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The Challenge of Being PresentThe walk down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane was wonderful and felt adventurous, but if I’m being transparent, I was distracted by the cars driving by, the people around me, and the responsibilities of the day. We arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane and had 30 minutes to meditate and pray, but my mind was swirling. It was so surreal to be in an ancient garden in
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Gaining a New Perspective (by Jessica Stallbaum)Early in the morning, we were driven to the very top of the Mount of Olives. The view was breathtaking. From that elevation, we could see so many of the places we had recently visited on our sojourn across Israel. The Dome of the Rock with its multimillion dollar gold overlay was glistening in the sun in the distance whereas, in contrast, in the foreground, there were thousands of
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Visiting the Mount of BeatitudesWe visited the Mount of the Beatitudes, and this is the place where the feeding of the 5,000 happened and where Jesus preached His longest recorded sermon. There is a beautiful church sitting on top of the hill in the place where people would have sat listening to Jesus. Inside the church is a wonderful mosaic depicting loaves and fish.Jessica at the Mount of Beatitudes The Altar at Tabgha Closeup of
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Exploring Our New SurroundingsWe visited The Church of Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel and a re-creation of Nazareth Village just outside of the church. The Church of Annunciation is a place that commemorates the Virgin Mary’s visitation by the angel Gabriel and the announcement that she would give birth to the Messiah. If you look at the table, behind it is a staircase. This is from a real home from 2,000 years ago. No one knows
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Ready for takeoff!We have left the western world we are so used to. Gone are the familiar faces, clothing, smells, and foods of home, as we enter Israel. Israel is so different. Standing in one spot, you have the opportunity to simultaneously hear a Muslim call to worship, Christian church bells, and Jewish prayers at the Western Wall, and we did. Despite the cultural differences, there is something so familiar here. It’s what ties us