The Old City In A New Light

This has been another wonderful day. The weather is still very nice although we hear it may be stormy tomorrow. We started out with breakfast at the hotel and then on the bus to the Old City.





This is the portion of Jerusalem that is considered to be the ancient and holy sites. The Old City is divided into three sections: Christian, Jewish, & Muslim. It is nothing like I had thought. The narrow streets are lined with small shops some of which sell basic needs like vegetables and bread to the residents of the Old City. The majority of the shops are souvenir shops where you can get a good deal if you haggle with the shop owners. They always have a “special for you today”. The Olds City is surrounded by a wall, therefore you have to enter thru one of many gates. The gates are the main markers for your travel in the Old City. When we first arrived we entered thru the Dung Gate. This is the closest gate to the security check point that would lead us to the Temple Mount. After Yoni briefed us on some history on the retaining wall around the mount we went thru the security check point without incident. We are blessed to be here at this time. They are doing some construction in the area that you would normally go up to the Temple Mount so we had to use an elevated walkway that took us to the most awesome vantage point to view the Western Wall. This is sometimes called the Wailing Wall. It is where orthodox Jews come to pray. They write their prayers and stick them in the wall. Jewish people also come to read the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) and to celebrate special occasions such as Barmitzva when a Jewish boy turns 13, or a wedding day celebration. We stood on the overlook for a good while as Yoni explained what we were seeing and many of the practices of the orthodox Jews. Orthodox Jews are Jewish people who have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They Believe in God the Father and still keep the Law. A Jew who has accepted Jesus as their savior is called a messianic Jew. Well enough world religions class. As we entered the Temple Mount, an area under Muslim control, there were several things we had to observe. Men & women could not hold hands or touch each other, there could be no loud outburst and we were not allowed inside the Dome of the Rock nor the Al-Aksa Mosque. This is the most disputed piece of real estate on the plant.





We left the Old City and descended the mountain on foot across the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane. A Catholic church has control of this site and they believe they have identified the very rock at which Jesus prayed. I am not too sure they know which rock, but we knew we were in the general area. After a quick look in the very beautiful church, we crossed the street to another part of the garden and heard a very enlightening lesson on the olive tree, being grafted in, and the shoots that spring up from the roots. We loaded the bus and headed for the Old City again. This time We entered the Jaffa Gate. After a short walk thru the Old City we came to a small room Yoni had reserved for lunch. We had traditional Israeli food and it was pretty good.






Then we walked the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus walked to Calvary. We exited thru the Damascus Gate into the area were Stephen was likely stoned. From there we went to the Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. A guide joined us for the tour of these areas.







After we visited the Garden Tomb we were seated in a reserved area where we shared communion. It was a wonderful time of singing and praising the Lord for His great plan of salvation.






We returned to the Hotel around 5:00 p.m. and went to Dinner at 7:00. It was a very good dinner. We met other believers from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, our sister fellowship. It is so neat. After dinner we were joined by some members of the Jerusalem Cornerstone Foundation who shared the ministry they are involved in. It was a very moving presentation. It is 9:05 p.m. and Rese & I are sitting in the lobby finishing up the post for tonight.

Some "Moore" Pics From Today





We will leave Jerusalem tomorrow and head for the Sea of Galilee area and will overnight in Tiberius the last three nights. Everyone is doing great. No one has fallen or gotten sick. That is a miracle as many steps as we have taken. Keep us in your prayers. Enjoy the pics. We will be in touch.


Pastor Tom, Rese & The Tired Travelers