This week before Easter I’m reminiscing about our trip to Israel. It was the trip of a lifetime for us. Kent and I went with our dear friends Cathy and Dale in a small tour group. (See more about their month-long stay in the Holy Land here.)
We traveled all over the country while we were there–from the northern border of Syria to the southern Red Sea. I have no idea what to tell you my favorite part of the trip was. It was all fabulous.
Since this is Holy Week, I thought I’d share a few pictures from Jerusalem, where Jesus spent his last week.
This is taken from outside the wall that surrounds the Old City of Jerusalem. That gold dome is the Temple Mount. It’s a hill that for thousands of years has been venerated as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Since 1999, the Project Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP) has been accumulating the first-ever archaeological data originating from below the Temple Mount’s surface. Thousands of volunteers have sifted through buckets of dirt with the goal of rescuing ancient artifacts. Every bucket of earth that is sifted contains fragments of pottery, glass vessels, metal objects, bones, worked stones and mosaic tesserae stones. Archaeologists are researching the finds to help us understand the archeology and history of the Temple Mount. I would love to go back and sift through some buckets!
The Jaffa Gate, like the rest of the Old City walls, is made of large, hewn, sand-colored blocks. The entryway stands about 20 feet high, and the wall rises another 20 feet above that.
This is what we saw when we visited in the evening: a beautiful light mosaic. Here’s a link to see what it looks like after you go through the entrance.
Eight gates are built into the city’s walls. Seven are open and one remains sealed. The four main gates–Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate, Lion’s Gate and Zion Gate–were constructed according to the four directions of the compass and led to the main cities of the land. The sealed gate is called the Golden Gate. It’s the only one that directly faces the Temple Mount.
This is one of my favorite photos I took while we were in Israel. This man, probably an Orthodox Jew, was strolling solitarily through the streets of Old Jerusalem. I can think of a million stories just by looking at this picture. Doesn’t it make you curious?
The Western Wall, also known as the “Wailing Wall,” is the last remnant of the original retaining wall which surrounded the Second Temple, which was built by Herod the Great over 2,000 years ago. A barrier separates the men and women’s prayer areas.
The close-up picture is of notes and prayers that visitors have stuffed into cracks between the limestone blocks. Twice a year a team collects hundreds of thousands of notes and buries them on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. They never read the prayers and have never counted the number of scripted prayers, but in each collection there are enough to fill about 100 shopping bags, each with thousands of notes.
When we went, I wrote the names of my family members and friends on pieces of paper, prayed for them, and stuck the papers into the wall. It was a moving experience.
I could go on and on, but for now the camel and I are on our way.
Well, maybe just one more thing…
I’m taking some extra time this week during my morning devotionals to consider what was happening each day of the last week Jesus walked this earth. Looking at these photos reminds me of the renewal we experienced while we were there.
Our visit was so much more than a vacation. It was more than a tour or an outstanding trip. Knowing we were walking where Jesus walked sent a spiritual lightning bolt through our souls. Now when I read the Bible, I can feel the heat of the rocky desert where Satan tempted Jesus. I can feel the breeze off the Sea of Galilee. I can smell the saltwater of the Red Sea. I can taste the fish caught by Jesus’s disciples.
I leave you with this picture from inside the tomb where it’s believed Jesus was put after his crucifixion. I’m so glad I know how the story of this week ends. I’m so grateful the tomb is empty.
Leslie Watkins
What beautiful memories you captured there. Thank you for sharing them. Gary took a mission trip there many years ago and his photo with the camel was one of the camel giving him a kiss on the face! It’s on my bucket list to go one day!
Tracey D. Buchanan
It’s incredible–you should definitely go!
Eva Howerton
Thank you Tracey, this is a beautiful expression of your trip to the Holy Land. Bill and I made the trip to Israel some years back and I have often said it was the best we have ever made, and we have made a lot. You are so right, it was a truly spiritual experience. It would be worth going back again and again just to get the feeling you have there. Happ y Easter to you and Kent.
Tracey Buchanan
Thanks, Eva! We definitely want to return!
Tracey Buchanan
You guys really should go!
Nancy Wilson
Trip of a lifetime!! It is still on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing your trip with us. It is almost like being there.