Old City excitement!

Old City excitement!

Today we began our day by entering the Dung Gate. We reached the security check point at the Western Wall and, in a few seconds we were looking at the most spectacular sight in Jerusalem! The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of the Muslim control of the Temple Mount. The men and women pray separately at the Wall. Men on the left; woman on the right.

We all had free time to make our way to the Wall or to observe from afar. I couldn't wait to get up there and touch it! It's so much bigger in person than I thought it would be. Pictures really don't do it justice. You MUST experience it for yourself to grasp the magnitude of this place. I slowly made my way closer to the wall, holding my private prayer folded a ton of times to make it small enough to fit into a crack of the wall. (This is a famous custom believing in its priority to be answered.) As I inched forward, I discreetly watched the Jewish ladies praying. They are so intense! So passionate! I felt a little like I was intruding so I made sure not to distract them in any way. I am so impressed by their commitment and dedication to their customs and faith. At first I wondered if I would even be able to get close enough to put my special prayer in a crack at all. It was pretty crowded today as you can see from the pictures. But I had a strange peace about it and just took my time. It seemed as I inched closer, someone would leave and I would inch a bit closer yet. Soon I found myself in a really cool area of the wall on the far right side. This not only gave me a great camera angle, but gave me access to pray and leave my "folded a ton of times, special prayer" in a crack. It wasn't easy to find a spot for it... the cracks are really full. Check out the pictures!

It's pretty rare to be able to get access to the Temple Mount these days but we were really blessed today. There is only one entrance open to non-Muslims and it's only open for 1 ½ hours and not everyday. We went thru a separate security checkpoint and climbed the temporary bridge leading to the entrance of the Temple Mount.

Here is Pastor Dan on the temporary bridge getting a picture with the security guards. He offers to buy their hat. Nice try Pastor Dan!

From this bridge I had a good angle for a couple of pictures of the Western Wall. A rare opportunity I had to take! My camera just barely fit through the slats.

The Temple Mount itself is much larger than I expected. I thought it was just the area surrounding the Dome of the Rock but it's so much more. Our time was limited so we hurried and took pictures and talked about its significance.

Then, all of a sudden the guards were yelling at us that our time was up and we had to leave. We hurried and grouped together on the steps for this great bus #1 group photo.

On our way out Danny, our guide said something like, "and to your right is the Golden Gate that viewed from the Mount of Olives yesterday..." I jerked my head to the right quickly and low and behold the backside of the Eastern Gate was right there! I was on the other side of the gate that has held my fascination for so long! The lump in my throat immediately came back. Joanie and I looked at each other with our mouths gapping open and after a few brief moments to let it sink in, we both took off for the fence to get as close as we could. Apparently she feels the same way and I bet if we ask her, she had that lump too. All you could hear was the clicking of cameras and some emotional "thank you Jesus'" noises. It was fun – a highlight of my trip so far.

It might be a bit hard to tell, but in person you can make out the gate and how it's filled in... and of course looking out to the Mount of Olives from this vantage point was a thrill!

The rest of the day was spent walking in the Old City. We visited the Pools of Bethesda, walked the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and had a great falafel lunch. The market of the Old City is crazy and fun! I took a lot of pictures to share. These are pictures I took thru out the day. Enjoy!

Here's Pat reading scripture at the Pools of Bethesda.

Sharon, you are awesome - I'm blessed to have met you and your family!

Here are some paving stones on the Via Dolorosa that have dated back to the time of Jesus. Could Jesus have fallen here? Did His bare feet stuggle with the cross as it scraped along these stones?

Another station of the cross...

And another...

Here are some fun pictures of the market. It was fun to haggle for our merchandise!

I didn't buy any of these...

All in all it was a very full and fun day. We did so much more, but there is not enough time in the world to blog about everything that we did. You just need to come here and experience it for yourself. Are you ready yet? Can you feel that tug in your gut that's urging you to come and feel this Holy Land for yourself? You and I both know it's there. Don't live with regrets - listen to Him. Visit this place and experience the amazing blessings that our Lord wants to give you.

Until tomorrow...

Kim