Well we travelled to Jerusalem yesterday and on the way made some great stops.  One stop was Megiddo, which is incredible.  It is a tel with 28 layers and the history is incredible.  Also, like the other water systems, the one in Megiddo is an engineering marvel.  After Megiddo we went to Caesarea.  This, too, was a remarkable stop.  The control over this port city changed hands over the centuries often.  We were able to see evidence of each era, from Herod, to Muslim rule, to crusades and more.  After Caesarea we made our way to Jerusalem.  Wow.  That's all I can say right now is Wow.  Ok, I'll say a little more.  We began our stay by getting into the Notre Dame hotel in the late afternoon but before Shabbat.  We got ready for worship at a synagogue.  It was a fascinating experience and one I enjoyed greatly despite not knowing one lick of the Hebrew they were reading and singing.  Dinner was next and then sleep after a long day.  This morning we got up early for a trip of a lifetime.  We began at the Mt. of Olives/ Gethsemane.  Oh my, how awe-inspiring.  We then went down to the Kidron Valley to the Via Dolorosa.  Again, just remarkable.  There simply is no describing it but I'll do my best when I get back for my good friends at Fourth Presbyterian.  Suffice it to say for now that I went to the place of Jesus' crucifixion (Golgotha) and to the site of his burial.  There were of course many many stops before that, but I think you know those stops.  Just think of the Passion narrative from Palm Sunday to Easter and you'll get the sense of what I was blessed to experience.  Afterward, a friend I met on this trip and I walked around Jerusalem.  We went to the wailing wall and I spent some time in prayer there.  .  Was very spiritual to pray with so many others at a location unlike any other I've been in.  Just wonderful.  Did some walking in Jerusalem outside the wall then came back to the hotel to type.  That about sums up the day as for what I did, but I'll have to share more on what it meant spiritually to me when I return.  I have a plan for a presentation on a Wednesday night.  Don't worry it won't be one long slide show.  anyway, that's it for today.  I'll try to write more later this week.   Blessings to you all from the Holy Land. Miss being with you all and look forward to seeing you when I return.