by Pastor Patrick Cho

We made it to Israel! The plane landed at Tel Aviv on-time at about 1:30pm. Dr. Grisanti met us at the airport and transported us to Jerusalem. Along the way, he taught us helpful phrases in Hebrew like, “Good morning, teacher!” (boqer tov moreh) and “How are you?” (mah shalom-kha or mah shalom-ekh). What was fascinating, though, was learning about the topography of Israel while actually driving across the country. We started in Tel Aviv on the coastal plain and headed east through the shephelah (or rolling hills). Past the shephelah was the hill country with its steep peaks and deep valleys. Once the bus got over the hills, we drove through the rift valley before arriving in the Old City of Jerusalem.

We entered the city through the Jaffa Gate, which is the biggest of the city gates. It’s called the Jaffa or Joppa Gate because it faces the city of Joppa, which is on the coast. After checking into our hotel and getting settled in, we went up to a high viewpoint to get an overview of the city. Jerusalem is basically made up of three valleys running north and south. To the west is the Hinnom Valley, in the center is the Central Valley, and to the east is the Kidron Valley. Between the Hinnom and Central Valleys is the Western Hill, and between the Central and Kidron Valleys is the Eastern Hill. Just beyond the Kidron Valley to the east is the Mount of Olives. It was seriously surreal standing on that perch overlooking the city. I had seen Jerusalem in pictures from books and the internet, but it was amazing to see the city in person.

We left the perch to take care of things like exchanging money and buying things that people in the group forgot, and afterwards we headed back to the hotel for dinner. Dinner was SUPER good. They had an assortment of salads, a seasoned ground beef patty with herbs and spices, seasoned turkey, rice pilaf, and steamed veggies. They also had pita and the best hummus I’ve ever tasted. Everything tasted really fresh and green! The people here certainly like their veggies!

After dinner, the group met downstairs to head out to the Western Wall (the Jews no longer refer to it as the Wailing Wall). There was some kind of military graduation going on so the area was packed with soldiers and their friends and family. The ceremony was a bit distracting, but it still didn’t take away from the experience of being at the Western Wall. There are separate areas for men and women. Clothing is to be modest. Voices are to be hushed. The men put on little yarmulkes because head coverings are required. As is the custom, people write little prayers and stuff them into the cracks of the wall. Going with the tradition, Pastor John and I wrote out little prayers ourselves and placed them in the wall.

I honestly had to take a moment to step back and watch. It was certainly exciting to be there, but it was also sobering. The ultra-orthodox Jews meet there to pray because it is one of the closest places they can stand to the original Temple’s Holy of Holies. They prayed fervently, yearning for some hope for their nation. Many of them were weeping as they prayed, leaning on the wall for support. It was heartbreaking to consider that their Messiah had come and had offered hope for the nation, but they missed it altogether.

Well, we left the Western Wall and headed over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We are planning to return there tomorrow, but Dr. Grisanti wanted us to see a daily tradition that takes place at 9:00pm. The church is shared by five different “Christian” religious groups made up of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Sadly, the five groups cannot get along (videos can even be found online of them fighting with one another). Because they can’t agree on who has the greatest authority in the church building, they assigned the task of locking up the church to a Muslim family that lives there. Instead of having everyone leave to lock the door, at 9:00pm, they give the warning that the doors are going to be locked, and the Muslim fellow locks all the groups inside.

After the Church of Holy Sepulcher, we headed back to the hotel to get washed up and ready for an early start tomorrow. Jerusalem is built on a hill, so everywhere you walk is either up or down. Our legs truly got a workout today. I think they’re going to cramp up in my sleep! It was a tiring day, but I was thankful for all we were able to accomplish and learn – and it’s only Day 1! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, but I hope our legs can keep up with the pace. Please also continue to pray for John since all the walking is particularly difficult for him with his recent sickness. Thank God we have a nurse in our group!