A Note from Becky...

As our last day in Jerusalem comes to a close I am thinking about all the things we have done and seen. Every day has been packed with one thing after another and I don't think I am going to be able to process it all until I get home and have some quiet time alone. I guess that isn't all bad, it just isn't something I am used to!

Tomorrow we leave for Jordan and new adventures. I have no idea what we are in store for. I don't even know if we are going to have internet to be able to keep in touch with all of you! Guess we will just have to wait and see.

If you don't hear from us in the next few days, don't worry. I am sure we are going to be o.k. and we will contact you when we get back to the states. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers - we will see you soon!

Becky

A Note from the Holy Land Band…

Princess Basma Hospital & School

Today we visited a hospital and school for Palestinian children with special needs from Jerusalem and the nearby areas.

The children in the hospital stay for anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Their mothers stay with them, going home on weekends to see the rest of their family. The equipment used in the hospital is all through donations. Unfortunately some equipment, including the hydrotherapy pool are not able to be used because there is not enough funding to keep them functioning. There is also a problem getting children from the West Bank into the hospital because their mothers need a permit to enter Jerusalem, which is not easy to get.

Staff for the hospital and for the school is made up of Israelis and Palestinians. Currently, 720 kindergarten through 12th grade students are enrolled in the school. Their very first graduating class was last year in 2010. In addition to the school there are opportunities for vocational training, including basket weaving and wood work.

Yad Vashem - Holocaust Museum

Most of us have been to a holocaust museum previously, but this museum was quite different. Some of the things we found interesting included the amount of printed propaganda and other printed materials, like photos from the time, that were shown at the museum. They also had an

entire hall dedicated to artwork that was created in the Jewish ghettos and camps, which was very interesting to see.

One of the most moving parts on the museum grounds was the Children's Memorial, a tribute to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who were killed during the Holocaust. When you enter the display, it is entirely dark. As you continue forward, you begin to see candlelight reflected in mirror upon mirror.

"Walking through the memorial, the visitor hears the names of murdered children, their ages and countries of origin in the background." -Visitor's Guide to Holocaust Museum

Garden Tomb

Our final visit to a holy site in Jerusalem was to the Garden Tomb. For most pilgrims, this is the traditional site of Golgotha and of the tomb where Jesus was buried. Although there is much debate about the authenticity of this site (probably even within our own group), we all know that where Jesus was buried is not the important idea, but rather the fact that Jesus rose from the dead!

We joined together with our entire tour group in worship, singing songs and sharing in communion as the rain lightly fell across the garden. Bishop Keaton reminded us that after this amazing time in this amazing place, it is important to remember what God has done for us. But more than that, after seeing so many sites - some well-identified, some merely a guess by historians - it is important to remember that it is not just about what God has done, but about what God IS doing and WILL do in our own lives.

Amen!

A Note from Katy...

If there is one thing you need to know about before planning your next trip to the Holy Land, it's: STAIRS. Stairs are everywhere! (I suppose when building cities atop mountains, this is the result.)

Stairs and I have not always been as close as we are now. And to be honest, we're not all that close now. About three weeks before I was scheduled to leave for Tel Aviv, I began a diet and workout plan to help myself get ready primarily for the travel and also for the walking. Little did I know that those three weeks would be the most important thing about my entire Holy Land tour.

Perhaps you are one of those people who runs every day or does yoga before your morning coffee or only uses egg whites. Well, I'll try to love you anyway. My body and I have never been great friends. I had, in fact, almost given up hope that we might ever be reconciled to one another, much less in a place filled with physical hurdles. But those weeks of preparation, and more importantly the results of those three weeks, have taken my relationship with my body to new heights. Literally.

Every step I take here in the Holy Land has been a reminder of the resiliency of the human body and the Holy Spirit. Each set of stairs and every inclined cobbled street and even the ancient roads of the Roman ruins are a physical reminder of where I have come from and where I am going. When I finish one of these "accomplishments" (for example, reaching the top of a long line of stair-steps) my heart is filled with joy and pride and wonder.

I have always been more confident in my spiritual self than in my physical self. But somehow in the work of conditioning my outer body, God has been at work conditioning my inner spirit. As a favorite poet of mine says: "He's found beauty in what doesn't seem beautiful."

More than any others, there has been one set of stairs that has meant the most to me. A small set of stairs, leading up out of a pit in the lower section of Caiaphus' house. Some 2000 years ago or a little less, Jesus was thrown into this pit before his final execution. It is a pit of darkness, a pit of despair, a pit of humiliation and pain. And yet it is the pit of God himself.

Out of my own pit, I have cried unto the Lord and here in the countless steps of the Holy Land, he has inclined and heard my cry.

Step by step, I am revealing an inner strength, discovering possibilities long buried under self-recrimination. It's time to come up out of the pit.

A Note from Becky...

We had a little easier day today. Not quite so rushed and not as many sites visited. We only went to three places and spent more time at each spot. It was still an incredible day. The Judean wilderness is beautiful. Even though it is barren it is so pretty. It stretches on and on for miles and it seems like you can see forever.

I really enjoyed Masada. I had no idea what would be there but again, it was a really high mountain in the wilderness where you could see for miles. It seems impossible that people, over 2.000 years ago, were able to accomplish all they did in this spot.

Katy and I had fun in the Dead Sea even though we didn't go "floating." The water feels so weird. It is like really soft water. It makes your skin feel so soft when you get out. And the bottom of the Sea is slippery and somewhat like oily mud. It was glumpy.

That's all for tonight....Good Night :)

Becky

A Note from the Holy Land Band…

Today was the day we chose an "optional" adventure to Masada and the Dead Sea. We began the day with a stop overlooking the Judean wilderness.

Judean Wilderness

We recalled the story of the good Samaritan, which traditionally takes place on a road in the Judean wilderness. Wisam suggested that this is truly a parable, not a true story, because many things about the biblical story would not make sense in reality.

On the way to the overlook, we saw many Bedouin communities along the mountainside and when we stopped, many men approached us selling beaded necklaces, scarves and camel or donkey rides. The children with them were selling bracelets and one boy really wanted Becky's pen. (So much so we had to grab it back from him when he took it!) Another boy, the youngest, rode a donkey and was very sweet... if you gave him a piece of candy. ;-)

Masada

After the overlook, we went on to Masada National Park. After the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Jews fled to the ancient fortress of Masada. When the Roman

troops finally surrounded Masada, the Jewish zealots convinced everyone inside the walls to kill their families and themselves, rather than to become slaves to the Romans.

The ruins were very interesting (and very large) which Katy found out first hand when she somehow lost the group. Luckily, she and two OTHER people lost the group together, so they just took in the sites until they finally reconnected with the rest of the red bus. :-)

Dead Sea

After lunch in Qumeran (where we spent some time a couple days ago) we headed to the Dead Sea. At the beach, we each ventured into the water -- some up to our ankles, some all the way in.

The Dead Sea is about 42 miles long and 10 miles wide. It is about 29% salt which is 9 times saltier than the ocean! This makes the water very good for your body and skin. Although the deepest part is around 1200 ft, the water is mostly shallow, an average of 300 ft deep.

Interesting tidbit: Birds never fly over the dead sea... which makes sense of course, since there are no fish!

Compared to most of our days, today was a relaxing time. We're looking forward to a slightly later start tomorrow morning before we visit Princess Basma Hospital, see a few sights, and finish in worship with everyone at the Garden Tomb. And then it's time to pack things up and head to Jordan for our extension!

Our hearts and prayers continue to be with the people of Egypt as well as the people in this area who are in the midst of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Please remember this area and us as we are here!

A Note from Becky...

Today we were back to an emotional day.

The time we spent at the Bethlehem Bible College was informative and really tugged at my heart. I think I may have found a new mission trip possibility. Katy and I are trying to figure out how we can bring a group to Bethlehem to work and also visit the Holy sites in the area. Please keep this possibility in your prayers. It will be a year or two off but if it is meant to be, it will happen!

We have had another extremely busy day and tomorrow looks like it will be as well. So, Good Night :)

A Note from the Holy Land Band…

Wisam's Kids!!!

We were thrilled this morning when we met Wisam at the Bible College because he brought his two daughters with him! Leah and Sarah have been learning English in school and they each sang "Jesus Loves Me" to us and then Leah sang "Once Upon a Dream" (special for Katy -- said Wisam). And Leah also prayed the Lord's Prayer for us before we got off the bus. What brave and special little girls!

Bethlehem Bible College & Shepherd's Society

Beginning with $20 and a dream, the Bethlehem Bible College was started in 1979 by a Palestinian man who wanted a place to teach Palestinian-Arab Christians. When they began, most of their teaching staff were international volunteers and today they are staffed entirely by local Palestinians. (Which is a great testimony of the work they are doing!) It is an interdenominational college that started with only 9 students and has grown to 120 today; most protestant Christian pastors in this area have studied at this college - the only Christian college in the region.

Associated with the college is the Shepherd's Society which helps the poorest of the poor in the area, as well as helping to subsidize pay for pastors who couldn't otherwise support their families. Since Bethlehem has an unemployment rate over 30%, this is a much-needed support system.

Bethesda & St. Anne Church

Pool where Jesus healed the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. This is one of the well-identified sites in the holy land. (Unlike many other "holy" sites we have visited, which have actually been built in only the last several hundred years.)

Across from the Pool of Bethesda is St. Anne's Church, named for Mary's mother. The church is a wonderfully acoustic place, so Katy led the group in singing "The Lord's Prayer" and "Amazing Grace". Our group must have all the good singers, because we easily had four-part harmony! (Including the deep bass voice of Bishop Keaton who joined us today!)

Jerusalem Archaeological Park - "Teaching Steps" & "Cardo"

The "teaching steps" are just outside the southern wall of the temple mount. As pilgrims would make their way to the temple, rabbis would teach on these steps. Perhaps Jesus taught his followers there!

We also saw and walked on Old Jerusalem's main street called "the Cardo". When the temple was destroyed, large chunks of the wall were thrown down onto this street, but the street was sturdy and not entirely destroyed. This is perhaps one of the only places in all of Jerusalem where we have walked where Jesus has physically walked.

Western Wall

We visited the western wall of the temple mount, better known to us as the "wailing wall". Many of us took written prayers up to the wall as we offered them to God. We were surrounded by a diverse group of people from orthodox Jews, Christians, non-religious -- there were many gathered. From watching others, we learned that its proper to rinse your hands in a nearby outdoor sink before approaching the wall and also that it's tradition to back

up as you leave the wall, so as not to turn your back on it.

Upper Room

We visited the traditional "upper room" which although its not the actual site of the Last Supper, it does give an idea of what the upper room would have looked like. We sang here as well -- "Seek Ye First" -- Wisam seems to have discovered we like to sing and he suggests it often now. :-)

Site of Caiaphus' House

Lastly we visited the church which was built atop Caiaphus' house. We saw the steps Jesus was most likely forced up after his arrest at Gethsemene. Perhaps most special was the time we spent in the lowest part of the home, in the dark pit where Jesus was thrown while awaiting his final judgment and eventual execution. We read Psalm 88, a difficult and dark psalm to hear, and then sang together:

"I the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and sin, my hand will save..."