The Simpsons in Jerusalem

Hello

I hope everyone is recovering from the jet lag. We had a great trip. I will try to post more later.
Seth Heller told me yesterday that that The Simpson had a show about a trip to Jerusalem.
Here is the link. I thought you might enjoy it.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/135130/the-simpsons-the-greatest-story-ever-dohed

John Wineland
Grayson, KY

Final Day of the Trip

Hadrian's Arch at Gerasa

Marion Clifton and Seth Heller preparing for battle at the Amphitheater at Beth Shan

Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

The Jordan River

A baptism in the Jordan River

Jimmy Moore collects water from the Jordan River

Jimmy Moore and Isaiah Prater battle in the amphitheater at Beth Shan

The bread baking operation at the Green Garden Resturant at Jerash

Our group enjoying a wonderful lunch at the Green Garden Resturant at Jerash

Greetings

All is well we started out along the Sea of Galilee this morning then we headed south. We stopped along the Jordan River to place where people today are often baptized. Then we continued south to Beth Shan. Here we saw an amphitheater from the Roman period. We then crossed from Israel to Jordan crossing over the Jordan River. Here we had our first rain of the trip. We have had great weather all along on this trip and this rain was well timed for us because we were undercover waiting the processing of crossing from country to the other.

After we crossed into Jordan we travel through ancient site of Pella where the Christians fled after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The hills are very green and many flowers are in bloom. We traveled on to Jerash or ancient Gerasa one of the Decapolis cities. Here we had a wonderful lunch at the Green Garden resturant. Then we toured the site of Gerasa. After our tour we headed south to Amman and had a driving tour of the city. We returned to hotel in Amman and had dinner then we had to get packed for our big trip home.

Tomorrow we head home, it has been a great trip and we have covered much territory.

I will be posting more pictures after we get home.

John Wineland
Amman, Jordan

Caesarea, And the Sea of Galilee

Our group at Caesarea

Our group on the Sea of Galilee.

St Peter's Fish

Some of our group eating next to the Sea of Galilee

St Peter's house at Capernaum

Greetings from Israel,

Today was another busy day. We started out in Jerusalem this morning. Then we drove to Caesarea and saw the nice theater and the aquaeduct. Then we drove by Mt Carmel and through the Jezreel Valley to Tiberius. We visited Capernaum, the Mount of the Beattitudes, we ate St Peter's fish by the Sea of Galilee. We also visited the "Jesus Boat".

We took a boat ride on Sea of Galilee to end our long day.

We got in late so I will keep this brief for now.

All is well tomorrow we will go to the Jordan River and brief stop at Beth Shan.
We will Jerash tomorrow and Amman.

John Wineland
Tiberius, Israel

The Old City of Jerusalem

Brian Neyhart enters the garden tomb

 A view from inside the Garden tomb looking out at a rolling stone

Sign inside the garden tomb

Group photo in from the Garden Tomb

A drawing of the Garden Tomb

The Roman period Damascus Gate

A view of Golgatha from the Garden Tomb

Our group walking towards the Damascus gate.

 

The Entrance to the church of the Holy Sepulchre 

We walked all day today around the old city of Jerusalem

Jimmy Moore making friends with a Roman cat at the Cardo in Jerusalem

A view of the main road through Jerusalem (north-South) from the Roman period the Cardo

A painting of the Cardo from the Roman period

The men of the group at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem

 

A view of men praying at the Western Wall

The Dome of the Rock

Today we traveled on foot around the old city of Jerusalem. We started at the Western Wall, then we went up the Temple Mount area to see the Dome of the Rock. The we went to pool of Bethesda, and the church of St. Ann. The views the Roman pavement from the time of Christ and followed the via dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Then we ate lunch and walked through the old city through the Damascus. We ended our day with a tour of the Garden Tomb and a communion service.

Tomorrow we traveling to Caesarea and on the to Sea of Galilee.

John Wineland

Jerusalem

Jerusalem and Bethlehem

Here is our group in front of the model of NT Jerusalem.

Also our favorite coffee shop in Bethlehem.

This is the Temple during the time of Herod, from the model of Jerusalem

Ancient Olive Tree from the garden of Gethsemane

Group photo in the Garden of Gethsemane

Marion Clifton, Isaiah Prater, Jimmy Moore, and Mitch Swartzentruber wearing yarmulke after visiting the Tomb of David

Our Guide Mike explains the punishment room in the basement of Caiphias' house while Brian Justus, Olivia Sanders, Marion Clifton, Brian Neyhart, and Jesse Brown listen.

Olivia Sanders ponders of the wonders of the Holy Land

and

Mitch Swartzentruber takes a photo of Olivia Sanders going through the door of humility at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem while Marion Clifton waits his turn.

Here the group waits its turn to go into the grotto of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Visible is Mike our guide, Brian Neyhart, Brie Justus, Paul Potter, Jimmy Moore, Isaiah Prater, Marion Clifton, and Brian Justus

The star marking the spot where Jesus was born in the Church of the Nativity

First Day in Israel

Greetings from Jerusalem,

We are all doing well and are spending the night of the Mt of Olives.

Today we crossed the border to Israel from Jordan and headed to Masada, then on to Qurman, visited the Dead Sea, and then on to Jericho.

Here is Isaiah Prater and Jimmy Moore in the Dead Sea

Here is a view of Masada

This is Cave IV at Quran where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

Here is Seth Heller, Jimmy Moore, and Olivia Sanders taking a picture at Masada\

We are doing well and tomorrow we visit the old city of Jerusalem.

John Wineland
Jerusalem

Trip to Petra

Everyone is doing well. Today we travelled to Petra the rose red city.

We had a great trip. Above is a picture of the mosaic floor in the Byzantine period. It has fine mosaic floors. The picture above to the right is Seth Heller, Olivia Sanders, and Mitch Swartzentruber standing next to Trajan Arch at Petra. Upper right is the group picture at the Treasury at Petra.

Tomorrow we go to Jericho, Qumran, and Masada and we spend the night on the Mount of Olives.

John Wineland

Amman, Jordan

Great First Day!

Above is Mitch Swartzentruber and Brian Neyhart at Hesbon below is a view of Karak castle.

Greetings


All is well. We are at Petra now and I am writing from an internet cafe.

We had a good day. We went up Tell Hesban famous from the Old Testament.

Then we drove on to Mt. Nebo which has a nice little museum. This is the place where Moses viewed the Promised Land. We were there today which is exactly 10 years since John Paul II visit.

Then on to Madaba and the church of St George which has the oldest map of the Holy Land on its floor . It is map of millions of small tesserae.

Then we drove to Karak. He we ate lunch and toured the fine Crusader castle.

Then on to Petra we arrived after dark. The days are shorter this time of year.

The weather is wonderful and also many of the hills are green now.

Tomorrow we visit the amazing site of Petra.

John Wineland
Petra, Jordan