Roma!

Today, we toured the magnificent remains of the nearly two thousand year old Coliseum. There’s a surprising (for us, anyway) link to our Jerusalem visit. When Vespasian launched the construction of the mammoth arena, it was in celebration of the suppression of the Jewish revolt. Roman soldiers transported slaves and booty from the spoils of a destroyed Jerusalem and surrounding cities. The remnants were used to build the mighty stadium. Perhaps some of the stones from the Temple in Jerusalem now support the ruins of the Coliseum… a cruel irony.
This is but one of the many discoveries jumping off the pages of history as we tour the city of Rome. We got our first look at a Michelangelo original – Moses in the Chapel of St. Peter’s Chains. Later, we wandered deep below ground level to observe ancient Christian gravesites in the Catacombs.

We’re still waiting for the delivery of two lost pieces of luggage. An annoyance for sure; but it hasn’t dampened our spirits. Scott and Terri Last have joined us, as have Steve and Lana Giacumakis. Both couples are adding a lot to our group; joining right in.

Tomorrow – Vatican City. It’s Palm Sunday week – pilgrims are pouring into the city.

Thanks for keeping up. More to come.

Late night in Tel Aviv

Greetings on our last night in Israel.

It’s been an unforgettable week… the stories are piling up. We’ve barely had time to keep a sketchy journal. After four days in Jerusalem, we learned our way around – from the Mount of Olives, down the hill to the Garden of Gethsemane then up to the Lion’s Gate. Just inside, we sang worship songs and hymns in the pitch-perfect acoustics of St. Anne’s and up the hill down narrow cobblestone streets of the Via Dolorosa. The Archeological exhibition at the ancient Herodian Wall (the South West corner) gave us a sense of the sheer enormity of the construction effort – and then the sheer horror of the crushing Roman defeat of the Jewish rebellion of 70AD. Following the Western Wall north, under the city down tunnels deep beneath ground level, we got as close as one might to the spot where the Holy of Holies was restricted to an annual visit by the High Priest. We watched as hundreds approached the Western Wall with round-the-clock fervent prayers for the restoration of God’s presence in that place.

The last two days took us out of the city to Qumran and the community of the Essenes, then north through the Jordan River Valley and the ruin at Beth Sh’an where Saul and his sons had the corpses put on display in humiliation. It opened the door for David’s reign. The kibbutz at Galilee hosted us for the night, and in the morning, we boarded a quaint replica of a first century boat. We crossed over to Capernaum on a picture perfect day; read passages from the Gospels that came alive on the spot. We followed the steps of Jesus when he found his disciples, among them fishermen from these shores. Then over to Nazareth and up to Mt Carmel where Elijah faced the prophets of Baal. There, we met with Vonnie and Greg at the Mt Carmel Assembly. We got a glimpse of their work with a gathering of Messianic believers making a profound impact on their international community. We finished the day off at Caesarea, where Paul sat in prison for nearly two years; finally appealing to Rome; where he was sent for trial.

We follow his journey to the same city in the morning. Early morning. We depart the hotel for Ben Gurion Airport at four in the morning.

Still more to come.

Ken

More Photos from Jerusalem

Check out the additional photos posted from Jerusalem.

We just finished our third day in Jerusalem. Our guide Yohanan (Hal) led us through the Old City and beyond. We've seen the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls), the International Christian Embassy, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ Church (Anglican) and the Western Wall. We visited the Holocaust Museum and then up to the Hebrew University for a panoramic view of the Old City. We traced the Via Dolorosa, the traditional walk up the cobble-stone streets of Jerusalem where Jesus is thought to have carried the cross to Calvary. We sang hymns in St Anne's Church and viewed the archaeological digs outside the city walls and then inside by the Pool of Bethesda. In the mornings, George starts our day with an orientation.

We celebrated Sabbath supper at the King Solomon Hotel. Vonnie and Greg Michels joined us - Greg shared the traditions of the Sabbath meal. We are learning and growing, and enjoying the company of fellow travelers.

More to come! (See more information on the History on the Move blog)

Greetings from Israel!

Greetings from Israel! Dale and Sue met us at LAX. About eleven hours after take off (we saw the giant Airbus on the tarmac) we landed in London… and checked into a hotel. Six of us rented a taxi and visited London – Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Parliament and the Thames.

Then back on a British Air 767 from London to Tel Aviv.We arrived safely in Jerusalem at 7:30 AM after a Tel Aviv arrival of 5:30. You can imagine the time zone blur for our thirty adventurers.

Already today, we visited the Dead Sea Scroll Museum and the Old City model… and we are settling in at the King Solomon Hotel – Vonnie and Greg were waiting for us. We delivered a suitcase (thanks Karin) chock full of stuff for the ministry at Mt. Carmel. We’re adjusting to the time zone… wow. Two nights in the air.

We’re in Jerusalem at King Solomon for four nights. Here are some photos. We’ll share more as time and connectivity allow.

Ken