Days 5 and 6

Saturday June 25
We went up to the mount of Olives  and learned about the Graves that are on the mount. The Jewish people are buried on the mountain with their feet facing the temple mount so when the Messiah comes they can rise and start marching to the Messiah's side. We then walked down to the garden of Gethsemane. There were two churches there.  One commerating where Jesus wept over the future destruction of Jerusalem and the other where Jesus is said to have knelt to pray before Judas betrayed him.

After that we walked through a convent that was the Antonia fortress and in the basement was Gabatha where Jesus was flogged before being crucified. Then we walked the Via Deloresa which went through the Muslim quarter. We went to the church of the Holy Seplachur which is one of the places they think Jesus was crucified and and laid in the tomb. It was such a big religious church and had such an almost crushing feeling. Everyone was lining up to see all these things that could have been this or that. That's one thing our tour guide and pastor Jerry really talk about. It's fine to look at the different things and take pictures of the places but don't get caught up in "this is the place!" We are commemorating events not worshiping the places.
Then we went to the Garden tomb. That was by far my most favorite stop so far. The guide showed us where they think Golgatha is. And told us that they wouldn't have really crucified Jesus on a hill but along the road so people would have to walk by them.
And then we got to see a tomb that Jesus might have been laid in. We then had communion in the garden and it was just such an amazing expierence.
SUNDAY JUNE 26
We went to the Holocaust memorial museum. This was an incredible building. Everything was symbolic even down to how the floors were.
Then we went to the children's memorial where the names of the children that were murdered were read as you walked through.
Very sobering.
We then headed to the western wall tunnels. These are tunnels that go down beside the western wall, back to 1st temple time period. We actually got to touch the exposed  mount Moriah and walk through an ancient cistern.
After this we went to the Friends of Zion museum. This is an interactive museum where the gentiles who helped the Jews are honored and learned about. It was a very neat place to visit!