The past few months have been like an endless treadmill with a steep grade! Although we had some very exciting changes, there have also been even more challenges.
It all began in May. We had wanted to make a trip to Israel for as many years as we are old......well, close anyway.
On May 10th we left by car for Chicago to leave for our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel-by way of Warsaw. In Warsaw-how happy we were to see Poland again-we had a 10 hour layover at the airport. We ate and walked-then walked and ate.
Finally, it was time to board the flight to Israel! My heart did that crazy pitter-patter that it does when I'm travelling (that's my 'gypsy' blood-my dad used to say).
We landed in beautiful sunny, warm, and very different Tel Aviv....what an amazing feeling to be in the very country where Jesus was born and walked the earth. My first inkling that the car rental agent was mocking was when he said, "We're all supposed to be holy here, you know. We're the holy land people."
I probably had an opportunity right then and there to begin my first real conversation with a non-believing Jew, but 30 hours with very little sleep and it was 0600-I wasn't quite up to par, to say the least....so I just smiled and 'pretended' ignorance. It comes off quite well for us Americans in a foreign country, you know.
I did actually take my first ever picture of Israel at the Tel Aviv airport. The guy nodded that it was okay when I asked for permission....in America you can't take pictures in an airport anymore.....security, you know.
We got into the little compact car, the guy set the GPS (wrongly-I might add-but that's an entire new story!).
We set out for Jerusalem! The city of God!
Weeeelll- we got lost because the GPS settings had been put in with the wrong address. We found ourselves on the tiniest street-I call it a street loosely-where trucks, vans, and even compact cars should never be. They all stared at us as if we were going the wrong way or something! Nope. We were just a couple of very lost tourists-the moment we arrived in the city of God. We were in the Muslim section-which is where we were supposed to be, but not exactly HERE! After turning around at least three times on the tiny 'street' we finally found a small place to pull over and re-check the address the rental agent fed into the GPS. I immediately found the error-funny how one or two little letters can change everything, isn't it?
We finally found the National Hotel, and I was near tears with joy. The hostess, Nirvana, (yes she is Muslim) was such a precious, sweet, amazing hostess. She made our stay in Jerusalem a real treat. She had water and fresh fruit sent to our room, made hand-written maps for us, all the sites where Jesus walked and went. She made a special effort-as I'm sure she does with everyone she meets-to make us welcome and comfortable and feel safe.
The food was excellent. I can't say enough good things about this hotel and its staff.
The first day we walked and walked, saw the Via Dolorosa, Herod's Gate, all the different quarters of the Old City....this was all on a let's- see- everything- we- can- the- very- first- day-even- though- we- haven't- slept- in- four- days- attitude. We returned to the hotel exhausted....by one in the afternoon and said, "Let's rest before we go back out," and we literally crashed until 5:00 the next morning!!!
Now the real tour can begin! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and if you know me-and you've ever read any of my blogs, then you know we have traveled to over 19 countries...so saying this means it really is a very special country. The land is beautiful-and honestly it looks just like Florida but with hills and valleys and low humidity. The citrus and flowers are like home to us. What was so amazing was the history of the place. The tombs, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Old City and its charm and winding streets, the food with fragrances that made you want to eat although you'd just eaten and were filled, were all a part of it.
I loved seeing the Old City from Gethsemane, tourists walking down The Mount of Olives, waving palm branches and praying. People from Africa, India, China, America, Canada, Mexico, and every country on earth had representation in Jerusalem-for their faith and belief in Jesus as the Messiah.
We drove to the Dead Sea, took the cable car up Masada-walking back down took about an hour in sweltering desert heat-but looking at the ancient ruins, visualizing King Herod's 'get-away' palace on top of Masada, I could see his armies and his royal caravan carrying him up the side of the narrow trail.
I could see in my mind, the terrible slaughter-supposedly by suicide-there on the plateau. But looking out toward the Dead Sea and all it's shimmering beauty-I could see Huldah and Sarah-my characters in "Escape To Shallum's Cave."
I could see the 'reality' of the cave they lived in by looking deeply into those at Masada. These were not holes in the wall-they were small palaces of the day-equipped with water, toilet facilities, storage areas for food, and most of all-the ability to see for miles around for protection.
We toured the Upper and Lower Jordan River....how beautiful the Upper Jordan! (They both are-but upper is far more so).
If you would like to see the photo album of some of the pictures we took-please look me up on Facebook......Sue C. Weaver
If you would like to read my books, please go to Amazon and look for books by Sue C. Weaver
1) Escape To Shallum's Cave
2) Rhoda's Lost Journal
3) An Innocent Kiss for Caitlin
4) Building Excellent Character, Step-By-Step
I'll try to tell more of my story soon! Please stay tuned!!!
God loves you!
Sue C. Weaver
AKA-Lily Sue
"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus
Matthew 4:19
One of my favorite Poetic scriptures from Song of Solomon:
The most
beautiful and poetic of all scripture:
Song of Songs 2:11-13
See! The
winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
