The short version.

Well perhaps this will be the theme more often than not, but I made no promises :) I am extremely tired. I got no sleep last night... I was wide awake. So tonight's sleep is coming upon me sooner than later so this post will be short & yet again lack a picture :( However I was able to post one on Facebook. Blogging is a bit more difficult with the iPad. Tomorrow I hope to use my beastie lap top to up load some pics & put. Them on here. A for today, wow is not appropriate. After our first morning session I thought to myself well I can go home now. I was already filled, challenged & extremely humbled. Also, thankful I am on the winning side! Seeing the city of Jeruselem really paints an incredible picture that I believe each of you should witness face to face. I found myself saying after the first session, "Even all creation will sing His praises". I think after today I walked away with the thought that our God is a very intellectual God. Which, yes I knew of before, but I think only in part... Today it became oh so much more real. He knew every step he was taking & had such an emmense strategy for his days here on earth. BUT what baffles me more is that he had such emmense strategy for his death. None of his steps in his final days were accidents. He thought out each one & took them carefully. I could take the time to describe it to you all, but that just won't work. I think that is why I am a form believer that every Christian should make it here if possible. Even if it's not possible pray that God would make a way for you to come. We visited several places today, walked several miles & even stopped for a cup of joe. We visited: The Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, Dominus Flevit, Gethsemane, Ciaiphas Home, Garden Tomb & took in the view of Sherpherds Field which is near King Heralds tomb & Bethlehem. I am amazed at how hilly/mountainesc this place is. How white washed every building is. How the Jews & the Muslims interact (or don't). How divided the city still is after thousands of years. There was an interesting point today in the Garden Temple, there we had just gotten done with viewing the tomb where a great deal of people believe Christ was barried & raised from we were beginning to take communion there (which is an entire blog post within itself)& loudly over several speakers the call to prayer came on throughout the city. What an inserting moment in my life that I will never forget. To think that all religions will pass away, but the God that I serve will remain for forever. Some of you might be thinking was it not incredible to view the tomb where Jesus was barried & rose from? And while yes that was awesome, He is not there anymore! He is risen my friends & that fact was even more cool. When I walked inside that tomb it was empty, vacant, lonely, abandoned... BUT my heart was not. I did not find Him there becaus He is risen & alive inside of me. You don't have to go to Israel for that revelation, but for some reason that moment in time was extremely poignant for me. A new layer of revelation. So again, let's all pray that tomorrow I will have enough energy to upload some pics for you guys. Thanks for the encouraging notes! I know I will continue to need them. Thanks for your prayers they have truly been felt today. Please continue, this is no walk in the park. Love to you all. ~Eleanor~