This friday was different from other weeks since we did not have class but a field study. This field study took us to Ephraim and Samaria. We stopped on Mt. Gerizeem for a lengthy period of time and both took in the sites, and we learned about its strategic access point to main routes in Biblical times. The Hike was alot of fun and the view was spectacular. We also visited a church in Samaria where we saw Jacob's well. This is the well where Jesus asked the Samaritan women to draw water for him. They believe that this is the well since there is great access to water in the town eliminating the need for wells, so there are very few wells in town and Jacob's well dates back to Biblical times making it the most likely well that Jesus would have visited. The church was beautiful beyond words, there were mosaics and beautiful paintings and the structure of the building was done with such detail. What was truly amazing is that the building itself was pale white in colour so the paintings on the walls and the ceiling stuck out incredibly, they were truly vivid. Finally on our field study we visited the ancient site of Shiloh which is where the Ark of the covenant and the Tabernacle would have been. This site was cool because some ancient ruins were still in place, but you could also see where Archaeologists have excavated. The view from Shiloh was fascinating in that you could see for miles, it was great. Every field study that we have brings us to new places that are amazing and all have a beauty about them.
Well...the next day we had the chance to go on an optional hike to some water falls. The bus left Jerusalem at 8:00 and we had about a 3-4 hour bus ride. Amazingly the hike was fun, even after an all day field study the day before, and the trails were cool. The trails wound through cliff edges and through some forest with creeks running through. There were 2 separate falls one about 40 feet high, and one about 120 feet high. We decided to swin in the big one since you could sit under the falls and swin around in this cold pool of water, which made my day because it was hot out. This extra hike was the most fun I think I've had all trip, it was a chance to get out of the classroom and just wind down and have fun. The danger about being here in Jerusalem is that you're always learning new things everywhere you go so in a way you feel like you never leave the classroom, and I could feel some stress building. So, I loved this hike because it took some weight off.
Wow, I'm going on for a while, but there's alot that I have to say. Saturday night we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre because it was the reunion of the church and the had a special ceremony. It started at 11:00 pm and went to about 4:00 am. I didn't make the whole ceremony! What I saw though was really cool. They were burning Incense and blessing all the historic, or Holy sites in the church. They also brought in cross and had some rituals to go with that. There was alot of prayer, singing and worship...but it was all in Hebrew so we didn't understand a word; nonetheless, it was an amazing experience and something I'll never have the chance to see again so I was glad that I went. Anyways, I don't want to keep you reading for too long. This week thursday I begin traveling to EGYPT! I am really pumped and can't wait to tell all of you about it!