David, Goliath, & Archeology!

This morning, we said goodbye to our sweet friend, Uncle JoeJoe, who really was a super sweet host all week. He really took to the girls and treated us like family. 

We headed off to meet with a sweet couple we had met in Richmond, Va and enjoyed a sweet chat (and a sweet sweet) at a little coffee shop. 

I was reminded once again what an awesome opportunity we've been given. It's not free of heartache, but my goodness, what an amazingly diverse and unique life we've been called to live. 

We set out today to become real archeologists!!!! And it turned out really fun! The girls were begging to stay longer! 

Apparently, when a certain group came into the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, they did some illegal digging and building which left the ruins improperly dug up and dumped all together with ruins from all time periods mixed together. 

So, a group of people got the rights to the dug up deris and have been sorting through it for the past six years. They have a place set up for anyone to come and help sift through the debris to find remaining artifacts. 

Among our own personal finds were: a pig's tooth, some pottery handles, a nail, and a lot of pottery pieces, glass, and other things from as far back as the Old Testament. 

It was a really great hands-on idea of what archeologists do and the girls left with a certificate that they had participated in archeological work. 

Our evening dinner plans which had been a surprise fell through. :( It turns out they don't allow children under 11. Jason finally told me what it was and I understand why they don't allow kids. Although, after what we've studied and the interest the girls have taken to it, I think they would have appreciated it. The place is called "Blackout" and the entire meal is served in the pitch black to experience what it feels like to be blind! 

Instead, we had the novelty of real beef for lunch (albeit, mcdonalds) and walked around a mall for a few minutes before heading to see the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath. 

That was one neat experience. Sadly, in our search for the place, we came across a man who simply was defiant that the event ever took place. He nearly refused to answer us as to where it was because he just kept saying "it's all a bluff... It's not real."  He had such a sadness in his voice! It was really saddening... 

We finally found the believed location and did some role play... No, no one got hit in the head with a stone!... And chose five smooth stones to take home. 

We're on our way now to Tel Aviv to spend the night and head toward home tomorrow.

It's been a one-of-a-kind, once in a lifetime trip!