israel post 13

So, here we are! This will be the final blog on Israel. It will be kind of long -- I have a lot to say about these sites, so here we go!

Finishing up Friday, May 3

We stopped for lunch, and then started on the part of the trip that made me 100% uncomfortable and nervous...Via Dolorosa and the Holy Sepulcher. The Via Dolorosa, or the Way of Suffering, is the street that Jesus walked from the time Pilate condemend him and he was beaten, all the way to the area of his crucifixion. He carried his own cross along this path, with people jeering at him and hitting him, falling three times. Today his journey is marked by 9 stations of the cross that are positioned along this street.

Once we left our lunch spot, we noticed a lot of military guys standing around in full uniform. Yuval told us that this was a "mob" squad...we were there during what is "Good Friday" for the Roman Orthodox "Easter", so they were anticipating a great deal of people. Yuval told Kris that during lunch, he had scoped out the situation and it was pretty insane. He said that there would be absolutely zero "American personal space" and he wanted to know if Kris wanted to carry on. Kris wanted to give it a try. Now, knowing what we experienced, I am curious why that mob squad was standing around where they were, laughing and lazing around. What we walked into was way more than a mob scene and they should have been in the thick of that.

We began walking the street...because of the craziness, we weren't able to follow the traditional path of the stations of the cross, we went  backwards. We started walking, and with each step, there were more and more people around us. People shoving, pushing, crowding. Yuval had told us to be very aware of our belongings because people would try to pickpocket us along the way. So, in the midst, I am trying to hold on to my purse, keep track of Chris, push and shove back, and attempt to take photos. It was a high stress situation, and it allowed for absolutely no time for reflection on why we were there or the fact that Jesus walked that path on the way to his death. I have never experienced anything like it, and honestly hope to never experience anything like it again. As we finally approached the archway that would enter the area of the Holy Sepulcher, only two people could fit through it at a time, so things became very intense at that time...and when we finally pushed through the arch, we came out and for a moment we couldn't see the rest of our group. That was pure panic in the heart! Finally we saw Yuval and his little "Follow Me" arrow on a stick, and we stood to wait on entrance into the church built around Jesus' tomb. More pushing, etc. One woman even got pinched by a little boy! We watched many different groups enter the church, and finally we made our way in. Seemed like we were moving forward and making some progress, and then we came to a standstill. I wasn't sure what was happening, but it turns out we had gotten corralled into a roped off area and we were "in line" to go by the tomb. We had nowhere to go, but we were still getting shoved and pushed. Out of nowhere, a group of religious men in robes with huge sticks came barreling through, slamming their sticks onto the tile to make people move out of their way. When you are stuck in a mob of people, stuck like sardines, you can imagine that there is not one inch of space for you to move anywhere...so I'm not sure where they expected us to go? We stood in this situation for a great deal of time, not moving forward...until finally, oh blessed Yuval! He was a ways ahead of us, and he caught Kris' attention to see if he had had enough. Kris was standing by us, and he polled the group around him. Yes, we had had enough. So Yuval took charge, moved the barrier we were stuck behind, and lead us out of that crazy area. As we walked out, we caught of glimpse of the "tomb" area...behind a bar-like metal grid structure and extremely ornate.

Maybe this was the place of Jesus' tomb...maybe it was the quiet, serene Garden Tomb...you decide for yourself. I did not have the opportunity to feel anything in this place except for dread, nerves, and panic...and I don't personally wish to associate Jesus with those things. I'm sticking with the Garden Tomb. Kris did mention that this was his third time to visit the site, and it had never been like that before. So perhaps, in different circumstances, the experience would have been more enlightening.

The calm before the storm...

The mob squad...thanks for the help, guys.

Still in the beginning of the street...I don't have many pics from when we get into the thick of things.

This is one of my favorite photos that I took...there is just something about it that speaks to me. This was actually at the end of the craziness, once we "escaped" and things were back to normal...

This is the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher area...you can see a bit of the arch and how small it was. Two mobs, one coming from each direction, had to squeeze through here.

Once we came through the arch, we saw this huge church...

The cross above the entrance to the church...

We saw all kinds of people as we stood in the mob...I wish I had had a cross to kiss, to get me through it!

I believe these were Roman Orthodox...

A beautiful mosaic inside the church, made of tiny colored stones. It was quite vivid...

Once we began our exit, we were able to see the front of the tomb area...so ornate.

These metal barriers were all around the tomb structure...I'm not sure that it was necessary to treat the tomb area this way?? It really cheapened the whole thing.

Thank God for Yuval...he got us out of there, and farther down the Via Dolorosa, and then finally that odd panic feeling went away. We were out in open air and no one was pushing me anymore. We walked the rest of the way, and stopped at the Pools of Bethesda to finish off our touring -- the pools were the absolute most perfect ending to our entire trip.

The Pools of Bethesda are known for healing. It was really not a pool, but more of a public bath. People believed that an angel would occasionally stir the waters, which would then cure the first person to enter. The biblical narrative describes a Shabbat visit to the site by Jesus, during which he heals a man who has been bedridden for many years, and could not make his own way into the pool. We gathered up in a shaded area, and Yuval told us about the area. And then we went around and a few people talked about their favorite part of the week. To wrap up, a woman in our group asked Yuval if he would pray for our group in Hebrew. He kindly agreed and we all closed our eyes. He then began the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard, in a sing song verse that brought tears to my eyes...and then he followed it up by saying the same prayer in English. It was such an incredibly moving moment. We had all grown quite fond of Yuval throughout the week, and we had heavy hearts knowing this was our last gathering with him. I think many people had tears in their eyes at that time. We will miss Yuval!

He released us from there, and told us to stop by the Church of Saint Anne that was within the same area. He said it was built with amazing acoustics, and suggested that we attempt singing while in there to hear the sound. We all trooped into the church and stood, looking at the beauty of it. And then, out of nowhere, a woman named Heidi in our group began to sing Amazing Grace very quietly. We all stood with wide eyes, listening to her. The sound of her voice was so crisp and so clear, it was pure beauty. It instantly gave me goosebumps. Her song ended and we all just stood there. I again had tears in my eyes -- that after such a nerve-filled afternoon, we could end it with such purity and grace touched my heart to the core. It was one of my very favorite moments of the entire trip.

Inside the walls of the Pools of Bethesda area was very serene and beautiful.

Yuval reading from his trusty Bible...reading scripture about the Pools of Bethesda...

The beautiful domed arch ceiling of the Church of Saint Anne, which provided the perfect backdrop for music...

Sweet Heidi, singing Amazing Grace...

Me, Chris, and Yuval! We will always remember this great, Godly man! He showed immense patience with us Americans, I will tell you that much!

So, we ended our touring and headed back to the hotel for our last dinner as a group...and then from there, we were on the first shuttle to the airport for the first flight out of Israel. Below, our last photos taken in Israel, from our hotel room balcony:

We boarded the bus one last time, for the ride back to the Tel Aviv airport. One flight from Tel Aviv to Newark, New Jersey...the interesting thing here is that we were barreling down the runway, just about to lift off, and the huge jet slammed on its brakes! No one had ever experienced that before. First they told us that there was a problem with the flight pattern, and then they told us that the sensor had come on saying a window was open. They had to return to the gate to have it checked out. When we got back to the gate, we discovered that the airport had been shut down for an hour. Hmm. Weird. Only when we got home and watched the news did we realize that just about the time we were about to lift off is the time when Israel began bombing Syria. Coincidence????

In Newark, we had a very long layover and then a flight from Newark to Houston, and then from Houston to Dallas. And then a three hour drive home, where Chris and I had to stop multiple times simply because neither one of us could keep our eyes open. At one point, we stopped at a gas station and slept in the car for 45 minutes. We had no other choice. I will say though...it was good to be back in America! There is just something about America. But what a blessing this entire trip was for us both. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime!!

I hope you've enjoyed reading through all of these posts! :)