Today was our first day in Jerusalem. We are planning on being in Jerusalem for the rest of time we are here in Israel. We like to wait to go into Jerusalem towards the end of our trip. Obviously, the City of Jerusalem is where our Savior ultimately laid down His life. Jesus Himself wept over this City. Luke 19:41-44 “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. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” There was only other time that the scriptures records Jesus weeping and that was at the tomb of Lazarus before he raised him from the dead. So as we drove into Jerusalem there is this emotion. Many people on our tour was seeing this for the first time. We traveled to what the Catholics believe to be the location of Jesus’ Death on the cross and His burial. Which I don’t believe it to be the location because of where it’s located. As thousands of people walk through the place called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. To be honest with you, now that I know what I know, I am not a fan. It’s a bit too much. But to each it’s own. When then traveled to what is known to be the Palace of Caiaphas. We know that it was at this exact location where Jesus was beaten and held in the dungeon. We were able to walk down into where Jesus would’ve stayed before going to the courtyard to stand trial. This was extremely emotional. But by far the highlight of the night was traveling to the Western Wall on the day Jews honor Shabbat. This is the day of rest. Their Sabbath. Thousands of people praying, singing, and dancing. It was amazing. When then had the wonderful privilege of celebrating the day with Shabbat dinner with an orthodox family. THIS WAS SO AWESOME. We learned so much about the Orthodox Jews. We read scripture, sang songs, and ate really good food. The entire team got a chance to share one thing that they loved the most about this Israel Trip. Many of the team members said, “coming into Jerusalem.“ Jonathan, our host was taken back by how emotional everyone became when describing their time in Israel. He mentioned how emotional he was when he came to Jerusalem. It was an amazing night. We even got a chance to sing one of our worship songs for the family. It was a great day. #Regenerate #Israel2019 #OJerusalem
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