Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016

It's hard to believe that two weeks ago we returned from our trip to Norway! We enjoyed the cooler temperatures while we were away but were happy to find it cooling down in Jerusalem. The days are flying and on the 26th of Sept. we will have been here 8 months!

Photo: Artwork outside the Israeli Museum. A few days after we returned from Norway, some very good friends came to visit. The Jonsons are currently serving in the temple in Sweden and in another two weeks they will be returning to their home in Utah. We met Jan and Betty when we went to Uganda in 2012 to participate in a dental humanitarian project and stayed with them for two weeks. It was so much fun to welcome them to Israel and to spend almost a week with them. They stayed at a hotel just across the street at the base of the Jerusalem Center so it was very convenient as we could walk down to level one and meet up with them just across the street. Photo: Looking up at the JC from their hotel.

Due to delays at their connection in Romania, they didn't arrive until 2 AM in Jerusalem but despite their late arrival, they were ready to explore with us are their guides and we were excited to show them the places we have grown to love while living here.

One of my favorite places is the Garden of Gethsemane. Photo: Jan and Betty. During their stay, we showed them many, many places and the photos that follow are a few highlights of their visit.

Photo: The Church of All Nations, also known as the "Church or Basilica of the Agony", a Roman Catholic church located next to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

When we arrived at the Church of All Nations, a mass was in session. We wanted Jan and Betty to see the "agony stone", otherwise known as the stone which enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest. (Mark 14:32-42)

Dome inside the Church of All Nations.

The Tomb of the Virgin Mary is a Christian tomb at the foot of Mount of Olives and directly across the street from the Garden of Gethsemane. This is believed to be the burial place of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Candles are lit and people prayed at Mary's tomb.

Walking up the stairs to the outside of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary which is run by the Catholic church in Jerusalem.

Qumran was another place we visited. If you recall from a previous post, this is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and the cave pictured is the first one where the earthen or clay pots were found containing the ancient writings on parchment made from animal skins.

More caves where scrolls were found . . a total of 11 in all.

Replicas of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

We went to the area where the parable of the Good Samaritan took place. In Christianity, this parable became a symbol of helping others at times of need without expecting anything in return. The New Testament story tells of a man who was robbed and left injured by the wayside. A Cohen and also a Levite passing by did not offer their help, but a Samaritan (considered in Judaism to be of lesser status) proved that he was more humane as he helped the injured man, took him to an inn and paid for his board and lodging there. The 16 mile-long road between Jerusalem and Jericho was important as it was used by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem, particularly those coming from the Galilee via the Jordan Valley and Jericho, in the footsteps of Jesus and John the Baptist. This road was a popular route for pilgrims coming to the Jordan River to be baptized.

Next we went to En Gedi which is an oasis in the desert and considered a Garden of Eden in the wilderness. It is situated west of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth, at the base of cliffs and mountains and a perfect place to seek refuge. It is also near Masada and the Qumran Caves.

This is the area of caves where David fled from King Saul. If you remember, David married one of King Saul's daughters. King Saul eventually turned against David and wanted him killed so he sent 3,000 soldiers to find him where he was told he had been hiding.

David was able to hide at En Gedi and live off the land because it had a spring, waterfalls, and small animals such as ibex for meat.

We saw this camel on our way to Masada. I feel so sorry for camels in Israel because they look so skinny and are left standing at a sight-seeing place. I understand if you get too close to a camel, they will spit on you! I suppose we will find out when we go to Jordan next week because riding a camel is on my bucket list.

Masada was another stop along the way. At the top of a mesa-like plateau is a flat place where King Herod built a huge palace which was later taken over by renagade Jews. One thousand people lived here until the Romans over took it by building a ramp and breaking through the barrier wall protecting it. The movie, "Masada," was filmed here and rather than succombe and become slaves to King Herod, the men killed their children, their wives, and then themselves. When the Romans reached the top of the mountain to overtake Masada, they found everyone dead. We have been here twice and each time I wonder how any civilization could have existed here.

A room inside the Western palace.

The water system at Masada was genius and allowed the residents to drain the rainwater into cisterns. The cisterns were plastered inside to keep the water from seeping out. Each year the cisterns had to be drained and debris cleaned out and then new plaster was put in which was several inches thick. The people mixed their water with wine as the wine helped to purify it for drinking.

There were 167 steps down to the Northern Palace and only a dozen steps more than we are used to climbing in the Jerusalem Center. However, our steps are not on the edge of a cliff that drops straight down 1,500 feet!! From Masada we could see the Dead Sea, the lowest sea on earth which is 1,300' BELOW sea level. Ritual baths at Masada. The Romans built a ramp to almost the top of Masada. It must have taken months because originally the mountain dropped straight down from a cliff.

Diagram of the breachment to overtake Masada.

We took them to the "Upper Room", the place where Jesus and his disciples had the Last Supper.

Since it was Sunday, they joined us and the students at the carillon at the YMCA. The carillon is located in the tower directly behind us.

Jan and Betty had the opportunity to play and something I doubt they will ever experience again.

After the Carillon, we went to the Shuk (popular market place), had lunch and came back in time for the Sunday night concert which we were hosting.

Jan and Betty enjoyed the Sunday night concert and I am not sure we could have crammed one more thing into their day.

Monday We went to the Dead Sea and Garth and Jan couldn't wait to float in the "Sea of poison" as some call it.

Notice the salt crystals that line the edge of the water.

Jan and I enjoyed watching the men who were bobbing up and down in the water and we were perfectly content to just watch!

The last evening we had with Jan and Betty, we went for dinner at the Notre Dame Hotel. It's a beautiful hotel and the food is not only delicious but reasonable!

We had such a wonderful time with our friends. We bid them farewell and they were off to Galilee with a guide before returning to Sweden to finish up their assignment. I love the saying, "Friends are God's way of taking really good care of us." They took such great care of us when we were in Uganda and we were grateful for the opportunity to show them the places we have learned to know and appreciate while living here.

The next evening was a jazz concert which consisted of original Celtic music. It was a finger-toe tapping event which everyone enjoyed! The percussionist was one of the original musicians from "Riverdance."

Last night we had a concert with a flute and harp. Their performance was inspiring and made me wish I was still playing the harp. Maybe we when return home? Today was an all day field trip and every week is packed with more events to plan and prepare for. Next Monday we will leave for Jordan & Petra with the students for 4 days.

A few days ago, we received a painting we had ordered from a local artist (Shulamit Near) of our view of the city from the Jerusalem Center. It will be a wonderful reminder of our 18 months abroad.