Our hearts remain in Israel.
Israel 2015
Monday, 21 November 2016
Sunday, 20 December 2015
An Opportunity to Look and Listen
December 6th, Anna-Lee and I were given the rich opportunity to share with our home church about our trip to Israel.
What a blessing.
You can actually listen to our talk at this link:
http://www.wocc.ca/Listen
Our learning will never be done...
What a blessing.
You can actually listen to our talk at this link:
http://www.wocc.ca/Listen
Our learning will never be done...
Friday, 6 November 2015
Over but not over
We've been home for a few days now.
Doctor's appointments, jet lag, and working at reestablishing routine has been our game plan.
The things learned in Israel do not stop with the blog though.
My learning will come out in Sunday School teaching, in the way I read the Bible, in my prayers, and a host of ways I likely do not yet know.
If you are interested in continuing listening to our thoughts, drop me a comment and I'll send you the url to my and/or Anna-Lee's main blog site.
Thanks for joining us in Israel!
Shalom
Doctor's appointments, jet lag, and working at reestablishing routine has been our game plan.
The things learned in Israel do not stop with the blog though.
My learning will come out in Sunday School teaching, in the way I read the Bible, in my prayers, and a host of ways I likely do not yet know.
If you are interested in continuing listening to our thoughts, drop me a comment and I'll send you the url to my and/or Anna-Lee's main blog site.
Thanks for joining us in Israel!
Shalom
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Tower of David
A couple days ago we met a friend's daughter outside King David Citadel or also known as The Tower of David Museum which includes the Citadel.
It is intriguing and fascinating from the outside, so today, on our day off, Anna-Lee and I decided to venture in.
This is one place I would enjoy returning to as we only got about 15% of it done.
It helped me use up my remaining shekels however, as we prepared to depart to the airmport and begin the long route home
An incredible experience from beginning to end.
It is intriguing and fascinating from the outside, so today, on our day off, Anna-Lee and I decided to venture in.
If it is this magnificent on the outside, what is on the inside? |
Inside the courtyard of the citadel, now made into a museum of the history of Jerusalem dating back 3,000 years. |
This is one place I would enjoy returning to as we only got about 15% of it done.
Waiting at our guest house patio for our bus to take us to the airport |
Saying goodbye to one of the four feral cats in our guesthouse as it waits to sneak into the dining room. |
An incredible experience from beginning to end.
Friday, 30 October 2015
Shabbat Shalom - Part 2 of our day
Images of Old Jerusalem
Anna-Lee is pretty run down this morning so our guide took us to a clinic nearby on Greek Street to see a doctor. The clinic was closed. Also clinic number 2 was closed and so was the pharmacy.
It is Friday - some getting ready for Shabbat. Others take it as a weekend day. Some open late.
We decided today to just take it at our own speed, so we did not go with the majority of the group to the Jewish market on this our first free day..
Instead we wandered the nearby area of Old Jerusalem catching some images.
Taking time to rest.
Sounds of Old Jerusalem through our guest house window.
church bells
cats meowing
Muslim call to prayer
Hebrew language
birds
...And on the street
It is Friday - some getting ready for Shabbat. Others take it as a weekend day. Some open late.
We decided today to just take it at our own speed, so we did not go with the majority of the group to the Jewish market on this our first free day..
Instead we wandered the nearby area of Old Jerusalem catching some images.
Shop owners opening up by putting their wares on display. This is in the Armenian quarter. |
Jewish men in black and motorcycles - both very common. I think the Orthodox Jewish men walk even faster than our tour guide! |
Within Old Jerusalem there is an upscale outdoor "mall." Names recognizable in our Canadian malls, very posh, Also lots of cafes. Sculptures for sale at the door to every store. |
, |
Columbia, Adidas, Nike, Mango, Shoppers Drug Mart, American Eagle, Clark shoes... |
And of course everywhere are the soldiers. Some Israelis we think were in training at this location, as groups of men were carrying huge back packs with rocks in them. |
One of the more amazing sculptures |
Granny with her latte. |
This surprised me. A very common sight to see the Orthodox Jewish men pushing the strollers. Definitely not out for a leisurely stroll though. Before you can click the camera, they are gone. |
Taking time to rest.
Sounds of Old Jerusalem through our guest house window.
church bells
cats meowing
Muslim call to prayer
Hebrew language
birds
...And on the street
- many languages - Hebrew and Aramaic, and Greek for those who live here, and then for tourists, every language, tongue and nation.
- shop owners coming out to ask you to come be their "first customer" or "let me show you my store" or "where are you from?" or "what do you need?" or "what is your favorite thing in my store?"
- Men standing on the streets asking "do you need a guide?"
- Taxi's driving by asking "taxi, taxi, do you need a taxi?"
- scooters zooming by
- Muslim call to prayer
- church bells
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Mount of Olives, Cats, and Tombs
OK. Some of our posts have been a bit heavy because quite frankly, Israel is a place of depth.
It is also a place of cats.
We have not gone anywhere where we have not seen feral cats.
Speaking of this tomb... this was fascinating for me. It is not at all what the Bible pictures I have seen portray.
In the Old Testament, the tombs would have had the bodies stacked up on top of one another. In the first century, there was a family tomb which you see here. But, in each tomb there are these nicches ) the holes in the walls). This is where bone boxes would be put. Sounds all dreary and gross but wait.
First, they lay the body in the tomb wrapped in clothes and spices. On the third day they would normally come back to check on the body and make sure the person was really dead. Think Lazarus. Dead for four days. Very important because they would have already checked to make sure he was really dead.
Now think Jesus. The women come back on the third day as is custom to check that the body is dead. And it is gone!
But also think Jesus. Not having the family tomb.
Just as a PS, the body then stayed in the tomb for one year, then once decayed, the bones would be put in a bone box into one of the niches.
Our guide tells us we can tell a lot by a culture by their burial customs.
As Greek mentality came into this area, the wealthy started to get their own coffins and become more separate from family.
We were up on the Mount of Olives today with lots more teaching, however here is a quick taste of some of the sights.
Anna-Lee is feeling pretty sick tonight with her cough and aches and exhaustion so she is unable to blog tonight.
The weather changes, from warmish in the sun, then it clouds over and the wind picks up and rains. T-shirts, to sweaters to jackets and raincoats...
It is also a place of cats.
We have not gone anywhere where we have not seen feral cats.
At every hotel including wandering the dining rooms, sleeping on a patio chair, and waking us up in the night with their cat fights. |
on the roads and even on the wheel of a stopped tour bus we walked past |
and in a first century tomb we looked at. |
Looking at a first century tomb minus the roof. It would have been a cave |
First, they lay the body in the tomb wrapped in clothes and spices. On the third day they would normally come back to check on the body and make sure the person was really dead. Think Lazarus. Dead for four days. Very important because they would have already checked to make sure he was really dead.
Now think Jesus. The women come back on the third day as is custom to check that the body is dead. And it is gone!
But also think Jesus. Not having the family tomb.
Just as a PS, the body then stayed in the tomb for one year, then once decayed, the bones would be put in a bone box into one of the niches.
Our guide tells us we can tell a lot by a culture by their burial customs.
As Greek mentality came into this area, the wealthy started to get their own coffins and become more separate from family.
We were up on the Mount of Olives today with lots more teaching, however here is a quick taste of some of the sights.
We don't have a sign like this outside our church! But here, signs like this are common. |
Devotional time with Alan Gilman, our tour leader, at the Garden tomb location. |
View of Old Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives |
There are 8 gates in the Jerusalem wall. This is the Eastern gate - the only one that is closed. |
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