Saturday, November 26, 2011

I don’t even know where to begin……

We started at the Jordan River today. It really isn’t very wide near here – kinda like Massey Creek. Hezi sometimes refers to it as the “pee-pee” river. J I can say I have forever left a part of “myself” there in the river as my name tag accidently came unclipped and floated away…..Maybe thousands of years from now someone will excavate it and think I was a princess?

There are no words to describe our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The company we went with are Messianic Jews and are the only Christian boat company on the sea. While the other companies maybe show you how to cast nets, fish, etc., our guide led us in singing several worship songs (in both English and Hebrew – how cool is that?) after Craig talked to us about Jesus taking the disciples to the Gentile side of the sea – some place they really didn’t want to go. He often takes us places we don’t want to go for our own good today. Powerful stuff. The weather was perfect and it was just awesome – a word I try to reserve only for when I’m talking about God. I could have stayed there all day!

We also visited the spot that might have been where Jesus gave us the Beatitudes and Craig talked again to us – this time from Matt. 5, of course! We stopped at the Church of the Multiplication. While both of these places were nice – and Craig’s teaching was excellent – they were too “showy” for me. Give me the wide open spaces any day!

Lunch was fun at a place where you could get “St. Peter’s fish.” The owner was VERY colorful and attentive to us. They even put a denarius in the mouth of Duane Woods’ fish. J

After lunch we drove through an Arab town (again – stark contrast to Jewish towns as far as cleanliness) on the way to Mt. Pecipice (sp?) that overlooks Jezerel Valley. Breathtaking vistas and Craig taught from Luke 4. Mt Tabor was in the distance.

Next stop – a YMCA in Arab Nazareth (Christians) that have reconstructed the village of Nazareth. It was interesting and helpful to a visual person like me to help me understand what it was like back in Jesus’ day (rather than an archeological dig where you have to use your imagination).

About half of the group is going into Tiberias after supper tonight to do some touristy kind of shopping and/or get antibiotics. Several of us are puny – flushed, chills, coughing up colored junk, swollen glands – you get the picture. I started my antibiotic tonight for all of the above reasons and more. Thanks, Scott! I didn’t go to supper and am headed to bed soon. I’m exhausted and we have another full day tomorrow. Please pray for all of us that we get enough rest and are healthy! There is just so much we want to see and do and we want to be healthy in the process!

If any of you are even remotely thinking of ever visiting Israel – think no more and just start saving and planning! You will NOT regret it.

Tomorrow – Jerusalem! Good night!