I built in two days of recovery after the Ecclesia tour with Breaking Bread Journeys to visit with dear local friends before heading onward to Uganda. I had the chance to wander a bit more in the Old City, and here are some treasures I discovered along the way.
Today on the fifth day of Ecclesia Houston’s tour with Breaking Bread Journeys, we were up early to beat the crowds in the Old City. We enjoyed eerily empty passageways in the Muslim Quarter as we made pilgrimage through the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa. Our journey on “The Way of Sorrows” ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We then made our way to the Armenian Quarter where we learned that the quarter traces its history back to the Armenian pilgrims who moved to Jerusalem in the fourth century. Next on our schedule was a tour of the Garden Tomb, a rock-cut tomb in Jerusalem which was unearthed in 1867 and has subsequently been considered by many Christians to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. We ended the evening by enjoying wine tasting at the Jerusalem Wine Expo featuring 40 of Israel’s best wineries. Here’s some of what I captured along the way.
I’m shooting for Ecclesia Houston on our tour with Breaking Bread Journeys. Today’s expedition took us to the ruins of the world’s oldest city, Jericho, where we saw excavations of its ancient walls and towers. We then rode the cable cars up to Qarantal to wander the narrow passages of the Greek Orthodox monastery nestled in the mountain’s cliffs. Pastor Chris Seay read to the group Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptation on the mountain where we stood. Next we learned more about the Dead Sea Scrolls at the location of their discovery in Qumran and walked through the archaeological site where evidence of the Jewish Essene community is presented. The afternoon brought us to Jerusalem where we took a walk into the Old City through the New Gate just after sunset. While in the Old City we had a chance to wander in the labyrinthine Church of the Holy Sepulcher. To conclude the evening’s itinerary we made our way southeast across the winding alleyways of the Old City to the Jewish Quarter. There we came upon the Western Wall, the only surviving part of Solomon’s Temple. High winds that stirred up dust and sand made for interesting atmospheric conditions throughout the day.
Continuing our tour with Breaking Bread Journeys, we left Nazareth and headed to Cana (see previous post for this morning’s wedding). Next we went to the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee; this was the site where Jesus delivered his famous Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Chris Seay read us the sermon in its entirety while the group meditated in silent reflection. We learned that the Sea of Galilee is actually a lake— in fact, the world’s lowest fresh water lake, well below sea level. We then enjoyed a lakeside lunch where many of the group tried the locally famous St. Peter’s Fish, followed by a walk at water’s edge. Afterward, we embarked upon a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. A highlight for the group: the captain cut the engines and we floated quietly on the windswept waters for a few minutes as we prayed in silent meditation.
I had the honor of shooting my first wedding today. The bride & groom had been engaged for some time but spontaneously decided to get married just yesterday. They didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to make their wedding vows at such a meaningful spot as Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle: turning water to wine at a marriage celebration. It was a beautiful day and our group was happy to be the unexpected witnesses of their new union.
Today’s tour with Breaking Bread Journeys started off in Jenin, West Bank, with a visit to the Church of St. George (where Jesus healed the 10 Lepers) and a tour of the Canaan Olive Oil factory where we tasted olive oils and fresh almonds and learned about their successful fair trade cooperative. We then traveled north to the village of Kfar Tikva to enjoy a wine tasting and lunch hosted by the award-winning Tulip Winery, a business that helps provide jobs to those with special needs. Our day concluded in Nazareth with visits to the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of St. Joseph and a Greek Orthodox Church located on the site of Mary’s Well.
Today’s tour guided by Breaking Bread Journeys with Ecclesia Houston included a stop at the Samaritan Museum, breathtaking views from Mt. Gerazim, wine tasting at the Har Bracha Winery, a walk through ancient Nablus, a visit to the famous Nablus olive oil soap factory, a lunch hosted by a Palestinian women’s center, a survey of an archaeological site at Sebastya, and sunset and dinner at Jenin. We were joined by a crew from PBS NewsHour who documented our experience.
