We, of coarse, set off for a different site and found ourselves somewhere else. We were going to go to the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, but when we got there at 2:50, we found out they closed at 3, and there wasn't any parking. Luckily, this city is full of incredible sites, usually just around the corner. This time, just around the corner was the beautiful and holy Garden Tomb. We found an awesome parking place and as we walked to the Garden Tomb I said to Seth, "Isn't it great that when one site is closed, another site is open for us?" Seth smiled and said,"That is the metaphor for our life." The day before we had been told by the Ministry of Health that they would not allow Seth to be given treatment, and so we both smiled at each other, wondering what is the next door that will be open to us.
The Garden Tomb is believed by many to be the garden and sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore a possible site of the resurrection of Jesus. The Garden is owned and administered by The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association, a Christian non-denominational charitable trust based in the United Kingdom (from the Garden Tomb Website)
The Garden Tomb, to those of our faith and many others, believe this to be the site of where Christ was crucified and resurrected. It is truly a holy place. The Bible says that Christ was crucified outside the city walls at place called Golgotha. Behind us in the picture below, is the hill, just outside the city walls the Romans used for crucifixion. The Bible translates the word "Golgotha" as "the place of the skull." If you look at the stone hill behind us it looks like a skull.
This is the Tomb, believed to be the "sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea," where Jesus was laid and where he was ressurected three days later.
I wanted to take a picture of each of the kids at the tomb, for their keepsake. Here they are. Sam is too big to stand at the entry and Jake isn't trying to be sacrilegious, he's just three.
Here we all are, but the sun was really hot, so we're not sure we are happy to be staring into the sun.
So grateful to be with our little family at such an incredible site.
Inside the tomb.
On the door is the beautiful word,"He is not here, for He is risen."A gift to us all.
We sat together at the side of the tomb to enjoy the quiet spirit of this place. The Garden Tomb is located outside of Damascus Gate, a very popular gate with many shops and noisy streets surrounding it. But by just stepping into the Garden, all of the noise goes away. It is peaceful and beautiful. Hymns of many different dominations are heard throughout as believers sing their quite praises.
After walking through the garden we sat up above the tomb and sang the first verse of "I know that my Redmeer lives" and "I am a child of God." My kids won't remember much, but maybe they will remember that. After, Seth told Sam and Ellie that when he was here 17 years ago, he had picked a little rosemary sprig from the garden and had pressed it in his scriptures and that he still has it at home. He told Sam and Ellie that could do the same. Sam walked off and a bit later came back. He said he had found something. And without knowing, had found the same rosemary and had a little piece of it. We had to smile that they both had picked the same thing. His piece will be pressed and put in his scriptures too. Seth said he was really glad the museum was closed...the garden is where we were to be.
And when you are three, you don't really get it, but Jake was happy to be able to walk around outdoors, yet away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
After a nice hour or so at the Garden Tomb, we left and Seth said he wasn't quite ready to go home yet. He wanted to take the kids to the Agrippa Street Market, also known as the Shuk.
The Shuk is " a marketplace (originally open-air, but now at least partially covered) in Jerusalem, Israel. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market's more than 250 vendors[2] sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; and housewares, textiles, and Judaica." (Wikipedia).
We had a super fun time walking through the market. We even had some awesome fish and chips there for dinner. I have been craving it ever since, and I don't really even like fish and chips.
Jayne "loving" the fish market smell. Seth and Sam showing the view of one of the market streets.
I loved that in the middle of the busy market, sat these guys, continuing their game.
I took this picture because this is where the Seth and I had falafels last fall when we were in Israel. Pretty incredible to be here now with these monkeys.
It proved to a great day of really neat sites. The littles fell asleep on the way home as our day turned into evening.
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