Church of the...

Apparently a long time ago when Constantine was the Roman emperor, he became a Christian and wanted to honor Jesus by immortalizing all the major sites associated with Jesus. So he sent his mother all over Israel to find all the places that Jesus was at. She proceeded to dump lots of money on each place and voila... a church building was born! Numerous denominations built altars to honor Christ - Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian Christians all vying for a part to honor Christ.

Thus we visited a lot of churches. From the previous post:
Church of Jacob's Well which is part of an Eastern Orthodox monastery;
Church of All Nations which is Roman Catholic; and
Chapel of Ascension which was used both by Christians as well as Muslims

This is the Church of Annunciation...

This church is built over a grotto believed to be where Mary lived, and where the angel Gabriel told her that she will conceive and give birth to a son, Jesus (Luke 1). The courtyard is filled with mosaics of Mary, each one from a different country.

Church of the Pater Noster (Our Father Church)...

The Lord's Prayer in Chinese. It's displayed in different languages throughout the church.

This church was built where Jesus taught The Lord's Prayer to his disciples (Matthew 6). We sang "The Lord's Prayer" in the crypt.

Church of the Nativity...

It was under restoration.

This church in Bethlehem is built over the cave where Jesus was born. 

The star represents the actual spot where Jesus was born; in other words, where Mary laid to give birth.

Hannah is next to where the manager was. We sang "Away in a Manger."

Joseph and Mary traveled 90 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which probably took 10-15 days by caravan. Shepherds used caves to shelter their animals. Joseph and Mary stayed in a cave, where Jesus was born. (Luke 2)

Shepherds Fields
These are the fields of Boaz, where Ruth worked (Ruth 1-4). When Jesus was born, angels announced it to the shepherds here (Luke 2). We sang "Angels We Have Heard on High" in one of the shepherd caves.

This is a cave chapel

I learned that shepherds may not have been out in the fields when the angels spoke to them, but instead were hunkered in  a cave (like the picture above). Shepherds move their sheep into caves in the evening to protect them from the weather and unwanted predators.

Church of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, built next to Lazurus' tomb.

Entrance to the Tomb

Again the low doorway

We had to go very deep underground.

Through the centuries, structures were built on top of each other. In order to get to the period of Jesus' time, we had to go pretty deep, down on stairs, stones, through tunnels and darkness. Not a good place for anyone that is claustrophobic.

Sliding into the crawl space of the tomb

 Church of St Peter...
This church is built on the site of the High Priest Caiaphas' home, where Jesus was taken on the night of his betrayal, and where Peter denies knowing Jesus (Mark 14). 

Below the church is a cistern where Jesus may have been imprisoned before taken to Pontius Pilate the next day.

The fresca depicting how Jesus was lowered into his 'cell' or sacred pit.

Details about the sacred pit that Jesus was held in.

The hole was small and left no room for escape.

The pit probably didn't have lighting back in those days so it was cold and isolating. I can imagine Jesus contemplating his  upcoming death at this time.

Jesus likely walked on these stone steps leading to the Kidron Valley, as they are from the same time period.

Very humbling to see the actual steps Jesus may have walked on when he was taken before the high priest.

NEXT UP: How Dead Is It?

Jacob, Shiloh, and Olive

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Our tour guide, Tony continually reminded us that yes it's great to see the sights, touch the stones and envision what went on a long time ago but more importantly he encouraged us to try to meet Jesus, see Jesus and know that He is real to us.

We visited Jacob's Well, which had a church that was built over the ancient well, where Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water (Mark 4).

And yes it was still a working well.

We saw the ruins of Shiloh. Shiloh was the home of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. It was a gathering place for all 12 tribes, where Joshua would divide the land.

Our Hannah was named after Hannah in the Bible for being a faithful woman of prayer.

It was also here that Hannah's prayers were answered when her son, Samuel was born, and she brought him back to Shiloh to serve under the high priest, Eli (1 Samuel 1-3).

A model of what the tabernacle would have looked like.

We visited Mt Scopus which was our first opportunity to see Jerusalem. 

It was also our first opportunity to be pick pocketed! It happened twice on Mt Scopus. Fortunately both attempts were unsuccessful. That same evening, there was a successful attempt on the streets of Jerusalem. That one was Matthew who had his small camera taken from his backpack. In all three instances, the thief was a street vendor who took advantage of our trust.

For 3,000 years, Mt of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery.

There is a spiritual link between death and life emphasized by the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany. Burials need to be complete 12 hrs after death; traditionally caskets are not used; bodies are wrapped in linens and placed in the tomb; the memorial tombstone has a nook for a candle - an eternal flame signifying the soul is still alive; Jews believe in burial and not cremation; flowers are not left but instead, stones are placed on the tomb, signifying the lasting memory of the person's influence, and their eternal soul.

This mountain ridge lies east of Jerusalem and was frequented by Jesus. He taught his disciples here, and ascended to heaven from here (Matthew 24-25, Luke 21, Matthew 26, Acts 1). The Garden of Gethsemane lies at its base.

These now sealed gates were the gates that Jesus entered on the donkey on Palm Sunday. It is prophesied that when Jesus returns He will return through these gates once again.

Descending the Mt of Olives on the Palm Sunday road, we reached the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.

We walked the path that Jesus took on the donkey. Roads were not as dusty as during his time.

The Church of All Nations is built around a rock where Jesus prayed on the night before he was crucified (Mark 14). The garden was the scene of Judas' betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26, Mark 14).

Many touch and pray at this rock.

A fresca on the dome of the church

The Garden of Gethsemane is filled with ancient olive trees.

The Church of Ascension marks where Jesus ascended into heaven (Luke 24, Acts 1), and where he will return in the same manner.

We sang "You are Awesome in this Place" in the chapel

Apparently, you can 'see' Jesus footprints on this stone before he ascended to heaven. I didn't see any.

NEXT UP: Church of The...

We Will See You Again

This post has been sitting in my draft box for over a year now. I wanted to post it a year ago but it never felt ready to post. After journeying to the Holy Land, the experience solidified my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior and that if we accept Him into our heart we will be reunited in heaven along with our loved ones that have departed before us.

Two years ago, two dear families tragically lost their sons.

Nathan, age 10, was the youngest son of friends that we just met a few years ago in HK.  He was also the cousin of Shawna, Emily's former classmate and one of my former students.

A sweet quiet fun loving boy who loved to run around outside, play video games, hang out with his big brother and his dog, Dukie.

We met his whole family, big brother Marcus (who's the same age as Emily) and mom, Wendy and dad, Levan. I got to spend some quality time with Wendy and we talked a lot about why God allows suffering to happen; why prayers are not answered the way we would like them to be; and how to keep our faith in God strong when it is tested so severely.

Nathan and Hannah in HK

You see, Nathan was diagnosed with liver cancer at the very young age of 3. He had a tumor growing on his liver since then. In January 2013 he had the tumor and liver removed and received a liver transplant. His body was accepting this new liver and he was gaining strength and stamina. But in July, he started having pain in his pelvic area and after some tests it was determined that the cancer spread into his spine and pelvic area. He received chemo but it was not able to eradicate the cancer that was quickly spreading in his little body. He went to be with our Lord on September 27, 2013.

Then a month later, on October 27, while we were at church we heard the horrific news that Jason, our good friends Jay and Lisa's 17 year old son was killed in a car accident. Our church family immediately sobbed and grieved for this high school senior who had so many plans for his future.

His pallbearers were his best friends..all high schoolers

The memorial service was filled with everyone who loved Jason, Jay, Lisa and Danika (their daughter).

Pastor Kevin shared about the choices we make in this lifetime here on earth and that it will have eternal consequences.

Our friends, Jay and Lisa shared loving letters to their son now in heaven.

Though his life ended too quickly, his memory will forever be in hundreds of hearts, many of whom made a decision that afternoon to ask Jesus in their heart and to have eternal life in heaven. His purpose in life continues through his parents, sister and friends.

Jason's banner at the reception

Today, as I commemorate Jason and Nathan's short young lives, I no longer question God, "Why?" I will definitely ask Him when I'm in heaven. There are many things I do not understand that God allows to happen. But I do know that He is God and He loves us and He is with us in the good and the bad. Why does God allow suffering? I do not know. But I do know He is our Hope when we are suffering.

We will see you again, Nathan and Jason. We will see you again.

The Ancient and the Now

For 15+ years we've been wanting to go to Israel with our former Pastor and his wife. They've been taking a group every 5 years.

With Pastor Sherman & Marti in Corinth

We haven't been able to go previously because the girls were either too young or it was the wrong time and the girls were in school. This time it was perfect! It was right after school ended and the girls were old enough to be seasoned travelers. Also it was rumored that this might be Pastor's last time taking a large group. So when we heard, we jumped on the bandwagon, roped in some of our dear friends, and off we went.

People were short back in those days

We knew that this would not be a relaxing vacation. (Come on.. does 69 locations, 8 flights, 5 hotels in 16 days sound relaxing to you?!?!) We were on a very tight schedule: on the bus by 8am sometimes 7:30am which meant breakfast at 7am which meant wake-up call at 6:00am every day and we get back to the hotel for dinner by 5:00pm. Our evenings were open but I was so darn tired I always opted to go to sleep after dinner. My introverted nature desperately needed some alone time. Traveling with 41 people all day long was very tiring sometimes, not that I didn't like the company. I so loved the company and was thrilled that we were able to travel with other families whom I have gotten to know and cherish!

This is Gamla: which has been called the "Masada of the North," where the Jews fought off the Romans several times before falling.

This was the first time that Pastor took whole families along and that was such a blessing! Youth want to hang around youth not their parents. We were so fortunate that this group of kids hung around together a lot!

Our group of 'young ones'

This is their usual section of the bus.

Our next stop: an ancient Talmudic Village and Synagogue in Katzrin Park.

Katzrin is an ancient Jewish village located in the Golan Heights.

 This showed us what a traditional village/home would have looked like during Jesus' time.

Some buildings have been reconstructed to show how they lived at the time.

Fancy door or window?

As you can see it's made of stone and was underground to keep cool and safe. An integral part of the village was the synagogue where the people would gather to worship.

We were also able to see the Syrian Border, which is just on the other side of the white UN buildings.

It was very sobering to think about and pray for the Christians that are currently being persecuted there, knowing that and it was just a hop, skip and a jump from where we were at.

We also met two young men from the States who were serving in Syria with the Flying Doctors of America. They were sharing about the atrocities they saw there and we could not help but pray for these men and the country.

We met Cody and Michael, two Americans on medical missions serving in Jordan and Syria.

I got baptized in the Jordan River along with 11 other wonderful people from our group.

The Jordan River is fed from three independent springs: Banias (Caesarea Philippi), Dan (Tel Dan), and Lebanon (Haspian). All three pour into Sea of Galilee which also flows into the Dead Sea.

I was sprinkle baptized when I was 23 and I knew this was acceptable in God's eyes, but when the opportunity of getting immersion baptized in the same place that Jesus was baptized, I overcame my fear of water and dove in.

All 12 of us ... four were couples!

Life is too short for missed opportunities and I didn't want to miss out on anything and especially didn't want to feel like "I Should Have.. but didn't" when I came home. It was really a once in a lifetime opportunity.

With my friend Helen at the Baptismal Site of Yardenit on the Jordan River

And to have Pastor Sherman baptize me with my husband behind me it felt so right. Definitely one of my highlights of this trip.

It was located just south of the river's mouth to the Sea of Galilee. The water was warm, with fish nipping at our feet.

Afterwards we all loaded onto a boat and took a cruise around the Sea of Galilee.

Galilee cruise: The US flag was raised to our national anthem, followed by worship songs as we cruised on the waters.

Pastor gave a sermonette challenging us to to think about what were we trying to 'catch' as we threw out our net in our life.

The warm waters were calm but the wind can pick up the waves. It is a freshwater lake; there is no word for 'lake' in Hebrew thus they named it a Sea. It is roughly 8 miles wide x 13 miles long.

 Matthew wanted to swim in the three seas: Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea.

In the Sea of Galilee with David & Leilani

NEXT UP: Jacob, Shiloh and Olive