Walking, Walking, and More Walking!!!

Glad to be back blogging everyone! What an exciting day we had yesterday!

Saturday in Israel was Shabbat, a very strict observance of the Sabbath, so it was great to get to do a lot of things without the usual crowds of Jerusalem. All Jewish shops and stores were closed, and the Jewish people were all in synogogue and having their typical Sabbath meals.

We started the day by walking, walking to the extent that we started to forget how to use our legs. We headed down to the Garden of Gethsemane to see where Jesus often spent time praying, including the night of His betrayal. One major tourist attraction of the area is the Church of All Nations, which we visited while in Gethsemane. The garden was extremely peaceful and had a similar spirit to the Garden Tomb. While there were crowds of tourists from all over the World, it is clear to see how Jesus would have sought peace and refuge there. It is definitely a place where all of us would like to spend some more time.

From there we could also see the East Gate and the Dome of the Rock. We then began to walk some more, a lot more, to the ancient City of David, located near the Jerusalem version of Rodeo Drive. David's City was much smaller than the current Jerusalem, but it is so cool to see the proof of God's promises to David, a man after God's own heart. We took time to put ourselves in David's shoes... or sandals, imagining what it would be like to see Bathsheba from the rooftop, or to see David dancing ahead of the Ark, up the streets of his Jerusalem. It was covered in white butterflies, one way the Holy Spirit has been revealing Himself to us on this trip. We ended our morning by walking back through the Jewish Quarter to the Living Bread Ministry House, passing by the Western Wall, or Kotel in Hebrew. It was great to see, and we can't wait to go in and pray later in our trip.

After lunch, we took an unexpected trip to Bethlehem, where we got to see the Church of the Nativity and a Palestinian refugee camp. The Church was very ornate and typical of what we have seen so far in the cathedrals of Israel. We were fortunate enough to see the beginnings of a wedding between an Italian man and a Palestinian woman. It is hard, though, for 28 obviously American tourists to go unnoticed. We left just before the bride arrived.

At the refugee camp, it was sad to see the conditions that the Palestinian refugees from cities nearby had to endure. The children were full of joy, and many of our students said that the time there made the trip for them. We headed back to Jerusalem after that.

After dinner, we decided to have a large group time on the roof to process all the sites and experiences we had had that day. It was a great time of sharing, followed by small groups. Every group really seemed to bond and enjoy their time together. From worship and prayer to simply being vulnerable to each other, the Lord truly seemed to move and minister! We look forward to our next small group time!

We leave you tonight as we have to talk over the regular Muslim prayer calls, that especially seem louder tonight. No worries! We are about to head to the roof to start our own time of worship to thank God for everything He has done thus far. He is so good, and we can't wait to see what else He has for us!

We love you all! Until next time!

-Coleman and Jennie