Christians believe that this oil can help to heal sick loved
ones. Bringing a cloth that has touched the stone to a sick loved one is considered
to be one of the biggest blessings one can do for the sick. There were women
and men on their hands and knees eager to touch the stone to say a prayer. I was
so enamored by this Indian couple that was visiting the stone. They brought
their infant, no more than two weeks old, to the church. They removed him from
the blanket and laid his head along the stone while they said prayers to bless
the child. They also posed and smiled for pictures. From my perspective, it
looked like it was the happiest moment in their lives. Relatives of the family
looked on and snapped photo after photo.
As we turned the corner
in the church we stood before the rotunda, the dome that holds Jesus tomb itself.
Security guarded the dome while hundreds of people waited to enter to touch and
light candles. People crowded close and were pushing and fighting with the
security guards because they were trying to bypass the line. I was so
interested and took so many pictures. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I
am not a very religious person and to encounter and see people where religion
takes precedence in their life and controls most of their day-to-day activities
was interesting to me. I thought to myself about how these visitors probably
saved money for years and years to make their pilgrimage or just receive a
blessing for their loved ones. This concept is something so foreign to me.
After our visit
to the church we took a walk through the Jewish quarters and the shuk. These
places were so fascinating and colorful. You could buy foods, shoes, jewelry,
beads, tapestries, rugs, decorations, and so much more. My friend and I got harassed
by a shop keeper after he realized we were not planning to buy something. I attempted to bargain with of
the shop keepers. I saw this amazing bracelet that I wanted to buy. His asking
price was 180 shekels and I got him down to 90. After I said no, he shooed me away. (Keep in
mind the bracelet was worth about 5 dollars which is equivalent to 18 shekels.)
The same thing happened when I tried on a pair of shoes and
decided not to purchase them. The shopkeeper said "go go away, why you do this
that's so rude, I can tell in your face when you walk in that you stupid". The whole scenario was quite comical to my
friend. The shop keeper got so angry at us for something so small. They called
us unnecessary bad names in Hebrew and were very rude. Some of the WUJS participants enjoyed
themselves so much they stayed longer in the old city, while the rest of us
returned home. All-in-all it was another great day in the life of WUJS. More to
come!!
By: Lindsey Urell
