Lost and found

Day 2 Sunday 28th July 2019

I awoke around 6 in the morning. The hostel was in a residential area, the windows looked onto neighbouring flats. I was the only one in the room the other 3 beds remained untouched.

It is always important for me to get into a routine in a new place which usually sets the pattern for the duration of my stay. The shower worked! No need to have it hot as I needed to wake up and although early morning the air was already warm.

After the sun protection was applied, one that would last for hours, I sprayed the mosquito repellent. New York City three years ago was still in my psyche when a mosquito who bit caused me severe inconvenience.

The dining room was laid out for breakfast and there were already punters at the table. It was a Hostel, not a youth Hostel which meant all ages were staying from young families to elderly sisters.

I like hostels as they are instant communities. Most of us without knowing have signed up for talking to anyone who wants to talk. Indeed it is assumed you will talk but if you want quiet that can be understood.

The Nutella reminded me of a trip in my youth to Germany so each morning with my toast I had Nutella and jam.

In my ‘lost and finding’ yesterday I came across ‘the oldest protestant church in the Middle East’. I aimed to attend church in Jerusalem.

I decided to take the alternative road into the old city. I noticed Ethiopian women dressed in white walking along the same road. I had heard of Ethiopian Jews living in Israel but was surprised to see Christians. Along the same street was the Ethiopian church with the image of the Lion of Judah displayed at the top of the building.

The road brought me through the Arab bus station and here I noticed the sign for Bethlehem. I had never understood that ‘the little town’ was perhaps no more than six miles from the city.

I went through Damascus gate. They tell me it is called such as it leads to Damascus.

I observed a military position but as like Belfast, they blended in with the people setting up their wares.

This route brought me straight into the souks which I experienced as ancient stone tunnels. They were filled with goods offered to the tourists. So many tunnels that you will get lost. Everyone is willing to help but also hoping you might stay and look at what they are selling.

An Armenian man pulled out photos of his family who have been here for two hundred years. He was gracious enough to accept I simply wanted to find Christ Church. I found it just as I could hear the service begin.

The church was part of what had been the administrative headquarters of the British mandate. They tell me when the Ottoman Empire fell in 1915 Britain took governance of Palestine.

A liturgy from Kenyan was used which made much use of Hebrew and presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. It was contemporary in music and presentation. I appreciated the opportunity to ‘ break bread’ in Jerusalem. An emotional sense of the significance of being here frequently came over me during the seven days. Every so often I felt my heart soften as something, someone touched it. I had come a long way from being a wee lad at St Columba’s Sunday school, meeting in Corcrain Community Centre. It was there I first heard the stories about this place.

I stayed for tea and chatted with a member of the congregation who had learned Hebrew and then made a CD in which she sang the Psalms.

I had a vague idea that I would attempt to walk the Via Dolorosa. I got a good free map from the Tourist office which outlined it. I ordered a coffee and sat down to get my bearings.

The above video is taken outside Lion’s Gate when I finally find the start of the route, hours after I began.

The heat made me tired so I rested a while inside the grounds of St Anne’s church (Anne they say was the mother of Mary). Here I met Jerry the Jerusalem cat who stars in the following video. Jerusalem has many wild cats as someone said to me better wild cats that wild rats. Another reports that it was the British that brought the cats to Jerusalem to solve the rat problem.

Within the grounds of the church was the Pool at Bethesda. The video gives you the Gospel passage that refers to it.

In many of the churches along the Via Dolorosa pilgrims stop to sing as the following video.

Further along, the alleged place where Jesus was flogged.

The walls are ancient and so too is the sense today. Throughout the day the Muslim call to prayer is sounded throughout Jerusalem.

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