Day 09 - Jerusalem: Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, St. Anne’s Church, Pools of Bethesda, Israel Museum, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Farewell Dinner

Our last day in Israel began with 15 more minutes of sleep than normal, a good breakfast, and a devotional reading of Psalm 114. We also took a few minutes to share what had brought us joy and laughter on this trip. Answers varied from locations visited, to silly pictures taken, to goofy jokes, and even included the fake cockroach gags of one funny member of our group.

We all agreed that it has been a blessing to share this experience with this eclectic group of people. It’s been encouraging to see how we’ve looked out and cared for one another while traversing all over this country.

A short bus ride took us to our first site which included what our tour guide called “the best view in the world.” We sat atop the Mount of Olives with a perfect view of the Old City, Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and other sites we’ve visited.

Pastor Brad led us in a time of sharing how God has spoken to us while on the trip. Reflections and thoughts were shared such as:

                ⁃God started here and his message traveled all the way across the world to us and our hearts.

                ⁃Understanding the humanity of Jesus by being in the proximity of his life events on earth.

                ⁃How we are an extension of the early Church living out what Jesus started by caring for each other and sharing the gospel.

We descended the Palm Sunday road to stop at the Jewish Cemetery (with plots starting at $150,000!). Then we walked to the Basilica of Gethsemane with 8 Olive trees that date back at least 1,000 years, but possibly 2,000. Then we crossed the street into a private garden on the Mount of Olives where we spent a few minutes in private prayer/reflection and then shared communion as a group. It was a powerful and peaceful place to remember Jesus’ agonizing prayer and ultimate devotion to God and to us.

After a short walk through the Lion Gate, we were back in the Old City, visiting the Church of St. Anne (Mary’s mother). This is the best-preserved Crusader church in the Middle East and built for singing (we all sang Doxology and Happy Birthday to Bonnie!).

Outside St. Anne’s is the ancient Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5). The archaeological site has remnants from the periods of Solomon, Herod, Byzantine, and Crusaders! Pastor Brad led us through a great teaching on how Jesus desires to heal us, but we don’t always get healed the way we want or think we need.

From there we grabbed pizza for lunch (one of the toppings was corn…just corn and cheese…not bad) and ate together at a beautiful park overlooking the Dome of the Rock. The park had a couple

of instruments so we were also pleasantly serenaded by Jackson. (Ben’s xylophone serenade left something to be desired.) (Editor’s note – Ben is the author today, so he said that, not Amelia!!)

As our long, last day continued we went to the Israel Museum which had giant model of what 1st century Jerusalem would have looked like. This was immensely helpful in understanding and reviewing the many sites we visited. Then we briskly followed our tour guide Dan through the archaeological wing to see some things we heard about or only saw replicas of. We saw the first and second greatest archaeological finds in Biblical history: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Tel Dan Stele.

As if we hadn’t seen enough already today, last on our list was the megastructure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is one of the most important Christian churches in the world. Its history is as complex as the ornate decorations and art inside of the church. Our exploration inside was interrupted by a procession of Franciscan monks. After watching their prayers and procession we were able to see the place where Jesus was crucified (which the church is built around). It’s surreal, moving, and overwhelming to be in a place such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Our final stop, nearby and still in the Old City, was our delicious farewell dinner with an amazing view. We celebrated and thanked our skillful and kind bus driver, Igal, and our fearless and energetic tour guide, Dan. We finished our meal, took in a few last views of the city, and then got back to the hotel to prepare for our early departure.

How fortune and blessed we all our to have been on this trip with one another. Thank you, Lord, our God. Please continue praying for us over the next 24 hours as we have a long day of travel ahead. We will start with a 3:45 wakeup call, then coffee and cake in the lobby at 4 am as we load the bus for our journey home. Thank you for praying and following along. We can’t wait to see you all at home!

Isaiah 65:17-25

“See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
    and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
    while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.