Making of Rings and Lighting of Candles

Back to the hotel, we made our hebrew-letter inscripted rings. rather expensive, but to me, very worth it. i made two - one was the ring that said "my beloved is mine, and i am His" :) second one was a pendant that read "Rachel" in hebrew. Rah-khel.


us children waiting while the adults queued up and ordered. hehehe..


at 530pm, because it was shabbath (their jewish days start at 6pm each evening, so technically speaking, their shabbath which is on Saturday, actually begins on friday 6pm) Jewish tradition has it such that women from the different families will light a candle and pray for the family just before the start of Shabbath. There was this place in the hotel, and so since we were in Israel, we decided to take part in this tradition.

pretty cool, just that lousy photographer dad didn't take any pictures, AFTER he was instructed to by us three ladies. ?!?


so this was the only photo we had.

parents' room's view was brilliant



sunset from the balcony



and they could see the golden dome!



went for dinner. which was very simple. because it was shabbath. they weren't allowed fire at all, so food was all cold-dish type. not the warm and hot kind. not complaining, but nothing to rave about.

i believe this was also the night where we had a long chat (my parents, uncle anil auntie mira and myself) at their coffee place. and because it was shabbath, they couldn't even heat up their milk!

anyway, it was an extremely insightful chat. Uncle Anil has SUCH a wealth of information inside him. it's amazing the amount he reads and knows of! and no airs at all. a very honourable man. :)

we ended the conversation at like close to 12 i think. which is SUPER late considering we have to wake up at like 5am every morning!

but very worth the while! :)

Jerusalem

We finally reached. and wow.. i got overwhelmed, because like auntie pat said, "Lord, i'm in YOUR land!"

Here we were read Psalm 122

I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the Lord."
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is build like a city that is closely compacted together
That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel.
There the thrones for judgement stand,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
"May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels."
For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

the word PEACE appears 3 times. indeed, SHALOM JERUSALEM.



After dumping our bags first at the hotel (for logistical reasons), we proceeded to our first and only destination for the day (it was getting late) - Mount Scopus. One of the best views of the city of Jerusalem.



not a professional photographer, so this was the best i could do


the heaps of people, which is partly why it was so hard to get a decent photograph..


Moshe taught us how to say a Jewish prayer there. it's a traditional one. but i kinda forgot what it means..





We had worship and word there, and that was the second time i was very ministered to, but more because LORD I AM FINALLY HERE!!!!!!! overwhelmingly touched by the sheer blessings of God, how faithful He has been to bring us all here, just to enjoy Him :)

Jerusalem as a whole appeared so much more touristy. I could then see the reason why some people don't like Jerusalem. too touristy already. and i almost agree, if it weren't for all the cool places we were brought to, cool stuff we've learnt. like everyone was trying to sell us everything, everywhere!!

By The Way

We then proceeded with our plan - our ride into the Holy City of Jerusalem.

along the way, Moshe the so-ever-insightful tour guide shared with us more facts.

- Jericho (Joshua's battle, where Jesus met Zacchaeus on the sycamore tree)
Sycamore tree came from the word Shikmah, which means RESTORATION
Zach needed to be restored.


back to the ride into Jerusalem. This beautiful song was played just as we reached the city. how apt.


"I behold a city on a hill
A nation torn by war
But in that place, Adonai says
His grace shall be poured forth

I behold a people who
Are waiting for their Lord
For He will come with trumpet sounds
As nations watch in awe

Shalom Jerusalem
Messiah will come
He'll wipe away your tears and pain
Rejoice, Daughter of Zion
Shalom Jerusalem
Peace be within your walls
Yeshua will return to reign
In majesty and power

When we see the Son of God
Descending from the clouds
He'll be a radiant light
Shining glorious and bright
A new Jerusalem

He'll wipe away your tears and pain
Rejoice O Israel"


so beautiful.. written by Karen Lim, sung by Adeline Gan, from New Creation. :)

Authentic Kibbutz Lunch

This time, we went to an Actual Kibbutz and ate what they would Actually eat. very communistic style, very refreshing. it's a mix of primary school and jail. primary school because everyone has to queue up in an orderly fashion, not much to choose, and it's super cheap, and "innocent" feeling. simplistic. and jail, because you almost have no choice! take your tray, cup and utensils, line up, get your food that's dished for you (choice of 3 meats), and be satisfied.

it was called the Nir David Kibbutz. haha.. the kids there were SOOOOOO cute. place was pretty awesome. not magnificent, but very cosey.. :) chatted with a couple of kibbutz kids. super friendly and chatty, no airs at all, full of innocent curiousity. kinda brings you back to how kids might have been like in the times of Jesus..



a picture with the kids. check out uncle anil's smile!



us with the beautiful scenery. peaceful and tranquil. :)

Gideon's Spring

Uncle Sidney shared a bit..

Judges 7:1-7 - Nothing is too small! :)

some interesting revelations i picked up..

- A dove has 9 ligaments on each side; 9 fruit of the spirit on one side, 9 gifts of the spirit on the other

This place was slightly crowded with many tourists. (That's why it's important to always get there earlier. which means crazy wake up times. but i personally think it's well worth it!)



not much pictures here, just of the well/spring

Beit Shean

Our first stop for the day. Also called Decapolis/Skitapolis during the roman times. the busiest area, containting 10 major cities/settlements. Moshe likened it to Singapore's orchard road. haha.. or maybe raffles city? or combination of lah haha..



imagine the roman orchard road



only the pillars that are left



anyhows, it was a hugely important city at that time, crucial in the trade route..

It used to be controlled by the Egyptians -> Philistines -> David -> Greek (300BC) -> Romans -> Christian Romans (Constantine)

There is a water source nearby this place, and it goes through a tunnel thingy which makes a whistling noise, and that's why it's called Beit Shean. According to Moshe.

it was here that we also saw the bathing house. reminds me of the Mark of the Lion series. haha.. :)



a model of the bathing house



the floor of the place where they heat the water into steam




Imagine this street was once super crowded.. and now, it's so.. dilapitated. wow huh..



more ruins..



our family along the streets of "orchard road"



our newly made friend, wanru, aka tworu and/or jennifer HAHA. cute gal.



King Saul was hung near Mount Gilboa, which is very near this place. We went up there..



from up viewing down



the wooden steps that brings us higher. just had to take some scenic pictures..



tighter shots



with orchard road behind me. i have overcome!



with yellow flowers surrounding me



close ups



this is NOT where saul was hung, but it sure looked like a possible place



and this is where michelle was slaughtered. KIDDING.




Moshe taught us a bit of bible. Read 1 Samuel's last chapter and 2 Samuel's first chapter. they are talking about the same incident, but they give very different accounts about how it happened. How King Saul died.

In one, it was King Saul who plunged himself into his sword. In the other, it was the Amalekite who did King Saul the favour. So who killed him? Moshe pointed out that the Amalekite was probably lying to gain David's favour, knowing that there was great rivalry between the two kings. THat's why realise that the account came from the Amalekite's mouth? aha!

There was such political tension at that time already. can you imagine.. corrupt soldiers and all. hahaha.. so drama lah!

So back to Saul's death. He was the only body that was cremated. Jews don't believe in cremation coz of after life, but don't know why Saul did it.. ??



and who can forget the public toilets?!!



our entire group on serious business



the indian guru and the china man

Our Fifth Day

our last night at our second hotel is over, and we'll be moving on to Jerusalem from here. so piggie and i decided to take a morning walk. just to experience Israel in the morning, alone, just walking the streets kinda thing. cool lovely weather. managed to pick up a few stones. visited one of their cemeteries. snapped some photos, and then headed back to hotel to have our last breakfast. and off we were to our fifth day!



us in the middle of jewish streets



ironic poster



the cemetry we visited



close up of the graveyard. wonder what it says..