Day Two: Jerusalem

Saturday, June 27th

7:00am: Western Wall

Ally and I woke up early in the morning to spend time at the Western Wall. I have really come to appreciate the peace and the power at this wall. The Western/Wailing Wall is the western wall of the Temple Mount. The first and second Jewish temples were located on the Temple Mount. Now, the land belongs to the Muslims in Jerusalem. The Jewish Temple is where the Holy of Holies and the Inner Court were. There are hundreds of Jews at any given moment on any given day praying at the Western Wall. I loved being there.

8:30am: Nile's Shop

We went to our new friend Dan's friend Nile's shop to meet up with Dan. Nile is a Palestinian Muslim man with an Israeli certificate. This means that he can easily travel across the Palestinian/Israeli border. He also has Bedouin ancestors, and he showed us how to play the Bedouin guitar! Nile is hilarious and he often entertains tourists and natives with his relaxing humor!

I tried to play the Bedouin guitar while wearing a 14 pound traditional Bedouin hat. Oh my! It was definitely challenging!!

9:30am: St Peter of Gallicantu Church

We then went to a French church called St Peter of Gallicantu. The church is located on the land where Jesus walked before he was crucified as well as where Peter denied Christ.




It never ceased to blow me away that I was at the location of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. This church was especially beautiful because it was just outside of the chaos of Jerusalem and provided a peaceful view of the Mt of Olives, the Valley of Gehena, and the Old City.


While wandering around the church, we came across a group of Arab Christian children reinacting the walk of suffering and the death of Jesus. It was amazing seeing a different people group portray Jesus. The picture below is of the girls pretending to be the disciples before Christ's arrest.

10:30pm: City of David

After St Peter of Gallicantu Church we headed to the ancient ruins of the City of David. The City of David is located just outside of the Old City and shows the ancient ruins of what would have been the central location of David's Kingdom when he was the ruler.

11:00pm: Mt of Olives

We took a taxi to the top of the Mt of Olives, which would have been quite the steep hike! The Mt of Olives is covered with tombs of Jewish people. Jews believe that the Day of Judgement will be located on the Mt of Olives, so that if they are buried on the mountain, they will be first in line for judgement. I loved wandering around the mountain and seeing all of the pilgrims, Bedouins, and Israeli soldiers enjoying the area.

1:00pm: Crazy car ride back to the Zion Gate

Oh my! We met one of Dan's friend's cousins up on top of the mountain. He gave us a ride back to the Zion Gate, which was hilarious! He was a crazy driver and clearly not paying attention to where he was going. He kept pointing out the window to show us something...not watching the road in front of him! And, each time we went over a bump, the back of his car would bottom out. Oh my!

1:30pm: David's Tomb

We made a quick stop to see King David's tomb. It was closed though...sad.

2:00pm: Back to Nile's shop for chicken and hummus

Yes! The best part of the day!!! (...well...one of the best parts...) Nile had this fabulous chicken and hummus with falafel meal made for us. Wow! Quite the hospitality we've been shown here in Jerusalem. The people here have been taking such incredible care of us. Ally and I just could not stop thanking God for providing us with kind people.

3:00pm: Damascus Street Market

The road to the Damascus Gate was an amazing Arab market. The streets were loud and crowed and full of clothes, scarves, rugs, spices, and even candy!! Dan led Al and I through the market with speed and vigour. Ally and I had quite the difficult time keeping up with the high-energy 75 year old man! He was quite the tour guide.

3:30pm: Garden Tomb: Golgotha

The mountain here could be the location of Jesus' crucifiction, death, and resurrection. It seems that the actual location is by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; however, the Garden Tomb site was incredibly peaceful and beautiful. In the garden, there were all types of people pilgriming to the tomb to worship the life of Jesus. We saw an African-American group having a worship service, a South Korean church singing praises, a Sweedish group of Christians taking pictures inside the tomb, and even some locals were there enjoying the garden.

5:00pm: Jerusalem House: Prayer Room

Dan took Ally and I to a place called the Jerusalem House where Christians come to gather, connect, and pray. Admist all of the noise and vibrancy of the city, it was nice to find a quite house to meet God in. Ally and I spent about an hour in the prayer room in the upstairs part of the house. I felt so connected to God in a new way. It has been so nice seeing Jerusalem and thinking about Jesus' life in a new light.

7:00pm: New City for ice cream

Nile and Dan took me and Ally out to the New City for ice cream! It was such a fun part of town, and the nightlife was a blast! We are definitely excited for a new day in Jerusalem tomorrow!

Lyrics I'm Humming:

Amos Lee's "Street Corner Preacher"