What I Cannot Tell You

I cannot tell you readers about the road trip up to Eureka Springs, the Hotel life, and the road trip for I was not their and they are not my stories to tell, and plus it is to sad for me to know what my classmates did while I here at school. If reader you just want to go and read about what happened then go to one of their blogs and read for yourself what happened that was outside of the tours. Thank you readers for understanding why I cannot write what they did.

The Christ of the Ozarks

Ninety feet tall with arms spread out wide and a face that held eyes so gentle yet so severe was the white statue of Christ. They said that the eyes followed you were ever you went and to some the guilt seeped through and for others the thought that He was always watching was comforting.

The Chaple in the Woods, Section of the Berlin Wall, and the Liberty Bell

As they were driving they came across a small white church with a cross on top of the steeple and it symbolizes the freedom we have in Christ, and as they got closer they also say a piece of the Berlin Wall and a replica of the liberty bell. Both of these also represented freedom, yet both had a different kind of freedom. While the Berlin Wall was once a sign of great sadness, and still is, it now stands for the freedom that was won by in Germany. And the Liberty Bell represents our freedom in America to worship the way we want, to have freedom of speech , and so on. The Liberty Bell, the Berlin Wall, and lone white church with a steeple that had a cross on the top of it represents freedom in its own way and all stand for it.

The Holy Land Tour

As they rode the trolley through all the the different sites on the Holy Land tour, they would stop and talk to Mary, mother of Jesus, Simon Peter, John the Beloved, Anna the Inn Keeper, and Samuel the Priest. On the tour was a life size replica of the Tabernacle that was used in Israel's wandering years. Inside was everything from the Ark of the Covenant, to the Golden Lamp Stand, and there Samuel the Priest walked them through the temple and talked to them about the daily sacrifices and what not. Next they went to Bethlehem were they met Anna the inn keeper, who told them about the houses and the inns. From there they walked up to a cave and found Mary, Mother of Jesus, and she told them of her journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the birth of Jesus. As they walked on they stopped at the "Sea of Galilee" were Simon Peter told them about his friend John the Beloved and when he saw Jakes yellow sunglasses he went and put them on. I saw the picture of the guy and I just laughed. Simon also talked about Jesus calming the sea and Him walking on water. Again they stopped and this time is was with Peter, where they talked about the upper room and the last supper, and they sat just the way Jesus and the disciples would have. The last person they talked to was Mary Magdalen who told them of the empty tomb and her shock at finding the bandages laying there, empty.

The Sacred Art Museum

I know the people well enough to say that they do not enjoy going to museums, but at the Sacred Art Museum many of them wanted to stay longer. My mouth dropped. So for me to hear this was interesting, and jaw dropping because it had to be beyond good. Apparently the painting were so filled with detail and hidden concepts that they were able to capture their attention. A few of the painting that stuck out to people were Nicodemus and Jesus, the Temptation of Jesus, and the painting of all the faces in history. Pretty much every painting went deeper then that of the obvious, which is one of the many things that captured their attention. Each and every painting held a new thought for one to think upon, and each painting was held in awe by anybody who saw them.

Parable of the Shepherd

Another parable was the parable of the Shepherd, who talked about protecting his sheep and leaving them all behind to go and find just one of his sheep that has gone missing. He talked about the weapons he used like a rod, staff, and/or shepherd's sling, and he used the rod so beat away predators, the staff to lead the sheep, and the sling also fend off predators. The Shepherd would stand guard at the entrance of the gate that held the sheep and would let nothing pass without his ok. Later he started to talk about a shepherd known as the Good Shepherd, who is Jesus. We are this shepherd's sheep and he helps us when we stumble and fall and when we go amiss he is always there to help us back onto the right path.

The Parable of the Potter

The parable of the potter was told by a man who explained who the pot represented and what the story meant. While he was relating the story to all who were listening he was making a pot and molding it just as God molds us. The potter represented God and the pot was us, who was being molded in God's image and the "heart" that was placed in the pot was the holy spirit filling us.

The Passion Play

The Passion Play is the play that shows the death, the resurrection, and the days and miracles surrounding it. The stage itself was extremely realistic, it was told to me that it could have been taken straight out of Jerusalem itself. Within the play itself were animals such as: donkeys, doves, and sheep. During one of the acts, when Jesus was clearing the Temple, he sent the doves flying as he turned over tables ran around the room cracking his whip. As all the doves were finally gathered many told me that one kept flying around and around for about three more acts, and people were dying with laughter. The play also had some of the miracles that Jesus performed like raising Lazarus from the dead, his trial, death, and his resurrection, and through out all of this was a man, representing the devil, who would be standing in the background encouraging Judas, watching people suffer, finally showed himself at the death of Jesus to all who was watching. The death of Christ was so realistic that when they whipped Him he actually bled, and they actually hung Him on the cross, and to so many this was the most powerful thing that they have ever known. Everybody who went on that trip knows the story of the death of Christ, but actually seeing it was something that really opened many of their eyes.

What Everyone Did While I was at School

I have heard that the Eureka Springs trip was interesting, fun, and well it was different for each person and each person had a different view on everything. I personally did not go on the trip because of a ceremony I had to attend, but what I have heard stories of was that on the ride there it was loud at times, especially when they passed by a High School Musical sign, or extremely quiet at others. It was a never ending car ride that lasted forever, and many told me that fast food got old really fast. While the hotel food was OK the getting up part was hard after the long car, and the pool was freezing. Why people still went in is beyond me especially since it was already freezing outside. The parable of the Potter was shown with a man who while talking about the parable, and he related the parable to God and us today, while the man was making a pot while telling the story. The Christ of the Ozark stature is 90 feet tall statue of Jesus, with eyes that follow you around and arms stretched out. Its face was so serious but at the same time so very gentle and caring. To some it was interesting, weird, and to some a little frightening. The passion play was a very powerful play showing the surrounding events of Jesus' death, and resurrection, and the hardship he had to endure for us, and the example he has set for us. This play has brought so many people together from all over the world, it makes you feel as if you were there in the streets filled with the everyday life of the people. On the trip was a tour of different stories from the bible all acted out by professional actors, like Jesus walking on water, speaking to the Levitical Priest in Moses' Tabernacle, or walking beside Peter on the "Sea of Galilee" listening to him tell them of his last days with Jesus. They also went to the Sacred Art Museum were artist such as Edward Goodman Lewis, Edward Runci, and Harry Antis held their paintings of biblical stories. Some of the painting were like the collection by Harry Antis "A Man from Nazareth Named Jesus" and the "The Life, the Death, and the Purpose of the Incredible Galilean Man Named Jesus." Also in the museum are the original oils on canvas painted by early masters and 20th century artist, and several historical collections including the royal Dresden china pieces representing the Last Supper. On the way back home it was pretty much the same thing as on the way up, but that it seemed so much longer. From what I have heard about this trip it seemed like a very inspirational trip and a very eye opening trip.