More pictures from the garden

I thought I would send a few more pictures of the garden so you can have an idea of what we get to enjoy everyday.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, every morning we get up at 630 am to wash down the benches and chairs, sweep the paths so that it looks nice and clean when the vistors arrive. For the last few mornings, it is more a manner of drying off the rain, although the birds still leave us a few of their droppings!! For the last week this has been my area to clean. I haven't counted the number of benches but it usually takes me between 30 - 45 minutes depending on how dirty the benches are. We just use a mop and bucket.
This picture below is in the center of the garden where alot of the groups will have their worship time. It is a wonderful place to worship as it overlooks the entrance to the tomb. I sent a previous picture where a group of Nigerians were worshipping.
This is another area of benches that we clean. This path leads to 'Skull Hill' or Golgotha.

Skull Hill.

Don leading another group from Nigeria explaining the significance of 'Skull Hill.'

Don explaining to a group the wine press that was also discovered in the garden, giving more evidence that this could be the garden and tomb where Jesus was buried.

Don leading a group at the tomb, and showing what they will see when they enter inside.

Again we thank you for your prayers as we live and serve here in Jerusalem. Every morning we wake up and thank God for the opportunity we have. We have only been here a little more than 2 weeks, but it seems much longer than that. We were asked the other day if being here is what we expected. We had to think about that as neither one of us had any expectations, but both agreed that this is beyond anything we may have considered. As I sit in our apartment writing this blog, (as I have the morning off) I hear a group singing "How Great Thou Art." Throughout the day I will hear "Because He Lives", "Amazing Grace", He is Lord" and more. The other day as I was taking the communion tray (a lot of the groups bring their own olive wood communion cups which we set on a silver platter with the bread) to one of the worship areas, a man stopped and wanted a picture with me carrying this tray. Everything here just seems to mean something special and we often see men and women weeping as they enter and leave the tomb, as the true meaning of what Jesus did for them becomes reality. We are encouraged as staff that if we see a person or a couple sitting off on their own, to approach them and offer to pray with them if they so wish. I had an afternoon off a couple days ago, and I just sat on one of the benches and 'took in' the sights and sounds around me.

The Garden is often the last stop for a group before they leave Israel and head back home. Having the Garden as the last stop seems to be the best way to end their time here as it 'wraps together' everything that they have seen and heard; and they can see the final outcome of Jesus and His time on earth. To end with a worship service before going home is a wonderful way to end their trip.

I am enjoying my time in the gift shop. We can be very busy, but usually only for a short time as the groups have finished their visit in the garden and are picking up some last minute souvenirs before they leave. I really enjoy talking to the visitors when there is only one or two in the shop and we have time to find out where they are from. I talked to a pastor yesterday from Georgia that has been bringing groups to Israel. This was his 60th time! What wonderful stories he had to tell. Well I better go. The reason they give the wives a morning or afternoon off here and there is so that we have time to do our grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, etc. As my close friends know, those things are low on my priority list (well cleaning and laundry anyway); but we have invited another volunteer couple over for dinner tonite so I best find a vacuum cleaner and do a load of laundry. We have a laundry room here at the garden for us to use, so that is very convenient. God Bless.

Shalom

Don and Glenda