Jerusalem Day 1

Today has been a great day, i woke up feeling refreshed and ready for my day. I left my house in search of a coffee shop... after 15 mins of searching i decided that i would go somewhere i was most familiar with and that was the David Citadel Hotel. I had a wonderful breakfast there,it was my first time eating since my flight. I had a orange, grapefruit, yogurt with walnuts, a slice of mozerella with a tomato on top, and a fresh omelette. it was a wonderful breakfast, i love the way they eat here, it is very clean, fresh and simple. The food is not to sweet and not to salty,it is perfect. I had two delicious capachinos, it was a treat. I sat in my dads favorite spot, it overlooks the old city walls. I chose this specific table because i knew my dad has sat there many time. (picture above). the David citadel is one of the most beautiful hotels-- im glad i went there. it was a treat.

After breakfast i ventured to the old city. Walking thru the Jaffa gate was a dream come true. I had been preparing for this moment, and for it to finally happen was wonderful. Once i walked into the old city lots of emotions where flooding me, joy, happiness, relief, anxiety, wonder and lots of questions. I wish my Dad was by my side because i know if he was with me, he would have told me about everything my eyes were viewing!!

My first stop was Mt Zion, my heart was so blessed thinking about everything that had happened on the this mountain... the most amazing thing is this is where the early church met and worshiped, and where they sought the Holy Spirit in prayer. I was moved. I plan on spending alot more time there--its a great place to ponder what took place, because so much did!

After Mt Zion i began walking to the western wall. When i turned the corner to walk to the wall, i was in awe. Right in front of me was the southern steps(where Jesus would have walked to visit the temple), then there was the Mt of Olives (where he will return), and to my left was the Temple Mount and of course the Western Wall. It was a powerful moment. I have stood in that very place before, but today touched me because i understand the importance of all these sites more then i did when i was there before.

The western wall was very crowded today because today is the last day of Hanukkah. I spent time in prayer and read John 10 and meditated on this passage:

John 10:22-30

22.Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. ²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. ²⁴ Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. ²⁶ But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.^{b]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} ²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

This was the perfect verse for me to read.. #1 because this took place in the temple(right above where i was standing) #2 because this took place in winter during the feast of dedication.. and i am in Jerusalem at this exact time. # 3 because there i was, a 20 year old Christian girl from California, surrounded by hundreds of men and women, we all believe in different things...but most importantly a majority of these people DO NOT believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah...and there i was holding my bible reading the words of Jesus. it was a powerful moment.

I was at the western wall for a hour and a half. i enjoyed every second of it. I learned alot while i was there. There was a lady sitting beside me, she had four kids, and looked 100% jewish. I was shocked when i heard her kids communicating with her in English. She was praying.

We both were interrupted by a female who was communicating with her boyfriend on the opposite side of the wall, she said " i don't know what to do?", and he said " pray for the things that are on your wish list...", and she said, " i don't have anything, and who do i even pray to?"...i was shocked and so were all the Jewish women who overheard this conversation. One Jewish grandma who overheard the conversation stood up and yelled.."you don't know who to pray to..?? why are you here? We are praying to our God, do you not understand??!!"...the questioning girl just wound up walking away. But i was in awe of what happened, it was the first time i have ever come across someone who didn't know how to pray.. i wish i had a chance to talk to her. Anyway the reason why i brought up the lady sitting next to me was because after that incident she started talking to me, she asked where i was from and what i was doing in Jerusalem. I told her i was a Christian from California here to serve with a Christian organization. She was totally impressed, she had never heard of Christians helping Jews in Jerusalem before. I was able to tell her i was reading the bible and tell her about Jesus...she told be she came to cry out to God,and she was reading the psalms...she said she never reads the words of Jesus only the words of King David. I found out her name was Sarah and we both giggled cause we have the same name... she said Sarah is a very special name, i agreed. Anyway, it was a very sweet conversation,i hope the things i told her stir up a desire to lean more about Jesus and who Christians are. So Pray for Sarah, she is a mother of 4 and is only 24 years old.

After the western wall i walked back home, and on the way back home i stopped at the grocery store!! I was a little overwhelmed cause everything was in Hebrew.I bought milk and cereal and a can of sprite, as well as a can of almonds because they were the only things that looked normal. haha :)

Tomorrow i head to southern Israel to play music for Holocaust survivor... Pray for me, it is going to be a challenging day... but i know it will be a huge blessing to love and care for these people.