Day 08 - Jerusalem: City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Yad Vashem

Today we went to the City of David (where we learned about David and Bathsheba), walked through Hezekiah's Tunnel, and read John 9 at the Pool of Siloam. The passage talks about Jesus healing a blind man who sat out at the gates of the temple. Jesus made mud out of his spit and dirt and put it over the blind man's eyes. Jesus told him to wash himself in the Pool of Siloam (pool of the “sent water”), which was the farthest pool from where he was. The blind man had faith, obeyed, and was healed; he was no longer blind! In this chapter, the blind man showed his faith 9 times and a lot more than a person who could see. John 9:41 says, "If you are blind, you wouldn't be guilty," Jesus replied. "But you remain guilty because you claim you can see." 

This led me to reflect on my own faith. I "claim I can see" yet there are areas that are still difficult for me to let go and trust God. To be honest, I had recently felt forgotten by God, so I asked God to allow me to feel his presence, to see Him, and to hear him while on my trip in Israel. Well, be careful what you pray for, LOL!

Through the trip, I developed a painful abscess on my neck. I went to the ER and saw God's hand move. I saw his grace over my mom and me as we navigated through an unknown hospital and a language barrier. I prayed through every step of the way and saw and felt God answer immediately. It was through this experience that God allowed me to feel Him, see Him, and hear Him! He made sure to let me know that I was not forgotten, He hears me, and I SEE him!

Lunch today was a picnic of HUGE Jerusalem bagels to dip and dunk in hummus, olive oil and spices, sour cream with date honey, and Nutella. Such a fun experience!

We concluded our day with a tour of Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center. It was sobering to read summaries of the Jewish experiences during 1933-1945 as Nazi Germany systematically exterminated nearly six million Jews by 1945. Our ambition is to love God and to love others in a way that will prevent those atrocities (David’s adultery and murder of Uriah and the unjust deaths of millions of Jewish citizens) from being repeated.

-Leslie Leiva