Back in Jerusalem Again!

10/9/2019

It's been a while. Way too long. The last time I visited this blog I was pulling those pesky weeds - yet again!

Well, not today! Today, I sit in our lovely apartment cooling off and winding down after a long hot walk down to the Western Wall to join in with all the faithful prayer warriors during Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. A time for coming before our Father, pulling back the curtain of our hearts and asking Him show us the places that need His merciful cleansing.

Descending the stairs from Hurva Square, through the security check point to enter the Western Wall Plaza, we could see men and women dressed in white garments. It's traditional to wear white garments on Yom Kippur. The whole day is spent in fasting and prayer and white is a sort of reminder of the purity and solemnity of the day.

No pictures are allowed while at the Western Wall Plaza on this day, but Ron took this one from the top of the stairs before reaching the Plaza. You can just see people gathered to the left of the stairway leading up to the Temple Mount.

As Julia, Zelta and I sat on on the women's side, we could hear singing and shouting coming from the men's side, and listened as groups of men marched and sang as they ascended the walkway up to the Temple Mount.

It was quite the 36 hour trek from Seattle to Jerusalem but we're so thankful to be here. It's sometimes hard to grasp that I get to be again.

We can stand on our balcony, look over red tiled rooftops and see the Dome of the Rock, Mount of Olives with the Jewish cemetery just below. Right now, the city is quiet, no cars or trains running, only police cars are allowed. In the distance I hear the Muslim prayers mixed together with the laughter of Jewish children playing on a balcony in the apartment building next door. What a contrast.