Tag: Jerusalem

Holy Week

Holy week has a whole new meaning after my trip to Israel six months ago

All week I’ve been thinking about my trip to Israel six months ago. I feel like I have a different perspective on the path Jesus followed, literally speaking. We walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the disciples and gained a new perspective on what we’ve been taught from childhood. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. We visited the site of the stable. We walked into the shepherd’s field and imagined a heavenly host of angels declaring his birth and salvation. We went to Galilee and floated around in the very same sea where He did some miraculous fishing… for fish and men! We stepped our feet into the River Jordan and watched as so many were baptized. And we finished with Jerusalem, so vibrant, so beautiful, and so holy.

  • Sunrise over Galilee
  • Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem
  • The Garden Tomb
  • The Garden Tomb – Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem
  • The Garden Tomb – Jerusalem

To think that he entered Jerusalem on a donkey with praise and glory and honor after a long journey. I entered Jerusalem on foot after a long bus ride, but as we were coming down the freeway and around the bend just as the “City on a Hill”, “The Holy City”, “The City of David”…. the tour bus driver started playing “O Jerusalem” and it was very moving. The thought that we went up on the Mount of Olives and looked out over the ancient city is truly chilling. The walk down the steep hill to the gates of the Garden of Gethsemane, picturing the scene of the ear getting cut off and restored, and understanding the inability of the disciples to even stay awake long enough to pray with their Lord.

We drove to the gates of Jerusalem and entered where the wailing wall, the Western Wall, is located. We wrote our prayers and joined the crowds of Jews and Christians there to pray at the most iconic site of prayer. We walked the Via de la Rosa, noting the stations of the Cross. We saw the two most likely sites of Golgatha and the Garden Tomb. Tomorrow marks the Risen Savior and I am so thankful for his love, forgiveness, and salvation. I cannot wait for him to return and to be in his presence continually.

Day 10 -Israel 2018

Bittersweet freedom!

Today we woke up without a schedule for the first time since we left home. A much needed break from the routine of hurrying through breakfast to get on the bus. Bittersweet as we lose our daily dose of Yonatan’s teaching and the fellowship we’ve shared with the group.

At breakfast today we sat with Anna’s cousin Virginia- Anna was the lady who fell in Nazareth at the beginning of our journey. She told us how amazing America Israel Tours has been throughout this ordeal – sending an AIT representative to be with Anna at the hospital and how they have truly been there every step of the way. This is a huge thing to be grateful for and a good witness to the people who want to do a tour in the future. And a good reminder that buying trip insurance is an excellent investment!

So for our first day of freedom we decided to walk to the Mahane Yahuda Market. It was row after row of beautiful spices and fruits and candies and nuts and halva. Endless colors and textures and smells. We tried samples and ordered juice and walked and walked.

Then we decided to head over to Old Jerusalem. Along the way we got exasperated by our attempt to purchase a train ticket for our ride to the airport tomorrow. Multiple attempts to locate the holy grail of a Rav card left us a bit frustrated. We ended up talking to a guy who said the new fast train isn’t reliable enough yet and that we should ask our hotel to book us in a “special taxi” –a shuttle. We are planning to share a ride with our new friends Charlie and Madeline Burns. More about that later.

We entered the old city through the “New Gate” — we came upon a nice man who said he would like us to see his wife’s gallery. She is the only female shopkeeper. And he has a jewelry shop. Well you know we are a little leery of being hustled but sure enough he took us to meet his wife, a lovely British lady who sells art from local artists. She was so nice and she wanted to see my art which I have in the Art Market back home. She has a cat that hangs out at her shop and of course that got her and Savannah talking about feeding every stray cat in Israel that we encountered. The best part was that there was a watercolor print of that cat overlooking Jerusalem! Savannah is now the proud owner of her first piece of art!

As we left the gallery we forgot to turn left to go see her husband’s jewelry store but he caught us and turned us back toward his shop. He fuses ancient glass into beautiful jewelry and I bought a set for a Christmas gift. I am fairly sure it’s all authentic.

We had a good discussion with this couple about the concept of a “tourism mafia”. This is the thing where tour guides get a percentage of sales from prearranged visits by tour groups. This goes for restaurants and gift shops. There is a whole system designed to provide “discounts” to tourists. These coupons are tracked so the tour guides get a cut of the business it brings in. I think for restaurants this makes sense because of keeping to a fairly tight and rigorous schedule. The group sticks together and the food is done quickly. For shopping, though, it seems like a rigged system. Shop after shop sells the same exact items -/ very “cookie-cutter” souvenirs of low quality and lacking originality. Of course we bought some trinkets and gifts as any tourist does. It’s just a bit manipulated. And from what we heard it seems the little shop in Bethlehem is owned by some extravagantly wealthy families. I don’t know if it’s true but that’s what we were told.

Anyway, after shopping til we were ready to drop, time to eat. I have Schwarma and falafel coming out my pores so I really wanted something different. We sat down at one restaurant that’s upstairs over the market in the old city. We were not there but a few minutes when the guy told us if we weren’t part of a group we would need to move to another table. Grrr. So we left. We ended up going to a place Savannah ate at yesterday when she was rebelling against the tour system. They had shrimp and fries with a salad. Super expensive but again I could not think of eating schwarma or falafel.

We found our way to Jaffa gate and walked to “Cat Square” to sit and have tea and coffee. It was lovely. But then I realized I didn’t have enough shekels and they didn’t take dollars!! So I had to go find a change place and exchange a few dollars. Grrr.

Savannah fed multiple cats with the fish she took from the breakfast this morning. She has quite a routine of keeping scraps from our meals to feed the strays.

We made it back to the hotel and weary as we were thought it would be lovely to go to the pool and sauna to relax and revive. So we got our swim suits and robes and headed down to the pool. Closed. Ok let’s try the sauna. Can’t find it. No one is around in the spa area so we explored. We came out and a Ukrainian lady was at the front desk. She didn’t understand English. Sign language worked well enough and she took us to the sauna. A cold cold room with no controls and no steam. We went to find her and she was watching tv! So we just left and headed back to our room. Apparently Leonardo does not open the pool in the fall and apparently the spa is only an idea.

Another frustrating thing we encountered today was mentioned earlier — trying to get an affordable and reliable trip to the airport! Everyone we ask has a different idea. I had asked AIT what to do before we came on the tour and they said the hotel would get us taken care of. Well the hotel does not have a concierge and the guy Savannah talked to yesterday said it would be 350 Israeli Shekels for a taxi! That’s about a hundred bucks. Heck no. Yonatan said to ask for a special taxi (shuttle) and that it should be no more than 30 IS each. .. and so did the guys at the info place we talked to today. We really wanted to take that new fast train as it’s free but no one trusts the service time on that. So we went back to the hotel front desk and told the guy we need to arrange a shuttle for us and two others from our group. He says it’ll be 67 IS each! He tried calling to make the reservation but couldn’t get through. He said to check back in a couple hours and we were then told it’s confirmed! Goodness. Makes me wish we had just gone home when everyone else did tonight and it would have been all taken care of!

So here we are. Our last night in Jerusalem is underway! We have met so many lovely people. We have been blessed with such great care. Having Yonatan as our guide was such a blessing-/ we always felt safe and cared for. We never had to worry about anything because he knew exactly what to do in each situation. It’s bittersweet for sure. So thankful that we had this opportunity and I will always pray for the peace of Jerusalem and blessings on the Christians who are bound to live separated from the rest of the world in Palestine.

©Belindabotzong2018

Day 9, cont. Israel 2018

We just returned from an amazing show at King David’s – beautiful laser light show about the life and times of my favorite guy in the Old Testament.

As we were following Yonatan without our whisper devices for the first time we were talking about how it’s been this past week– if you wandered too far from his voice it became difficult to hear him and follow along. But as you moved close to him we could hear him loud and clear. This leads to a spiritual lesson. When God speaks he often whispers. If you’ve moved away from him too far it’s hard to understand or follow what he’s saying. And, just like when we were following Yonatan, when you wander too far you can start feeling afraid of getting lost or left behind.

It has been a trip of a lifetime. I’m so glad my mom wanted me to go and so glad she’s up there with Jesus for the past few weeks, seeing our adventure from his presence.

The tomb is empty. The cross is empty. Jesus rose in victory over 2000 years ago and the whole world is drawn to see the evidence of his life and times. He came to save and redeem and forgive all of us. Jew, gentile, Palestinian, Israeli, Black, white. Wise men still seek him. If you ever get the opportunity to come, take it. It’s not a vacation — it’s a spiritual adventure into the roots of our faith.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭122:6-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

©Belindabotzong2018

Day 9 – Israel 2018

Today was a full day in Jerusalem.

We entered the Jaffa gate and visited the 14 stations of the cross over the course of the day. We went to the place where pontius Pilate put Jesus on trial. We visited the place where Jesus was flogged. We walked along via de la Rosa – through the Christian section, the Jewish section, and the Muslim section. We visited the area where Catholics believe Jesus was killed and buried. That site was pure chaos and I was glad we moved through that area as quickly as we could. It really upset me that people there are acting so unholy. Pushing and shoving and getting angry. So awful.

We saw all the different sites and several churches and the site of the pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed on the sabbath.

Our very long trek ended at the tomb of Jesus in the Christian tradition. It was very well organized for getting everyone through. They said about 3000 a day go into the tomb. Afterward we had communion together and it was lovely.

One thing I experienced was that when there are so many people in one place it is very hard to focus on the deeper emotions and experience the true meaning of everything.

Oh – and I should say here that I accomplished the mission to get my mom a shofar. I went for a rams horn approximately 14 inches long. Yonatan blew it for me so I can now say it’s authentic!

We have traveled this past week with the nicest people and our tour guide has been excellent. I highly recommend that everyone takes the time to explore the roots of our faith. I will never read the Bible in the same way. I am blessed to be a pilgrim of Israel.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭122:6-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

©Belindabotzong2018

Day 7 – Israel 2018

Today started very early with a 5am walk into the Dead Sea. We were the only ones out there as the sun rose slowly. To go into the Dead Sea is like nothing else on earth. It was a little cool but as we gradually made our way in up to our knees we adapted. When we got waist deep Savannah said “It’s happening!” As you lift your feet you quickly go right into your back and start floating! It’s the craziest sensation – almost like wearing a life vest– you can easily turn over and over and be careful not to flail! It was so amazing! Like an ocean of lotion! So smooth and silky. We picked up hands full of salt and exfoliated. We gathered some salt and rocks to keep as souvenirs. It was magical.

After 45 minutes we headed in for showers then another breakfast buffet. We met our group and headed north to Masada. This is where Herod had a palace high above and the ruins are amazing. You should google it to learn the miraculous story!

It was very hot – in the 90s. We took a gondola up over the ruins then toured the vast walls and buildings with the most beautiful view of the Dead Sea.

We had lunch there and continued on toward Jerusalem. As we came out of the tunnel Yonathan played an old song about the city. It was powerful to see that city on a hill. We drove up to the mount of olives and toured the church at the garden of gethsemane. That too was very emotional to see the olive trees and the rock where it’s said Jesus prayed so hard that his forehead was bleeding.

We then walked down a very steep street to where it is said Jesus wept for Jerusalem. To see all the churches and the Temple Mount from the mount of olives was very moving.

Our bus then took us up to the Dung Gate. We passed through a security check point and went to the Wailing Wall. So many people and so many prayers pour out if that Wall daily. It’s very spiritual.

And now I’m exhausted and looking forward to a deep sleep before we head out tomorrow for Bethlehem!!

Once again no photos as the internet is soooo sllllooowwww

©Belindabotzong2018