Walking, Walking, Walking

Tuesday, 2/10

Yesterday, we went to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. It was emotionally draining. And, the children’s memorial was so moving. It’s difficult to describe and do it justice. It was dark inside and there were millions of tiny lights over head, like star light. As you walked through, you had to hold on to the railing to find your way so you tended to walk very slowly. Meanwhile, there is a woman’s voice reciting the names and ages of children that were murdered during the Holocaust. We also visited the Western Wall. There were many people praying at the wall just like all the pictures I’ve seen. I went up to it and put my hand on it just because I could and because it is a special place. The men and women are separated. There were several Bar Mitzvahs happening on the men’s side so the women were standing on chairs looking over the barrier throwing candy over to the table where the Bar Mitzvah was taking place. It was really interesting and again the security was tight. Later, we went to the Garden Tomb which is the garden where the tomb that my Savior’s body was put in after His crucifixion. It was so cool and refreshing especially after being at the Holocaust Memorial in the morning. Pastor Paul gave a lesson while we were there and we had communion. He has been giving mini lesson at significant spots and it has helped make the locations come alive. We can see where and why the site is important in a Biblical sense. Today, we had a free day so some of us took a bus ride to the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. We had a good time looking for stones. It was fun being there in this peaceful valley and picturing the two armies facing each other on the hillsides. It has been interesting experiencing the different nationalities. Our driver is Arab Muslim. Our guide, Harrison, is Jewish and he seems to be an expert on the Bible including the New Testament, at least about the life of Jesus. When we wandered around the old city of Jerusalem today, we experienced the Muslim quarter, the Armenian quarter, the Jewish quarter, and the Christian quarter. There was a definite difference in the people between each quarter. We shopped and bought some cool things. I just hope we make it home with them (pottery). While shopping, Terry and I were lost many times in the Muslim quarter and it seemed we walked for miles through the narrow streets of vendors and shops. We walked down one back, narrow street that had just meat and meat by products – pig’s feet in a pan, intestines, tentacles, and many body parts we did not recognize except the chickens. We did know the chickens. There was blood running in between the uneven cobble stones which are common to the inner city. We tried to follow Via Delarosa which was the path Jesus took to Calvary because we had been there before but we continually lost our way on side streets. These are all walkways, for the most part, too narrow for a car. We also walked around the top of the Jerusalem wall for a long while looking out over the city. You could see bullet holes in the wall from the Six Day War in 1967. You also can see which part of the wall is from the Roman times, Crusader times and the Byzantine times. It is awesome to actually walk the wall of this magnificent city and feel the significance of its history beneath your feet and to know that Jesus was here. Before I forget, I want to tell you, I met an Israeli man on an elevator whose brother lives in Coquille and he loves Oregon as he’s been there several times to visit. Also, I spoke to a wine seller in the Jewish quarter today, who, when finding out I was from Oregon, replied, “Pinot Noir!”. Small world after all. Tomorrow, we leave bright and early to Petra, Jordan. Once again, our Jewish guide cannot go with us – only as far as the border. We will miss him. He has been great! Tonight, we had a special farewell dinner together. I had to wear my dress. Ugh! We received certificates for being Pilgrims to the Holy Land signed by the mayor. Isn’t that special?! Terry and I hightailed it back to the room to get to bed. We’ve been going to bed by 9 pm most night. The days are exhausting and we have to have the sleep to keep up. Thank you for your nice email messages and prayers and good wishes. Seems like we have been gone forever – we’ve seen and done so much in these two weeks. It’s nice to know you like keeping up with us and that you think of us. We think of home and wonder if it’s raining. We’re hoping for warm weather tomorrow in Jordan – around 75 degrees. So, good night everyone – even though it will soon be time for lunch for you!