Israel Day 7

Day Seven! Finally. It is taking me forever to finish posting these. 

This day is a little bit blurry in my mind because it was fast-paced and super windy/chilly all day. None of us were very well prepared for the weather that day. Also, everywhere we went was super crowded (except the Israeli Museum) and it was hard not to stay distracted by all the people and crowds. 

First stop was the Israeli Museum. We got there right before it opened and had to wait outside a few minutes, so our sweet group of teenagers just lead worship songs. It was a wonderful way to begin our day. 

The Israeli Museum has a model of the old city and this was fascinating. Walking around this model helped really put some of the pieces of the city together, as well as have a better understanding of direction and where things are located. 

We toured the inside of the Israeli Museum, where the Dead Sea Scrolls and Aleppo Codex are kept. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the building, but these findings are incredibly fascinating to see with your own eyes. Evan and I did not feel as though we had enough time exploring the Israeli Museum!!! 

From the Israeli Museum we went to the Mount of Olives. A beautiful view of the city! At the Mount of Olives is a Jewish/Muslim cemetery. 

We walked from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. The trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are said to be at least 900 years old--babies of the original trees from the garden. The Church of All Nations is located where part of the original garden was. It was hard to not be overwhelmed with gratitude and love for Jesus as I walked around the garden. 

From there, we began walking the Via Dolorosa. (This is the part that gets really fuzzy!) 

Below is the Pool of Bethesda. 

Walking the Via Dolorosa

Arab Market as we walked the Via Dolorosa

Church of the Holy Seplechur

Inside the Holy Seplechur, what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus.( There are actually two traditional sites, one outside the city walls.)

We ended all of our touring at the second possible location of the Garden Tomb. This was such a sweet, precious time. It was a little chaotic as the garden was very busy, but our tour guide was actually a Chinese Christian and we shared him with a group of Chinese tourists. It brought tears to my eyes as I listened to our tour guide speak of his Savior, then the translator for the other group say his words in Mandarin. I couldn't help but be overcome with the thought of what a small glimpse of Heaven we experienced that day. 

Can you see the skull? 

I don't feel like I have adequate words to describe the way this trip impacted my life,  nor do any of these blog posts reflect all of what I learned and saw.  We've been home for over a month and I think about the trip daily. I read scripture with fresh eyes and have a better grasp on the culture and geography that the Bible speaks about. 

Jesus is real, the Bible is true, and I pray that my life will be about sharing that with others so God can be glorified!