Thanksgiving Day in Israel

Shalom from Israel! Another full day – and we’ve figured out part of the problem with our computer – it thinks it’s Hebrew!  :0 It lets me type in English, but everything around it is in Hebrew and we can’t seem to get it to change so we can read prompts. You computer geeks out there probably know the solution….but we don’t and neither do any of those with us.

We started with MASADA – and yes, we CLIMBED every step of it and EARNED (well, o.k. – we bought it – but we earned it) the t-shirt! We shouldn’t have to ever work out again. J One of the highlights hiking up was meeting Israeli kids coming down. Many would stop us and ask us where we were from, ask to take their picture with us, chant “U.S.A.” – it was really fun. J

MASADA was followed by hiking the up to the middle falls at En Geddi (where David cut part of Saul’s robe off in a cave). It was an oasis in a dry and barren land.

We stopped at AHAVA – and yes, Becca, I bought you lots of Dead Sea lotions. J

Lunch at Qumeran and Hezi telling/showing us about the Dead Sea scrolls. Lots of caves!

We experienced a little of the Arab culture when we were in Jericho. MUCH different than areas controlled by Israelis. We saw a Zaccheus tree, shopped at a Hebron glass place, saw the possible site of the mountain Jesus was tempted on and experienced Palestinian and Israeli checkpoints.

We are now at  kibbutz Ma’aran on the south shore of the Sea of Galilee. It’s been a long but interesting day. Tomorrow is Galilee, starting early with Bet She’an.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving – we did!

Monday thru Wednesday happenings.

Shalom from Israel!

I apologize for not getting any posts out earlier. We (and most of the others with us) have had great difficulty getting any kind of internet service. I’m not techy enough to know exactly what the difficulty is – just that that is how it has been.

We are having the time of our lives! Sandy – if you read this – I’m thinking Israel should be the 2013 destination for that year’s WOG retreat. I haven’t mentioned it to Kathy yet – but I’m sure she would agree!

We had an uneventful plane trip Mon./Tues. meeting up with others in Philadelphia and then our close friends, Debbie and David, in Tel Aviv. We stayed Tues. evening in a Beer Sheva hotel.

We started at 8 this morning and it has been a full day. The first stop was the historical site of Beer Sheva itself – “the 7^th well.” “Hezi,” our guide is great and combined with Craig’s teaching – well, the place just came alive! “Wandering in the desert” has taken on a whole new significance for me.

Our next 2 stops revolved around Ben Gurion – his kibbutz, followed by his burial place. What an inspiring leader he was! I love how he loved his wife and how he really lived what he preached. A sweet bonus was getting to watch some Jewish second graders go through some kind of ceremony and receive the book of Gensis – complete with Jewish singing and dancing. J

Following this, we had lunch in a Bedouin’s tent and learned a little about their way of life. Makes me appreciate my own life a whole lot more! Next we stopped at a crater. The vistas here defy my limited vocabulary – desolate and yet breath-taking.

We arrived at the Dead Sea around 3. Again, gorgeous scenery – but I couldn’t really appreciate it driving down the winding, twisting road. I was VERY glad to arrive and get both feet on solid ground again – and NOT barf before that happened!

The Dead Sea itself is all that I imagined it to be with one exception – note to self: if you ever come here again DON’T dry shave your legs BEFORE getting in the sea. Ouch – the salt was misery! Duh! We got some fun pictures – the classic “reading World magazine while floating about” featuring Bill. The water was a little chilly so we didn’t stay real long, choosing instead to relax in the indoor, heated pools – both of Dead Sea water and another that was fresh water.

Meals have been a little more healthy than American food and pretty good for the most part. At any rate, we’re not going hungry.:)

I need to wrap this up. Tomorrow – MASADA! We start early and other stops include En Gadi, Qumran, and Galilee. Any of this sound familiar, Becky K.? I’ve thought of you often here!

Happy Thanksgiving to all – especially our families. We love you and wish you could be here with us! I hope to have better internet connections in the future so my next posts won’t be as long.



We're here!

We arrived safely in Beer Sheva, and we are ready to see what adventures God has in store for us. Thank you all for your continued prayers!

Thanks Heather! :)

And so the adventure begins........