Israel

It is end of April and I am overwhelmed with studying for finals and writing papers. Probably the worst time for a weekend trip, yet me and three other friends decide to cross the border over to Israel. We are technically only about 45 minutes from Jerusalem but it took us a total of 4 hours to get there due to the 6 passport controls we had to go thru. The passport control was very time consuming but once we were in, getting to the Hostel did not take long. We stayed at Citadel Youth Hostel where you have the option of sleeping on the roof, which we definitely did. Then immediately changed our minds after figuring out it gets extremely cold at night. And never mind the fact the one of the nights I spent awake and working on one of my papers.

Upon entering the walls of the new city in Jerusalem, I was completely overwhelmed (the fun and exciting kind of overwhelmed) walking down the Suq alleys. Our time there was short so we had no time to spare. We immediately went to an information center in search of a map and mapped out our routes for the weekend. During our short time there we saw the Garden of Gethsemane, climbed the Mt. of Olives, Mount Zion, saw the place where Mary lived after the crucifixion of Jesus, saw the church when Jesus went to be crucified, where he was laid down after the crucifixion, where he was buried, saw Shindler’s grave, King David’s quarters, the west wall, and the much disputed Dome of the Rock.

Strange was, seeing orthodox Jews walking around. Strange was, seeing the difference in the Jew, Christian and Muslim quarters. Strange was, walking among people who believe so strongly in what they do, that they’re willing to live in war. Many ask me if I could feel the “Holiness” of Jesus walking around Jerusalem. My answer: No. What I felt was sadness over the conflict. During our excursions we kept running into T-shirt shops that read logos such as “I got stoned in Gaza…” and “Did you mean Palestine” when typing Jerusalem into Google’s web search. The damage done to people’s lives there is beyond repair because their minds are so engraved with entitlement. Until Jesus comes back and fulfills his promises to restore his people, Jerusalem will not know peace.

Being in Israel and getting to see Jerusalem was a great experience. I really enjoyed walking the Holy Land and taking pictures of the places Jesus once dwelled in. If I learned anything during this trip it was that procrastination is not worth an all-nighter and that the only Holy place we will find on earth is within us.