Israel Day 1

February 10

We arrived in Tel Aviv right on time. We had watched movies and slept all the way. It was 4:10 PM. We processed through security and found our receiving person who directed us to the van scheduled to take us to Jerusalem. We were all able to stay awake. We went to our rooms to unpack some things before meeting for a light snack. I slept off and on during the night, but Evelyn was awake most of the night. She was still groggy from the Ambien. We were both awake and dressing at 5 AM. We met Jones for breakfast at 7. We were somewhat surprised at the offerings. There were various types of soft cheeses and many unusual fruits such as dates. There were several types of breads, some rather tasteless cold cereals, pancakes and waffles, and some salad like offerings. We had decided to make sandwiches from the offerings. We did but the results were not like we expected. The ones with tuna salad fell apart in our sandwich bags. We had a meeting before our first tour event of visiting old Jerusalem. We viewed the old city wall and were impressed at its size and density. It was rainy, windy and in the 50s, making it very cold. The interior of the stone buildings and paths were not heated. We saw the traditional tomb site of King David, the Upper Room (recreated by the Crusaders) where Jesus ate the Last Supper and the church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church was very ornate containing remembrances of Jesus’ final hours including the Crucifixion and burial. I was blessed to pray at the foot of the site of the Cross and the spot where His Body lay. Both sites were crowded with curious people. We were also blessed to pray at the Western “wailing” wall. We placed written prayers into the cracks in the wall. We couldn’t do it together because men and women are separated at many sites in Jerusalem. The most powerful place for me was the Via Dolorosa. It is not only narrow but long and difficult. In fact the final 300 yards is uphill. We walked up steps that were difficult without a cross following a severe beating. The strength God gave our Savior on that last day was incredible. I was also blessed to go into a room that was an extension of the Western wall where more than a hundred Jews were praying. They were wearing prayer shawls, hats (everyone must wear a hat) and phylacteries. I took several pictures of them and talked with a few. Their first question to me was, “Who are you going to vote for?” That really surprised me, but they seemed to know they need the US alliance. The ones I spoke with were really anti Obama and his policies. It rained off and on all the time we were there, driving some of the devout prayers indoors. Tom and LuAnn left us around 1 to go to meet their friends who live here. We continued to Bethlehem. The Lord’s birthplace is controlled by Palestinians, forcing us to change from the Israeli bus to a Palestinian one. Our guide was a Muslim but carried on about the sites like a Christian would. He was a professional guide of 25 years experience. We first went to a restaurant for lunch. It was overpriced and not exceptional. The interior of the place was large and lovely, emphasizing the Nativity and visit by the Magi. We were driven to the oldest practicing Christian church—The Church of the Nativity. It touts the cave in which Jesus was born, the exact location where He lay, the Manger in which He lay and the location of the Magi’s visit. Of course these locations are suspicious as to their authenticity at best. The things we trusted most was that St. Jerome, who first translated the OT into many contemporary languages, is entombed there. Guide almost forced us to sing Silent Night next to the site of the Manger. We returned to the hotel just in time for Shabbat, the observance of preparation for the Sabbath. We were both still tired from the flight and took a nap, waking around 6. We ate the sandwiches we had planned for lunch and then watched some TV after getting some help from the maintenance crew. I need to get some help with the heating system tomorrow.