Day 8 Mt. Olives, Via Dolorosa, Western Wall,

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Wow! We had a busy day today! following breakfast we boarded the bus for the Mount of Olives where we had a group picture taken. Then we walked down the road that Jesus took into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We stopped first at the Church Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept). "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41-42. The chapel was constructed in the form of a teardrop in 1955 on the ruins of an ancient church. It overlooks the Eastern Wall of Jerusalem and the Golden Gate through which the Messiah will appear at the end of time. Surrounding the Eastern Gate are Muslim cemeteries. The Muslims are buried there to thwart Jesus's return. Those of Jewish faith pay great amounts of money to be buried across the hill on Mt. Olive to be nearby when the Messiah comes.

We continued on down the hillside to The Church of All Nations also know as the Basillica of Agony, so named because is is adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane Where Jesus prayer. It is actually built over the rock at which Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion. Several nations donated money to build the church and the national symbols of the 12 donors - Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the United States of America — are inside the ceiling domes. It is very dark when you enter the church because of the dark purple stained glass windows. It was designed that way so that you would experience the agony that Jesus felt in the garden when he prayed.

The olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are dated back to the 11th century but may be off-shoots of the trees that were there during Christ's time. However there are at least 8 trees in Israel that have been determined to be 3,000 years old.

St. Anne's church is at the start of the Via Dolorosa and near the Lion's Gate in the old city of Jerusalem. It has perfect acoustics and many groups go planning to sing so they can hear the acoustics. Our group sang Sanctuary and.Surely His Presence. It was beautiful as we have many singers in our group. Just outside that church is the pools of were Jesus healed the man who had waited 38 years to be helped into the pool. You can read that story in John 5:2-9.

Nearby is the start of the Via Dolorosa or the Stations of the Cross. There are 14 stations so it is difficult to get to them all in one trip. I've learned that each guide has a different focus on what he shares with you. It really makes each trip you take feel like a whole new adventure. So this trip I got to visit some sites on the Via Dolorosa that I hadn't visited previously! The first place we visited was one I had been before . It is below ground and each time I go there it touches me in the same manner. There is a beautiful mosiac of Jesus carrying the cross and a place where Romans threw the dice and flogged Jesus. It is so emotional. I was fortunate enough to be the one asked to read the scripture from John 19:1-16. the pavement on the floor are original. One of the new sites was Station VII Jesus Falls for the Second Time. It is the place where the weight of the cross made Jesus fall as he was taken to Golgotha.

Our last stop on the Via Dolorosa was The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Several Stations of the Cross are housed in that church. It was extremely busy there today and the lines were very long. We did get to seethe supposed tomb of Joseph or Arimethia. It was very dark and we had to use the lights on our phones but it was so interesting. Of course you must remember these might not be the actual sites but there is enough reason to believe that we are very near those sites. Really what does it matter? You are walking, seeing, touching places where Jesus was when you are here!

Following lunch we walked through Old Jerusalem which is divided into 4 quarters: The Muslim Quarter, The Christian Quarter, The Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter. While they are all very similar they have their own flair. Streets are very narrow even though some of them allow cars to still travel through. Again, it was very busy and crowded as you can see from the pictures.

The Cardo is a colonnaded style street that dates back to the Roman Empire and is in the Jewish Quarter. You and also view part or the excavated old city wall. As you leave the Jewish Quarter and head to the Western Wall you get a very good view of the Temple Mount. When you arrive at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) the men are separated from the women which is a long-time Jewish tradition. It is called the wailing wall because through the prayers that have been said, many tears have been shed. It is customary for people to write prayer requests on pieces of paper and place in a crack in the wall. Its very humbling to go there.

Our last stop was the teaching steps where was an entrance to the temple. The steps were created in a very uneven pattern. It is said that one has to look down to see where they were stepping and in so doing humbled themselves before entering the temple. At the very top of the steps (many which have been reconstructed) is a large stone that is original and so Jesus and the disciples had to walk there in order to enter the temple. Another place where you know that Jesus put his feet and we could reach down and touch.

It was a very long day today and many people were very tired. We left the bus at about 8 am and returned at about 4:30. As is always the case the days have gone by fast and we are now at the end of our journey. Only two more days and some of us head home while others travel on to Egypt.

Tomorrow we head out of the city to some nearby sites. One of which is my favorite - The Road To Emmaus.

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