October 19, 2022, by Daren and Joann Barstad

We started the morning traveling to the old city of Jerusalem, picking up our guide Mike after going through check point for security at the entrance to the city. Being a bit early for our meeting with our Al Aqsa host Aouni Bazbaz at the mosque compound, we first visited the Crusade era church of St. Ann, a church with wonderful acoustics. Our group sang a couple of hymns there. 

Aouni met us and guided us on the Al Aqsa Mosque property which contains two mosques.  The first he took us into (after we all removed our shoes and ladies donned hair covering scarves and ankle length skirts, which were provided for those who wore pants), was the Dome of the Rock featuring a beautiful golden Dome  with amazing mosaics covering the high walls inside and out. We got to touch the rock beneath it that some say is the same rock Abraham  was about to sacrifice Isaac on. It was also thought to be a place of Jebusite sacrifices prior to being conquered by the Israelites and site of Jewish temple. Having significance to Muslims as the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven, to Jews as site of original temple and to Christians as place Jesus worshipped at creates a contentious rivalry between these groups for possession. An inside mosaic depicted Mary’s Palm which represented the palm that legend has it dropped dates when Mary was hungry. Muslims also revere Mary it turns out. We went next to the other mosque which had carpeted room for 60,000 worshippers downstairs and a sad history of ambush and mass murder upstairs.

After leaving Al Aqsa property, we began walking toward the Via Dolorosa following  the road Jesus took after His condemnation at the Praetorium. We visited the stations of the cross  from Christ’s condemnation to His Crucifixtion on Golgotha which is thought to be contained within The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This site also holds the anointing stone and what is thought to be His tomb. Our journey was interrupted twice – once for lunch at Ecce Homo in a private stone room. The second was stop at Wailing Wall ( what remains of the temple of Jesus day). Those of our group who could make it to the wall and back to our overlook in 10 minutes did so to say a quick prayer.

We were given 20 minutes free time in the market before meeting  our bus. However bus did not come as driver had some problem with police. We pray for him this evening. We all squished into a replacement bus and returned to hotel just in time to hear presentation about Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) by Kevin Vollrath.