Sunday and Monday June 6& 7

On Sunday June 6 we left the Ecce Homo Sisters and went to the Temple Mound. We did not know if it would be open since it is in the control of the Muslims. It was open and we had no trouble. Again it was a very spiritual experience. The Dome of the Rock was closed but we had full access to the entire Mount. Just to be where the Jewish Temple had been was powerful, I took a ton of pictures. Next we went to the South Wall Archaelogical Park. As well as getting to the South Wall of the Temple Mount, we were able to see many 1st century homes which are practically cut out of the limestone rock. Then we went over to the Hulda Gates of the Temple Mound. Of course they are now closed off and sealed up, but Jesus must have walked the bed rock steps and entered the Temple through these gates. Unfortunately the Park Service has overlaid most of them but you can still walk where Jesus walked. We saw some of the mistpha baths where the Jews cleansed themselfs before going into the Temple. Probably the Christians used many of these to baptize the 3000 new Christians on the day of Penecost. Then we went out at the Dung Gate and went to the City of David where we saw some of the new excavations which are proving that there was plenty of buildings and structures there in the time of David. We had pizza for lunch with the best lemon and mint slushie I have had in a long time. In fact I had two. Since I had to meet some people to share a ride back to Kubuttz Ginosar, I went back to Ecce Homo to finish packing and say goodby to some others returning to the States. But before I left I went down to the basement floors of the Convent and saw the very place where Pontus Pilate said, "Behold the Man", thus Ecce Homo. Not only are the Roman floors still there, but the place the Roman Guards lived, a tremendous cistern where water was stored, and other ancient rooms, there were pottery exhsibits from 1st century occupation, a Roman sige bullet (a rock that waighted a ton), and other miscellaneous things from that time. When I meet the people to go back to the Kubuttz our taxi was late it had been rear ended coming to pick us up. They had negotiated a special rate through a friend of theirs, so we were left to negotiate with the hotel taxis to bring us back. It was much more expensive than the first. But luckily there were three to share the fare. We arrived back just in time for supper.

Monday, a new group had come in for the week on Sunday evening, so while they went to the Bethsaida site for orientation, the rest of us 5 or 6, washed pottery (thousands of shards) for the full morning. Since so many had gone on the Friday to Sunday tour we had gotten very far behind on the pottery. So now we are somewhat caught up. There is no pottery reading today and I am not sure about the lecture for tonight. So signing off until tomorrow.