It is always an exciting and sometimes intimidating prospect to travel halfway around the globe to meet up with people from different countries and continents and pursue a spiritual journey that followers of Jesus for two thousand years have spent fortunes and risked their lives to undertake: walking in the historical footsteps of Jesus. Thankfully the cost and challenge of such a pilgrimage have been greatly reduced in modern times, but it is still quite a trip! And so it was with gratitude that every person in our group gathered in the spacious lounge of the Lutheran Guesthouse tonight to get to know each other and begin this spiritual adventure. A few of us who arrived last night had a chance to do some exploring earlier in the day ... here are a few shots from Day One as our adventure begins!
By dinnertime all the members of our group had assembled and we enjoyed a delicious dinner together at the Lutheran Guesthouse, our unique accommodations inside the ancient walls of Jerusalem. After dinner we had a chance to begin exploring the ancient city of Jerusalem together with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which marks the site of Jesus' death and resurrection, and the Western Wall of Herod's great Temple Mount. We are hoping for a good night's sleep as our body clocks adjust to as much as a ten-hour time difference. We will need all our energy for tomorrow as we begin exploring the world into which Jesus was born. Thanks for your prayers. Please post comments and check back daily!