We have arrived safely to Atlanta after 13 hour flight. Looking forward to flight home shortly. We should arrive in Huntsville at 8am. Blessings to you all.
We did arrive in Huntsville about 8am. It would have been great to stay awake all day and sleep tonight but I passed out and slept all day. Hopefully will be able to go back to sleep sometime before morning. I seem to be coming down with a respiratory thing but hopefully is short lived. I was exhausted but well worth the wonderful time we had in the land of our LORD.
Blessings my friends!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Thursday - Day 11
We are at the gate at the Tel Aviv airport. It is 8:45pm here and our flight leaves at 11:05. We are happy to be through security. They really check well here at this airport and I do not mind at all since it is for our safety.
We had a leisurely morning at the hotel before leaving at 11:45am. Some of us went back to the prayer center and prayed for a while. Some shopped. Some went back to the garden tomb to pray.
After departing from our hotel we went to the Temple Mount. This is where the Temple was located before it was destroyed. Now the Dome of the Rock, a mosque, is the main building on the temple mount. We enjoyed visiting that area and also the wailing wall (Western Wall). Some of us had visited the Western Wall yesterday and put our prayers in the cracks of the rocks as is tradition there. It was an extremely crowded day there with bar mitzvas and a Jewish girls' school was there praying as well.
This is Thursday and the traffic is terrible, like our Friday.
We traveled on to Joppa and toured that area and then had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant in Joppa before coming to the airport.
We have truly had a wonderful week. We have been blessed with beautiful weather, an awesome guide and driver, and most of the blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We have been privileged to walk in the steps of Jesus.
I know I have left out some things due to being tired when writing this blog each evening but I hope you have enjoyed it. I also hope that if you have the opportunity and the LORD leads that you will visit this land. It is truly an experience that you will never forget. We have had a wonderful group and we have all enjoyed getting to know one another better.
We are continuing to pray for those back home that are in need of prayer.
Blessings from the Holy Land.
We had a leisurely morning at the hotel before leaving at 11:45am. Some of us went back to the prayer center and prayed for a while. Some shopped. Some went back to the garden tomb to pray.
After departing from our hotel we went to the Temple Mount. This is where the Temple was located before it was destroyed. Now the Dome of the Rock, a mosque, is the main building on the temple mount. We enjoyed visiting that area and also the wailing wall (Western Wall). Some of us had visited the Western Wall yesterday and put our prayers in the cracks of the rocks as is tradition there. It was an extremely crowded day there with bar mitzvas and a Jewish girls' school was there praying as well.
This is Thursday and the traffic is terrible, like our Friday.
We traveled on to Joppa and toured that area and then had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant in Joppa before coming to the airport.
We have truly had a wonderful week. We have been blessed with beautiful weather, an awesome guide and driver, and most of the blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. We have been privileged to walk in the steps of Jesus.
I know I have left out some things due to being tired when writing this blog each evening but I hope you have enjoyed it. I also hope that if you have the opportunity and the LORD leads that you will visit this land. It is truly an experience that you will never forget. We have had a wonderful group and we have all enjoyed getting to know one another better.
We are continuing to pray for those back home that are in need of prayer.
Blessings from the Holy Land.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Day 10 - Wednesday
Today was our free day in Jerusalem. We began our day by going to the Jerusalem Prayer Center. This is Baptist owned property. Missionaries there shared with us about how this is open to all people to come in and prayer. Scotty and I had visited there last summer and wanted our group to have this experience. We heard the story of H.G.Spafford and the writing of the song,'It is Well with My Soul'. Then we sang it together and enjoyed worshipping the LORD together. We then spent time in the interactive prayer room and visiting with the missionaries in this beautiful place.
We then went back to the Garden Tomb and spent some time with God. We saw our friends again, Richard and Rosalind Merrion. Richard is the director and they are precious Christian friends.
We went down to the Old City through the Damascus Gate and enjoyed walking, shopping and just enjoying the culture and sites in the Old City. We also went to the Pool of Bethsaida. We did a lot of walking needless to say. We left here at 9am and returned at 3.30pm. A another group walked the city wall which we have done before as well.\
Tomorrow we leave at noon so probably no more blogging until I get home. We leave here at noon and tour until dinner in Joppa and then to the airport for our 11pm flight to USA. We are scheduled to arrive back in Huntsville around 8am on Friday. your prayers are appreciated. we are praying for all the requests that we hear about through email.
Blessings from the beautiful Holy City!
Shalom
We then went back to the Garden Tomb and spent some time with God. We saw our friends again, Richard and Rosalind Merrion. Richard is the director and they are precious Christian friends.
We went down to the Old City through the Damascus Gate and enjoyed walking, shopping and just enjoying the culture and sites in the Old City. We also went to the Pool of Bethsaida. We did a lot of walking needless to say. We left here at 9am and returned at 3.30pm. A another group walked the city wall which we have done before as well.\
Tomorrow we leave at noon so probably no more blogging until I get home. We leave here at noon and tour until dinner in Joppa and then to the airport for our 11pm flight to USA. We are scheduled to arrive back in Huntsville around 8am on Friday. your prayers are appreciated. we are praying for all the requests that we hear about through email.
Blessings from the beautiful Holy City!
Shalom
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Day 9 - Tuesday
You know the drill by now. Breakfast at the hotel, on the bus at 8am. Today we went to Masada. Masada was a summer palace and fortress built by Herod the Great. I’m sure you have heard the story of the Jewish zealots who went to Masada to escape from the Romans. We had a beautiful day to spent time on Masada and hear the story of the Jews who chose to die rather than be slaves to the Romans. We had a beautiful and warm day to enjoy this special place which has also a wonderful view of surrounding Judean wilderness, Dead Sea and Mt. Nebo in Jordan on the other side of the Dead Sea.
We then went to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. We saw excavations from where the Essenes lived who spent time copying scrolls and hiding them in caves in the area. It is believed that John the Baptist may have been an Essene. We had a lovely lunch there and also some shopping, especially for Dead Sea products.
Next we went for our swim (float) in the Dead Sea. Most of the group participated and those who did had a wonderful time. We were in a very muddy area so some of us had mud baths as well. You will probably not even recognize us when we get home since we now look so much younger.
We traveled back toward Jerusalem and made a stop in Bethany. We visited a church built over the house where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Jim Vaughn read the scripture for us about the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Scotty brought a message to us bringing out some interesting thoughts about this passage. Nabil, our guide, also read the scripture about Mary anointing the feet of Jesus at this location. This town was very special to our guide because he was born in Bethany but has lived in Jerusalem since he was seven years old. We had a wonderful time in the Word and in worship in this beautiful place that meant so much to our LORD.
Just a bit of shopping before getting back on the bus to go to our hotel, then a little rest before dinner.
Tomorrow is our free day in Jerusalem so we will have breakfast and meet at 9am to walk, walk, walk in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Another wonderful and beautiful day!
Shalom.
We then went to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. We saw excavations from where the Essenes lived who spent time copying scrolls and hiding them in caves in the area. It is believed that John the Baptist may have been an Essene. We had a lovely lunch there and also some shopping, especially for Dead Sea products.
Next we went for our swim (float) in the Dead Sea. Most of the group participated and those who did had a wonderful time. We were in a very muddy area so some of us had mud baths as well. You will probably not even recognize us when we get home since we now look so much younger.
We traveled back toward Jerusalem and made a stop in Bethany. We visited a church built over the house where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Jim Vaughn read the scripture for us about the death and resurrection of Lazarus. Scotty brought a message to us bringing out some interesting thoughts about this passage. Nabil, our guide, also read the scripture about Mary anointing the feet of Jesus at this location. This town was very special to our guide because he was born in Bethany but has lived in Jerusalem since he was seven years old. We had a wonderful time in the Word and in worship in this beautiful place that meant so much to our LORD.
Just a bit of shopping before getting back on the bus to go to our hotel, then a little rest before dinner.
Tomorrow is our free day in Jerusalem so we will have breakfast and meet at 9am to walk, walk, walk in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Another wonderful and beautiful day!
Shalom.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Day 8 - Monday
After dinner each evening the group has been meeting together to discuss the day and pray. Last night after dinner we had two Jews for Jesus who are serving in Israel join us and give testimony to their work. They shared that most Jews are secular or even do not believe anything and are open to the gospel. Only the orthodox Jews are very difficult to reach. They said we should be sharing with Jews even in the states because they can be reached for Jesus. The two were very passionate about reaching Jews for Jesus.
This morning began early with a 6:30am wake up call, breakfast and on the bus at 7:20. We had an 8am appointment to go through the Rabbinical Tunnels and traffic is very bad at that time of day. The tunnels go through at the Western Wall and on underground beside the Western Wall for 400 more meters than what you see from outside. It is a very interesting tour as you see the huge stones that were put in place by Herod the Great. Inside is a place where you are the nearest you can get to the Holy of Holies so many Jews were there praying. We came out on the Via Dolorosa and walked to Pilate’s Judgment Hall , the Chapel of Flaggalation. We went to the Ecco Homo “meaning Behold the Man” Chapel. We took time to pray and sing at many of these places and have a time of remembering what Jesus did for us. We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is the traditional site of Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus. A church was built over the site so it does not have the feel of the true location but it may be.
We walked through the Old City, first through the Arab section. We had a little shopping and a wonderful falafel or shwarma sandwiches. We went through the Christian section and the Jewish section of the Old City. We visited a place that is believed to be the area of the Upper Room where the last supper was held. We sang and prayed here and read scripture. This is always a special place because groups from other countries are there and you hear them singing and praying in other languages. This happens at many of the sites and it is just a joy to hear other people praising our LORD.
We went to Caiaphas house (St. Peter En Gallicantu or St. Peter of the Cock Crowing). This is the area where Peter denied Jesus. Inside is a pit where it is believed Jesus was put after His arrest. Our group went down into the pit. I stayed up and turned out the lights so they could experience the darkness as Jesus did. We had a time of singing and praying and reflecting on His sacrifice for us.
We have been walking all day to this point but now our bus is waiting for us to take us to the Garden Tomb. This area was discovered by a British General in the 1800s when he was stationed in Jerusalem. There is a hill that looks like a skull. There is a huge water cistern, a wine press and a tomb that has never been used. All this points to the fact that this garden was owned by a wealthy man. The Garden Tomb has the look and feel of the real place. It is a wonderful place to worship our LORD which we did in song, prayer, sermon by Dr. Mike Goforth and sharing in the LORDs Supper together. We also had a wonderful time here listening to other groups worshipping.
We have many times during the day where we read scripture, pray, someone shares a testimony – it is just an awesome experience and God really binds our hearts together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’m only hitting the highlights for you. If you have been here you can read between the lines, if not perhaps you will take the opportunity to come to this wonderful land and walk in the steps of Jesus. Some of the places where we were today He would have walked the very same steps.
We had a wonderful, beautiful, sunny day in Jerusalem! Thank you Jesus.
Shalom my friends!
This morning began early with a 6:30am wake up call, breakfast and on the bus at 7:20. We had an 8am appointment to go through the Rabbinical Tunnels and traffic is very bad at that time of day. The tunnels go through at the Western Wall and on underground beside the Western Wall for 400 more meters than what you see from outside. It is a very interesting tour as you see the huge stones that were put in place by Herod the Great. Inside is a place where you are the nearest you can get to the Holy of Holies so many Jews were there praying. We came out on the Via Dolorosa and walked to Pilate’s Judgment Hall , the Chapel of Flaggalation. We went to the Ecco Homo “meaning Behold the Man” Chapel. We took time to pray and sing at many of these places and have a time of remembering what Jesus did for us. We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is the traditional site of Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus. A church was built over the site so it does not have the feel of the true location but it may be.
We walked through the Old City, first through the Arab section. We had a little shopping and a wonderful falafel or shwarma sandwiches. We went through the Christian section and the Jewish section of the Old City. We visited a place that is believed to be the area of the Upper Room where the last supper was held. We sang and prayed here and read scripture. This is always a special place because groups from other countries are there and you hear them singing and praying in other languages. This happens at many of the sites and it is just a joy to hear other people praising our LORD.
We went to Caiaphas house (St. Peter En Gallicantu or St. Peter of the Cock Crowing). This is the area where Peter denied Jesus. Inside is a pit where it is believed Jesus was put after His arrest. Our group went down into the pit. I stayed up and turned out the lights so they could experience the darkness as Jesus did. We had a time of singing and praying and reflecting on His sacrifice for us.
We have been walking all day to this point but now our bus is waiting for us to take us to the Garden Tomb. This area was discovered by a British General in the 1800s when he was stationed in Jerusalem. There is a hill that looks like a skull. There is a huge water cistern, a wine press and a tomb that has never been used. All this points to the fact that this garden was owned by a wealthy man. The Garden Tomb has the look and feel of the real place. It is a wonderful place to worship our LORD which we did in song, prayer, sermon by Dr. Mike Goforth and sharing in the LORDs Supper together. We also had a wonderful time here listening to other groups worshipping.
We have many times during the day where we read scripture, pray, someone shares a testimony – it is just an awesome experience and God really binds our hearts together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
I’m only hitting the highlights for you. If you have been here you can read between the lines, if not perhaps you will take the opportunity to come to this wonderful land and walk in the steps of Jesus. Some of the places where we were today He would have walked the very same steps.
We had a wonderful, beautiful, sunny day in Jerusalem! Thank you Jesus.
Shalom my friends!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Day 7 - Sunday
After a lovely breakfast at our hotel we boarded our bus at 8am to begin the day by traveling to Bethlehem. We had to take our passports since we would be going through checkpoints going and coming back. Bethlehem is Palestinian territory. It was an easy checkpoint and they never actually checked our passports but just got on the bus for a walk through.
We stopped at the Shepherd’s Field which is a location of a church and garden area where you can go in a cave like the shepherds would have stayed in and remember the time when the angels came to the shepherds with the good news of Jesus. We had a time scripture reading, singing and sharing and enjoying quiet time in the lovely area.
We then went to the Church of the Nativity that was built over the place where Jesus was born. Inside the church you go down into a cave and there is an area that is designated with a star to mark the place. Is this actually the place? We do not know but this place has been commemorated since at the the 4th century so it very well could be the exact place. We each took time to touch the stone and pray a short prayer as people were lined up in a very long line to come in. We had waited for quite a while for the Catholic church service to end so that this area would be open. This building is owned by three different churches who worship there at different times.
After a lovely lunch again of swarma or falafel sandwiches we traveled back to Jerusalem passing again through checkpoints.
The bus took us to the top of the Mount of Olives, one of our favorite places. It has a beautiful overlook of the city of Jerusalem. It was a beautiful, sunny day but quite windy and cold up on the Mt. We had a group picture made there. You could also have a camel ride for a few dollars.
We walked down the Mount where Jesus would have walked on Palm Sunday. At the bottom of the mountain is the Garden of Gethsemane where we spent some time looking at the very old olive trees and the garden there, mostly thinking of Jesus being there. The Church of All Nations is there and was built over the huge rock where it is believed that Jesus prayed “Not my will but thine”. We spent some time praying there and having our quiet time with the LORD. You cannot really gather and worship as a group in there because you are required to be quiet as many others are in there also. There is a place across from the garden, which is actually a garden as well and was part of the Garden of Gethsemane at that time. For a little extra donation you can take your group in there or some quiet time. This is the area where Peter, James and John would have been asleep when Jesus came back to ask them if they could not stay awake and pray. We sang several songs here and Scotty shared a message. We all took turns praying a short prayer aloud to show Jesus how much we all loved Him and were so thankful for what He did for us in that Garden. The battle was won there when he agreed to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place. We had a wonderful worship time together in this lovely place.
Back to the bus for the end of another day of walking in the steps of Jesus. I pray you all have a wonderful time of worship today as well.
We stopped at the Shepherd’s Field which is a location of a church and garden area where you can go in a cave like the shepherds would have stayed in and remember the time when the angels came to the shepherds with the good news of Jesus. We had a time scripture reading, singing and sharing and enjoying quiet time in the lovely area.
We then went to the Church of the Nativity that was built over the place where Jesus was born. Inside the church you go down into a cave and there is an area that is designated with a star to mark the place. Is this actually the place? We do not know but this place has been commemorated since at the the 4th century so it very well could be the exact place. We each took time to touch the stone and pray a short prayer as people were lined up in a very long line to come in. We had waited for quite a while for the Catholic church service to end so that this area would be open. This building is owned by three different churches who worship there at different times.
After a lovely lunch again of swarma or falafel sandwiches we traveled back to Jerusalem passing again through checkpoints.
The bus took us to the top of the Mount of Olives, one of our favorite places. It has a beautiful overlook of the city of Jerusalem. It was a beautiful, sunny day but quite windy and cold up on the Mt. We had a group picture made there. You could also have a camel ride for a few dollars.
We walked down the Mount where Jesus would have walked on Palm Sunday. At the bottom of the mountain is the Garden of Gethsemane where we spent some time looking at the very old olive trees and the garden there, mostly thinking of Jesus being there. The Church of All Nations is there and was built over the huge rock where it is believed that Jesus prayed “Not my will but thine”. We spent some time praying there and having our quiet time with the LORD. You cannot really gather and worship as a group in there because you are required to be quiet as many others are in there also. There is a place across from the garden, which is actually a garden as well and was part of the Garden of Gethsemane at that time. For a little extra donation you can take your group in there or some quiet time. This is the area where Peter, James and John would have been asleep when Jesus came back to ask them if they could not stay awake and pray. We sang several songs here and Scotty shared a message. We all took turns praying a short prayer aloud to show Jesus how much we all loved Him and were so thankful for what He did for us in that Garden. The battle was won there when he agreed to take our sins upon Himself and die in our place. We had a wonderful worship time together in this lovely place.
Back to the bus for the end of another day of walking in the steps of Jesus. I pray you all have a wonderful time of worship today as well.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Day 6 - Saturday
This is the Sabbath Day – it actually began at 6pm last night until 6pm tonight. Each hotel has a Shabbat elevator which opens on every floor so that the devout Jews do not have to push a button (that is work). We try to avoid that elevator as it takes longer to get up or down.
We left the beautiful Sea of Gallilee and Tiberias today. This day started as a rainy day but not enough to keep us from touring. After a wonderful breakfast at the Caesar Hotel in Tiberias with our bags packed we made our way to Jerusalem with a few stops along the way.
Our first stop was Bet’Shean which is the ruins of a Roman city which has been greatly excavated. It is a marvel to see and the best excavated site we have seen even with bath houses, toilets, theatre, etc. We climbed on top of Tel Bet’Shean and have a beautiful view of the ruins and surrounding area. A tel is a hill which covers ancient civilizations. They have begun also to excavate the ancient city of Bet’Shean which you can see as you make it to the top of the tel. The Philistines controlled Bet’Shean and brought the bodies of Saul and his three sons and hung their bodies on the city wall. The Israelites came at night and stole the bodies back.
We drove on South from Bet’Shean through Samaria. After went through a checkpoint entered West Bank territory (Area C) which is where both Jews and Palestinians travel. A few Jewish settlements are there though it is really illegal. They are sort of “squatting” I guess you could say.
Our guide, Nabil, read from John 4 about Jesus going through Samaria. It was not a normal route for him or any Jew to travel but He said “he must needs go through Samaria”. Why? Because a woman needed to be rescued and she didn’t even know it. What a beautiful story of the love of God for us! We were without God and didn’t even know we needed Him until He convicted our hearts of that need for Him. She believed and went and got all the townspeople to come to hear about this man “who told me everything I did”. She became a great witness for Christ. We drove all along the Jordan border with the Jordan River on the East and the hills of Samaria on the West.
We saw a Bedouin shepherd with his sheep. Bedouins are Palestinian Arab and usually Muslim. We traveled through beautiful fertile farmlands owned by the Palestinians with date palms, bananas, grapes, oranges, mangos, strawberries, eggplant, almost anything you could name. This is truly the Land of Milk and Honey.
We traveled through another checkpoint into West Bank territory (Area A) which is totally Palestianian controlled and no Jews would enter there. We entered the city of Jericho which was in this area. Jericho is the oldest city in the world (over 10,000 years old) and it is the lowest city in the world (1000 ft below sea level). From Jericho you can see the Mt of Temptation where Satan tempted Jesus to make the stones into bread and offered him the Kingdom. Jesus always answered him with “It is written”.
We had a wonderful lunch in Jericho and some shopping and then we visited the tel of Jericho where part of the old City of Jericho has been excavated. They won’t find the walls though because we know they tumbled down according to Joshua 2. We were reminded of that amazing story of how God gave that city to the Israelites and of course Rahab’s role in that. We also remembered that Rahab the Harlot is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Rahab, like the woman at the well, had to gather her entire family in her house to be saved from destruction. Perhaps some were embarrassed to go to her house, knowing how she made her living, but that was their only salvation. I think she was very convincing and according to scripture the people of Jericho had already heard about how God was with the Israelites and they were already living in fear.
The weather cleared up in Jericho and we had another beautiful day. We bought some wonderful fresh fruits, especially Jericho bananas which are small and so sweet. Some enjoyed a camel ride here as well, well not really a ride, just got on a camel to have a picture made, and I think that was enough for them.
We traveled on through another checkpoint to get back into West Bank Area C and made our way on toward Jerusalem. We traveled up to Jerusalem which is 2400 ft above sea level so when the Bible says they went up from Jericho to Jerusalem they really went up (and they were mostly walking). We made a turn on the old Jericho Road to see the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We cannot go through the Old Jericho Road like we used to but we can see part of the Valley. Nabil read Psalm 23 to us. “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. What a blessing that He is always with us! He is our Shepherd!
We had been traveling through what is now called the Judean Hills and saw many Bedouin camps along the way. We made our way on to Jerusalem. The driver put in a CD of “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” as we entered the city. We arrived at our hotel, The Leonardo (formerly the Novotel) near the Garden Tomb. We love this location near the Garden Tomb and the Old City. Our friend, Abraham, has a shop near here and we have already been down to say “Hello”. He was happy to see us as we were him.
It has been another wonderful day! We have been very blessed!
Shalom.
We left the beautiful Sea of Gallilee and Tiberias today. This day started as a rainy day but not enough to keep us from touring. After a wonderful breakfast at the Caesar Hotel in Tiberias with our bags packed we made our way to Jerusalem with a few stops along the way.
Our first stop was Bet’Shean which is the ruins of a Roman city which has been greatly excavated. It is a marvel to see and the best excavated site we have seen even with bath houses, toilets, theatre, etc. We climbed on top of Tel Bet’Shean and have a beautiful view of the ruins and surrounding area. A tel is a hill which covers ancient civilizations. They have begun also to excavate the ancient city of Bet’Shean which you can see as you make it to the top of the tel. The Philistines controlled Bet’Shean and brought the bodies of Saul and his three sons and hung their bodies on the city wall. The Israelites came at night and stole the bodies back.
We drove on South from Bet’Shean through Samaria. After went through a checkpoint entered West Bank territory (Area C) which is where both Jews and Palestinians travel. A few Jewish settlements are there though it is really illegal. They are sort of “squatting” I guess you could say.
Our guide, Nabil, read from John 4 about Jesus going through Samaria. It was not a normal route for him or any Jew to travel but He said “he must needs go through Samaria”. Why? Because a woman needed to be rescued and she didn’t even know it. What a beautiful story of the love of God for us! We were without God and didn’t even know we needed Him until He convicted our hearts of that need for Him. She believed and went and got all the townspeople to come to hear about this man “who told me everything I did”. She became a great witness for Christ. We drove all along the Jordan border with the Jordan River on the East and the hills of Samaria on the West.
We saw a Bedouin shepherd with his sheep. Bedouins are Palestinian Arab and usually Muslim. We traveled through beautiful fertile farmlands owned by the Palestinians with date palms, bananas, grapes, oranges, mangos, strawberries, eggplant, almost anything you could name. This is truly the Land of Milk and Honey.
We traveled through another checkpoint into West Bank territory (Area A) which is totally Palestianian controlled and no Jews would enter there. We entered the city of Jericho which was in this area. Jericho is the oldest city in the world (over 10,000 years old) and it is the lowest city in the world (1000 ft below sea level). From Jericho you can see the Mt of Temptation where Satan tempted Jesus to make the stones into bread and offered him the Kingdom. Jesus always answered him with “It is written”.
We had a wonderful lunch in Jericho and some shopping and then we visited the tel of Jericho where part of the old City of Jericho has been excavated. They won’t find the walls though because we know they tumbled down according to Joshua 2. We were reminded of that amazing story of how God gave that city to the Israelites and of course Rahab’s role in that. We also remembered that Rahab the Harlot is mentioned in the lineage of Jesus. Rahab, like the woman at the well, had to gather her entire family in her house to be saved from destruction. Perhaps some were embarrassed to go to her house, knowing how she made her living, but that was their only salvation. I think she was very convincing and according to scripture the people of Jericho had already heard about how God was with the Israelites and they were already living in fear.
The weather cleared up in Jericho and we had another beautiful day. We bought some wonderful fresh fruits, especially Jericho bananas which are small and so sweet. Some enjoyed a camel ride here as well, well not really a ride, just got on a camel to have a picture made, and I think that was enough for them.
We traveled on through another checkpoint to get back into West Bank Area C and made our way on toward Jerusalem. We traveled up to Jerusalem which is 2400 ft above sea level so when the Bible says they went up from Jericho to Jerusalem they really went up (and they were mostly walking). We made a turn on the old Jericho Road to see the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We cannot go through the Old Jericho Road like we used to but we can see part of the Valley. Nabil read Psalm 23 to us. “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. What a blessing that He is always with us! He is our Shepherd!
We had been traveling through what is now called the Judean Hills and saw many Bedouin camps along the way. We made our way on to Jerusalem. The driver put in a CD of “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” as we entered the city. We arrived at our hotel, The Leonardo (formerly the Novotel) near the Garden Tomb. We love this location near the Garden Tomb and the Old City. Our friend, Abraham, has a shop near here and we have already been down to say “Hello”. He was happy to see us as we were him.
It has been another wonderful day! We have been very blessed!
Shalom.
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