Bethlehem, The Christmas Church, Lunch at the Bannoura FamilyHome, and The Herodium

Sunday, June 12

Today, we drove to Bethlehem in Palestine and attended morning worship at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church. 

We arrived a bit early so decided to walk through the old part of town and the open air markets. It was a beautiful morning!

The market was bustling, but perhaps not as much as it normally would because of it being Ramadan and almost all of the cafes and restaurants being closed down. Still, we had a great time and saw a ton of interesting things! There was such a friendly atmosphere and everyone smiled or waved as we smiled and walked by.

When it was time for the service to begin, we arrived back at the church. The service was in Arabic, but the minister did summarize his sermon for us in English. We sang both familiar and unfamiliar tunes and the music was both contemporary and traditional. The church itself is the oldest Lutheran Church in Palestine and one of the six Lutheran churches in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan. It was built 1886-1893 and the 1890 Berlin organ was restored in 2000.

After the service, we stayed for the coffee hour and made some friends. Then, we drove to the Bannoura family's home where we had a delicious lunch and a super fun time together. It was the young son Jiha's eighth birthday today so we all sang him "Happy Birthday" and he was SO EXCITED and HAPPY! 

We observed the seasoned chicken and potatoes being put into the family's hot stone oven.

Fr. Rob and Ed sealed the oven with wet mud. David got to unseal the stone oven when it was done. It seemed that it was only in the oven fr 20 minutes and it was amazingly delicious when it came out. Traditional salads were served wile we were waiting on the chicken to cook and a cool refreshing drink which was a mix of lemonade, bergamot, and mint. 

There is so much to be said for forming a community and this trip has really done that for our pilgrims. In addition to making new and lifelong friends with the St. James Episcopal in Hendersonville group, our own Louisiana group has bonded well and deepened relationships with each other. Helping each other, laughing with each other, seeing each other's amazement and/or emotional reactions to holy sites, these things have all sown our threads of friendship together. It is such a blessing to be with one another. Here we are pictured with our guides and the Bannoura family.

After lunch, everyone was full and sleepy/goofy as we drove to the Herodium. Once there, most in the group hiked up to the top of the mount to see Herod's structures and then hiked via extremely steep steps through the system of cisterns to the level of Herod's tomb. The mount provides a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside and gives one a sense of how wealthy and strong Herod was. He had built a fortress, a palace, and a small town here, 2487 feet above sea level. 

Herod was considered one of the greatest builders of his time and was not afraid of geography so a small mountain was just fine. We saw ruins of a Roman bath house with the separate rooms (caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium) and a theatre which Herod used to entertain his guests.

It was extremely hot and everyone seemed quite spent so we headed back to St. George's Cathedral. The NC group leaves tonight and the LA group will walk the via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) tomorrow morning. We will be leaving at 5:45 and there will not be any photos or videos from that event. It is purely a worship experience. 

Above: Woman holding taboon bread

Below: The figs here are GIGANTIC

Bethphage, Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, St. Peter's in Gallicantu, the Dead Sea, and Gathering Together

Today, the North Carolina pilgrims got up and left very early to pray the Stations of the Cross in the Old City while the Louisiana pilgrims gathered a little later to walk the "Palm Sunday Walk" from Bethphage (Beth = house / Phage = figs) on the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane.

We began as close as we could to where Jesus is said to have mounted the donkey to ride into Jerusalem. It was a walk of mixed emotion from jubilation intermingled with the anxiety and coming doom of the cross. The present Bethphage church was built in 1883 on the remains of older churches – a Byzantine church and above it ruins of a church from Crusader times. Inside the church is the Memorial Stone of Bethphage. 

Starting at the Bethphage Church, Steven Roberts blessed our olive branches and we read scripture, prayed, and sang "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" as we walked.

There is a beautiful painting inside the church depicting Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

Next, we walked downward toward the Old City past the Mount of Olives cemetery, an extremely large Jewish burial area. 

It was a steep descent towards Gethsemane in the Kidron Valley, but everyone was able to manage. We stopped at the Dominus Flevit (Our Lord wept) Church or the "Tear Drop" church.

There are tear bottles at each of the four corners to represent the tradition of gathering tears for the departed.

There was a super wonderful panoramic view of Jerusalem from this church and one can see the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount from here.

Continuing our walk, we headed down to the church built over the Garden of Gethsemane. While the word Gethsemane means "place of the olive press" and the actual garden is the entire huge area, there was a smaller garden full of olive trees, giant roses, bougainvillea, hollyhocks, and more. 

Some of the olive trees in the garden are the oldest known to science and have regenerated after 800-900 years. So, the trees we see there may be the grandtrees of the ones in Jesus' time. They are noble and reverent in their silent peace. 

Next to this garden is the Church of All Nations, also known as the Sanctuary of the Agony of Jesus Christ and The Basilica of Gethsemane. 

Inside, there is a lage slab of bedrock that is said to be where Jesus prayed before he was to be arrested. Many pilgrims were on the same path as our group today and many knelt at this rock and prayed earnestly.

Our final pilgrim site of the day was to the Church of St. Peter's in Gallicantu. Gallicantu means "cock's crow" and the weather vane is a rooster. It is a lovely church set on top of ruins of caves and dungeon areas and beside lengthy steps leading down into Jerusalem. Jesus walked these steps. 

The church location is also associated with the High Priest Caiaphas' palace. The church belongs to the Assumptionist Fathers, a French order established in 1887 and named for Mary's Assumption into heaven.

Now it was time for lunch and our pilgrims had a quick meal at the Notre Dame Center before dispersing to either walk in the old city or have a two hour break before heading out to the Dead Sea. 

In reading ahead about the Dead Sea, I found the following post interesting:
"Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Dead Sea"

It was 43 degrees out at the sea and this equals 109.5  It's safe to say it was HOT.
Half of our pilgrims waded in the water and several more floated (they tried to swim) in the sea. The other half enjoyed cool beverages and some social time. As Earth's lowest place of elevation on land, the shore is 1388 feet below sea level. Did I mention it was hot?!

After this exciting adventure, we gathered at Iyad Qumri's house in Jericho for a fabulous dinner and some down time! What amazing and generous hospitality! At the beginning of our pilgrimage, during our first meeting together, we selected a prayer partner from folded papers and prayed for them the entire trip. Since the NC group leave early, we revealed out partners tonight. 

Gifts were exchanged between prayer partners and gifts were also given from the whole group to Iyad Qumri, Omar "the Magnificent" (our driver), John Peterson, and Canon Mark Stanger.

HERE is today's video collage! :-)

Burqin, Nablus, Jacob's Well, Taybeh, Kanafe, and Beer

Friday, June 9
This morning, the Sisters of Nazareth made us a great breakfast and we set out early in separate groups (NC / LA).  Our Louisiana pilgrims drove through the region of Mt. Gilboa and mountains of Gilboe.

Gilboa means boiling springs or bubbling springs.

It was an unusual ride. Today being Ramadan and a Friday, all of the streets were empty and almost everything was shut down. An Israeli checkpoint had also been closed so we took a slightly longer route to reach our destination. No tourists were anywhere in site except our group. 

Our first stop was the village of Burqin in Palestine. It is a small, picturesque, and hilly townlet of about 7,000 people. It is said that Jesus passed through Burqin from Jerusalem to Nazareth and on his way, he heard cries from ten lepers who were quarantined in a cave. The first church on the site was built in the 4th century by the Byzantines. Only a handful of Christian families still live in the town. 

We walked up a very steep hill to the Burqin church (also named St. George's Church.) It is a Greek Orthodox Church and considered to be the 5th oldest Christian holy place. In addition to Jesus' miracle of healing the ten lepers, another miracle is said to have taken place by St. Georagios (George) involving the saint's appearing to a badly-behaved schoolboy awaiting his teacher's forgiveness so he would not longer be mute.

Our next adventure was a drive through beautiful Samaria and to the city of Nablus. Nablus (nea-polis / new city) is also known as Shechem. This is a large Palestinian city (originally founded by Vespasian) and holds one of the largest universities in the Palestine areas. 

Here we visited another gorgeous place: St. Photini the Greek Orthodox Monastery. 
St. Photini is remembered as the Samaritan woman at the well who drew water for Jesus. She accepted the "living water" from Christ. Photini means "The Enlightened One".

This church is also the home of Jacob's Well underneath the main sanctuary. One can still draw and drink fresh water from it, though it does involved a bit of heavy lifting.Think of the people who go to wells daily and wait in lines to draw water they must walk back to their homes. It is not easy.

Our group got to hear how long it takes (4-5 seconds) for water to fall down the well and learned that it is 133 feet deep. Scripture was read and then we drew water from the well and enjoyed a cool and refreshing drink of it.

Fr. Justinian, the priest, is an elderly man who has been responsible for restoring and maintaining the church. He is an expert iconographer and the church is filled with his beautiful work alongside Byzantine era mosaics and more. He is a very sweet man.

Fr. Justinian walks by his own tomb every day - he says it keeps him humble - and will be at rest one day underneath his artwork and the church he so dearly loves.

It was time for dessert.....wait  BEFORE lunch?! 
Of course! We stopped at a kanafeh shop and got to see it being made. Large machines separate shredded wheat into long strings which are then rolled together with a slightly sweet mixture of goat and cow cheeses and then baked, soaked in honey water, and topped with pistachio ganache. One can rarely say no to kanafeh. 

Next we continued through the West Bank to Taybeh, the last all-Christian Community in the West Bank and home of the Taybeh Brewing Company. 

Not only do they make great beers, wines, olive oils, and soaps, but they are the first Palestinian brewery and export to many places around the world. They have 15 people on staff and must endure unpredictable electrical, water, and other shortages - all out of their control. They also have tough times exporting their beer but we saw firsthand their resilience and positive, hopeful outlook. They use malt from France, yeasts from England, and hops from the Czech Republic. They use local fresh spring water and they put back energy and hope into the local community. "If we were to get up and leave, there would be no hope for the future." said our host. 

Everyone enjoyed tasting the beer and learning about the process of making it and the community of Taybeh. Taybeh basically means "delicious".
Speaking of delicious.... now our lunch was served and WOW - today's delicacy was Musakhan. 

It is a small chicken roasted slowly with caramelized onions, sumac, olive oil, a few spices, and is laid on top of a lightly toasted pita. Here is a recipe! You're welcome in advance! :-)

Our last stop today was the St. George's Orthodox Christian Church at Ephraim. It was in ruins, but is still used by the local Orthodox Christian community. The community is one of two existing Christian churches that still really do make sacrifices as offerings of thanks to God. We saw evidence of this. When they want to give thanks to God, they sacrifice a lamb and take 1/4 for themselves and give 3/4 away to the poor in the local community. 

We are now back at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem and will meet for dinner at 7:00 PM. After such a busy and physically active few days, it is nice to have a few hours of rest before gathering again!

HERE is today's video collage!  

:-)

Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, Eucharist on Mt. Hermon, Capernaum, Tabgha, and the Church of the Primacy of Peter

Thursday, June 9
Today was absolutely packed and we left early again. I must say that while many of our pilgrims (myself included) are definitely not "morning people", leaving early has enabled us to arrive at various destinations without too much traffic, too many other tourists, and lets us do many things without the main heat of the day. It is a thoughtful organization by Qumri Pilgrimages that everyone appreciates.

We began with a drive north to the area across the Sea of Galilee from Golan Heights and the Syrian region where we were yesterday. Along the way, we passed the via Maris which was an ancient (Bronze Age) trade route from Egypt to Baghdad and connecting with our travel today, ran through Migdal (also known as Magdala - from where Mary Magdalene is assumed to be) and Capernaum. We descended below sea level again and entered the tropical zone. Most exotic fruits can be grown here and we saw tropical birds, badgers, and lizards.

We headed to the Jordan river where we renewed our Baptismal vows, got our feet wet, sang, and more!

Next, we drove to the Sea of Galilee which is really a lake. It is also know by the names Lake Gennesaret and even Lake Tiberius. It is the largest fresh water lake in Israel and gather seven tributary springs, each supplying huge quantities of water, into one as it moves northward through Jordan.  Several rods also converge where the sea is and then go up to Damascus and then Baghdad. 
It is truly beautiful!

We visited the Synagogue at Capernaum and saw the ruins. The synagogue as it appeared in 381 was described by the Spanish pilgrim, the Lady Egeria, who reported that the way into the structure was up many steps, and that the building was made of dressed stone. (Archaeology in Israel). One very interesting side note we learned today is that Egeria was on a pilgrimage in the 300's, recording her travels visiting religious sites and that was the earliest recorded trip of its kind.

We saw the ruins (above) and an octagonal church from the 5th century which had been built over the original 4th century church. This next photo (below) is of a mantle stone depicting the Ark of the Covenant. John Peterson told a few of us about this and we would not have noticed it or its significance if he had not!

Next came a difficult, yet very rewarding part of the pilgrimage. It hasn't been easy walking in the great heat and on pathways that are slightly or moderately difficult. Today, the group rode the bus up, read the Beatitudes, and then walked down Mt. Hermon, stopping at a refreshingly shady tree to celebrate Eucharist, and then walked the rest of the way down. It was steep, but we did it! It made the service very special. 

One of the things that is making this pilgrimage very meaningful is the reading of the scriptures that have to do with the very places we are seeing and experiencing. It really puts everything into context for us all and gives us an image of how it would have taken place. Plus, it is relevant simply by matching the places.

Lunch was in a townlet called Tanureen between Migdal and Tiberius. Most people had the delicious fried fish and a variety of salads. The Arabic coffee, with its unique and strong flavor was also offered and is a favorite

After lunch, we asked Iyad if we could see the place where Jesus took a nap :-) He said it was "on the way home" Someone also decided to buy him a toy lizard since he likes them so much (he does not like them so it made for a nice practical joke.)

We drove to the church (above) that remembers and celebrates the feeding of the 5,000 - the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. It was called Tabgha (Hyptapegon, which means seven springs). It was here that we saw an old mosaic that is very famous featuring two fish and four loaves. 

Why four, we wondered? Because one is assumed to have been on the altar. As Canon Mark Stanger reminded us "The Eucharist isn't the last supper, but is remembering the living fellowship. All the meal fellowship is recalled in the Eucharist" Someone noted a paraphrase of St. Augustine "Be what you see, receive who you are" YOU are the living fellowship of Christ. Once in time, for all time. The Franciscan group that watches over the sanctuay at Tabgha is the Tabgha Priory on the Sea of Gennesaret.

Later, we went to the Church of the Primacy of Peter. In the ninth century, it was called "The Church of the Charcoal". It is a Franciscan Church. From the front, it looks like a normally built church, but around the back, there is a huge stone foundation. The stone coming out of the sea and jutting out of the side of the church is to represent "Upon this rock, will I build my church."

Our next destination was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was very relaxing, we had lots of fun!

Here is today's video collage.  

It's a bit longer than most days because we had a sermon, renewal of vows, singing, and SO MUCH MORE all packed in!