Today, we went back to the Western Wall for the second time to tour an underground tunnel that ran along the bottom of the outside of Herod's temple. Original Herodian stones, some weighing more than 300 tons, remain on top of the bedrock. After our tour and a quick walk to the eastern side of the Temple Mount, we boarded our bus for the drive to Masada, an ancient desert fortress on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea that was built by King Herod. The fortress served as a refuge for the Jews after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but the 900 who fled to Masada were eventually overtaken by about 15,000 Roman soldiers after a long siege. Masada overlooks the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, but the mountain top fortress itself is above sea level.

Next, we traveled North to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered about 60 years ago. These ancient scrolls date back to 100 BC. Previous to their discovery, the earliest known scrolls dated to 900 AD. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls confirms the accuracy of the Old Testament scriptures, including the book of Isaiah and its many important Messianic prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus.

Our final stop for the day was on the Northern shore of the Dead Sea. We regained our childlike faith by playing in the mud and floating in the water. The Dead Sea is not only 1300 feet below sea level, but its water is 26% salt. It was impossible to sink, and even difficult to stand. We painted ourselves with mud from the bottom of the sea, which is supposed to have many healthy attributes – except for your eyes!

The day ended with our final dinner in Israel, and afterwards we all discussed how God revealed himself in different ways to each individual. We want to thank Chris and Mark for their shared wisdom and teachings and we know this trip will make a lasting difference in each of our lives.

SEE YOU SOON! : 

-Ariel Dennis

-Duncan Wiesemann

-John Purlee

-Jason Walton

Today was the next to the last day of our trip. We started off by entering the "old city" and visiting the Temple Mt. area of the Muslim Quarter. It's in this location where the temple used to stand and where the Dome of the Rock currently stands. Towards the east, facing the Mt. of Olives, we saw the Golden Gate. The Golden Gate is where the second coming of Christ will take place. From there we moved on to the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a paralytic. Sitting next to this site is St. Anne's which is the traditional site of the virgin Mary's birth. We soon exited the Muslim Quarter and moved in the Christian Quarter where we started down the "Via Dolorosa", which is the road down which Jesus carried the cross. Along this road we stopped at several stations of the cross to include where Jesus fell, where Simon was ordered to carry the cross and where Veronica wiped the blood from his face. We ended our journey at the Tomb of the Holy Sepluchre, one of the traditional locations of Jesus's tomb. Walking the road gave us a sense of how busy it was and what it was like for Jesus to walk through the crowd towards Calvary. It was very emotional and truly humbling. We finished the day by entering the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Our first stop was the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall. This is the only part of the old temple you can still touch and brings people of all nations to a central location to pray. After dividing the ladies and the men, we put on our yahmikas and approached the wall where we were able to pray and leave notes and prayers at the wall. Our next stop was the Southern Steps where we know Jesus stood and entered through the gates. Our last stop of the day was the Garden Tomb, which is the second suggested site of the burial of Jesus. It was a much more simple place, very peaceful. We ended our visit with communion in the garden, the perfect way to end an emotional day.

-Justin Ellis

Blog update from the Post - Southeast Christian on Vimeo.

Welcome to Day 6 of your journey in Israel with us. Strap on your sandals as we embark on a powerful day in Jerusalem. Come join us now…

Today we started with a walk from the top of the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended (Acts 1) and headed down towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way we took in the view of the Golden Gate and the wall to the Old City of Jerusalem, remembering the prophecy that Jesus would die for man (Zachariah 12:10) and reading through the Second Coming of Jesus (Zachariah 14:1-4).

Our next steps took us on a reflective walk through the Garden of Gethsemane. There we read through Mark 14:32-50 and prayed. Imagine yourself sitting where the disciples sat watching Jesus. Would you fall asleep when He asked you to pray? Even thinking in your life today… have you fallen asleep in your prayer life and missed out on what He wants you to pray about?

Our journey continues with some important Jewish history with a visit to Yad Vashem (a Holocaust museum and memorial). A dark spot in Jewish history, it helped us to remember what those before us (those that we got our roots from) have gone through.

We continued on to the Israel Museum to see excerpts from the Dead Sea Scrolls and a large replica model of Jerusalem giving us an idea of what the city looked like in 60 A.D.

Our last stop on today’s journey was in the City of David- we saw Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Flashlights in hand, and water shoes on, we were actually able to walk through the tunnel. How amazing to think that it took an entire community to build. Here is another thought to meditate on: “We cannot change the world, but we can help change the part of it God has given us to work with.”

We have enjoyed great fellowship time together today and have truly experienced the steps of Jesus. Thanks for checking in on us, we are seeing some amazing things that God has done, and every one of us will come back changed.

For His Glory,

-Susan and Laura 

Hey everyone, we have arrived in Jerusalem.  What an unbelievable city.  Today we saw the upper room, David’s tomb, and wht is to believed to be the site of Jesus trial before Ciaphas.  Last night we reached the halfway point of our journey together.  We spent some time sharing and it is neat to hear how God has been working in our lives.  One of my favorite things about these trips is how God sneaks into the margins.   You expect a spot to move people and instead it is a conversation on the bus or an unexpected testimony.  God is good and his goodness shines in this land.

Sorry about the delays in posting videos we have not been able to find good bandwidth.  I was able to upload a video today so I thought we would show a lighthearted moment from our friend Luke from Arizona who joined us for this trip. Keep us in your prayers and we will see you soon. 

-Chris