Jerusalem

The world is my school today my classroom is in Jerusalem!

We were walking in to the Jaffa gate to go see Jesus' crucifixion site, I felt a little bit sad, but also excited, but at the same time I was scared. Everyone is selling bread because it was the day before Greek Orthodox Easter and it was Friday, a holy day for people in Israel. We got out the map and went to see the stone that Jesus' cross was put into. The city was really cool but was also a bit crazy. It had lots of people getting in your face trying to sell you their products and every now and then there were tractors going by with trash or people with wheelbarrows making the path for everyone much smaller. When we arrived to the church we went right upstairs and under an altar there was a stone, this is the stone that Jesus' cross was put into. What tourists do is get into a "line" and once you get to the front two people would get under the altar and rub the stone as they pray. We were really lucky and got to go under the alter and rub the stone. The next day we came back to the same church again, but this time we took a different route. We did the walk that Jesus did on his way to the crucifixion site. We saw all 14 Stations of the Cross:

1) Jesus is condemned to death

2) Jesus carries his cross

3) When he fell the first time

4) Jesus meets his mother

5) Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross

6) Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

7) Jesus fell for the second time

8) Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

9) Jesus fell for the third and final time

10) Jesus' clothes are taken away

11) Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross

12) Jesus dies on the cross

13) Jesus is taken down from the cross

14) Jesus is laid in his tomb

At Jesus' tomb there is a 14-point star, there are 14-points because there were 14 generations between Abraham and David. Here you would also go under an altar and rub the star while praying.

After seeing where Christ died we saw where he was born, the Church of the Nativity. It was crazy in there, everyone was pushing and shoving. When we got into the cave we saw a manger, which has a big brass bar in front of it that get's taken away at Christmas for tourist to only touch one part.

<3 World Rings Bell

Fun Fact

~In the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem there is an icon of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, in this picture she is smiling because her son was born in Bethlehem.

~In the Church of the Sculpture, Jerusalem there is another icon of Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus but this time she is sad because Jesus died in Jerusalem.

<3 World Rings Bell