Come as a guest, leave as a friend!

Toriann and I have learned over and over again that, even if we plan out our next move, it rarely plays out how we plan. We had planned to skip Israel for lack of time, but after learning more about the border crossings and the ferry to Jordan (which is notoriously unreliable), we decided a stop in Jerusalem was definitely doable. And although it was a short stop, we are so glad that we went.

Jerusalem is an amazing city, filled with the history, holiness, beauty and contradictions. Considered to be full of the most holy places for Jews, Muslims and Christians, Jerusalem holds so much to see and experience. The walls of old Jerusalem surround the old city, which is divided into the Armenian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim quarters. We stayed in the Armenian quarter at Petra hostel. The hostel was average, but our stay there was awesome due to the 50 or so South Africans camping on the roof. The group is starting out a year of traveling in which they volunteer and work wherever they are needed all over the world. The people were some of the kindest we have met on the road and they took us in as one of their own, inviting us to singing sessions on the street, ice cream and coffee runs, and hanging out on the roof. We were so blessed by them and wish them the best on their year long adventure!

Our first day in Jerusalem, we left the old city and ventured into Bethlehem. Gong to Bethlehem requires crossing through the security fence that divides Israel and the Palestinian territory. The wall was originally built to stop Palestinian weapons smugglers and suicide bombers but has cut through farm lands and neighborhoods and drastically changed life for those that live in the vicinity. The mood of the people in Bethlehem was felt immediately after crossing the fence. Our cab driver shared a bit about the constraints of living as a Palestine in Bethlehem and asked desperately to take us to the Dead Sea because the only way he could go was to bring tourists in his cab. He otherwise was not allowed and could not afford to leave the West Bank.
Anyway, while in Bethlehem we visited the Shepherd’s fields where the Shepherd’s were the first to receive the good news. We then went to where Jesus was raised for the first two years of his life before finishing at the Church of the Nativity, where it is believed that Jesus was born. After crossing back over the ´fence´ we headed across town to the immense Holocaust museum Yad Vashem in the New City. The museum was so well down and full of the heart breaking stories of the Holocaust. I was so struck with how long things were turning bad before the world started noticing and acting to stop it. The history, both ancient and recent of Israel is so complicated, full of hurt, conflict, and turmoil. It was a lot to take in, but the museum was well worth the 3 hours we spent there.

Our next day in Jerusalem we did a walking tour through the walls of the Old City. The Old City has 4 quarters, Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim. Within the walls are the Haram ash-Sharıff (the Temple Mount where the Arc of the Covenant was supposedly kept), the Western ´wailing´ wall- the only remnants of Judaism’s holiest shrine, Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross), the Church of the Holy Sepulcre (where Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Coptic Christians believe Jesus was crucified) and so many other religious and historical sites. It is impossible to name them all, even to see them all.

We saw the Old City on Friday, which is the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. In the evening we headed down to the Western Wall to see the Hasidic Jews do their prayers. It was an amazing sight, like nothing I have ever seen before. The people gather around the wall, chanting their prayers, leaning towards the wall-men on one side and women on the other. The Jewish day of rest, called Shabbat, is from Friday afternoon until sunset on Saturday. The city, other than the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City, shuts down-no restaurants, public transportation, shops, etc. So although we were planning to leave Saturday, the Shabbat made that impossible and we stayed for another day in Jerusalem.

Saturday we walked up to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus took on the sin of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of All Nations stands. The Mount of Olives is just outside the walls of the Old City and if you walk up the mountain side, the view of the city is stunning. The next stop was the Garden Tomb, also just outside the Old City. The Garden tomb is the place where Protestants believe the crucifixion and resurrection occurred. After seeing those last two spots, we embraced the day of rest and had a nap before heading to a Messianic Jewish church service. The service was very contemporary, not at all what we were expecting, but all the same it was amazing. There was a definite spirit of freedom that seemed to be present and I loved worshipping in Hebrew. The congregation was so mixed and filled with people from all over the world that had come to Israel for some reason or another.

Our time in Israel was fascinating, challenging-spiritually, politically, emotionally, and also rewarding. I think we met some of the best people in Jerusalem that we have met on the road so far as well as seeing some of the significant sites of Christianity. We have traveled through the lands of the origins of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and now Christianity.