Day 6 Israel
I really liked this picture at the Qumran site.
Me, a sheep, at the Qumran sheep and goat pen.
Heading off to Masada, we passed the Dead Sea.
At Masada, here are some people walking up. It's a long, steep way up to the site. Most people take the cable car, which we did.
Roman encampments during the time of Masada.
One bird
Two birds
Three birds
After
Masada, we went for a float in the Dead Sea. Me and another girl on
the tour covered up in Dead Sea mud - a luxuriously thick mud that has
healing properties. Chad and I floated in the Dead Sea for about 30
minutes. The water is very healing. People with skin conditions such
as eczema and psoriasis come to heal up. You have to be very careful
though - you can't get the water in your eyes or nose or mouth. This is
very dangerous and will land you in the hospital. You have to take
care not to splash or move around to much - which is kind of hard to do,
especially when you are not supposed to. After the Dead Sea, we went
into a heated mineral pool - which felt very wonderful. I could have
stayed all day, but you're not supposed to stay in the water very long.
Chad
began to not feel good while sitting in the Dead Sea. He was a little
dehydrated and caught the cold that was going around our tour group. We
headed back to the hotel for dinner and made sure he got lots of water
and a good night's rest.
Day 7 Israel
We
traveled by armored bus to Shiloh, pronounced Shee-loh, where the
Tabernacle stood for over 300 years during the times of the judges of
Israel. In Shiloh, there is an Israeli settlement that has a school for
children who have been traumatized by terrorism. They have a boys
school and a girls school that provides therapy and support for the
children. They have the children work with animals, gardens, and art,
to help them heal. A former mayor of Shiloh, David Rubin, gave us a
tour - he and his son were attacked by terrorists as well. Here is a
link to David to the Shiloh Israel
Children's Fund: www.shilohisraelchildren.org
Shiloh synagogue.
Entrance to the school.
Therapy animals are housed here.
We got to visit the boy's school but didn't have time to visit the girl's school.
Wonderful, colorful, creative art projects!
Gift
shop in Shiloh. They sell wonderful organic wine that is grown in
Shiloh. Our tour bought up so much that the wine maker had to come down
and bring some more to the gift shop!
Our tour group relaxing at Shiloh.
Beautiful bushy honeybee!
We
visited the site where the Tabernacle used to be in Shiloh. There used
to be a small community near the site so we got to see some old ruins
as well.
Entering the lower level of the High Priest's House.
Heading out towards where the Tabernacle was located.
Leaving Shiloh- notice the security cameras.
We went to a winery in the land of Benjamin.
A very nice sample of their local wine.
Overlooking the land of Benjamin at the back of the winery.
Day 8 Israel
We left Jerusalem and headed off to the
Tiberias area. We had our laundry sent out and got our clothes back
which was good, because we were running out of clean clothes. Chad was
still a little under the weather but doing much better. My cold was
nearly gone and I was feeling pretty good. Today,
we went to Ceserea to see the port that Herod built. From there, we
went to Mt. Carmel to overlook the Valley of Meggido. That's where the
Bible says the last great battle will happen, when all the armies of the
world come against Yeshua. Today, there is an underground air force
base there. From Mt. Carmel, we went to tel Meggido. Tel, means hill
in Hebrew. We went down into a deep cavern that had a spring down
below.
A nice warm day at Ceserea.
The Valley of Armageddon
Me petting an iron horse at Tel Megiddo.
A large cistern at Tel Megiddo.
The underground spring.
Day 9 Israel
This morning, we went to Tel Dan to see where the Northern Tribe ended up building
another altar for worship. This sin caused them to be put out of the
land. A very sober reminder that the Lord
wants us to do things His way, not ours.
We
left Tel Dan, we headed up towards Bashan. Here are some pictures of
the beautiful scenery along the way. The rocks are being put to good
use- to make fences and borders!
We
stopped along the way at a memorial, called The Valley of Tears. There
are two military tanks, head to head. One is Israeli, the other is
Syrian. They are remnants from the 1973 war. where the Israelis
heroically held their position. Mt. Hermon is in the background
covered in snow. It was very windy and cold, but the view was
breathtaking.
For lunch, we went to a restaurant that served fresh, grass-fed beef from the hill of Bashan. We could not miss this opportunity to eat the beef of Bashan.
Appetizers- bread, garlic in oil, and hummus!
Super giddy because I'm getting ready to eat the world's best burger!
I know I'm trying to watch my figure but what's another 5 pounds?
A wonderful tasty burger!
The grill!
After lunch, we went to Olea olive oil factory. They produce olive oil as well as some fabulous skin care products that are olive oil based. We got to wash our hands in some super luxuriant olive oil soap and I couldn't believe how soft my skin felt. I wanted to buy some products but since we did not have a check on bag, I had to wait. I'll order when I get back home. Here's a picture of a guy in our group getting his face exfoliated and his beard conditioned. He raved for days about how soft his beard felt!
After the olive oil factory, we went to the ruins of the small Talmudi village of Katsrin. There were houses and and an old synagogue at the center of the village. It was fun to go through the old stone built houses to see what they lived like so long ago. There was a modern day scribe, who was writing out sayings on old parchment paper. Although we didn't get a writing from him, we were able to sample his work and saw that he was indeed a very gifted scribe. After visiting this village, we called it a day and went back to the hotel to rest up and get ready for dinner!
After the olive oil factory, we went to the ruins of the small Talmudi village of Katsrin. There were houses and and an old synagogue at the center of the village. It was fun to go through the old stone built houses to see what they lived like so long ago. There was a modern day scribe, who was writing out sayings on old parchment paper. Although we didn't get a writing from him, we were able to sample his work and saw that he was indeed a very gifted scribe. After visiting this village, we called it a day and went back to the hotel to rest up and get ready for dinner!
Mosaic of a menorah at Katsrin.
We arrived in the evening at Ron Beach Hotel, which was along the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Kinneret. We had dinner and got a good night's rest for the next day. I was able to finish my scarf before dinner.
Day 10 Israel
Early morning, we headed to the Sea of Galilee for a boat ride on the lake. The man who owned the boat was a Messianic Jew and he told us the story of how he came to believe in Yeshua. He is also a singer who has CD's out. He led worship time on the boat and we joined in with him, singing songs in both English and Hebrew.
After being on the lake, we went to see the ruins of Chorazim. We visited the old synagogue and got to see a replica of the Seat of Moses. After that, we had a picnic lunch in the park.
Chad with his hat to keep his head warm.
I finished my scarf the evening before so I got to wear it on the boat!
After being on the lake, we went to see the ruins of Chorazim. We visited the old synagogue and got to see a replica of the Seat of Moses. After that, we had a picnic lunch in the park.
A tasty lunch- sandwich, chips, soda, cookies, and oranges!
After we left Chorazim, we went to Capernum. It is thought that Peter's mother-in-law had a house here. There was also an ancient synagogue as well.
Synagogue at Capernum.
After Capernum, we went back to our hotel for a rest. There were some of us who wanted to mikveh, ( immerse or get baptized). Chad and I wanted to mikveh in "Living Waters." The Sea of Galilee, is living water as the Jordan River flows into it. We were both baptized before, but not in living waters. I was baptized in a tank of sort in a church and Chad was baptized in a gravel pit. Since the Sea of Galilee was literally right behind the hotel we were staying in, we both wanted to get this done. The only thing- the water was cold, deep, and it was very dark when we did this at 6p.m. I was really scared!
There were also others who wanted to do this too so we were among a small group that took the plunge. The water was indeed deep, cold, and it was very dark but we were both so glad that we did this in obedience to Yeshua!
There were also others who wanted to do this too so we were among a small group that took the plunge. The water was indeed deep, cold, and it was very dark but we were both so glad that we did this in obedience to Yeshua!
Pre-mikveh.
Post- mikveh!
Day 11 Israel
Friday morning and we packed up again and headed back to Jerusalem. We stopped at Beth El on the way back since it was 10 miles outside of Jerusalem. It is now an Israeli settlement.
Scenery along the way to Jerusalem from Tiberias.
Sweet dog at one of the rest sites that loved visiting with all the tourists!
The gentle giant started getting a little tired
and decided to take a little break
until the eyelids began to droop
and finally gave in to a late morning nap!
More scenery along the way.
Here we are at Beth El.
We climbed up a tower and were able to get better views of the area. Here are pictures from all four directions.
North
South
East
West
A mosaic on the floor of the tower.
We arrived back at Jerusalem in the afternoon and went back to Prima Kings Hotel. Our old room number was 234 but we got bumped upstairs to 532. We got there at 12 and had to wait a little while for our room to be cleaned. While we were waiting, I took some pictures of flowers in front of the hotel. A bonus- a busy honeybee too!
After checking into our room, we went to the local market and bought some water for the weekend. We also bought some cookies to share at a luncheon the next day. We rested until Shabbat dinner where we had a special room reserved for our tour group. At the dinner, each of us talked about our reflections on being in Israel. It was a special time- we broke bread, drank wine, and said the blessing before eating. It was fun listening to everyone- each person had something different that they had learned or reflected on while being in the land. The one thing we all agreed on and had in common was that we could say is that "The Land is Good, Very Good!" At the end of dinner, as we were leaving, a group of Jewish people from Brooklyn wanted to know if we were having a party in the private room. When I replied, "No, we were having a Shabbat meal," they were very surprised. Rico sat down and told them that we were believers in Yeshua who also followed the Torah. The rest of our group listened as he explained this concept to them. They were very curious and interested, as well as very kind. It was a very meaningful and enlightening interchange! I'm sure that they don't often run into a group like us! To say that we are confusing to both Jews and Christians is a bit of an understatement!
Day 12 Israel (Shabbat)
On Shabbat, Chad and I walked down to the Kotel. We were joined by a man on our tour. We stood on this overlook and just watched the people down below. I wasn't feeling the greatest again and the 20 minute walk kind of wore me out. I sat while Chad and our fellow tour member stood. I was joined by a very friendly black kitty who was congenial- until he wanted me to stop petting him and tried to nip me. Thankfully, I was quicker than he was and moved my hand before he took a chomp. That was okay though- I appreciated his company for a little while. After a while, we went back to the hotel and rested until the afternoon Shabbat teaching by Rico and Ryan.
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My new buddy! Black, silky, and very soft.
Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little baby!
A friendly little cat outside a Messianic Jewish Synagogue.
Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep little baby!
Day 13 Israel (Our Last Day)
On our last morning, we headed down to the Old City in Jerusalem. We toured the Cardur (major corridor) and looked at some local shops. We then visited a local Messianic Congregation where I met a most friendly kitty. We took a couple hours for lunch and then we met up again to go to the Temple Institute.
A neat old building along the way to the Old City. The numbers helped the workers to know exactly how to re-assemble the building again.
A friendly little cat outside a Messianic Jewish Synagogue.
Must touch kitty!
Must have kitty!
Must take kitty home!
Who was that crazy lady?
To know me is to love me!
A store that specializes in weaving talits by hand.
Excavating the cardur in the Old City.
Another sweet kitty- a little scruffy but still adorable!
Can you find me? Meow!
Pretty flowers in a disposable style vase.
Dessert time!
Old street during the time of Hezekiah.
A place to get some wonderful iced coffee.
Kitty nap time!
For lunch, we decided to get some hot coffee at another restaurant- mocha's to be exact.
Chad checking to make sure our bags get on the bus as we head out for our farewell dinner and then to the airport.
Stop- we can't leave without him!
Final views as we leave.
We went to a kosher restaurant for dinner. The food was delicious- vegetables, hummush, falafels, lamb and chicken kabobs. For dessert, we had a cake that was brought in by our tour guide Hillel to celebrate Rico's 11th anniversary in the Land. We also had the choice between Turkish coffee or mint tea. Chad and I both went for the flavorful coffee. What you see below is the bottom of a cup of Turkish coffee. If you ever get a chance to drink this type of coffee just be sure not so sip all the way down or you'll get lots of grounds and spices in your mouth.
We arrived at the airport without much fanfare. Our flight left at 12:40 a.m. so most of us were pretty tired when we got on board. I did manage to watch Gone with the Wind before catching some winks. The flight was pretty turbulent and there were a few times where I checked if my seat belt was fastened. No worries though- the Lord takes care of us, even in scary times. We were in His Hands the whole time.
We had to make several connecting flights back home. We landed at JFK and then had to go to Reagan National. From Reagan, we went to Chicago O'Hare. After we landed at Chicago O"Hare, we heard the voice of the pilot say as we were standing in the isles ready to leave, "Please evacuate at the front of the plane." Everyone looked a little confused. As we made our way up front we heard the voice of the stewardess yell, "Leave your bags and jump." We didn't know what to think. As we got closer to the front of the plane, we saw that everyone had thrown their carry-on bags near the front of the plane, so we did to. We had to slide down the inflatable slide to get out of the plane. Once inside the airport, there was a lot of confusion and a lot of anxiety.
What we eventually found out was that the pilot noticed that the sensor on the plane was reading that something was on fire. As a precaution, he ordered an emergency evacuation. EMS, police, and airport officials came down to see if anyone was hurt. For the inconvenience, they gave every passenger a voucher for $200. Not bad for a little inconvenience and a great story. They gave us a food voucher too but we weren't able to use it because we needed to catch our connecting flight. We made it home to Springfield without any other incident.
Our trip to Israel this year was wonderful. Chad and I had a memorable time. We are so grateful that the Lord would invite us to His Land and we humbly understand that because of the Lord's gracious hospitality, we were able to make this journey. Thank you Lord!
