One City Under God

I have quite a bit of catching up to do on this here bloggy blog - but I wanted to write a few words about how special the Sabbath is  . . . The weekend before we left for Jordan (so...last weekend!) was unbelievably amazing, spiritual, and eye opening in so many ways. I LOVE how dedicated the people are, it is beautiful to witness. The Sabbath is so special, and in this country they truly see it as a celebration. I hope to learn from their devout spirits and reflect their examples into my own life.

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On Friday our entire group was able to go to the Western Wall at sundown to join and celebrate and welcome the Sabbath. This was a very special experience, and something I will probably never witness again, since we aren't allowed to be in East Jerusalem after dark. There were hundreds of people gathering to the wall, most of them dressed in black, and each person worshiping in their own personal ways. Some sang , some prayed, some danced, some read...It was so humbling to see. I loved being able to watch and share this experience with fellow believers. 

Some people were in groups, singing Jewish hymns or prayers together. Others were by themselves, praying earnestly. I saw some leaning up against the wall, rocking back and forth and whispering to themselves their own silent prayers, tears welling in their eyes. 

I wish I could describe this experience and truly do it justice. 

It was simply amazing.

The next day was Sabbath, and after church meetings we walked to the Garden Tomb and had a tour of the grounds. This is a beautiful site, and it was special to be there with the group and learn. We sang several hymns while we were here, which was very special and brought tears to many eyes.

Shabbot Shalom!

4,877 Steps - Negev Forev!

Yesterday we had an ALL DAY LONG field trip to Negev .
It was a blast and a half .

BEDOUIN WEAVERS

                             

TEL ARAD & TEMPLE

AVDAT.

          

Shout out to Meggy - I cannot say how incredibly happy I am to be sharing all of this with my big sissy!

WILDERNESS OF ZIN.

{ Break it down now }

Dancin' Jeru Style!

that awkward moment when you wish you had your shirt tucked in...
oh well! this picture is still epic - thanks Sarah!

I love to dance.
I love to back-flip.
I love to take chances.
I love to try new things.
Hence, this picture!

Today we had a service activity in the parking garage of the Jeru Center . SO .  FUN .
We were putting together school kits for children attending a nearby preschool .
All the while my good friend Wesley was playing DJ , and my oh my he did a FANTASTIC job .
We had multiple dance breaks throughout the activity, and by the end we were just dancin' up a storm ! This is how we do in Jeru

3,319 Steps Down to Jericho . . . Well, sort of . . .

Okay, so we didn't walk TO Jericho per say...but we did visit the city and walked around the old ruins!

The first place we visited was called Tel Es-Sultan.

We walked around the tel and saw the oldest man-made structure in the world - A Neolithic Tower that has stairs inside!

Ohhh just standing next to the oldest manmade structure in the world

Sideways...sorry!
Watch Tower

 Yay for Jericho!
 Yay for being in the oldest city in the world!
Yay for old ruins!
Yay for standing in the lowest place on earth!
Yay for jumping pictures!

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Okiee...Next up on the itinerary was a visit to Herod's Winter Palace!
I didn't get a shot of the entire palace and courtyard area...Thorry : ) I wish I would have - it covered a pretty big area and had lots of interesting things.
The Palace site is located south of Tel-Sultan, and it was fascinating! So much of it had been excavated, it was extremely cool to see this complex and picture what life may have been like thousands of years ago.

Pillars of the Courtyard

Fountain 

Cute cute cute Bedoin children that lived right next to the Palace and came down to visit us with their goats!

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Finally we took a little drive up the canyon to get a good look down on a Monastery that is built in a canyon in the middle of the Judean Wilderness! Check a look at this - It is literally built INTO the rocks of the canyon. Absolutely fascinating to see, and a beautiful site. 

Frolicking in the Desert!
We had to take a little hike to look down
at the Monastery. 

I dabble in turbanning...

17,181 Steps . . . Rockin' around the Dome

         

Today was an absolutely magnificent day! We woke up bright and early and set out for the Dome of the Rock. This was my first time to the Dome, and it was truly wonderful. I absolutely loved it. 

The Dome of the Rock is the second holiest site in Islam (second to the Ka'aba in Mecca). It is called the Dome of the Rock because some people believe it was built over the rock where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son, Issac. Some Muslims also believe that it is the location where Muhammad ascended into heaven for his "Night Journey."

I was in shock and awe at the beauty of the Dome. It is HUGE and such a stunning sight to see.  

Beautiful bright colors, taller than 10 giraffes, and a true treasure!

Loved it.

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After seeing the Dome of the Rock, we walked to the Western Wall. 

This was a very special, spiritual experience for me. It was extremely humbling to see such devoted and sincere love from the people coming to pray at the Wall. 

                                 

The Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) was part of Herod's extension on the outer retaining wall from his Temple. Since the precise location of the temple's Holy of Holies is unknown, most Jews will not go on the Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock), fearing that they will possibly violate the sacred space. Thus, the Western Wall is the closest place that Jews can safely go to where the temple formerly stood.

Such a beautiful day in Jerusalem. 

Catwalk over Jeru

                   

                         

                  

 

Soooo...we take lots of pictures...get used to it!