messada,deadsea,westernwall

Monday began with a very long bus ride out to the Dead Sea. We stopped at the Ahava Beauty Products Outlet and all purchased many lotions and potions to make us look younger and wiser!! We then stopped at the Messada location where it was very HOT!!! We took a scenic gondola ride up to the top of the mountain and spent the next hour touring the ruins left behind by the jewish and roman citizens who once lived there. The systems they used in this dessert to survive and make a living were unbelievable. We descended down the mountain and returned to a cool bus ride to the spa of the Dead Sea where we all quickly ate lunch and then headed out to the water for a dip. The custom here is to cover youself with a very deep black mud substance and rub it all over your skin, let it dry, and then enter the dead sea (40% salt) to float and let the mud rinse off. This did leave our skin feeling smoother and we enjoyed watching everyone wiping the mud all over themselves. Unfortunately, the sea water was so hot, everyone retreated to the nice refreshing pool located outside the spa/hotel. Upon our return to Jerusalem, we stopped at a gas station for a quick bathroom break and snack break. We also had the opportunity to ride a camel for a great value price of $5.00/person. We returned to Jerusalem late that afternoon, with a short stop along the Jerico Road. Bryant read us the story of the Good Samaritan and the scene was breathtaking!! Today, Tuesday, we left again early and entered the temple courts thru the lions gate of the old city. We marveled as we imagined Jesus running out the money changers outside the temple gates and how this would have looked in His day. The Dome of the Rock Mosque is located very near the site of the old temples which once stood on this vast location. The center of the mosque is supposedly where Abraham presented Issac to be sacrified. We were allowed to enter the western wall and each of us approached the wailing wall with awe and reverence. Many prayers and bequests to God have been made here and it was a very humbling experience. We left the temple courts and headed to the Israeli Holocaust Museum and Memorial. This was a very moving experience as the testimonies of those survivors was so difficult to hear. After lunch many returned to the hotel to rest and pack before dinner, others have headed to the Valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath. We leave tonight with much emotion, feelings of ready to come home, yet a sorrow for the people of Israel and their struggle to live here in peace and have a safe home for their people. As we have learned this week, Christians do not replace the jewish chosen people of God, but we are grafted in with them, as His chosen that choose to follow Him. God has an amazing plan for His jewish people and a great love for them, even in their rejection of Him. We hope you have enjoyed this blog and the pictures and have enjoyed following our trip. I know Danny and I have enjoyed sharing it with our friends and family!!

Blessings,

Danny and Lynn Daniels

Mt. of Olives and Garden of Gethsemene

Our day started at the top of Mt. Olives. It is approx. 3/4 of mile from Jerusalem and provides a great view of the city.
We walked down the mountain the same way Jesus did, to the Garden of Gethsemene. Jesus met his disciples there often and was arrested there. Many of the olive trees in the gardens date back to biblical times. We next went into Jerusalem and visited the Upper Room where Jesus shared a passover meal with his disciples before his arrest. We next visited King David's tomb and the ruins of the temple steps. The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 a.d. The muselims built a mosque there called the Dome of the Rock, which stands today. We visited a museum today which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Jerusalem

Saturday, June 5 Today is the Jewish Sabboth. Things are quiet on the streets of Jerusalem. First stop was a place called the "Garden Tomb", which houses what is believed to be Calvery, the place of Jesus crucifixion and the empty tomb where Jesus was buried and where he resurrected from the dead. Next stop was in the "Old City" in East Jerusalem, now controlled by the Palestinians. We stopped at the pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man. We went to the place where Herod's palace used to be where Jesus was sentenced to death. We walked the route that Jesus would have walked to Calvery, carrying his cross. This was called the "Via dolorosa". We visited a catholic church which also claims to be where Jesus was buried. Final stop of the day was Bethlehem. It is a walled city now where only palestinians live, but the Church of the Nativity is there, which claims to have been built over the site where Jesus was born.

Today we toured the area around the Sea of Galilee. We watched the sun rise over the Sea from our hotel balcony in Tiberias. During the day we visited areas where almost all of Jesus 3 ministry took place. First stop was the mountain by the sea where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. We spent time in Capernaum, which was Jesus adopted home town during his ministry and actually walked in the ruins of the Synagog where Jesus taught in Capernaum. We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and finished the day by getting baptised by our pastor in the Jordan River.

Today we visited Joppa, south of TelAviv, and visited the oldest port of Israel. This is where Jonah boarded the ship before he was tossed overboard and swallowed by the whale!! We then visited the town of Cesarea, saw the ruins of King Herod's palace and theatre. Paul was imprisoned there for two years. We also visited the site of Mt. Carmel. This overlooks the Valley of Jezreel. Many old testament battles were fought here and the Battle of Armageddon will occur here in the future. We are now in our room in Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is truly beautiful and we know understand why Jesus loved this place so much. Enjoy our pictures!!

TEL AVIV

After a long night of travel, we arrived in Tel Aviv at 10:00 a.m. eastern time, which is 5:00 p.m. time in Israel. The bus took us to our hotel and after a nice dinner we headed out to walk along the Mediterranean Sea. It is truly beautiful here!!! Mom and Dad are great, as well as all of our friends. We will continue tomorrow!!!

Danny and I are off to Israel tomorrow, May 31st, for 10 days. We will be joined by my parents, Frank and Jenny Culbreth, of Dothan, Alabama, as well as Wendy and Randy Smith. We will be hosted by our pastor, Bryant Wright, and his wife, Anne Wright. One hundred of our closest and bests friends (soon to be) from JFBC will be travelling also. We invite you to follow us as we travel the holy land and walk where Jesus walked and pray where Jesus prayed and learn of our christian heritage. We also look forward to learning from the prophecy of the Old Testament and seeing the Lord's plan for His people in the future!! We hope to download pictures onto this blog at least daily and post the highlights of our day. I hope you enjoy and we look forward to sharing our experience with you.

Blessings,

Danny and Lynn Daniels