The buildings might not have a variety of color but the meals do. Dinner is the brightest; red beets, peppers, tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, garbanzo beans, corn, carrots, etc., with various breads, entrees and desserts.

Yesterday was our first day of class and a busy day it was. We met at JUC, where we had to remove our bibles and any sharp objects; we were going to Temple Mount and these were forbidden.  At 8:05 AM, we got behind a long line waiting to enter. We saw people worshipping at the Wailing Wall, then entered the site of the original temple. The dress is very modest; men and women both need to have shorts below the knees to enter, and women cannot have their shoulders exposed or a low neckline. There is too much history to tell here, so you'll have to Google if you want more information.


Our instructor's name is Cyndi; those that had her for a class two years ago, requested her and now we know why.  Her exuberance, her knowledge of Scripture, archeology, the different religions and peoples in the area, and her desire to teach is wonderful, plus... she can sure walk fast. Whew!

This is a very simplified explanation; she is using the Old Testament to teach us what the different countries people were going through. We see how things developed further, so we better understand what was happening in the time of Jesus. Her goal is not to change what we have learned, but to possibly help us see with a different perspective, through more knowledge. Quite a goal; well, I wanted to learn and be stretched.

Next, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is venerated as Golgotha, where Christ was crucified and is also where it is said He was buried. We did not get to spend a lot of time there, so hopefully I can get back. There were many changes to the building over the years. It is now used by six different Protestant denominations.

Finally, we went to the Jerusalem Archeology Park. It was fantastic! Cindy's knowledge and explanations really helped us to understand how archeology gives us so much knowledge. We stood on a road where Jesus most likely walked and sat on steps in an area He most likely taught. Hallelujah.

This was all in the morning. We had lunch and then attended class. I can't say much about the class, because I was struggling to stay awake through most of it; I had been up since 2:00 AM. It was a long day, but a wonderful one!