Sometimes, when Missionaries bring their slide presentations to a close, they often choose to use as their last picture a Beautiful Sunset...Well, I thought of one better.....As I now "Officially" bring this Travel Blog to a close, I thought it would be especially touching to use a picture of a Beautiful Sleepin'Beauty..... Kim Wilkerson catchin' some Z's on our long flight home from ISRAEL.............
Howdy!!! Sure is GOOD to be HOME...Got in the house about 1:45am last nite... Dilly was only semi-conscious, but she was glad to see her Bubba... I slept about 6 hrs., and was up about 8am... Got to have my coffee in my own chair and watch FOX News... Haven't been out to the garden yet, but it looks OK... since June 1st we've got 16'+ of rain... I'm keepin' my promise to Dilly to take her to McDonalds for lunch... Sara, James, and Eli are flyin' back from Florida today... The California Group didn't have as good a trip home as we Ohio folks did~ when they finally got to L.A. Airport (several hrs. after we got home) the fellow that was 'spoze to meet them thought it was the next day... they eventually had to rent 2 vans for the 3+hr. ride home...Paul called this morning at 9:30am, and they were just then gittin' back to Fresno(9.5 hrs. after we got home...) So, we want to say an EXTRA BIG WORD OF THANKS!!! to Ol'Richard & Moose for not fergittin' us and bein' there to pick us up right on time...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Well~ We's back on American Soil~ PRAISE YE THE LORD!!!!!! We'll be flyin' out of Newark/New York shortly for Columbus... Hopefully, we'll be back to Saltair by Mid-Nite... It's been a L-O-N-G Day... Dilly says she's gonna stay up till her Bubba gits home... The Airlines managed to lose one of the Wilkerson's suitcases...but hopefully it'll turn up... We had to bid farewell to our California group~they're already on their way back to L.A. ....Signin' Off fer now... Bro.Bob
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Last Post From JERUSALEM........ Monday morning, June 14th, 2010 7:00am JERUSALEM Time (Mid-nite Ohio Time...) We will soon be gittin' on the Bus to head back to Tel Aviv Airport... We'll be flyin' out of Tel Aiv at 11:45am JERUSALEM Time(4:25am Ohio) 12 hr. flight back to Newwark...then a 3 hr. lay-over...then we head back to Columbus on Continental Flight#2613, to arrive at Columbus at about 9:25pm Monday night...We should guit back to the Church at about Mid-night... Againm PRAY! for our safe travels... Everyone is rejoicin' in our unbelievable Experience together... Truly! all the pictures I've posted times a Million just can't capture what we've shared together... See Ya Soon! GOD BLESS!!!
**************************************************************************************** HERE'S OUR FLIGHT SCHEDUL, & MIKE E FOR TOMORROW... We'll be leaving the Hotel at 7:30am Jerusalem time (12:30am Ohio time Monday) We are scheduled to fly out of Tel Aviv at 11:45am Jerusalem Time (4:25am Ohio time~so by the time you git up on Monday morning, we'll be on our way back home...) our flight from Tel Aviv to Newark NJ is about 12 hrs...we will arrive back in Newark at about 4:35pm Ohio Time...we have a 3 hr. lay-over there... We will arrive back in Columbus at 9:25pm Ohio Time on Contenental Flight#2613... If all goes well, we should be gittin' back to the Church at about 12 O'clock Mid-nite..... EVERYBODY CALL RICHARD WELLS, MOOSE BORCHERS, & MIKE DITTMAN TO REMIND THEM TO BE AT THE AIRPORT TO PICK US UP BY 9:30 pm.... PRAY FOR OUR CONTINUED SAFE TRAVELS...THANK YOU!!! GOD BLESS!!!!! ************************************************************************************
This is the Shrine of the Scroll at the JERUSALEM Museum, which houses many of the Dead Sea Scrolls... No pictures were permitted on the inside...
This is a scaled-down reconstruction of the Temple Mount complex...only the structure in the center is the Temple Proper...the rest is the Retaining Wall which was built to expand Mt. Moriah...that is the Eastern Gate in front of the Temple...This was how it would've looked in JESUS' day...
The long pillared structure with the reddish roof there at the far side of Temple Mount is the Portico of the Temple, where Peter preached on Pentecost and likely where JESUS chased out the money-changers... this is a scaled-down reconstruction of what the Temple looked like at the JERUSALEM Museum...
This is the scaled-down replica of Herod's Temple at the time of Christ...
Mike & Kim sittin' together on the ancient steps leading up to the main entrance to Temple Mount...
Saltair's Ol'Preacher sittin' on the steps that lead up to the entrance of Temple Mount in JERUSALEM... The first 6 or so rows of steps are the original ancient steps that JESUS & His Disciples, Paul, etc... would have certainly walked up... This is at the very southern end of the Temple Mount...
Our Group below the southern end of Temple Mount, near to the ancient steps of the main entrance...
These are the ancient steps of the main entrance going up to Temple Mount in JERUSALEM...There is absolutely no doubt that JESUS & His Disciples walked up these very steps... this is located at the south side of Temple Mount...The Portico of the Temple was located just above this area...
This is one of the dozen or more ceremonial purification baths that are just beside the main entrance to Temple Mount (just a stone's throw from where Peter preached in Acts chap#2) There is little doubt that this is exactly where the 3000 were immersed in Christian Baptism in response to Peter's sermon, in Acts Chap#2... It would've been the most practical and convenient place near to the Portico of the Temple...
Ol'Tim was quite the gentleman all thru the tour...he was Gail's escort whenever the walkin' was rough... don't worry Tina~she's old enough to be his mother...
"How Beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel" ... Yes, these are your Ol'Hick preacher's bare feet planted upon the very street pavement that JESUS & His Disciples, the Apostle Paul, etc...would have walked upon...
Jus' look at the mess that Tim made..... No, not really~ this is the rubble from when the Romans tore down the Temple stone by stone and pushed it over the walls of the Temple Mount retaining Wall in 70A.D.
Mike & Kim standing in the entrance of an ancient shop front, in which JESUS and His Disciples might have bought their lunch...
Two poor beggars beggin' for alms on the ancient streets of JERUSALEM.....
Mona & Hope's bare-feet planted on the very street paving stones that JESUS would have certainly walked on.....
This is an excavated main street in JERUSALEM near the Temple Mount that JESUS & His Disciple, Paul, and all would have certainly walked upon very often...
Some more of Israel's Finest...the one was camera shy... and Yes, I always ask permission first~ I mean, afterall, they got the guns...
Margaret Dwelly wanted to pet one of the baby goats...Praise the Lord!!! She was feelin' much better today...
Bethlehem is on top of the hill on the horizon...the hillside is called to this day "The Shepherds Fields"...very likely where the Shepherds were when they saw the angels who announced the birth of JESUS...
Some Bedouin children with their goats & sheep posing for us under an Olive Tree on the hills outside Bethlehem...(of course, it is customary to give them a few sheckels for their willingness...but when I put it in their hands I spoke the Name of YESHUA...)
Our Jewish Bus Driver, "DOV", (pron. dove, as if you dove into the water...it means bear) He is truly a friendly fellow...and, a very skilled driver...
*****AGAIN...REMEMBER, YOU CAN ENLARGE THE PICTURES BY CLICKING ON THEM... ALSO, TO SEE THE EARLIER PICS FROM PREVIOUS DAYS, YOU MUST CLICK ON "OLDER POSTS" AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER IMMEDIATELY UNDER THE LAST POST ON EACH PAGE...
This is a view of the Judean Wilderness from the end of the Holocaust Museum... It is now green and lush~but before 1948 it was a desert waste-land... The Jewish People are bringing new life to the land...
This is the building that houses the Holocaust Museum...it is a very long triangular building, which is meant to symbolize the Valley of Death..... It is a very solemn and somber place. The precious faces of the little children that were murdered by the Nazis that appear everywhere were the most dis- sturbing to me, as I see the faces of my own precious Grandchildren... and then, to think that we "civilized" Americans are guilty of murdering millions of our own precious babies through abortion. ANYBODY who votes for politicians that support, condone, or turn a blind- eye to the horrific SIN of abortion is just as GUILTY as the Nazis and German people who committed such atrocities upon the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
Here's our entire Group (Ohio+California+ Texas) seated in front of the entrance to the compound of The Holocaust Museum. No pictures are allowed to be taken inside the museum... But, it was surely a moving experience... For me, it just drives home the need for we Americans to be all-the-more vigilant to withstand the tyranny and the imposition of MORE & MORE socialist/ marxist government...With the people who are the close advisers of the present regime in the White House, we have MUCH reason for concern. PRAY!!! GOD SAVE AMERICA!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
We begin the morning of our last full day in Israel/Jerusalem... It's Sunday morning, June 13th (of course, it's only 12:30am back home in Ohio...) Today we'll be going to The Holocaust Museum, The Jerusalem Museum, The Southern Steps of the Temple Mount, and to an overlook view of Bethlehem (we chose not to actually go into Bethlehem, because we would have to leave Israel's security) Then tomorrow morning early we'll be heading back down to the Airport at Tel Aviv to begin our journey home...we should be safely home by late on Monday night..."Lord willin'..." Everybody has had such a wonderful time (although Margaret Dwelly was a bit sick yesterday and chose to stay at the hotel all day~but she's ready to go again today...) As always Hope & Mona are bubblin'...WORD of WARNING~You can expect Hope & Mona to be VERY insistent that everybody should find a way to make this trip..... Of course I can't help but think about what's goin' on back at Saltair... I know you will be blest by Bro.Leo Kuhn's preaching...be sure to tell him Howdy! and Thanks! for me... Also, I trust that all those I put in charge of tormentin' Dear Sharon have been doin' their best to honor my request... This Tuesday I expect to be a CRASH day to rest from the long flight, etc... I plan to be at Church on Wednesday eve. for Prayer Meeting & Bible Study....then on Thurs(my normal day off) I'm sure I'll have lots of yard & garden work to git caught up... Well, I'll take lots more pics today, and I'll git 'em posted tonight... KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS, AS YOU ARE CERTAINLY IN OURS..... GOD BLESS & KEEP YOU!!!!!
Mona & Hope with Brother Victor Smadja, a very Great Servant of the Lord... He's a Messianic(Christian) Jew... He also was well acquainted with Corrie Ten Boom of "The Hiding Place"... He has come to speak to our group both years that I've been here. He is a sweet humble man of committed Faith...
This is the exterior of the Garden Tomb...
This is very likely the very place where JESUS' Body was laid after His crucifixion, and where He arose from the dead...
There are armed soldiers everywhere...but they are very friendly....
John Weber coming out of The Garden Tomb...
Hope & Mona coming out of the Garden Tomb...
NOTE... You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them...
My Sweet Sister departing from the Garden Tomb...
Our Group waiting in line to enter the Garden Tomb...
An Arab Busing Enterprise parks their buses right up close to the place where JESUS was crucified...
GOLGOTHA..."The Place of the Skull...
This is our group at the Garden of Gethsemane being taught by our Great Guide Erez...
The Jewish Cemetery at the foot of the Mt. of Olives...They believe this is where Judgement Day will be held...
This is a view of the Kidron Valley from The Mount of Olives....
The "King's Game" inscribed on the ancient floor stones of the Roman's Antonia Fortress. Which likely the very spot where the soldiers cast dice to gamble for JESUS' Robe... To mock those who were to be executed, the Ruler would donate a costly robe to be put upon the condemned, and then whoever won at the game received the king's robe... (By the way, if you click on any of these pictures, they will be enlarged, so you can see the finer details...)
That's the Eastern Gate behind my head... That's where the Prophets say that JESUS will make His entrance into the city when He comes to establish His Millennial Kingdom...
The Wilkersons & their Preacher Buddy at the Garden of Gethsemane...
This is one very large ancient Olive Tree in the Garden of Gethsemane...I love this place...If these trees could talk?????????
This was originally one tree, but the center has completely rotted away, and still ancient shoots continue to grow from the root base...
Some of the Olives Trees are so old and over-grown that their heavy old branches must be supported with stone pillars...
One of the ancient Olive Trees in the Garden of Gethsemane...
Oh! Look! Mona & Hope have an Angel lookin' over their shoulders...in the Garden of Gethsemane...
Tim Kern standin' on the Mt. of Olives, with JERUSALEM behind him...
Towards the end of the week, my Bro-in-law, Paul "Chippy" Bergquam was not lookin' quite so chippy...
A view of the Eastern Gate from the Mt. of Olives....
Friday, June 11, 2010
Good Mornin'!!! It's a HOT Sat. morning in JERUSALEM...but lower humidity..... It's the Jewish Sabbath... We're going to Gethsemane & Golgotha & Garden Tomb today, plus other places, etc... Will post new pics tonight... Some of us (esp.Mona) were greatly worried that there would be no coffee this morning due to Sabbath (we were told that...) They just don't understand that with we Americans, that coffee is actually one of the main food groups... Praise the LORD!!! we had our coffee this morning...
Well, I've done my duty... I've posted today's pictures... I hope you know this requires about 2 hrs. each night after a full day of touring... It's a labor of love...But, I'm T-I-R-E-D...
I am a plain Ol'Country Preacher, who believes in
Nothin-but-THE-BIBLE Preachin'...I know full-well
that I am nothin' but a Sinner saved by Grace...
(I Timothy 1:15) By GOD'S
Grace, I've been blessed to
be in the Preaching Ministry
since 1976... And, me and the
Lord grow the best Tomatoes
under Heaven. The joy of my earthly life is havin' my Granddaughter Dilly on my lap most every evening, watchin' her cartoons...