed he was crusified is for the Greekorthidox church. In this chaple there were a lot of insence and other brass and gold hanging objects and was reall heavey feealing to it. At the frund under an alter was a plcae where you can stick you hand through to tuch the penical of the mound of rock where this event is sead to have taken place. After we people had the oportunity to go and tuch the stone we heacded back down anohter set of steep steps passed the stone where Jesous was sed to have ben wraped after death that I minchond a minout agaon right in front of the dore when you enter.

We then continued passed this area and then to the right where there was a smaller church building in side this one under a large dome area. This is where the Kathliks say he was baried but indorder to make the church building thay demolished the toum down to its flour to make a flat serface for there church building. Before entering this old church building at the so caled location of Jesus toum we went around to the back thrugh an opening in the back of the church building that opend up into a room that was dark like a cave. It was joust a room inside the church and was made out of stone walls with dark smok and soot from all the years of candles bering here. Right in front of us was another toum that was carved out of the side of the rock where you could go in and have time to reflect. This is the only toum that remains in this area where thay beleve the original toum was. There were candles berning here and so theinside of the cave was coverd in dark soot and was a tight space to go into. After we spent some time here we left this part of the church building and went back out to wate in line to enter the old church building that is out in the middle of the other church under a dome. Here thoes who wished to enter wated in line and four people at a time would enter into the church building. There was an outer roum and then you would douckyour head and go into a smaller room. Both of these rooms had candles litt. In the ferther most room there was the most candles and a meral dipiction on the wall. After being in here for a short time I left with the group that I had entered in and then we all wated for the rest of the gour to finish before we all lefted the church together. We went back the same way that we came in and back by the stone where the onointment was being preformed and out the large wooden dores that cloes on trackes back out to the quort yard area out soide the church.

Once we had counted and we all were here we continued to tacke more walck through the city streets and then back out to one of the modern city streets and then passed one of the old city gates. We then walcked down a hill out side the old city and crossed one of the man streets of the newer city of today on our way back to the bus.

From here we took the bus back to the hotel where we had to oportunity to perchous some old historical items from the time of Jesus at the hotell from our guide. He had made a deal with one of the tore owners and got us an exselent deal. After this we had about an hower to freshen up before heading back down for supper around 7:30 pm. I then spent the rest of the night wrighting in my jernal about the days travels.

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