by Pastor Patrick Cho

It might not make sense, but I think the free days are as exhausting as our days of touring. Even though we have the day off to relax, very few people from the group actually relax. Most of us are still on our feet either finishing up shopping or visiting sites we didn’t have time for with the group. Today, John and I were able to do a little of both.

We began the day getting some shopping done in the Old City markets. It was fun bargaining with the shop owners and hunting for good deals. Some of the shop keepers can be very aggressive. One of the men in our group was approached by a guy selling postcards and the salesman actually reached into our guy’s pocket! Some of the shop keepers will even start wrapping up things for you to take before you even agree to buy them. Thankfully, throughout our days in Jerusalem, Dr. Grisanti was able to point us to a few shops where he had good experiences with the owners.

After we got some shopping done, we grabbed lunch with Dr. Michael and Holly Vlach. Dr. Vlach is a professor at The Master’s Seminary and our faculty host for the trip. It was really great getting to spend some time with them since John and I attended the seminary before Dr. Vlach was hired there. We didn’t talk about theology as much as about each other’s lives and how God led us to where we are currently. It was good to hear their testimonies and a little about their family. The food was really tasty, but the conversation was certainly one of the highlights of this trip.

We decided after lunch to visit the museum in the Citadel of David. This fortress was built by Suleiman the Magnificent and had one of the best observation decks of the city. The museum was super helpful because it walks you through the history of Israel beginning in the days of Canaan, walking through biblical history, and ending with the modern era. It was helpful to see where the city got its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim influences, and in what time periods each of those cultures dominated the city. The museum also helped to tie together and arrange chronologically a lot of the historical facts we had been learning from Dr. Grisanti.

It was Sabbath today so most of the shops and museums were closed. Some people from our group took advantage of an opportunity to visit a local Christian assembly and worship together with them. From what they shared, it was a really encouraging time of fellowship and praise. I was torn about whether to join them or not, but I’m still thankful to have had lunch with the Vlachs and to have visited the Citadel of David. In the evening, we met together again with the group from Dallas Theological Seminary to have a preview of our upcoming week in Galilee. I’m super excited to head up to Galilee! The teacher shared that most groups agree it is the most fun leg of the trip.