I walked where Jesus walked

Today was the first day we used the bus and it was a nice commodity to have. =] The first thing we did today was go to the Mount of Olives. I found out that it is considered the holiest of the three mountains in Jerusalem, the other two being Mount Zion and Mount Moriah. If anyone has ever wondered after looking at a picture of the M.O.O. why there are so many freaking graves, I finally found out the reason today! I just tried looking up the verse in the Bible real quick and couldn’t find it, but what the main overview says is that those who are buried at the foot of the Mount of Olives will be the first to be resurrected when Jesus comes back. I think the thing that blows my mind the most is that when looking at the cemetery from straight on, it looks like a field of rocks. Now that should say something about the numbers of graves. The cemetery is separated into 3 different sections – 1. Jewish, 2. Christian, 3. Muslim (also known as the Kidron valley) – and when looking at the area, it is pretty obvious to see the separations. The reason we went to this cemetery in the first place was because we were walking down the Palm Sunday Road.

Also off this road was the Garden of Gethsemane. I love this place and it’s significance and today I was really hit hard. More than half the time I was there, I just sat and wept. I cried about how deeply Jesus loved us and how even though he was betrayed and hurt by his closets friends, He never once stepped away from the will of God, His father. The words “let your will be done” really came clearer for me than they ever have. I’ve said that I would give everything to God and not let it affect me and whatnot, but I honestly never truly have. Jesus did. He put His pain and the heaviness of His heart into His father’s and didn’t let it interfere what He was on earth to do. That’s what I need to do.

After the Garden, we went to St. Peter in Calicantu; the Armanian church that is the supposed sight of the dungeon where Jesus spent His last night alive on earth, mentioned in Psalm 88. The dungeon was cool and all, but what I truly enjoyed was the pathway of stone beside the church. It was the remains of the pathway that led from the top of Mount Zion all the way to the top of the Mount of Olives, where it is written that Jesus was taken and walked on after He was taken captive in Gethsemane, brought to the dungeon, and then to His crucifixion the next morning. Jesus walked on those stones. I walked on those stones. I walked where Jesus walked.

The last places we visited today were the first neighborhood that was built outside of the walls of Jerusalem, build by Sir Moses Montefiore, and a promenade where we ate a picnic lunch looking straight out onto and having a perfect view of the city of Jerusalem. It was pretty incredible.

Well..I know I wrote a lot today, but it was an exciting one! I hope y’all don’t become bored with what I write, but if you do, please please let me know! =] Goodnight