I couldn't write anything last night because I was exhausted! Yesterday we had the whole day with a tour guide to walk through Jerusalem. First of all, the entire Old City that is walled in is about 1 square kilometer. It really isn't that big but once you start adding up and down and little alleyways it gets strenuous. Second thing you need to know is that the Old City is broken up into four sections or quarters, the Christian Quarter (where we are staying), the Muslim Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter.

We met our guide at 9:30 and proceeded to Christ Church, the first missional church to the Jews planted in this area, built around 1849. We met with and heard about the church from a Messianic Jew, Hadar. Wow! What a moving story of how God worked in her life. Then it a sprint to get to the Temple Mount before it closed for afternoon prayers. We just made it and I know I speak for the team when I say that it was quite a moving experience. I'll let them tell you when you see them. Three of the world's great religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have a vested interest in this small plot of land called the Temple Mount. Then we moved down to see the Western or Wailing Wall. Again, it was an incredibly powerful picture of people's petitions to God. Then it was on to an assortment of places during the afternoon. Finally we ended visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Mixed feelings there but it was a good way to end the day and lots of walking. Well.. that is... until after dinner when we had a new rush of energy. We bought tickets and walked around the wall that surrounded Jerusalem!

Today was more training at Musalaha to prepare us for our week with the kids. Then in the afternoon it was more walking! This time we made it up to the Mount of Olives and then walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Of all the days we've been here today was incredibly moving as we had a devotional in what's thought to be the garden where Christ prayed to the Father to let the cup pass from Him. Finally, we walked again to join a Messianic Congregation for their Sabbath celebration. The body of Christ is big and diverse as all of us agree how great it is to hear people pray in their native tongue instead of English. All of us are pretty exhausted from walking so much!

Would you continue to pray for us? The team really is bonding and that's important for the work we have to do at camp. And after walking something like 9-10 miles in two days not a peep of complaint from anyone. This really is a a stellar team. But pray that the Lord would keep us focused now that we have a few days before we head to camp to start preparations. We understand 65 kids will be coming now.

As we were having a devotional in the Garden today, we all reflected on the magnitude of Christ's work on the Cross for us, and not just for us, for the whole world! We are blessed to stand in the gap to bless these kids who come from such different backgrounds. But what we do share in common is our humanity and the historical fact that Jesus paid a penalty that we couldn't afford to pay. Thank you for your prayers and support!