Sorry So Late!!!

Hello Everyone From Jerusalem,

A few days ago we made it up to Jerusalem, the beautiful capital of Israel and home to the City of David and the Temple Mount.  A little update: we left Galilee and headed south for the Dead Sea where we floated for a few hours.  Some of the group got excited and bought Ahava Dead Sea Mud and lathered themselves with it before jumping in Yam Memelch (Dead Sea).  In the Judean Desert we climbed the famous Masada where King Herod built his vacation/hideout palace.  Masada provides a place to see well preserved artifacts and a view of the Dead Sea like no other.

After Masada we headed north toward the holy city of Jerusalem.  We have been touring here since Saturday, and we have been blessed by the good weather and the middle eastern food.  

Jerusalem's splendor is eternal and her beauty has no end.  The Talmud says, "Ten measures of beauty descended to the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem and on by the rest of the world."  The group has been captivated by the history of Jerusalem, from the remains of the City of David on Mount Zion to the bullet marks on the walls surrounds Zion's Gate from the Six Day War in 1967.  We traveled the same path Jesus might have taken, sat on the steps Jesus must have climbed, and stood on the Temple Mount where Jesus might have stood.  We have been busy moving from site to site and God has blessed every step.

Today we assisted the archeologists and workers from the Temple Mount Salvage Project.  Click Here to find out more information on the Salvage Project.  Let me just say, our group found 3 ancient coins that could date back to the 2nd Temple Period, and yours truly found a 1st Temple Pottery Shard.  We spent the whole day digging with the attempt to salvage the remains of dirt pulled from the Temple Mount.  We were blessed to have Dr. Barkay stop by the site while we were helping.  Dr. Barkay is the head over the Salvage Project and a world famous archeologist.  

We are fast approaching the end of our trip, tomorrow is the last day of touring and on Wednesday we head back to the states.  Thank you for your prays and please continue to pray for our group.  Your prayers have certainly blessed our group over the past 4 weeks.

With Love,

Chris