Our Journeys in Israel

What an amazing time we had in Israel, with our daughter, Laura. We spent two days in Jerusalem and then one day down in Nazereth and Galilee. We could have definitely stayed longer, but in those few days we felt lucky that we got a glimpse of the places that the Savior walked and lived.
In Jerusalem we walked to the pools of Bethesda. These have recently been discovered under the old city. They still hold water. We got to go down the stairs to the pools and see where the Savior healed the bedridden man. It was amazing to be there and read in John, of the New Testament, to recount the healing miracle that took place there.

As always, we took one of our "family hands" pictures on a decorated wall of the pools. in the evening we visited the Shepherd's fields in Bethlehem. On our way out there, we saw several herds of sheep being led by a lone shepherd among the rocky hills.

One of our best experiences was going to Jerusalem at night. It seems that the city does not sleep. People were shopping, eating and striving to sell their wares. We spent about two hours almost lost in the narrow, winding lanes of the old city. We made some fantastic purchases (Yay, for shopping!!!) and felt that we got to see how the people of Jerusalem live.

One of the days in Jerusalem we were able to experience the wailing wall. It was a busy day for Bar Mitzvahs! Many young Jewish boys were being led, under canopy and surrounded by family to the wailing wall. Two or more young men led each group beating upon drums and blowing on sheep horns. We experienced a colorful and musical celebration of many, many boys that day becoming men. Out of respect, to approach the wall Paul needed to don a yarmulka. The wall cracks were FULL of small pieces of paper full of prayers. It was really something to see.

On our day in Galilee we took a boat on the sea, visited the Sermon Mount and saw Capernaum where the synagogue, in which the Savior preached, still exists.
Afterwards, we went to see the home of Peter's mother. Only the lower part of the walls remain, but it was wonderful to see. Later, we drove up to to the River Jordan and were able to wade into the cool waters of the river.

The Garden of Gethsemane is at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The peaceful garden is among a grove of ancient olive trees, that look back at the eastern wall of the City of Jerusalem. We were able to wander among the trees. Some of the trees in the garden have been there for over 2000 years.


Our last evening in Jerusalem was spent at the Garden Tomb. This was a favorite of our family's. Each of us got to enter the tomb for a few moments. Even with the amount of people visiting, it was fairly quiet. We stayed until it started to become evening.

This trip has been a dream for a long time and we are so grateful that we were able to share this with our daughter. We will not forget our wondrous days in Israel.