Holy Land Tour 2018

I begin my Holy Land Tour 2018 right after my Sar El Canadian Volunteers For Israel (CVFI) last March 17, 2018. Sometimes, we don't appreciate how great an impact we can have as a volunteer. I fount that out in an unexpected way when I arrived in Israel. What the Israeli soldiers said about our volunteering inside the army base behind our backs, one Israeli soldier said, "They think you are crazy. Soldiers required to sacrifice three years of their lives to serve in the Israeli army. Soldiers don't understand why volunteers around the world would leave their loved ones and families and their comfortable lives in their homeland to work voluntarily on our bases. They pay their own air fare tickets to come to Israel and to go back to their home countries. Soldiers think you are all crazy!" He added, "You guys come here in Israel highly motivated to work hard. You work fast and churn out a tremendous volume of material. You have helped us catch up on the work load in our main warehouse by 4 p.m., there was no work remaining." In the end, he said, "The soldiers love you guys and gals. You took the pressure off them and allowed them to see their friends an extra hour every day. That's precious time. They call you volunteers "Angels of God" behind your backs." I think I should take that as a compliment. I spent my three weekend in the town district of Jaffa in Tel Aviv.

March 18, 2018, Sunday, Day 1: Jaffa (Old city of Joppa) - I spent a lot of time visiting places with a lot of walking to see Jaffa museum, Jaffa port, independence hall, Jewish synagogue, buy some groceries in the store nearby somewhere in the Jaffa area. It was a beautiful place, the surroundings are unique with combination of new and old structures and buildings. There are so many places to see and visit in Jaffa and Tel Aviv. It is called the White City of Tel-Aviv. It was founded in 1909 and developed as a metropolitan city under the British Mandate in Palestine. The White City was constructed from the early 1930s until the 1950s, based on the urban plan by Sir Patrick Geddes, reflecting modern organic planning principles. One hundred years ago Tel Aviv was a sand dune. Then in 1910 David Ben Gurion and other Jews founded the new city next to the old city of Jaffa and called it Ahuyat Bayit. Jaffa means beautiful. It may well be the oldest city in Israel, for legend has it that it founded by Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah. On April 11, 1909, Tel Aviv, the first modern Jewish city was founded. Ever since the time of Bible, including appearances in the books of Joshua, Jonah and 2 Chronicles, there has been a presence in the city of Joppa, or Jaffa as it is called today. In the Book of Acts, Apostle Peter was in Joppa in the home of Simon the Tanner where he had the vision of the pure and impure in Acts 10:9-15. Another miracle was Apostle Peter brought Tabitha back from the dead in Acts 9:36-42. The best area to stay in Tel Aviv are the beach strip is definitely one of the best areas to stay in Tel Aviv. The heart of the city around Rothschild Boulevard. Jaffa's vibrant flea market is becoming increasingly popular in Tel Aviv. Explore the Tel Aviv Port area on a relaxed walk by the Mediterranean sea. Florentin's streets boast a lot of street art. Today, Jaffa (Joppa) is part of the metropolis of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, center of Israel's largest urban area that is home to some three million Israelis.

March 19, 2018, Monday, Day 2 - We left the white city of Tel Aviv in the morning and reached Caesarea in an hour and forty seven minutes by bus non-stop. I can imagine how people in the time of the Bible moved from one place to another. It takes time to walk before they reach their destination. The exact location of the Roman theater still exist here and the Israeli experts doing some renovations of the area to look more presentable and easy to navigate. Presently, there are so many projects done in the area when I was there to improve the remnant of the walls and the grounds. When I look on the water of the Mediterranean Sea, the water is clean and so refreshing. We didn't stay too long in the area and it took us an hour to see and took some pictures then we moved on to our next destination. I would like to share with you some of the history of the area. In the time of the Roman Empire in Judea, Caesarea is founded by Herod the Great in 22 B.C. or Before the Common Era on the site of an earlier town. A major Mediterranean port, the city served as the Roman administrative capital and residence of the Roman Prefect (an inscription found in the area of the palace bears the name of Pontius Pilate). The Apostle Paul was imprisoned here in Acts 23-26; and here Apostle Peter baptized the Roman Centurion Cornelius in Acts 10. By the 4th century A.D., Caesarea with its great library was a major center of Christian scholarship, and the wisdom of Eusebius of Caesarea, who is known as the “Father of Church History.” Today, Caesarea is well-known as a archaeological site preserving various architectural elements from the Herodian; Roman theater, Roman aqueduct; a portion of the Byzantine Cardo. Some of these earlier elements are found within the walls and moat of the much smaller Crusader City. From Caesarea to Megiddo is an hour and forty eight minutes by bus non-stop. I noticed while we travel going to our next stop is a lot more greener than rocky mountain in compare to the south of Israel. It is so beautiful to see and observe the trees, the landscape of the mount, and the fields. For some people, when they hear the word Megiddo something come up in their minds. They think about end time and the last days. In the Bible, Megiddo is also known as Armageddon, in Hebrew means "Mountain of Megiddo". It is a major fortress and city was build by King Solomon in 1 Kings 9:15. In the Book of Revelation, it is referred to as the site of the "final battle" at the end of days. Today, You can see the excavations of Solomon's stables and fortress, as well as other ancient occupation levels. We went to the underground tunnel to go to the other side of the main area and it took half an hour to get out of the cave. It is a nice and unforgetable experience. Then we went to our next destination: Mount Carmel. From Megiddo to Mount Carmel is an hour and thirty six minutes by bus non-stop. As you can see in the map of Israel, the center part of the northern Israel was covered with green grass and trees and high places. We are heading to the top of the mountain going to Mount Carmel, it is associated with the prophets Elijah and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings. Today, the city of Haifa sweeps up the western slopes of Mount Carmel. On the slope below is a cavern identified by late tradition as Elijah's Cave in 1 Kings 19:8-10. The spectacular view of the Jezreel Valley is a fertile valley frequently mentioned in the book of Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel and later referred to as the Valley of Armageddon in Revelation 16:16. Today, the valley known as "Israel's breadbasket" is one of the country's loveliest regions, just with farms, villages and pastures. There is a special feelings when you are in the top of Mount Carmel. I don't know about you but I have a goosebumps when the wind blows in my skin. I am blessed indeed. I am forever thankful to the Lord to see this place. I am complete. Our next destination is Akko or Acco, also known as Ptolemais as recorded in the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul visited this city in Acts 21:7. When I walked in the isles of the remnant Crusader buildings, I imagine that there are so many things and event that had happen here and history tell us about the Crusades, Napoleon Bonaparte, and other power who control the city in the past. This is the actual proof and evidence that the story of the past still connecting with us. From Mount Carmel to Akko is an hour and thirty two minutes by bus non-stop. Today, the economy of Akko is based on small industry, commerce and tourism. Now, we are heading to Galilee for the overnight. We stayed in Kibbutz Lavi Hotel for couple of nights.

March 20, 2018, Tuesday, Day 3 - In the morning, our destination is going north of Israel. We are heading to a place named Banias, also known as Caesarea Philippi in the time of Jesus. From our Kibbutz Lavi Hotel to Banias in Golan Heights is an hour by bus non-stop. There is a falls known as "Banias Falls" that gives water supply going to the south and one of the sources of the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, and the Dead Sea flowing from a cave named for the Greek god Pan, Paneas. It was renamed by Herod's son Philip in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius. Jesus visited the region of Caesarea Philippi together with his disciples in Matthew 16:13-23 and Mark 8:27. This is the place where Jesus revealed himself to his disciples that according to Peter, "He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Bible scholars think about this location as the possible gates going to Hell when Jesus said to Peter, "And on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not over come it." Today, Banyas is part of Hermon National Park. Mount Hermon is the highest mountain in Israel. In the winter time, the top of the mountain was covered with snow. After we visited Banias, we went to a place between the border of Lebanon and Syria in Golan Heights. The Jewish guide told us that the place is secured and heavily guarded with soldiers and bases. Golan Heights is Israel's territory between Lebanon and Syria. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six Day War. This territory was very important to the security of the State of Israel. Because of the advantages of the land structure, it is very hard to enter the boundary between the three countries. After an hour of sightseeing we moved down to the south in Galilee going to Capernaum, forty six minutes by bus non-stop from the place between Lebanon and Syria. Capernaum known as "the town of Jesus" according to the gospel of Matthew 9:1. It was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, covering the period from 175 to 134 B.C.E. located on the northern end shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus moved here at the beginning of his ministry and became his home base. Though Jesus did much teaching and performed many miracles there, few people from Capernaum followed Jesus. Jesus grieved over Capernaum for its lack of faith according to the gospel of Matthew 11:20-24. Capernaum was the home of the apostles Andrew, Peter, James and John as well as the tax collector Matthew (Levi). It became the center of Jesus' public ministry in the Galilee, and while living here, according to the Gospels, Jesus healed the sick, preached in the synagogue according to the gospel of Luke 4:31-44, and performed miracles. Today, Capernaum is the location of Israel's best preserved the late 4th century A.D. White Synagogue. The nearby modern Roman Catholic Church of Saint Peter is built over first century architectural remains that Catholic scholars have identified as the "House of Peter." I can still see the old structures of the houses, buildings, roads, and the actual white synagogue that was destroyed. Especially, when I went to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The water is so refreshing and clean. The stones and sands are the living witness of the past. It's great to be here. Walked where Jesus walk. Our next destination was Tabgha, the place where Jesus multiplied the bread and fish and feed the five thousand men not including the women and the children. Tabgha from the south. Two miles west of Capernaum is what Josephus (Jewish Historian) referred to as the “well of Capernaum.” Undoubtedly a popular fishing spot of the locals because of its famous “seven springs,” Heptapegon (today the name has been corrupted to Tabgha) is the traditional location for several episodes in Jesus’ ministry. The seven springs that emerged at Tabgha (today only six have been discovered) produced water warmer than that of the Sea of Galilee. This warmer water helped the production of algae, which in turn attracted the fish. Fishermen thus have frequented this area for thousands of years. Tabgha is the traditional location for the calling of the disciples. It is believed that here Jesus walked along the shore and called out to Simon Peter and Andrew who were casting their nets into the lake. Walking along, Jesus saw two other brothers, James and John who were preparing their nets with their father Zebedee. Jesus called all of these men to follow him. In John 21, Jesus met again with the disciples for the “last breakfast.” Here he restored Peter to himself after the disciple’s three denials by asking him three times if Peter loved Jesus. Catholic tradition associates this event with the naming of Peter as the singular leader of the church. The rock at left is the traditional place where Jesus stood and called out to the disciples. In the time of Jesus, the place has no name. It was mention that the place is solitary and quiet. Tabgha (Ein Sheva) is an area situated on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is traditionally accepted as the place of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:30-46) and the fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus (John 21:1-24) after His Crucifixion. The earliest building at Tabgha was a small chapel built in the 4th century A.D. (around 350) by the Jewish convert to Christianity, Joseph of Tiberias. According to Epiphanius, Joseph was a contemporary of Emperor Constantine, a Rabbinical scholar, member of the Sanhedrin and a disciple of Hillel II. Following his conversion, Emperor Constantine gave him the rank of count (comes), and gave him permission to build churches in the Galilee, specifically, in Jewish towns where there was not a Christian community, and the Galilee including the Sea of Galilee, was an area with a Jewish majority. This was probably the shrine described by the pilgrim Egeria at the end of the 4th century. The 4th century small shrine was dismounted in 480 and a bigger chapel was built by Martyrius of Jerusalem, Patriarch of Jerusalem from 478 to 486. The mosaic of the fish and loaves is laid next to a large rock; some New Testament scholars speculate builders of the original church believed that Jesus stood on this rock when He blessed the fish and loaves before feeding the crowd who gathered to hear Him. We stay here for half an hour and proceed to our next station. From Tabgha to Kibbutz Ginosar is twenty six minutes by bus non-stop. We were in Yigal Alon Museum where it house the 1st century boat discovered in the Sea of Galilee yielded an unexpected catch in 1986, the hull of a fishing boat old enough to have been on the water in the time of Jesus and his disciples. The remains of the so-called Jesus Boat were found in the muddy lakebed (the Sea of Galilee is actually a freshwater inland lake) during a time of severe drought. The remains were 8.3 metres (27 feet) long, 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) wide and 1.3 metres (4.3 feet) high. This size would have enabled it to carry up to 15 people. After visiting the museum, we proceed to go inside to take the boat ride in the Sea of Galilee. We spent half an hour in the middle of the Sea of Galilee taking pictures, listening to our Jewish guide, some of members of our group preferred to sit down because the wind is strong and not safe to walk around inside the boat. I stayed in the front of the boat taking pictures and I realized that the Sea of Galilee is huge and wide. I can imagine when Jesus walked on the water and traveled with his disciples from one place to another during his ministry in Galilee. It is so windy when we're there and it was a nice ride. I got the piece of memory that will last of a lifetime. Forever grateful to the Lord seeing this place. We moved to the next destination. From Kibbutz Ginosar to the Mount of Beatitudes is twenty five minutes by bus non-stop. The Mount of Beatitudes, believed to be the setting for Jesus’ most famous discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most beautifully serene places in the Holy Land. Overlooking the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, it offers an enchanting vista of the northern part of the lake and across to the cliffs of the Golan Heights on the other side. Within sight are the scenes of many of the events of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, including the town of Capernaum 3 km away, where he made his home. Just below is Sower’s Cove, where it is believed Jesus taught the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9) from a boat moored in the bay. The exact site of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28) is unknown. Pilgrims commemorate the event at the eight-sided Church of the Beatitudes, built on the slope of the mount and accessible by a side road branching off the Tiberias-Rosh Pina highway. The Mount of Beatitudes is also understood to be the place where Jesus met his apostles after his resurrection and commissioned them to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:16-20). The spacious slope of the Mount of Beatitudes (also known as Mount Eremos, a Greek word meaning solitary or uninhabited) would have provided ample space for a large crowd to gather to hear Jesus. The 4th-century pilgrim Egeria records a tradition that may go back to the Jewish-Christians of Capernaum. She tells of a cave in the hillside at the Seven Springs, near Tabgha, “upon which the Lord ascended when he taught the Beatitudes”. The Church of the Beatitudes, an elegant octagonal building with colonnaded cloisters, blends into the slope rather than dominating it. It was built in 1938 for a Franciscan order of nuns, to a design by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi and partly financed by the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The eight sides of the light and airy church represent the eight beatitudes, and these are also shown in Latin in the upper windows. The centrally placed altar is surmounted by a slender arch of alabaster and onyx. Around it, the seven virtues (justice, charity, prudence, faith, fortitude, hope and temperance) are depicted by symbols in the mosaic floor. In the landscaped garden, three altars are provided for group worship. The whole area now under the supervision of different churches in the area. We walked around in forty five minutes and proceed to our next station. From Mount Beatitudes to Yardenit, Jordan River. It was fifty three minutes by bus non-stop. Jordan River is the Israel’s most important river, the Jordan River joins the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist near Jericho in Mark 1:9-11. Today, Many Christian visitors to Israel including myself and five from my group are baptized in the Jordan River at Yardenit near Kibbutz Kinneret, where the Jordan river flows south out of the Sea of Galilee. I paid US$10 for the use of baptismal robe and US$20 for the DVD. We also have our baptismal certificate and we need to give donation to the Baptist pastor who lead the baptism ceremony. We passed Tiberias after we left Kibbutz Kinneret. From Tiberias and back to our Kibbutz Lavi hotel is forty minutes. I have a map in the bus where the tradition say that the red line was according to the Israelis, they say that this is the “Jesus Trail” beginning from Capernaum to Nazareth. Israel is a small country. We can visit and explore the whole country in a week or two weeks. I have a good sleep in the hotel that night realizing that this area once Jesus had walked when he was on earth two thousand years ago. Kibbutz Lavi is one of the places in Jesus trail from Capernaum to Nazareth. The food in the hotel is Kosher buffet. I loved the Israeli food. Very healthy, lots of vegetables and everything in balance.

March 21, 2018, Wednesday, Day 4 - In the morning, from our Kibbutz Lavi hotel, we went to Cana in Lower Galilee also known as Kafr Kanna, it is an half an hour by bus non-stop. By tradition, this Arab-Israeli town is the site of Jesus' first miracle, the transformation of water into wine at the wedding feast in the gospel of John 2:1-11. Our Jewish guide told us if anyone interested to renew their wedding vow, the wedding church will charge US$25 for the marriage certificate. Cana in Galilee is celebrated as the scene of Jesus’ first miracle. It is actually the place of his first two public miracles in Galilee, the changing of water into wine and the remote healing of an official’s son 32 km away in Capernaum. On the first occasion, Jesus and his first disciples turned up at a wedding feast, possibly that of a close relative of his mother Mary. The wine ran out perhaps because those additional guests had not been catered for and Mary turned to her Son to overcome the embarrassment (John 2:1-11). “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?” he responded. “My hour has not yet come.” But she persisted and her Son turned six jars holding more than 550 litres of water (equivalent to more than 730 bottles) into fine wine. This miracle is significant for Christian pastoral theology. Christ’s attendance at the wedding feast, and his divine intervention to rescue the hosts from embarrassment, are taken as setting his seal on the sanctity of marriage. Jesus’ newest disciple at the time of the wedding was Nathaniel, who actually came from Cana of Galilee. Cana’s actual location is uncertain, with at least three possible candidates. But the commemoration of the miracle of the wine is traditionally fixed at Kefer-Kenna (also known as Kefr Kana and Kfar-Cana), about 5 km north-east of Nazareth on the road to Tiberias. When we left the wedding church on the way back to our bus, I have noticed a big bizzare cat walking in the top of the wall between the houses and the road. The size is like a raccoon and chabby. Our next destination is Nazareth. From Cana to Nazareth is forty minutes by bus non-stop. The city of Nazareth is located on a ridge at the northern edge of the Jezreel Valley. It was here that Jesus spent his boyhood, living with Joseph and Mary in the Gospel of Luke1:26-38. Nazareth in Galilee is celebrated by Christians as the town where the Virgin Mary, aged around 14 years, agreed to become pregnant with the Son of God. It also became the home town of Jesus, Mary and her husband Joseph after the Holy Family returned from fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod the Great’s soldiers. Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament and has the reputation of being an insignificant backwater epitomised by Nathanael’s retort when told that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). But being hidden from the public eye, nestled in a hollow among the hills of Galilee, it provided an ideal setting for the years of preparation Jesus needed as he “increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour” (Luke 2:52). It was also a place from which a young boy could watch the world go by. South of the village, a vantage point overlooked the Plain of Jezreel, where traders and travellers passed along a great highway between Babylon and Cairo. Modern-day Nazareth is dominated by the towering cupola of the Church of the Annunciation. It is an Arab city, mainly Muslim, with an adjoining Jewish upper city of Nazareth, but a profusion of churches, monasteries and other religious institutions make it a major centre of Christian pilgrimage. The massive two-storey Church of the Annunciation, in strikingly modern architectural style and colorfully decorated, is the largest Christian church in the Middle East. Its cupola, surmounted by a lantern symbolizing the Light of the World, stands directly over a cave in the crypt that is traditionally held to be the home of the Virgin Mary. Here, it is believed, the archangel Gabriel told Mary she would become the mother of the Son of God. The grotto is flanked by remnants of earlier churches on the site. Its entrance is sometimes closed by a protective grille. The entrance to the lower church is from the west, where above the triple doorway the façade of cream limestone carries a quotation in Latin: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). A spiral stairway at the main entrance leads to the upper church. This is the parish church for the Catholic community of Nazareth (which is why the inscriptions on the ceramic Stations of the Cross are in Arabic). The main entrance for the upper church is on the northern side. Over a door on the southern side is a statue of Mary aged 14, the age she is believed to have been at the time of the Annunciation, welcoming all who come to visit her home. Most of the visitors came from the Roman Catholic background. I have met a group of Filipino visitors from the United States and they are friendly people and I asked them if I can take a group picture in front of the Church of the Annunciation and they said yes. It was a fun day for all of us. I am the only Filipino-Canadian in my group, mostly some came from the United States and Vancouver, Canada. We spent an hour in Nazareth. Our next destination is Beit She'an in Hebrew also known as Scythopolis in Greek in the time of Jesus. From Nazareth to Beit She'an is an hour by bus non-stop. Beit She’an offers the most extensive archaeological site in Israel, with some of the best preserved ruins in the Middle East, but its memory will forever be linked to one of the most ghoulish events in the Bible. On nearby Mount Gilboa in 1004 BC, the army of King Saul, Israel’s first king, was defeated by the Philistines and Saul’s three sons were killed. To avoid capture, the wounded Saul fell on his sword. The triumphant Philistines took the bodies of Saul and his sons and fastened them to the wall of Beit She’an. They put Saul’s armour in their temple. David, who was to succeed Saul as king, composed a memorable lament over the tragedy, with the recurring line “How the mighty have fallen . . . ” (2 Samuel 1:17 – 27). Beit She’an is about 13 kilometres south of the Sea of Galilee. Its location at the strategic junction of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys made it a coveted prize for conquerors. In the Roman period under the name of Scythopolis, it was the leading city of the Decapolis and the only one of these 10 semi-autonomous cities west of the Jordan River. From the 4th century until it was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 A.D., the formerly pagan city was a flourishing Christian center, with a bishop and several churches. Beit She’an began on the flat-topped hill that stands behind the ruins of the Roman-Byzantine city. This ancient mount, 80 metres high, contains 18 levels of occupation down to the first settlers around 4000 BC. In Roman times the inhabitants moved to the flat area at the foot of the hill. Here the city expanded to around 150 hectares in area, with wide colonnaded streets leading to elegant shops with marble facades and mosaic floors. The population of Scythopolis grew to 40,000 and the linen it produced made it one of the leading textile centers of the Roman empire. Centuries later it became a center for processing cane sugar. I didn't forget the climbing steps to the top of the mount. It is a tough one but it is worth it when I reached the top. I saw the whole area of Beit She'an from the top of the mount. I never forget the experience with five of us in my group who went to the top. We explore the whole area of Beit She'an in an hour. Our next stop is the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. We're heading south and It was a long travel from Beit She'an to the Mount of Olives is two hours and twenty five minutes by bus non-stop. We stop in the middle between Beit She'an and the Mount of Olives for break and washroom. When we exit our bus there are two camels waiting for a ride by visitors for US$10 each ride. Three individuals in our group experience the ride. The location of the place where we stop for break is the boundary between Jordan and Israel facing west. It is safe to travel to Israel. We need to keep our passports on hand in case of emergency and the blue card that was issued in the airport for security checks. When we reached Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, I am very excited because this is the first time I saw the Holy City of Jerusalem. I am so overwhelmed by the view where the Dome of the Rock located and the Golden gate in front of us. I have heard so many details and information about the holy city, the dome of the rock, and the golden gate when I was studying in the Manila Bible Seminary in the Philippines thirty five years ago. When I get off the bus, I look so attentively and trying to remember every details of the place I saw and it was love at first sight! This is the place where King David left his palace in the Old City of Jerusalem trying to flee from his son Absalom in 2 Samuel 15:30-32. King Solomon built a palace on the hill near Jerusalem in 1 Kings 11:7-8. The Glory of the Lord stood upon the mountain that is on the east side of the City in Ezekiel 11:23. Jesus entered Jerusalem from here in Matthew 21:1-11. The agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:30-56. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed in Luke 22:39. This is the place where Jesus ascended to heaven in Luke 24; Acts 1. I didn't forget the experience when we go inside the Old City. I was sitting by the window facing the temple mount and I feel like I am sitting on the clouds looking down seeing the walls. It is a WOW experience! I will never forget that moment. Everyone in our group went to their designated hotel and I went to Jerusalem Gate Hotel near the bridge of strings light rail train. I stayed in this hotel for four nights. Fortunately, I have a dream of one of those nights, I didn’t remember what night that came true when I was in the hotel after seven months. The dream is about I’m walking in the hallway in a small facility with full of rooms and I’m checking the room one by one. When I wake up in the morning I realized that maybe this is referring to my full time job application as a Personal Support Worker in my workplace. Before my tour in Israel, I already submitted my application. So after seven months of waiting, I was accepted as full time in my job after working over twelve years as part time. My life is complete now and I am enjoying the happiness, contentment, peace of mind, and fulfilled life from the Lord.

March 22, 2018, Thursday, Day 5 - In the morning, our goal is to explore the Old City of Jerusalem. We went to the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Jesus spent the night before his arrest by the temple guards. Jesus was tried in Jerusalem by Pontius Pilate and condemned to die on the cross. We also went inside the Church of All Nation, tradition say that inside the church was the stone where Jesus pray that night before his arrest. I can see the Golden Gate from the Church of All Nation. It was high. From the Garden of Getsemani to Mount Zion is ten minutes walk. We stop in front of the Zion Gate to rest. We went to Mount Zion to see the tomb of King David. We left the tomb of David to go to the upper level to the Room of the Last Supper or the Cenacle. We left the Room at ten in the morning. From the Room of the Last Supper to the Western Cardo, the ancient Roman road is five minutes walk. Then we continue walking up to the entrance of the Western Wall around fifteen minutes walk. The Western Wall in Jerusalem also known as the “Wailing Wall.” King Herod built the Western Wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 A.D., the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels of the wall. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today. It is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall is divided into two sections, one area for males and the other for females. It is one of the major highlights in any tour of the Old City. The site is open to all people and is the location of various ceremonies, such as military inductions and bar mitzvahs. The Western Wall is free and is open all day, year-round. Women and men should be dressed modestly in the Western Wall Plaza. To pray at the wall, women should have their legs and shoulders covered. Men should cover their head. From Western Wall to the Jewish Quarter is five minutes walk. From Jewish Quarter to the Muslim Quarter is fifteen minutes walk. From Muslim Quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulcre is eleven minutes walk. From the Church of the Holy Sepulcre to Jaffa Gate is five minutes. From Jaffa Gate to the Garden Tomb of Jesus is twelve minutes walk. Mount Calvary and the Garden Tomb, this is according to the Protestant belief. After we visited the Garden Tomb and Golgotha, I walked toward Damascus Gate, the New Gate through Jaffa Gate and I left the place at 4:15 pm. I walked up to my Jerusalem Gate hotel for two hours to see the surroundings around the new city of Jerusalem. I returned to my Hotel at 6:15 p.m. for dinner time.

March 23, 2018, Friday, Day 6 - In the morning, we went to the new City of Jerusalem. Israel Museum, where the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the 2nd temple period and The Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed in one location. The cover design of the top of the museum is the cover of the manuscript jar that was found in the Qumran Cave near the Dead Sea. All the books in the Old Testament were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran except the book of Esther. From Israel Museum to Yad Vashem is an hour by bus. We went to the Yad Vashem Museum, the Memorial to the Holocaust. Oskar and Emily Schindler’s tree still there. From Yad Vashem to Bethlehem is an hour and fifty four minutes by bus. We went to the Church of Nativity and the location of the manger square in Bethlehem. Bethlehem in Hebrew means house of bread. In Arabic means house of meat. Bethlehem is part of the West Bank under the Palestinian control with 37,000 Palestinians live there at the present time. The Church of Nativity is respected and under supervisions of Catholic and Protestant churches in Bethlehem. This is traditionally (according to the Roman Catholic belief) the location of the star of Bethlehem in the manger square where Jesus was born. We left and passed the Palestinian Bethlehem border and the Israeli border at 6:15 pm.

March 24, 2018, Saturday, Day 7 - It is Shabbat in Jerusalem. It’s like a ghost town outside the hotel and it is raining. From Jerusalem to Masada is an hour and thirty three minutes by bus non-stop. We continue along the shores of the Dead Sea and we reached the foot of the Masada at 9:30 a.m., the last stronghold of the Jews after the destruction of the second temple in 70 A.D. We are greeted with the strong wind in the front of the entrance building. We are not able to go to the top of Masada because of the strong wind so our Jewish guide decided to cancel the trip to the top of the fortress. I am so disappointed and not happy but the guide told us that he doesn't want anything bad happen to us so the group didn't insist to go there. The guide told us inside the bus because we didn't go to Masada we will go to Ein Gedi instead. From Masada to Ein Gedi is half an hour by bus non-stop. The Ein Gedi is the hiding place of David when he ran away with King Saul because he wanted to kill him. From Ein Gedi to Qumran is forty four minutes by bus non-stop. We visited the Qumran area and the place where the actual cave discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls near the Dead Sea. After an hour of seeing the place we are heading to Kalia Beach in the Dead Sea. From Qumran to the Dead Sea is fifteen minutes by bus. The salt water in Kalia Beach is so dark and muddy not compare to the other beaches in the south. We stayed in the salt water in half an hour to soak our bodies with minerals from the mud and water. We left the Kalia Beach at 3:40 p.m. and back to our hotel in Jerusalem. During the Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem, things change as usual. I didn't receive any notice changes of the place of supper so I join with the Jewish Shabbat dinner night. If you are not a Jewish they will not allow you to stay with them during dinner so the waiter told me politely to go to the other floor where the non Jews can have their dinner. I was a little bit embarrassed that night because I didn't wear a proper clothing for the occasion. It's okay, it is a unique experience.

March 25, 2018, Sunday, Day 8 - This is my last day in Jerusalem and I'm heading back to Tel Aviv airport to go back to Toronto in the morning flight. From Jerusalem to Tel Aviv is an hour and eighteen minutes by taxi non-stop.

I have so many videos and pictures that I uploaded in YouTube and if anyone wants to see my Holy Land Tour 2018 you can press subscribe and make your comment. I want to thank you personally to spend time reading my blog and experiences in Israel. I hope and pray that one day the Lord Jesus Christ will grant the desire of you heart visiting Israel in the future. My YouTube profile is msdagat.

God Bless You All! Shalom!