Geography Field Trip

Today we went on our first field trip, it was a geography field trip to get oriented with how Jerusalem and all the land around it is laid out. It was a good time that is for sure. We saw Jerusalem from a few different look out points and were able to see places from a distance that we will never be able to go because we are not allowed in the west bank except for a quick day trip to Bethlehem later on in the semester. We also saw where the Jews claim Samuel from the Old Testament to be buried, or atleast that is where they pay their respects, even though we know for sure where he is buried. It was cool to see the Orthodox Jews paying their respects there. It was cool to see everything so far away but in one setting, like we could take the map in our bible of the Holy Land during Jesus's time and turn it the way we were facing and be able to point everything right in front of us. We also were able to sing in one of the only German churches in the Jerusalem area, it was a cool day.

Yesterday we went into the city and walked along the old city walls that are around the Old City and ended up in the Jewish quarter of the city. We went then to the Western Wall, girls on one side, guys on the other. So far, that has been my favorite thing that I have done, and it will be a hard one to beat. The feeling was incredibly peaceful there. Even though I am not Jewish, you could tell that it was a sacred place regardless. We each wrote a prayer down on a piece of paper and went and stuck it in the wall and sat and just pondered for a few minutes. It was so cool to see the Jewish people so actively worshiping at the site of their old temple, it was cool how important it was to them.

We also walked around the old city for a bit, talked to some shop keepers, exchanged money with my new friend Aladdin and his sons and brother who we talked to for a long time. They even gave my friend Ashely a bunch of things because they found out it was her birthday! It was so much fun, my friend Jesse and I promised to go back lots and visit. We also stopped for a few minutes at the church that is now on the site where Pilate and the people condemned Christ to death. That was also a place that was great to feel the spirit at. We sat down and read a few scriptures and we actually found out that that was a very probable place for the story with the 2 women fighting over the baby and they are told they each get half in the Old Testament, took place. So it was a cool day yesterday!