Holy Land Day 7

The main trip to the Holy Land is a 9 day segment.  One day to get there, one day to get home and 7 wonderful days of touring.

Today we ascended to the temple mount, the place where the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.  We visited St. Anne's church with it's wonderful singing acoustics.  We saw the pool of Bethesda, we walked the way of the cross and we visited the garden tomb.

Seven of us took the train into town for some local food last night.

It was very tasty and very delightful.  

Somewhere along the way I lost my hat!!!

St. Anne's church was built in the 1100's as a 

Christian church.  When the Muslims drove the

Christians out of Jerusalem, the church became

a Muslim School.  In the 1800's it was returned

to it's status as a Christian Church.

The acoustics are amazing!

click here for video from the church

Elana Wagner and her mom Juanita Brandstetter

in front of the Dome of the Rock

There were lots of police on the temple mount.

Behind me is the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Christine Wissmand and Storm Suydam at the Al-Aqsa fountain

The pillars of the Dome of the rock.  I find it so interesting that

the columns don't match.  This is a common find in very old

buildings.  They don't match because the columns were
cannibalized from other temples and shrines.

The dome of the rock was built in 691.  Inside is the rock that

Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac on,

except that Muslims believed the

boy was Ishmael, not Isaac.

The garden tomb.  We had a nice communion service 

following the visit to the tomb.  It was a great day all around.

I am staying over for a couple extra days in Jerusalem and will post pictures of those days as well.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Bonus Post - Western Wall at night

From the end of WW1 to 1948 the British controlled the Western Wall [Wailing Wall.]  In 1948 the British pulled out and war broke out between the Arabs and the Jews.  The Jordanians took the old city and the Jews were kicked out of the old city including their own Jewish Quarter.  Jews were not allowed into the city and were not allowed to visit the Western Wall.

In 1967 during the six day war, the Israeli army took the old city back and Jews were once again allowed to go to the Western Wall to pray.  The Western wall is holy to the Jews because it is the only remaining part of the temple that stood in Jesus day.  Jews and many non Jews put prayers written on little pieces of paper in the cracks in the wall.

Last night we visited the wall.  It was pretty cool all lit up at night.

Western Wall [wailing wall] at night

Note the prayers stuck in the wall.

There are tunnels along the wall that only men can go into.  

You can see much of the architecture from Jesus

day.  My the stones were big!

Lots of Jews and Orthodox Jews were praying.

Steve, Laurie and I met brother Bruno at the Newark airport.

We talked about all kinds of things.  I really liked him.  We

exchanged contact info.  Randomly we ran into him at

Masada and then again randomly we ran into him last

night in the old city.  It's a small world. 

On the way back I got us lost in the old city.  Not good... I was the goat of the night. But we finally did make it back safely.

Holy Land Day 6

We had a wonderful day today.  I have to tell you that my knee is tired.  There was a good deal of walking today, but we saw some wonderful things.

Many people ask about security in Israel.

Yes we saw a few soldiers with guns

just like in the Kansas City Airport.

We also saw many young people hitch hiking 

in Israel.  You don't see that much in the states.

Model of the ancient city of Jerusalem at the 

Bible Lands Museum

Dead Sea Scroll museum.  We cannot take pictures inside

but it was very cool to hear story of their discovery

and to see the scrolls in person.

Miriam Van Tassel, Susan Pantuso and Karen Yetzer

with the old city of Jerusalem in the background.

2,000 year old olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane

Steven, Joyce and Frank Pinckney -

behind them is the Eastern Gate to the old city.

Zion Gate to the old city.

Note the bullet holes from the 6 day war.

Typical Jerusalem shop

Church of the Holy Sepulcher  

Shrine of, place of Jesus burial in the 

church of the Holy Sepulchur

Western Wall - Wailing Wall
People write prayers on paper and put
them in the cracks in the wall.

The western wall is the only remaining part
of the temple from Jesus' time.

Tomorrow is the last day of the regular trip.  Some of us are staying for a three day self directed extension.  I will keep sending pictures.  I also have a few blogs saved up for when I get back.

Much love to you all from the other side of the world.


It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Day 5

Today we visited the new US embassy in Jerusalem.  We went to a shop that made olive wood products.  We visited the field where the angel appeared to the shepherds.  We went to the church of the nativity which commemorates where Jesus was born.

We went to the Israeli holocaust museum.  Tragic.  Words cannot express the sadness felt there.

Renee Scott at the US Embassy

Olive wood figures in process

Pete and Carol Loveland admire the most expensive

nativity set in the shop - - - $25,000
Wow!  It took over a year to make.

Fresco in the Church of the announcement

[the angel announces Jesus' birth]

Beautiful fountain at the shepherd's field

Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Floor from church built in 325.

Original Church of the nativity was destroyed by fire.

Rebuilt in 565.  Wall mural dates to that time.  

Amazing columns and reliefs of saints on the columns.

Date to 565 ad.

Below the church of the Nativity is

the grotto [cave] traditional site of 

Jesus birth.

Steve Shearer on the way out and up.

,
This last picture is from the Holocaust Museum.  No pictures are allowed inside.  The museum traces the rise of anti-Semitism, the rise of the Nazis and their efforts to exterminate the Jews during WW2.
We should never forget what happened to the Jews during WW2.  There were people sitting on benches openly weeping, overcome with grief.

When you leave the museum, you walk up an inclined slope.  Your visions is focused on this triangular field of view.  In the distance is the current city of Jerusalem.  Houses, businesses and cranes working, building a new city.  The message being, the past is behind us, let us move upward and outward and focus on our future.

My heart is somber as I write this.

Yet it's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Day 4

We left the city of Tiberius this morning on the Sea of Galilee and drove south to Jericho.

Carla King rides a camel in Jericho

Then we drove south to Masada, an amazing Roman fort that

had been taken over by the Jews in 68AD.  The Romans had to

take the stronghold back.

Steve Shearer, Brother Bruno, me and Laurie Shadrick at Masada.

We met and made friends with Bruno in the airport in Newark 5 days 

ago.  We exchanged emails to stay in touch.  Then we randomly

meet him again in Masada.  It's a small world.

The Dead Sea from Masada.  Jordan is in the background.

The tram to the top of Masada freaked me out.  I honestly did

not look the entire time.

Ruins on the top of Masada

Remnants of the Roman fortifications from 70AD

as seen from the top of Masada.

We went on to the place where the dead sea scrolls were found.

See the two caves just right of center.

Many of our group swam, floated in the dead sea.  

We are having a wonderful time.  Tomorrow we are on to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.  I am definitely leading this trip again next year.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs

Holy Land Day 3

We had a marvelous day today.  I keep saying that but it is true.  In fact, I am going to have to come back next year and lead another trip.  Let me know if you want to go in 2020.

Today we visited the ancient site of the city Dan.  We visited Cesarea Philippi.  We went up into the Golan Heights and we visited an olive oil factory.

The day started with a delightful hike at

the ancient City of Dan

At the City of Dan, King Jereboam built a temple to

substitute for the Jerusalem temple.  These are the ruins

of that temple.

These are mustard plants.  I thought about making

some, but I couldn't cut the mustard.

ruins of one of the gates to the city Dan

Cesarea Philippi

Lunch in a Druse village.  Humus, pickles, peppers, eggplant, 

slaw, salad, pita and falaffle

I was good with the hummus.  They added fries  for the Americans.

A hamburger would have been fine with me.

Unbelievable.  Outside of the lunch in the Druse village

we find this three story house.  Do you see

what is on the top of the house?  Look closely.

Yes there is a little tiny dog standing on the corner

of the roof.  Yikes!!!!

In the Golan Heights we saw an old Army bunker.

Mt Herman in the background. 

The bunker had a bomb shelter.  I went down

in it.  I thought about the soldiers that served there.

On top of the bunker.  Trenches and a gun emplacement.

I ran into a Mets fan.

In the Holy Land, the lion will lay down with the lamb.

We are having a wonderful time.  A trip to the Holy Land is the trip of a lifetime.

Tomorrow we are going to the Dead Sea and the mountain fortress Masada.

It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com

- - - - - - - - -
I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....

Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/rc19102319x17768#.W3avNFJK3cs