Yesterday was kind of rough. We spent almost the whole day in the Israel Museum (I’m not a museum person), and then the border crossing to get into Bethlehem closed early because Ramadan is starting this week. So I didn’t write a blog post, because there wasn’t much to write about. We did go to the Dome of the Rock first in the morning, though, which was nice. And it was pretty thrilling to drive around the Old City and see all the places I remember.
So this morning I was feeling kind of down. We went to the Old City, and I just wasn’t feeling as excited as I wanted to be. We were up at Jaffa Gate, and I just prayed, “Heavenly Father, help me to fix my attitude and have a good experience. I’m just so worried that my previous experiences will be tainted if I don’t have the one I was expecting here now.” And I felt peace wash over me, and the impression came, “I’m still here.” And I was reminded that we connect most to the spirit, and to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, when we are in need. And my need today was to feel the spirit and their presence.
So our first stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and I was trying to explain to Matthew, whether it is the actual place where the Savior was crucified and resurrected isn’t what makes it a holy place. It’s made holy by the devotion of everyone who comes there to worship Christ. I didn’t take any pictures there because I was having a moment and just basking in that.
Next we went to the Western Wall. Apparently today was a day when all those boys having their Bar Mitzvah come to the wall to do that, so we got to see some of the ceremonies being conducted. Men and women have to be in separate areas, but there’s a step on the women’s side so that we can look over into the men’s. The women throw candy at the boy as he comes up for his Bar Mitzvah.
We had falafel for lunch, which made me very happy. While we were waiting for the food, a couple of musicians came up and told us they were there to play for the Bar Mitzvah applicants and their families, and they gave us a demonstration. They told us we could dance, so I encouraged people to get up and do it. I guess I’ve become that person in the group, lol. But it made me a new best friend. After, they were like, “Thank you! You were the key!” and then we actually crossed paths later in the day and the guy caught my eye and waved, haha.
We spent the afternoon at Jerusalem Archaeological Park, which is mostly more museum stuff, although we did sit on the steps that would have led up to the temple during the time of Christ. Then we went to the Upper Room site, and then we went over to the Mount of Olives and talked about Gethsemane. Our guide had some interesting insight into the meaning of Gethsemane. He’s a native Hebrew speaker, and the word apparently doesn’t quite translate to olive press, but more like “winepress of oil,” which he never understood until he learned that once wine is pressed, the pits and skins and stems, which are the most bitter part of the grape are transferred to an oil press to make vinegar through the same pressure process used to make vinegar. Gives new meaning to the term “bitter cup.”
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