First...this trip was a bucket list item for both Denise and I. We never dreamed, years ago as a young couple being married, starting a family, that we would EVER have the means to take such trips. Life has been good to us and we have SO much to be grateful for. As we drive around this arid country, I'm amazed at the lifestyles of these Israelis and Arabs. It appears to be simple, yet difficult. But they are friendly, happy and always willing to share a smile. The Jews have been so tormented as a people. Yet, they continue to make ends meet in the middle of the constant international chaos that goes on around them.
Second...I wondered what it would be like to walk where Jesus had walked. It has been amazing. There is indeed a special spirit here that bears a witness that he did come into mortality. That he did marvelous things while here...blessing and healing the sick, teaching the commandments to his disciplies and loving all who came in contact with him. Obviously, Christians and Jews here recognize him in different manners...but they do recognize him all over this country. But to me...it is more than recognition. The spirit has testified to me numerous times that he is the mortal Messiah. That the events at the Garden of Gethsamane transpired, opening a path of repentance that would allow me to someday return home clean and purified to stand before my Maker and he (Jesus Christ) as my elder brother who has done all for me that I might return this way someday.
Lasly....today we will go to Mt. Zion and enter the upper room where the last supper was performed. We will also go to Golgotha, where the Christ hung on a cross until his mortal mission was completed. And we will complete our journey as we go to the Garden Tomb, to hear and re-live the events that occurred that sacred Easter morning. I cannot think of a more special way to conclude a special trip such as this. I look forward to an amazing concluding day here in the Holy Land.
I will blog here one more time...if feeling up to it. I know I will. But after touring all day, we will conclude with a meal and then head to the airport. No hotel bed tonight...not that it has mattered much the way I've slept. Our flight from Ben Gurion Airpor in Tel Aviv to JFK leaves at 11:30 PM. We arrive around 4 AM there. After clearing customs, we then will catch a flight to Los Angeles (LAX) at 8:30 AM arriving at 11:30 AM. From there, we get to sprint to our flight home to Salt Lake City which leaves at 1:30 arriving in SLC airport at 4:00 PM. How many hours will I have been up and not in a bed? 45 hours....going home we put 9 hours back into our day. Flight time will be about 17 of those hours. Touring will make up about 12. The rest will be getting ready and waiting at airports. But if all goes well, we will be home in time to attend our oldest grandsons 6th birthday party. He wants to go to McDonalds! He knows his grandpa is ready for an american hamburger!!!
After getting fed our buffet breakfast, we watched our bags get loaded on to the bus and off we went. We first headed to Mt. Zion where the Upper Room (Last Supper) and David's Tomb is found. The rooms really are rooms where the Last Supper 'could have' ocurred. And King David is long gone from this site (so it is a 'memorial'). Nonetheless, it was good to reflect on these two items as past history.
From here we walked down to a church built to depict the trial, sentencing and imprisonment of the Savior. The chapel here also depicts the events of Peter denying Christ three times before the cock crowed. As we walked along, we saw roosters painted on the walls of the walkway. Standing at this site, we also could get a great view of the Dome of the Rock, BYU Jerusalem Center, and the large Jewish cemetary. We also looked across a valley to the place where Judas hung himself. As we left this site, we also came to a road that everyone clearly believes the Savior would have walked on during these final days of mortal life.
The next sites were all behind the walls of the old city...at least until after lunch. We entered at Lion's gate and walked to the pools of Bethesda....where Christ performed a miracle or two. There was a beautiful church there that had an amazing echo. So we were permitted to sing a hymn...and sang 'Come Follow Me'. It sounded quite unique.
After the pools of Bethesda, we traveled the old city streets following the 'stations' of the Rosary. I think there are 13 of them which reflect the events of the last days of the Savior. This culminated at the Holy Sepulchre....which some christians believe is the cave where Christ's body was placed after his crucifixion. Later in the day, we went to the 'Garden Tomb'...which seems to better reflect the tomb area where the Savior would have been placed. More on that in a minute. After we went through this church, we headed to find our lunch in a restaurant in the old city. After lunch, we were set free to shop again. I think Denise had a lot of fun bartering for silly stuff with the many, many vendors within the shops that lined these small streets.
At 3 PM, we were at the Garden Tomb outside the city walls. Here we saw the Hill of the Skull which is where it is believed Jesus was crucified. In actuality, they don't believe the crosses were placed on a hill at all. They were probably placed near a road where many could witness those who committed such atrocities to cause this sentence to be upon them. Around the bend, you find the tomb and the garden where Jesus' body was placed. We had the opportunity there to sit down and listen to Elder Bruce R. Mckonkie's last testimony of the Christ. What a powerful sermon he gave on the Savior's life and the importance of his atonement and resurrection in our lives. Gret moment to ponder these things.
After our time there was complete, we boarded the bus and headed out of Jerusalem. We traveled about 45 minutes to an Arab eatery which served us the same mediterranean faire along with some really good shishkabobs.
We arrived at the airport at 8:00 PM and I'm now waiting for my flight to leave at 11:35 PM. Our trip has come to an end here in Israel.
Some pictures....
Walking to the Upper Room on Mt. Zion....
Small shrine in the upper room....
Beautiful stained glass windows in the upper room....
Another picture of another group that entered the upper room. These folks sang the whole time when outside. I have some video of that....
This door is the entrance to the chapel that remembers the denial of Christ by Peter and others. The carvings relate the story....
They theorize that this is where Christ was 'prisoned' after being condemned....
It is believed that this is a road that Christ would have had to have taken to come up here from the Mt. of Olives....
Lions Gate entrance....
The Lion's gate (east side of the old city)...
A chapel depicting the trial of Jesus. In the old city, we followed the 13 (?) stations that some religions follow that account for the events leading up to Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. This was one of the stations along the way here...
After lunch, we were given some time to shop in the street lined shops. This was our re-gathering point. As we congregated...so did the street vendors trying to sell us food and their wares. It was fun to watch some of these guys try to get a 'sheckle' out of us!
Denise and I in the Garden Tomb....pretty place it was.
The outside of the tomb...
The inside of the tomb. The far left chamber is where the body is placed after it has been prepared for burial. The bodies normally lie here for a year and then their bones are collected and dealt with.
We have thousands of pictures....I might come back and post a few more once I recover from our long trip home. I'm sitting in JFK\NY completing this blog.
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