Laughter...

Saturday

First of all I want to make a shout out to our friends at Anders Dermatology in Toledo Ohio! Hey, aren’t you suppose to be working right now….? Haha- just kidding, I'm glad you're here!

What a wonderful time in Jerusalem we are having! We arrived on Friday evening to our hotel. It was Shabbat which means we are learning a lot about how Israel celebrates the weekend. It’s family time and worship time! The Orthodox take Shabbat very seriously and many come to Jerusalem, stay in the hotels and attend the synagogue. For the Orthodox there are MANY rules to follow during Shabbat. They cannot work or do anything that will require someone else to work for them for one. So, there is a Shabbat elevator in the hotel for example, which is preset so they can enter the elevator and because they can’t press any buttons (that would be considered work) the elevator stops on every floor. During Shabbat the streets are empty because everyone is home with their families. Right now it is Saturday night and Shabbat ended at sunset. The stores and restaurants have opened (even this late!) and people are coming out and celebrating the rest of their weekend. It’s really a whole other world here. There is so much to learn and understand. It makes me think about how I spend my Sunday’s at home. A day of rest? Not so much for me. I want to work on this!

Today we started the day with a group photo on the top of Mount Scopus. There is a beautiful view of the Old City from here. Then we went to the Upper Room and to King David’s Tomb. Then to Caiaphas’ House. After that we went to Bethlehem – and let’s talk about another word! Even though Bethlehem is in Israel it is a very different atmosphere than the rest of the country. Of course it’s Palestinian controlled and life is very different there. It’s not easy to enter Bethlehem. There is a lot of security in and out… and when you finally do get to the Church of the Nativity the line to see the manger cave is long. It’s pretty exhausting and if you’re not careful you could easily miss out on the significance of this place. But who can come to Israel and not visit the place where the Jesus was born? As frustrating as it is to travel to Bethlehem, I encouraged everyone to see past the hassle of it all, to look through the icons and rituals all around us and to remember just what happened here… and the importance of this event. The birth of Jesus Christ.
Not all of our groups come to Bethlehem. Sometimes it’s just too difficult, takes too much time and prohibits us from seeing other important places. Sometimes there are security issues. But we did it; we visited Bethlehem and remembered the miracle.

It was a great day – but do you want to know what I think of first as I sit here reminiscing about today’s events? Dinner. Tonight’s dinner was noisy and packed full of people. The hotel, all the hotels are full because Israel is enjoying a time of tourism maximus. (I made up that word, I know) So, the dining room included people from all over the world who just like us have traveled Jerusalem and explored the Holy Land. We were all tired…but what I remember and cherish tonight is the laughter! Laughter – lots of laughter from every direction…smiling faces enjoying a meal with new friends, talking about the events of the day and enjoying a good laugh. Good times, good times…

Tomorrow is a big day! We will walk the same path that Jesus took with the cross…and so much more. Until then… Shalom!

Kim