Shabbat Shalom!

Here in the holy land, the Sabbath is observed on Saturday.  That is definitely an adjustment.  What I have learned though is that it doesn’t matter what day you choose to worship God, the point is that you set aside one day a week that is completely dedicated to Him. 

Me and my roommates after church!

Shabbat Shalom, as we learned in Hebrew class, means peaceful Sabbath.  We had the opportunity to go to the Western Wall on Friday night to see the Jews welcome in the Sabbath through their prayers and their music.  At the wall you are separated into two different sides according to your gender.  We stood next to the wall waiting for our turn to go up and put our own folded prayers into the cracks.  I was amazed at how strongly I felt the spirit as I watched these women who were so devoted to their faith pour out their hearts to God.  Many rocked back and forth reading their prayers while others leaned their heads against the wall and just prayed silently.  Even the little girls came to pray.  This is a sacred ritual for all of them and many came away crying.  Even though they do not pray in the exact same way that I do, I could relate to them.  I know that the Lord hears all of their prayers.  I know that He loves them for their devotion and dedication to Him.  I loved seeing all of the notes crammed into every crack in the wall.  It was fun to be able to add my own prayer.  

Now for the fun part!  After we put our notes in the wall, we went further back to see what else was happening.  There was a group of teenage girls dancing and singing happy songs to celebrate the Sabbath that would start at sunset.  Some of them noticed that we were watching and came and talked to us.  We told them that we had just learned in our Hebrew class a song called “Hayveynu Shalom Aleichem.”  They got so excited and told us that they would sing that song if we joined them.  So there we were… six American girls… dancing and singing at the top of our lungs “Haybeynu Shalom Aleichem,” with about 30 teenage Jewish girls.  It was SO FUN!  Honestly, it was one of the highlights of the trip so far.  They were all so sweet and welcoming.  We felt like we were a part of them.  It is an experience that I will never forget!  

The next day, after church, we went to the Garden Tomb.  This is one of the spots that I had most looked forward to seeing.  You leave the busy crowds of people and enter this quiet lane that leads you to the entrance of the Garden. We had already been to a lot of incredible ancient sites, mosques, synagogues, and many other amazing things, but there is just a different feeling at the Garden Tomb.  I walked in and I felt a peace and a spirit that was unlike most of the other places I had been.  As chliche as it may sound, I felt at home.   

  

It is beautiful there.  I just felt happy!  There is a lot of green, which is unusual in Israel.  The whole garden is filled with flowers, big trees, and stone pathways.  We had a British, Catholic tour guide who told the history of the how the tomb was found and identified as the possible tomb of Jesus Christ.  He ended by sharing his own testimony about the Savior and how although he personally believed that Christ was buried there, what was more important was that he believed that Christ rose from the grave on the third day.  I loved that he put the emphasis on that.  Yes, it is true that Christ died for us, but he was resurrected so that we could one day be resurrected too.  I know that is true.  He lives!  I am so grateful for my Savior and for all that has done for me. I know that he loves me and I love him.  He is my Redeemer, my rock, my older brother, and my friend.  

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

-Matthew 28:6