Traveling to the Holy Land with a tour group and tour guide is very informative. And I am very glad my first trip was full of great information. But can I be honest? Nothing compares to being on your own, wandering the streets of Jerusalem, and stopping to see what you want and spending as much time as the Spirit leads.
We arrived in Jerusalem sooner than we anticipated and were blessed with a very relaxing afternoon and evening. It was the perfect way to spend Shabbat. We started by just unwinding on the rooftop of Jaffa Gate Hostel. It is a very basic room, but who could ask for a better location?
From the roof, we are able to see Golgotha (the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) and Mount of Olives. As I was relaxing on the roof, enjoying the cool breeze that seemed no where to be found at street level, I commented to Maria, “Now I know why David was up on the roof.” Our room is extremely warm (with no windows), but we were able to get a fan brought in.
When we arrived at the Wall, we were surprised that there weren’t that many people there. But as sundown approached, the place filled up. After spending some time with the Lord on the women’s side, we watched the men’s side as they sang and enjoyed the presence of Hashem. For me, the sound of the men’s voices blessing our Abba is a comforting.
Maria and I found the platform that our group found two years ago. It is connected to Jerusalem’s Archeological Park. We were allowed in, as long as we agreed not to climb over any fences. While tempting, we were obedient. 🙂
We spent over an hour basking in the history of the temple, praying, and reading scripture. Though I could barely keep my eyes open, I didn’t want to leave.
On the way back to our room, we walked along some of the ramparts of the wall. The view at night is amazing, and I’m sure it will be even better in the daylight. (Which, by the way, hasn’t arrived yet.)
Today we are going to take what we are calling, ‘Messiah’s Walk’. We will start on Mount Olives and walk what may have been Yeshua’s final walk through the streets of Jerusalem. While this will include some of the traditional Via della Rosa, it will encompass a lot more. I will keep you posted.
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