Today was a significant day. There was so much that I don't really know where to start. We explored the City of David today. Most significantly of that exploration was visiting the Wailing Wall. When you arrive at the Wall you go through security, since it is a religious hot spot. Keep in mind this is the closest that the Jews can get to the original location of the Holy of Holies. Its all they have left of Solomon's temple.
Men and women have different sections to pray at the wall. The men's side is what you see typically in pictures and documentaries. As you approach your head must be covered. If you have a hat of your own that is great, if not they have one you can borrow. We went up to the Wall and took some pictures, but something happened there to us guys (well, at least to me). I felt drawn by God to the Wall to pray. I laid my hands on it and prayed for God to refine me with His fire. I prayed He would mold me into the leader He called me to be. I prayed He would break me. My prayer is being answered. I'm changing inside and I don't know how. I'm not sure how this will pan out when I get home, I'm leaving it completely in God's hands.
We then had the opportunity to go visit the Dead Sea Scrolls. This was an amazing opportunity! No pictures allowed, since the 2,100 year old scrolls are sensitive to light. The Isaiah scroll, which is the most significant of them, was not on display. Instead they had a replica of it, which was amazingly detailed. Other artifacts there from the Esscene community were very interesting. There was even a Bible that was dated back to 1300 AD.
For lunch we went to the German side of town. There I had my first international McDonalds experience. I ordered a Double Cheeseburger meal, figured you can't screw that up. Well, double cheeseburgers at McDonalds in Israel are larger than a double Whopper at an American Burger King. They were HUGE. Still though, McDonalds is crap no matter where you eat it. Blah. Totally threw off my balanced eating experience. I'll stick to Mediteranian and Middle Eastern food for the remainder of the trip.
Our last stop of the day was definitely one that left us all in silent reflection for a little while, and it would probably be fair to say none of us left this location without shedding a few tears while there. We visited Israel's National Holocaust Memorial. Books like "Night" by Wiesel, documentaries on the History Channel, and even the graphic depiction of the camps in films like "Band of Brothers" do not even begin to describe the atrocity that the Jews suffered under the Third Riech.
As I walked through the Memorial in silence I saw Jew and Gentile crying for those who suffered. The end was the most emotional for me. It was the childrens memorial. 1,500,000 children died in the holocaust. One and a half million. How did they make tribute to these children? They made them the light of the universe. They made them stars.
We walked through the memorial for the children and I cannot describe it in any other way than it was as if you were standing in the middle of the galaxy looking at the millions of stars. Everything was black except these stars, which had the illusion of being three deminsional points of light. It was breath taking and really put into perspective exactly how many children died.
As we were walking out, this lone sculpture was on the wall outside. Though its meaning was different than my interpretation, it still held the same value. To me, it was a sculpture of God embracing His children in deep pain that they were suffering. He was drawing them near to Him, because of His love.
~Skinny~
McDonald's in The Dominican was the same haha.
ReplyDeletestill praying for ya Dan, come home safe.