Old Testament Jerusalem

And we're off again.  There is so much to see in this beautiful city, and the first day we barely scratched the surface.  Day 2 was about seeing Jerusalem again, this time through the lens of the Old Testament.  It's amazing to walk some of the same paths as the first day here, and yet see totally different stories.  We don't see this kind of layering in America, since our nation is so young.  In Israel, the history runs deep, not just of the nation of Israel, but of the other nations that conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt.

Western Wall:

How cute is this little class?

City of David:

Part of King David's Palace.  So surreal to see places that before were just settings in Bible stories.  It really brings into perspective that these people were real people, too, not just characters.

Hezekiah's Tunnel - King Hezekiah built an undergourn tunnel from the walled city to the spring and water resevoir, which were outside the fortified city.  We waded through it.

chacos.  best decision ever.

Look at our short selves touching the ceiling

Success!

To top off the day, we checked out the lights festival all around the city.  After getting lost in strolling through the markets, we arrived at Damascus gate, which was being used as a projection screen.  We then followed the trail around the outside of the city back to our hotel and checked out the installations along the way.  Who doesn't love a good festival?

Stay tuned!

Israel - New Testament Jerusalem

We made it!  Two planes, three airports, 13 hours in the air, and we are in Israel!

We made a friend on our flight to Istanbul.  Hayden (middle picture, on the right) was headed to Athens while we were off to Israel.   Bon voyage!

This whole trip is still so surreal.  If you didn't know, Sean and I are on a two week study tour in Israel with a group from our church.  Crazy, right?  I'm here, and I still can't believe it.  We are here to learn the Bible in its context - how the geography and culture plays out in real life, and what we can learn from the land that we don't necessarily understand before visiting.  There are so many references to the land and the agriculture and the places in scripture that come alive in a different way when you can stand where the stories happened.  We've only been here one day and I have learned SO MUCH.  Seriously, if I start rambling, it's because I want to remember every. single. detail.  And also because we walked all day in the hot sun.  And also, jet lag.

We had orientation at Jerusalem University College (JUC) this morning (yay college!) and spent the afternoon on a New Testament walking tour of Jerusalem.  And now, pictures!

First day of school?
photo cred: Sean Welshimer

Modern Old City Wall - this part of the wall is a reconstruction of the outer edge of Herod's Palace.  Those steps are likely the entrance to the Palace in Jesus' time, which means Jesus' trial with Pontius Pilate could have happened here.
photo cred: Sean Welshimer

Zion Gate - bullet holes from Israel's war for independence in 1948.

Dome of the Rock
photo cred: Sean Welshimer

Mount of Olives

Temple steps.  This was the main entrance to the temple, so Jesus certainly walked here.  And Mary, and Peter, and the disciples... 

Dr. Jack Beck.  Teaching us things.
photo cred: Sean Welshimer

Temple

Temple - triple gates

Rubble from when the Romans destroyed the temple. That's me - to provide perspective.   I know I'm tiny, but those stones really are gigantic.  Even compared to a tall person.
photo cred: Sean Welshimer

Temple selfie

Temple - Robinson's Arch

Church of the Holy Sepulchre - within the footprint of this church, Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected

Showing both the Greek calvary and the Latin calvary - the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is shared by Greek Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholics.  There is a Syrian chapel, Greek chapels, an Ethiopian chapel, an Armenian chapel, and several others.  I love that even though there is plenty of disagreement, these different denominations can agree on the things that bring us together, rather than divide us.  Jesus is Lord - he was crucified, died, and was buried.  On the third day he arose.  Praise the Lord!

When 12th century crusaders rebuilt the church, they left the basket column from Helena's design.  Different times, different styles, same intentions.

So surreal.

Port Aransas

Oh how I love the beach.  Beach vacations truly make me feel like I'm getting away.  We almost decided not to go to Port Aransas, since we leave for Israel this weekend. (Oh my goodness, so excited!)  But the beach was calling to me.  And I'm so glad we went!

The mister and I made quite a road trip out of it.  We started with a stop at Sonic for a little indulgence:

Yes, those are Slushes.  Yes, there is candy in them.  Yes, I do know that I should not put things in my body that look like they should glow in the dark.  Yes, I am a little ashamed.  Yes, it was delicious.

After a long drive, we finally made it to the beach house that Sean's family had rented.  It was an adorable circular little house on stilts, just a few blocks from the beach.  It was getting late when we arrived, so we hung out with the family a little while before heading to bed.

Saturday, we woke up bright and early to the smell of coffee and sunshine streaming through the windows.  We spent the morning at the beach, soaking up the sun, playing frisbee, boogie boarding, and enjoying the salty air.



Around lunch, we headed back to the house to eat sandwiches and clean up. Then we headed into Corpus Christie to play some mini-golf and drive some go-karts.

This is about my luck:

womp womp.

We all raced on the go-karts the first round, but I chose to sit out the second round to take some pictures and watch this professional:



All in all, we had a wonderful vacation. It was a great little getaway, and I only wish we could've stayed longer!