Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The beginning of our Pilgrimage

Salaam and Shalom,
After a long but smooth travel experience from Columbus to Israel through JFK airport in New York City, my travelling companions and I arrived yesterday in Jerusalem and are comfortable at the Al Hashimi hotel inside the walls of the old city. We had a "political tour" scheduled for most of today beginning at 10:00 a.m. with Abu - he spoke passionately about the situation here from the perspective of the Palestinian people who are constantly harassed, inconvenienced, and are slowly being driven out of their own neighborhoods. It was very sad.
        We began our day with a self-guided tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditionally held site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The crowds were very low - we were able to see a lot and take many pictures. I will post some on the blog soon.
        We are very thankful for the people that we are meeting along the way - hotel staff who are so kind, wait staff at restaurants, drivers who excel in squeezing vans through tiny spaces on crowded streets, and local men, women and children of all faiths whose lives are not so much unlike our own. The Jewish festival of Succoth, or "Festival of the Booths" is coming up, which explains why there are a lot of Jewish pilgrims here. I just hope and pray for the day when the peace of God overcomes hatred and death.
Until next time - Pastor Wolfe

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