One Holy Land Day at a Time

Hello Friends,

I wanted to give you an update on my travels through the Holy Land. We arrived in Tel Aviv Saturday evening and got a van to bring us into Jerusalem. What a place! The airport had palm trees and the McDonald's looks like a castle--a castle which, by the way, can serve kosher meals and cooks its fries in olive oil. While riding from Tel Aviv we saw homes in the mountains that looked like museums. And, I think that I finally understand why the Bible heavily contrasts valleys and hills/mountains. Valleys here are really not places where one would want to be.

After finally finding our house, we unpacked and moved in. At the time there were 6 of us (now there are nine) and we all quickly claimed rooms and beds without the television drama of The Real World or Flavor of Love. Although exhausted, we all put our stuff down and ventured out into Jerusalem to find food and entertainment. New to the city, I didn't find it difficult to navigate. Most people speak English and are very quick to point you in the right direction if you are lost. Fortunately, we have a great guide leading us through the city and found a restaurant with the most amazing hummus that I've ever had!! And after a great meal, and some drinks, we called it an evening.

The next morning we ventured forth into the Old City. Jerusalem is an interesting place with so much visible, tangible history. We entered through the Jaffe gate and then toured the Tower of David/Citadel and Museum. From the top of the tower, you can see the entire city of Jerusalem, gate to gate to gate. The museum had awesome replicas and exhibits of the temple and the city in its different historical stages. And, there were gardens inside the citadel...talk about environmentalism. I'm almost certain that no one cared about that when the building was restored and retrofitted to be a museum but, I'm glad that they are there.

After leaving the Tower, we visited the bazaars. There are so many merchants here--buying and selling and bartering and haggling prices. It is definitely an experience. Is it rude to tell someone that 470 Shekels for a pair of sunglasses ($1=about 3.3 Shekels) is ridiculous and slightly foolish? Or do you walk away from someone who is calling after you, pursuing you to purchase their product? I guess that after spending so much time trying to see everyone's humanity that it was difficult to be the person/thing reduced to a sale--a part of a commodities exchange. But bazaar as the bazaar was, I enjoyed the learning process. Only 5 days into the experience, I am already a better and more assertive person.

The Wailing Wall. What else is there to say. One has to pass through security checkpoints to get to the wall but once there, it's well worth the hassle. Men and women are kept separate by a divider with men on the left and women on the right. Men have to wear the Yarmulke and women have to have shoulder's covered and knee length skirts. The wall is the Western wall of Solomon's temple, destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt by Herod and destroyed again by the Romans. It the only remaining part of the temple and thus is a holy place in Jerusalem. I made sure to put a prayer in there, but mostly I was thankful to be surrounding by the prayers of all those around me.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most awesome things that I have seen in Jerusalem. Referred to as the center of the world, it is the place that traditionally houses Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus. The outpour of emotion, sorrow, joy, and gratitude by followers of Christ was amazing to see. I felt really privileged to be in touch with the more tangible part of my Christian faith. Growing up in the American Black Church, symbol and relic were not emphasized. It was enough to believe in God, have faith in Jesus, and walk in the power of the Holy Ghost. I did not realize how overwhelming to the senses and how awe-inspiring the physical places and physical objects could be for a believer.

O! To be in the Holy Land! And the journey has really just begun. I can't wait to tell you all about the Garden of Gethsemane or the Mount of Olives or The Tomb of Mary or Bethlehem. I bet you can't wait either!

Be blessed,
Leonard

Blogging is tough. It's somewhat difficult to put your thoughts and feelings into space for the world to judge and critique. Pray that I do not shrink but that I grow.