We're Marching to Zion

Well, actually we are busing to Zion. 

Here we are back at the border between Jordan and Israel.
  We were so happy to see

our big purple bus and Yuval and Elie!

Here's Judi hugging Yuval, which we all felt like doing!

As we returned to Israel, these soldiers boarded our bus to 
check us out.  Can you tell how scared we were?

                           Today our final destination will be 

The Holy City--Jerusalem--Zion

We're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.

On our way we will stop at Masada and Qumran.

We will be able to look down on the Dead Sea, the

lowest spot on earth.

 The white along the shoreline is not breaking waves.

It is accumulated salt.

One of the most fascinating sights of my long life.

MASADA

Masada was built by Herod the Great between 
37 and 4 B.C.
It is on top of an isolated rock plateau, overlooking
The Dead Sea.
It was a huge complex of palaces, storerooms, cisterns, etc.
A scale model of Masada:

This is how the amazing remains of Masada
are accessed in the 21st century.

(But not necessarily de-accessed!  Four of our group descended
on foot!  Pastors Gary and Jason, Cliff, and heroine Kelly!)

The square area below was the location of

 one of several Roman camps.

 
The residents of Masada--over 900--committed mass suicide
rather than fall into the hands of Roman troops, after
the walls of the fortress were battered from a ramp 
the soldiers had constructed.

QUMRAN

How amazing is this?  I got to see the cave where the first
Dead Sea Scroll was found.

These scrolls, discovered in the spring of 1947,
were the most important archaeological find of the 20th Century.
This find gave us copies of the scripture that date 
from 300 B.C. to 70 A.D.

It is so pleasant to sit in my air-conditioned home and
reminisce by looking at these wonderful pictures.
At the time they were taken, however, it was
 very, very, VERY HOT!
Here I am on the verge of wimping out--the only time
in the trip I did so!
I returned to the air conditioning and a tall cold Sprite!

Just thankful for all the time I did make it. 


Then...
The high point, the ultimate destination of this journey.
I had heard that there was a tunnel through which the bus
 would emerge with Jerusalem in view.
When
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing
began playing on the bus's speakers, I knew we
were close.
Then...there it was!

I actually recorded our arrival in Jerusalem on my phone,
but I don't feel the recording does justice to the
awe inspiring moment.
(Especially since I was singing along with dubious result)
There was applause, and there were tears from a
 busload of Christians getting to see The Holy City
with their own eyes.

With perfect planning, as always, Yuval took us directly to
 a magnificent overview of Jerusalem.
This is from atop Mt. Scopus, which means "to look over."

Then we went to our home for three nights.

Ahhh...a coffee maker.

This is the view from my window!
The gold dome of the Dome of the Rock is at about 10 o'clock.
Directly above it is the Mount of Olives.

"Those who trust in the Lord are steady as Mount Zion,
unmoved by any circumstance.  
Just as the mountains surround and protect Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds and protects His people."
Psalm 125:1-2