DAY 13 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 29: GARDEN TOMB, OLD CITY, HOLY SEPULCHER CHURCH, ISRAEL MUSEUM, FAREWELL DINNER, NIGHT FLIGHT HOME
Today was our last full day here in Israel. The cold and off-and-on rain stayed with us today, with temps in the mid 40s. We started off with breakfast, followed by driving at 8:45 to the Garden Tomb. We read Psalm 137 as we drove.
Garden Tomb
The Garden Tomb is an alternative location for the crucifixion and burial site of Jesus. The site is wonderfully operated by evangelicals. After we saw the suggested tomb, we enjoyed a time of worship and Communion. While here, we also took care of our required Covid testing for tonight’s flight.
Old City / Holy Sepulcher church
We drove from the Garden tomb a very short distance to the east side of the Old City. Here, we entered the Lion’s Gate (also Called St. Stephen’s and Jericho Gate). We visited St. Anne’s Church, a Crusader Church with a 6-7 second echo. We enjoyed singing here! Next to the church is the Pool of Bethesda. We read John 5 of the miracle that took place here.
From here we walked through the Old City to the Holy Sepulcher Church. Built in 325 AD, this is the traditional location for the death and burial place of Jesus. The archaeological and historical records favor this site. We were even able to go inside the Edicule (enclosure over the tomb) because of the few tourists here.
“Today was our last day. All went well, without rain, as a bonus. We visited the Garden Tomb where we enjoyed a wonderful worship and Communion service. It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon all that Jesus has done for us.”
Israel Museum
After lunch in the Christian Quarter, we we picked up outside Jaffa Gate and drove to the Israel Museum. First, we saw 1:50 scale model of 2nd Temple Jerusalem. Next, we went through the Shrine of the Book where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Finally, we saw some of the “highlight artifacts” in the archaeological museum that relate to the Bible.
Farewell Dinner & Flight
Driving west out of Jerusalem we arrived in Abu Gosh (ancient Kiriath Jearim, 1 Samuel 7) for our Farewell Dinner. It was a great time of food and sharing. Following good conversation, we drove to the Ben Gurion Airport. We checked in and boarded our flight. We will arrive back in the U.S. early tomorrow morning.
Note: At the time of this posting, we are waiting for our flight and are not yet boarded.
DAY 14 – SUNDAY, JANUARY 30: ARRIVAL BACK IN THE STATES, DOMESTIC FLIGHT HOME
