Sierra Pacific Synod’s Holy Land Solidarity Pilgrimage - Day 8

Our accompaniment and solidarity pilgrimage here is quickly drawing to a close. I have been completely blown away by the way our trip to the holy sites has been led. Hearing the history, references to the scriptures, and absorbing the essence of these places where Jesus walked all blended with a tangible connection to the present day and interlaced with the struggles that plague the people of this land now.

Today began with a visit to the Auguste Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem. Treated to a presentation from the Lutheran World Federation about the important work carried out in this place, we learned of the history of the mission here from its establishment through to the challenges facing it in the wake of 7 October 2023 and ensuing war. From here, we found a stunning spot that looks across the Cedron Valley to the Old City of Jerusalem. We followed the Palm Sunday road (the one on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey) stopping at the Dominus Flevit Church which commemorates the place where Jesus looked out on the City of Jerusalem and wept. From here, down through to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of the Agony or Church of All Nations.

After our break for lunch, we then had the immense privilege of meeting with newly installed Bishop Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). He spoke to our hearts as he told his story and his hopes for the future of the ELCJHL and its mission in the Holy Land reminding us that hope is a choice; it is something we must choose to do every day.

Our final stops for our penultimate day in the Holy Land saw us visit the Upper Room where the last supper is believed to have been held, King David’s City, and the Catholic Church of St. Peter in Gallicante - the site marking where Peter denied Jesus three times and where it is believed Jesus was imprisoned before being brought to Caiaphas, the high priest. Our travels done, the sites now seen, it was time to reflect and return to our lodging in Bethlehem.

Following the intense emotions stirred by the witness and testimonies we have heard over the past few days, I confess that exhaustion (emotional and physical) has begun to take hold as we, I, process all that we are seeing here. Each opportunity to learn from the living stones, the people, of this land has been met with a glad heart. It is their witness, their steadfastness, their Sumud that we must now take forward from this place.

Sincerely, Tyler Biscocho, Council Secretary - Cross & Crown Lutheran Church, Rohnert Park

Council Member - Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA, Conference #1 (Redwood Mountain)

Young Adult Representative, Sierra Pacific Synod (Region 2) - ELCA Young Adult Network