Easter in Israel!

We also went to a church that was built where they say the last supper was held. This is the place where they had the Passover and also where they met after the crucifixion on Pentecost. (Matt. 26:17 and Acts 2 are references)

We got to visit the western wall (also known as the wailing wall) on two separate occasions. We visited on a Friday night before the Sabbath because we knew it would be busy and best display the religious practice that goes on here. It is sacred to the Jews because it is the remaining wall that is closest to where the temple would have been. We filed into the chaos, first going through security. When you walk in, the women go on one side of the wall and the men go to the other. There was a huge mob and you slowly made your way to the wall, sauntering between groups of Jews chanting, teenage groups singing Jewish songs and women walking backwards after going to the wall to avoid being disrespectful by turning their back. People have their books covering their face, soaking the words with their tears as they rock back and forth-- whispering softly to themselves. Many write their prayers to God on small pieces of paper and place them within the cracks of the walls. You can look up and see papers already filling about every slot. I wrote my own prayer down and placed it in the wall. Though I feel that God is always with us-- not just in a holy place-- it was still good to acknowledge my reliance on him by writing it down. So, my dear friends and family-- your lives and future have been placed in Jerusalem's western wall! :-) You're famous now. Haha.

I really enjoyed the markets within Jerusalem. The owners practiced their own advertising by shouting. They would compete with each other to get the customers. Buying a slice of pizza between two shops across from each other was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make. Haha. I bought two skirts and two scarves in the market, all of which I really love! Their shopping centers are divided into quarters-- a Jewish quarter, an Arab quarter, an Arminian quarter and a Christian quarter. I know I compare everything to Disney World, but it was like entering the different countries while still being in the same area as before. You would be exploring shops filled with men in top hats, black suits and a long beard and would look up and be in the Arab quarter, with 6 men with machine guns. Quite the contrast.

Along with the markets, the nightlife of Jerusalem was quite the contrast to the holiness of the day. Though I enjoyed the hustle and bustle and the music everywhere, the hypocrisy of human nature also became apparent to me. The same Jewish teenagers who were spilling tears all over their books at the wailing wall were the same ones with large bottles of alcohol in their hands, partying it up in the town square. The same goes for Christians and all religions, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly we forget. Why do we set apart holy days and holy places, yet always forget that we are supposed to be carrying around holiness within ourselves? I didn't mean to get all preachy on you-- it's just something that always hit me as I stood there amidst the crowds. For those of you that know me, I have never really had an urge to jump into the hip, party-it-up culture that is supposed to be appetizing to the youth so many times I would just feel terribly uncomfortable and be embarrassed that I was tearing up with no excuse in sight if someone asked me if I was OK. I did enjoy the city and the shops that I went into and we found Dr. Pepper, which was manna from heaven! I think I bought 2 a day!


We saw the Cardo of the city, which is the heart of the city. Most of the stones here are the original ones from 2,000 years ago. Jesus would have walked through the heart of ancient Jerusalem, meaning that I walked on the very stones that he did! Crazy, huh!?

One of the coolest things we did was walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel. I thought that we would just hurry through a short little passageway, but I soon found out how inaccurate I was. In a tunnel about as wide as my hips (occasionally I had to turn to the side), we trekked through water for about 45 minutes! The short girls walked through the whole way, but I had to crouch down a lot. Even though I had to fight claustrophobia and darkness, it was totally worth it! I love dark, creepy places-- this we know!

We went to the Davidson Center, where we went on a virtual reality tour of the temple mound as it would have been during the time of Jesus. It was pretty neat, but it wasn't until we went outside the building and saw the ancient ruins of the places we had seen, that it had its full effect. This was on Sunday so we sat outside of the Davidson center and had a church service. I got to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem! Who can say that? I was celebrating his resurrection in the place where it happened! What a blessing! Avner gave us commemorative olive wood communion cups and let us keep them! Kyle and Tommy gave great lessons, but what stuck with me the most was Kyle had us sing, "Ten Thousand Angels." We sang it the original way the first time through, but he said to sing it again and replace "they" with "I." A lump gathered in my throat as I sang, "I bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed; I led Him through the streets in shame. I spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin; I said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame." It hit me. I had been in the garden. I had walked through the streets. I had been to the place where they crucified him. Our sin is easy to deal with when it is not placed in front of us. It is in those moments, like outside of the Davidson Center, that a mirror is placed in front of you and you are forced to look into it.