Dec 5, 2012 - Caeseria Philippi, Beit Saida and worship on the Galilee

Oh what a day we had today! Up very early (6 am) and off to breakfast. Then on the buses (there are 4 of them) and off to Caeseria Philippi where we worshiped in front of the water. From there we went to Beit Saida. Most believe that there is another spot where Jesus did the Loaves and fishes miracle, however there is now very strong archeological evidence that the true place this may have occurred was Beit Saida. This is also the location of Simon-Peter the fisherman's house as well as 3 of the other disciples. We had an amazing time of...

Dec 4, 2012 - Arrival and along the shores of the Galilee

It's 11:30 pm and I am sitting in a hotel looking out over the Sea of Galilee. It just doesn't get much more amazing than that... but then I am sure I will say that several times before the trip is done. Truly beautiful location that I am sure will be even more breathtaking when I get up at 6 am and see it all in the daylight. We had a good flight and I of course had the fortune to sit next to a Mama with a sweet baby that at times, needed to be held so Mama could get up and do something (hate it when that happens right...) There are...

Apr 22, 2012 - Israel

After our luxurious stay, which we could have stayed at forever, we headed out across to Jaresh and the ancient ruins of a Roman settlement. It was spectacular. Unlike the broken ruins of England that I have seen, they were so much intact! We stood in the meeting square looking down the roads adorned by huge columns, visited the temple of Juiter and listened to a bagpipe trio in the amphitheater - who played a rendition of Amazing Grace and some other popular tune and went into the chariot racing arena. It was incredible to stand in such an...

Jan 22, 2012 - Around the Sea of Galilee

We left the hotel about 8:30 this morning and started to make our way around the Sea of Galilee. We stopped at a spot in the hills where Jesus is supposed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount. A church has been built there and there were so many people, it was hard to gain any sense of what it would have been like in Jesus' day. We headed on up the coast and took a boat ride on the Lake. The winds began blowing up and the waves were threatening to overturn the boat...wait, that last part happened to Jesus' disciples, not us. We did...

Jan 21, 2012 - Jerusalem 2 and on to Galilee

Last night, I got to spend some time with my friend, Will. He is in Israel working on a kabootz as an Israeli pig farm. I know...weird. He took a train to Jerusalem and found his way to our hotel. He had dinner with our group and I stayed up way too late talking to him. I'm hoping he made it back to the hotel he was staying in and isn't just another American statistic. In any case, I didn't get a blog entry about yesterday because I spent the evening talking to Will. Will try to catch up tonight. Jerusalem, Day 2 We started the day by...

Jan 2, 2012 - Baptism Service

What a rushed day and yet our guide maneuvered well and we saw most. Of our sites except those obscured. By fog. Closing early in the winter our guide got us in even 10 minutes after closing. It was a beautiful evening cool enough for light jacket. The river was somewhat murky with several sea gull/pigeon looking birds skimming the water for food. There were 18 of us who wanted to be baptized in the river and were quickly directed to the changing room with a robe and a towel. We quickly changed and headed to the area prepared for our group....

Jan 1, 2012 - Overnight Beside the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias

Circumference 40 miles. 700 ft below sea level. Assyrians lived on the plateau peak called the golden heights and would shoot at the areas around israel daily. Later Israel took control of this area. The synagogue of magdela was just found a few months ago. They found the Torah of 2000 years ago buried there. Found a boat carbon dated to the first century. Only example in the world of a boat that lasted 2000 years ago because buried by mud. ? A third of the world's fresh water the sea of Galilee.

Dec 15, 2011 - Driving North - TIME IS NOT MONEY FOR THE ARABS

Everyone slept. Today a new guide (Gadi) is picking us up and we are taking an overnight trip North to Golan Heights, spending the night at a hotel in Tiberias and driving back to J'lem tomorrow. We will stay on the Sea of Galilee (which is not a sea but a lake). Here is the dealie....Gadi our guide on an official mini van for us. We all got Tour Hats and maps. The kids loved it. Gadi had a microphone and gave us an explaination of the tour as he drove. Very cool and official. We drove out of J'lem heading in a different direction. Saw...

Jun 26, 2011 - Kibbutz Ma'agan in the Galil

Sunday June 26, 2011 Life on the Kibbutz We're on the move once again. After 9 nights in the lap of luxury at the David Citadel Hotel, it's time to say "bye bye" to the place. I went to the Avis agency a block away and rented a Mazda 3 for our trip north to Kibbutz Ma'agan where we'll spend the next 3 days. I stayed at the holiday village built by the Kibbutz when I was in Israel on the Beth Shalom mission in November 2004. It is perfectly located at the southern tip of Lake Kinnereth (almost directly across from Kibbutz Deganya - the very...

Jun 9, 2011 - Day 3: Sea of Galilee, Jordan River

The Sea of Galilee was our focus today. At 8:30 am we arrived at Kibbutz Ginosar where we boarded a wide boat with plastic chairs and a cover over the top. It sailed to the middle of the Sea of Galilee and the motor was turned off so we could sense the quiet that Jesus and his disciples experienced. Ron Cline led us in a devotional thought about not being afraid (like the disciples were on the stormy sea), but about trusting God. Yossi of the Amiel Tour Company (www,amiel.com) was our excellent Israeli guide. Today he identified himself...

Jun 8, 2011 - Day 2: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth, Tiberias

This morning Ken and I walked along the waterfront of the Mediterranean Sea, just a little way across from the hotel. At seven o’clock it was already warm and humid. There wasn’t much traffic because it was the holiday of Pentecost. This commemorates the biblical day that Moses came down delivering the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. Men were placing lounge chairs on the beach in anticipation of the arrival of many beach-goers. Breakfast was interesting. One could eat granola and yoghurt or choose from a wide variety of cheeses,...

Jan 28, 2011 - Lower Galilee- day 3

Friday 7pm THE SABBATH HAS BEGUN! So being at a resort hotel is Tiberius as the Sabbath begins on Friday at Sundown, we are swarmed with traditional and Orthodox Jews who can;t cook or work in any way- so they come stay at the hotel and eat at the restaurant, We were warned to go to dinner late- about 8pm and they will all be cleared out. So, how far do they carry out the don't work? One elevator is reserved for the duration of the sabbath- They cannot push the buttons, so the elevator just automatically stopps at every floor! Another...