For me, one of the most surprising discoveries is how close the Judean Wilderness and Jerusalem are to each other. On Wednesday, our first full course day, we visited the Mount of Olives and looked east into the dry, hilly, but beautiful Judean Wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days in this wilderness after being baptized by John in the Jordan River.

We also looked west from the Mount of Olives and looked down on the present and ancient city of Jerusalem. It touched my heart to see wonderful symbols of Judaism, Islam and Christianity all present in one place.