Our last day here in the Holy Land

It is pretty crazy to think that this was our last day here in the Holy Land! I can say that the trip was made up of some very long days, but an incredibly fast week.

To finish off our journey, we traveled this morning to the Mount of Olives where we started a day-long walk through Jesus’ last day before his crucifixion. From the top of the Mount of Olives we walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was one of the coolest moments of the day. We had some time of worship, some time to read and pray alone, and then we had a time of communion. This was such a special moment for us because this is the place that Jesus spent his last moments before being arrested, and eventually, killed. From here we walked the Via Delarosa. This is the road that Jesus walked with his cross on his way to Golgotha. When we got to the end of the road, Golgotha, there is a church that was built by the crusaders that covers the entire area. Inside of the church you can see a preparation table, the place that Jesus would have been hung on the cross, and the tomb that they believe Jesus laid in. This journey through Jesus’ footsteps was an experience that really brings life to the story that we read. Having some time to sit and think about the day, I was left with this thought: Woe to us, if we ever forget what Jesus suffered and experienced on that horrible day. But in the same way, woe to us if our hope doesn’t rest in the fact that three days after being crucified, Jesus walked out of tomb, having stolen the keys to death, Hell and the grave, and in that moment, forever freed us from the bondage of our sin. If it wasn’t clear to me before this trip, it is now; Jesus is alive today!

-Josh Manning

If you have been following us on our journey through this blog, we would love to invite you to a debrief meeting on Sunday, March 4th @9:15 in the Wherehouse. This will be an awesome time to look through pictures, to tell stories, and to ask any questions you may have about the trip. We would love to see you there!