Israel----wed., thurs., fri.

Sorry we haven't gotten back, but we had a hard time getting on internet We are now in Jerusalem and have a full day tomorrow (Sunday) and after that, we will head to the airport to return to the United States.

On Thursday, we went to the Spring of Herod where Gideon chose his 300 men. 2nd, BetShe'an was an eye opener as we toured the remarkable restoration of the Roman ruins that sit in the shadow of the hill where the Philistines once displayed the bodies of King Saul and his sons.
This was a huge archaological site and is still continuing. It was awesome!

On Friday, we rode a cable car up to the ruins of Herod's lavish palace/fortress where Jewish zealots made their final stand in their revolt against Rome. We also went to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and we toured a museum which housed some of the original scrolls. We stood on the Mount of Olives and envisioned Jesus weeping over the city. From there, we traveled down the road where Jesus walked and the triumphal entry.
One of the highlights of the day was visiting the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed.

Saturday saw us visiting the Pools of Bethesda and Antonio's Fortress where Jesus was mocked by the soldiers and a crown of thorns was placed on His head. From there, we walked the Via Dolorosa (The way of the Cross) which led us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is one of two sites believed to be Golgotha. We concluded our day by going to the Garden Tomb and also the place of the Skull (the other potential place of the crucifixion of Christ). We walked into the ancient tomb, similar to the one in which Christ was buried, and then participated in a communion service celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.