Day 10 was newly slotted as a day to reset priorities for the remainder of the trip. After a little extra sleep and some work (logging into the office) for me, we headed to the Old City. The goal was to meet with leaders of the Christian center, let them know of Faiths Christianity questions and get their advice on activities that may be most helpful. The center did not seem to have many suggestions beyond viewing their multimedia section on Christ and contract a tour guide, which they provided a list.
After partaking in the multimedia offerings, Faith felt like it was of good value and provided her with some background she did not previously know. Especially events such as the disciples turning on Jesus leading to His crucifixion. Following the arrest of Jesus, Peter denied knowing him three times, but after the third denial, he heard the rooster crow and recalled the prediction as Jesus turned to look at him. Peter then began to cry bitterly. This final incident is known as the Repentance of Peter. It seemed especially impactful for Faith when Peter was forgiven and restored by Jesus. And once Peter had been restored, he went and preached a sermon to the very people who had crucified Jesus. And 3,000 people were saved!
As we headed out of the Christian center, it seemed like a Presidential caravan was coming directly toward us. It turned out to be the President of Zambia, who is a Christian.
We watched the pomp and circumstance for a few minutes and then headed to the open markets to talk about next steps
This was in the Old City - look closely - I can only imagine it represents a signal to any other intruders of the Old City, that this time they will fight and not let the Holy Land be pilferage any longer.
We were going to contact a few tour guides and line one up for tomorrow.
We then headed back to some good old fashion tacos and then back to the hostel where we wound down on the rooftop...
Day 11 was meant to be a day of lots of learning through tours, but one could not be set up in short order. So after a little more sleep, work, and breakfast we pivoted and took a long walk and made it a true father daughter day where we learned more about each other. Faith spoke about her life's journey in a little more detail than she had shared before, we talked about events in each of our lives where Christ was present and importantly to how we have gotten to today because of Christ. We also spoke about areas in society where Christ may not be immediately present in parents or community leaders and how the absence of Christ might lead to certain unintended outcomes.
Faith seemed to resonate with these discussions, especially with how she has been impacted. As we continued talking, our path lead us to the shopping area, where Faith was able to find a couple more pieces for the upcoming school year. Then of course, all that talking started getting us hungry so we stopped in for some Japanese food. Faith ordered ramen with chicken and I a rice bowl with chicken and spicy peppers on the side. It was soooo good, but also soooo spicy - so much so, it is a four napkin alarm for the top of my head, where the sweat was literally running off of my head. :)
We stopped in for some snacks - Faith eats snacks like most people eat peanuts or chips - her hand does not stop going inside the bag for another bite until they are all gone.
I have so enjoyed each and everyone of your visuals, your stories, your meals, the findings on the digs. The Christ pieces were felt deeply and were emotionally moving....