Part V -- Finishing up our Time in Israel

Friday evening, once we returned to Jerusalem, some in the group headed back into the city.  But tensions were high (while we were in the Galilee a Palestinian boy was murdered in East Jerusalem by extremist Jews) and Damascus Gate was closed, so Sam and I opted to hang out at the hotel that night.

Saturday was our last day in Jerusalem.  My first priority was the return to the Garden Tomb.  Sam and I got an early breakfast, and then spent an hour or so in the Garden before church.  Best way to start your day, and best way to end a trip to Jerusalem.

I'm so glad we got to go back to the Jerusalem Center one more time before it was time to go.  It was another wonderful Sacrament Meeting -- Fast and Testimony meeting this time.  And we got to see cute Charlotte Ray again -- she is from our ward in Atlanta and was a student at the Center this Summer. 

After Church, our bus driver picked us up at the Center and took us to St. Peter Galicantu, the site where Christ would have been kept before he was taken to Herod, and where it is believed that Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crowed.  

While standing here on the patio, you can hear roosters crowing in the valley below.

It closed shortly after we got there, so then we headed back to the Hotel to finalize packing up our things and then we had a few hours to go into the Old City and do any last minute souvenir shopping/site-seeing.  Sam and I lounged around the Old City at Jacob's Pizza, a favorite Western-style diner and visited some olive wood merchants.

After three hours in the Old City, and then another little stop by there right before we headed out of town, we loaded the bus with all our luggage and said goodbye to Jerusalem.  Sam and I have been talking for years about going back there someday, but I don't know that I really thought it would actually happen.  It is still surreal that we had this opportunity to return there and see and do so very much.  We feel so blessed and so grateful to Grammie and Grandpa.

Here is a picture of our mini-bus and driver, with a view of us inside.  It was so wonderful to have this bus drive us around Jerusalem, Israel and Palestine the entire trip, and our driver was great.

We arrived in Tel Aviv, dropped Brian and Val off at their hotel (they weren't flying out till the next day), and then we all got dropped off along the Tel Aviv beach.  We walked along the shore towards Joppa.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and such a fun way to finish up the trip.

Sam by the Jonah and the Whale statue in Joppa.

O Grave, where is thy victory? O Death, where is thy sting?

Sam never went to Tel Aviv in 2000.  I went to the beach a couple times with friends.  Sam didn't care for the beach-scene then and didn't care for it in 2014, but he loved the old city of Joppa.  Our classes in 2000 never came to Joppa, which now surprised Sam since this is the site where Jonah boarded the ship to escape Ninevah and where Peter received the revelation to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.  As always, Sam was enjoying himself in Israel.  We were glad we stopped here at the end of the trip.

Grammie finally got a chance to finish her history on the scattering and gathering of the Tribes that she started at Beit Sh-en.  It was a cooler experience that allowed the group to sit and enjoy the teaching and scenery.

Listening to Grammie, and trying to process all we've seen and done the past week.  Trent also shared his thoughts on Joppa.

The modern city of Tel-Aviv in the background from the hilltop city of Joppa.

Then it was off to the airport for our flight back to the US.  We landed in New York, where Sam had to rush off to his flight to Atlanta, and the rest of us continued on to Salt Lake.  I was so anxious to see my cute kids, and it was a fun reunion with them.  We returned home Sunday morning.  By Monday, Israel and Palestine were bombing each other and engaged in a full-fledged war.  We were so blessed that we went when we did and were able to do everything we wanted to.  If our trip had been even a week later we wouldn't have been able to go.  And the airport closed a day or two after we flew out of it because of missiles from Gaza.  We very easily could have been stuck in Israel as well.  It really is a miracle that all worked out as it did.  It absolutely was a trip of a lifetime.  We are SO grateful to Wood and Susan for taking us on this absolutely amazing trip!  Next Year Jerusalem.