From Grace

Hello family and friends! Grace here. Today was a long and eventful day! We woke up bright and early to make our way to the Holy City of Jerusalem. When we arrived, we immediately began touring. The great part about our guide was that she not only shared the historical significance of each destination, but also the biblical significance.

Our first stop of many was the Mount of Olives. This is where Jesus ascended into heaven. We walked around the top and were able to see the whole city. Interesting fact: some of us even got to ride a camel! On the mount were hundreds of graves. These were for the Jews who desired to be some of the first to go into heaven when Jesus returns; it costs $50,000 to be buried there.

The next stop was the church that was built over where Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. The Lord's Prayer was engraved along the walls in over 150 languages, including four or five languages written in Braille! That was impressive.

Our third stop, and one of my favorites, was the Garden of Gethsemane. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for very long but we were able to get some pictures. The olive trees were so beautiful. Next, we visited the Church of Gethsemane. Inside was the very rock that Jesus wept and prayed upon the night he was arrested. Many of us knelt before it and prayed. This was definitely one of my favorite destinations.

Our day has been so busy that I haven't had much of a chance to process and take in everything I saw and experienced. This was the opportunity of a lifetime and I am so glad that we visited and toured the city. Our God is an amazing God!