Greetings
Shalom (Hebrew)
Salaam (Arabic)
Here we are, after all these months of planning, in Jerusalem. First
of all, thanks so very much to all of you for your
support. Please keep us in your prayers, as we are sure that you
are. We also are keeping you in our prayers. Thanks so very much for
all your support - helping with soup sales, car washes, chicken
barbecues, and so on. So very many of you helped. And thanks for
all those who purchased stuff - making all the events so successful.
In addition to the grace of God, it took many hands to get us here.
We have a hectic schedule. After a safe and uneventful plane ride, we
arrived at the College at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, giving us a bit of
time to unpack. Then we met our pilgrimage Team - Abunna Kamal (the
Course Director), George (our Guide), Nael (a Deacon who is serving as
Chaplain), and Henry (our Driver). The are kind and generous of
heart. A short walk away was the Cafe Europe, where we had lunch.
The highlight was the hummus.
Then we all piled into a van for a whirlwind trip through the hills
around Jerusalem. The centerpiece was a visit to the Mount of Olives,
which offers a wonderful panorama of the Old City of Jerusalem. This
was very helpful by giving us an overview of many of the places that
we will be visiting.
By the time you read this on Sunday morning, we will have attended a
joint Arabic/English Holy Eucharist at St. George's Cathedral. The
reason for combining the two services is that the new Bishop Coadjutor
will be making his visit formal visit tomorrow to the Cathedral. We
also will have walked through the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as
visiting the excavations of the old City of David.
Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
Blessings from:
The Group of Four (Allie Boron, Olivia Chopra, Jordan Gibson, and
Jared Northrup)
and the Adults (Elizabeth, Dan, and Fr. Earle)
The
group on the Mount of Olives, with the Old City of Jerusalem in the
background. The Dome of the Rock is in the center.
Olivia
and Allie. The photo is toward the north, with the Old City in the
distance.
Looking
toward the north, the Kedron Valley is in the center of the photo. The
Old City is to the left, and the Mount of Olives to the right.
The
guys, with the Old City of Jerusalem in the background (looking north).
Left to right: Jared, Nael (Chaplain), George (Guide), and Jordan.
