Jerusalem was the highlight of my trip so far. Yes, partially for the clichéd reason that it is awesome to walk in the footstep of Jesus and to experience and see the places where "it all" happened so many years ago. Yet, is was not merely the history that touched me, but also the present of the city. There were too many great moments to be able to single out one, but I had an especially emotional experience on the Mount of Olives (which is actually a hill even my granny can climb) where we stood at the Dominus Flevit (the church built on the spot where Jesus supposedly stood and wept for the city) and looked out over the whole of Jerusalem. Seeing all the beacons of the different religions (each one dominating its own quarter) and thinking of the war raging in the country at the moment and all the sad, scared and unsaved people, I just knew that Jesus was still standing on his mountain weeping for Jerusalem. And Jerusalem became to me a symbol for the world at large, deeply saddening God in everything we do. However, I saw the hope as well. Everything is not lost! Two centuries ago Jesus was rejected and murdered in Jerusalem, but today, two thousand years later, he is exalted all over the city - hundreds of churches and other locations are dedicated to his life spent here. Although they are often a bit Christmastreeish with their overwhelming decorations, and one can sometimes barely experience God through all the "fuss", they are still there to honour him. Thousands of people come there every day to worship him. Christian pilgrims come from all over the world to let their hearts be touched and to bring their praises to their living Saviour. That simply has to have some significance! Jesus lives, and he is still alive in this beautiful, confused, tragic city!