Day 7: Jerusalem (Pool of Bethesda, Church of St. Anne, Upper Room & King David's Tomb, Garden Tomb, Church of the Holey Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa) and much more!!!

Day 7: We saw all things Jerusalem today. I doubt pictures will do it justice. In short it was an amazing day from start to finish.
Good morning, Jerusalem! These are sunrise pictures from the terrace of the Hashimi Hotel. It was a gorgeous morning.

Sunrise over Jerusalem with the Word of God

Via Dolorosa

We began our day walking down the main road in Jerusalem. It just happens to be right outside our hotel. We saw the stations of the cross that are located on the Via Dolorosa or the way of suffering. These mark the steps of Jesus on the last day before he was crucified.

The Monastery of Flagellation is where Pilot had Jesus beaten and condemned Him to the cross.

Pool of Bethesda
Continuing our walk through Jerusalem brought us to the Pool of Bethesda. We read how Jesus healed the paralytic at this pool in John 5:1-16.

The area around the Pool of Bethesda also contains the ruins of a pagan temple and a Byzantine basilica.

Sam, Kayla, Hannah, and Reed explore the ruins.

Sarah

Cricket

Church of St Anne

Right beside the Pool of Bethesda, the Church of St Anne remains the most well preserved Crusader church in Jerusalem. It was built to mark the childhood home of Mary, mother of Jesus. The dome is built in such a way that sound is naturally amplified and enhanced. We stood on the steps of the altar and sang Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art. It was a sweet time of worship as we were thinking of Christ's mercy and sacrifice.

Ellie led us in worship.

Mr. Davenport contemplates the greatness of God.

Rachael worships the Lord.

Lisa Cate takes a break in the shade.

The Lions' Gate

Just outside the Lions' Gate, we get a closer view of the Muslim cemetery that guards the sealed Mercy Gate.

The Garden Tomb
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher marks the traditional site of Golgotha and the empty tomb. The Garden Tomb is an alternative site of these events that form the foundation of our life in Christ. The caretakers of the Garden Tomb make it clear that whether this, the traditional site, or some unknown place is the actual location, Jesus tomb is empty. The Garden Tomb has been preserved so that it would look similar to the tomb at the time of Jesus' burial providing an ideal place for reflection, meditation, and celebration of the resurrection.

Our guide at the Garden Tomb provides us with the history of the site and implores us to put our faith in Christ.

An ancient picture of Skull Hill. You can see the eyes, nose, and mouth. It is easy to see how this could, in truth, be the hill called "The Place of the Skull."

Erosion has erased the nose and mouth, but the eyes of the skull are still visible.

Our guide explains how the tomb was discovered. 

The tomb has a preparation room on the left and a place for three bodies on the right. At the time of Christ, there were stone beds for the bodies. Later, the stone beds were removed.

We closed our eyes and folded our arms as in death, dark and alone without Christ.

Next, we held hands and closed our eyes. Although still dark, we are no longer alone. This is to die with Christ. We do not know what we will see, but we will not be alone. We will be with Him.

The door of the tomb originally went to the notch explaining why Peter stooped to enter. The grove where the stone was rolled to seal the tomb is visible. There is also a faint cross that has been carved into the stone to the left of the opening (only the center circle is visible in the picture). All of these are evidences that this was in fact the tomb of our Lord.

Annie enters the tomb followed by Christian, Keegan, and Chance.

Inside the tomb

Jesus may have been laid on a stone bed in this spot.

Hannah is now an eye-witness of the empty tomb!

Lisa Cate

Cindy and Jill read about the resurrection.

Lisa Cole and Mrs. Starnes read about the resurrection from Luke 24:1-12.

Mrs. Mynatt journals about what she has seen and heard.

Ellie reads about the resurrection.

After visiting the tomb, we gathered in a private chapel to share our thoughts. Mr. Davenport led us in prayer and communion.

Back to the walls of Jerusalem!

Jerusalem is an ancient city that has been destroyed and rebuild numerous times over the centuries. As a result, almost anywhere you dig in Jerusalem, you uncover buildings from another time.

Western Wall
Although we saw the Western Wall last night when we visited the Rabbinical Tunnels, today we actually approached the wall. Many wrote prayers to stick in the wall like so many Jews and Christians alike have done over the years. There are separate sections for men and women.

Men must cover their heads to approach the wall. Here, Chance and Christian pray with heads covered.

Kayla and Cricket

Rachael

Prayers tucked into the wall

Cricket and Abby

Mrs. Starnes

Mrs. Mynatt and her mom

Christian models his yamaka.

Mount Zion, King David's Tomb, and the Upper Room
Mount Zion in the southern part of the Old City is where most of the Jewish Christians lived in the first century. King David was buried in Mount Zion. The upper room above his tomb is the traditional site of the Last Supper. The same upper room is also believed to be where the disciples gathered on the day of Pentecost.

Statue of King David

The current Upper Room was built in the 14th century to commemorate the Last Supper.

Mr. Davenport read about the day of Pentecost from Acts 2.

No photography is allowed inside the tomb of David, but these pictures were taken in the halls just outside the tomb.

Keegan and Chance

Reed and Annie

Hannah and Cindy

Jaide

Annie and Hailey

Hannah, Sam, and Reed

Annie and Lexi

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The original church was built in the 4th century by Constantine to protect the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The church was completely destroyed but was rebuilt by the Crusaders in 1099. The Greek Orthodox, the Armenian Apostolic, and Roman Catholic churches share ownership and care of the church.

The stone slab where Jesus' body is believed to have been placed before his burial.

A procession of monks singing at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Our last dinner at the Hashimi was sweet. The travelers gave the teachers CAK t-shirts that have "Warriors" written in Hebrew. We can't wait to wear them on Warrior Wednesdays.

A surprise gift from our group. We love them!!

Our last dinner was pizza, wings and salad with ice cream and hot fudge cake for dessert. Thanks to Ellie and her friends for giving the chef this idea. Dan, Jeff and Fares seem to be enjoying their meal.

Such a blessing to have these moms with us. Lisa Cole brought so much knowledge to the trip seeing that she had been here before. Cindy and Jill were always so encouraging.

Friends and food - a great combination!

Davenport knows how to enjoy his food!

Mrs. Mynatt gives instructions about tomorrow's departure.

Our amazing chef!

It's hard to believe that we have just one more day until we fly home. Tomorrow we go back to Bethlehem to the Shepherd's Felds and have lunch. Then we head south to Jaffa (Joppa) but on our way we will stop at the Field of Elah to see where young David killed Goliath. Then it's off to the airport for our 10:10 flight home. Goodnight one last time from Jerusalem.