Frolicking in the Meadows of the Shephelah.

Yesterday: 1 day, 2 emotional extremes:
In the morning, I went back to the southern steps of the Temple Mount and meditated on the Psalm of Ascents, singing praises to God, and reflecting on how amazing it would've been to go up each step, getting closer to the presence of God as He dwelt in His temple. It was a refreshing time, and when I got to the top, I felt extreme joy that I was redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and that now I can approach God freely through Jesus Christ as my Mediator.

In the afternoon, we went to Yad ve Shem, which is a museum on the Holocaust. Just walking in and seeing the pictures and videos of so many people who died during this horrible atrocity was heart-wrenching for me. I walked through this museum, and just felt such deep sadness. As I walked, I dialogued with God - lamenting and not understanding why tragedies like this happen.

It's interesting how I can feel such differing emotions in one day.

Today we left Jerusalem and headed southwest for the region of the Shephelah. We went to the cities of Gezer, Beth-Shemesh, Azekah, and Lachish - places where many battles between the Israelites and Philistines took place. Samson's story takes place in this region, and David and Goliath also have their showdown in this region - the Elah valley. It was fun reading these stories and picturing them take place in these hills and valleys right before my eyes. I also had fun re-enacting these stories as I posed as David with the rock. We also took many jumping pictures which was alot of fun.

My favorite part of today was being an explorer and going on an adventure with our tour guide, Todd, to a place which has just been recently excavated - Qeiyata, in between Socoh and Azekah, where the story of David and Goliath could've taken place. We frolicked through green meadows and climbed up steep hills, seeing ancient ruins of gates and towers - a fantastic experience. I love adventures.

I've been trying to upload pictures, but the internet here is not very fast, and disconnects frequently, so I probably won't be able to upload the pictures until I get back, unless I find internet that works better in another hotel.

Please pray for our group - there are many who are sick and not feeling well. I'm also starting to get slightly sick - with a sore throat today. Thanks.