Wednesday September2

Greetings friends!
I've had some trouble getting my computer connected but thanks to another person on the trip I'm up and running again! As you can see, it is already Wednesday afternoon here and I think it is about 7:30 am your time.

So here's the update. First of all, the hotel that we thought we would be staying in is not the one that we ended up in. We are staying at a guest house on the Mount of Beatitudes - pretty cool! It is a retreat center operated by the Franciscan nuns and it is beautiful! We drove past the other hotel and although it looked beautiful from their website, it was crowded into the city streets of Tiberias. Here we can walk freely around the grounds and for the most energetic, can hike about 20 minutes down to the Sea of Galilee. The walk down isn't too bad but the walk back is really tough - I haven't tried that.

Sunday we had worshipon the Mount of Beatitudes and although we are not right along the coast line we overlook the sea (which locals call the lake). It was a glorious time of worship. We then headed for the Primacy of Peter the church that is built on a rock which is believed to be the location where Jesus and disciples would often gather. That's Where I stood in the Sea of Galilee and let the waters run across my feet and legs. Holy water!

Monday - Nazareth & Sepporis Sepporis is an ancient Roman town that has been excavated and work is still underway to find more artifacts. There are several mosaics that have been unearthed and for the most part are in tact. I can only imagine the beauty of the original ones. Since this town is so close to Nazareth, Jesus, Joseph and others probably worked in this community building it. Jesus was not just a carpenter of work but also worked with stone.



Nazareth--wow! what a cramped busy city! The street markets line the streets and have everything (including what we would consider American junk) Clothes of all kinds including some risque lingerie! Who'd a thought what the women were wearing under those dark burkas. After working and winding our way through the streets, we came to an excavated cave that really gave us a new and better understanding of how people lived 2000 years ago. It also made it clearer as to where Mary and Joseph stopped so Mary could give birth. Can't wait to show you pictures of this. We then went into the Church of the Anunciation--beautiful! This church was built over the cave that is believed to be where Mary lived before she was married--where the angel Gabrielle came to Mary to tell her she had been chosen by God to give birth to His son. The church is a holy place and Christians from around the world have sent incredible art pieces depicting the Virgin Mary. Each one is very unique. Then nearby is Joseph's Church which is built over the grotto believed to be where Joseph and Mary lived after they were married.



Tuesday--what a fantastic day. We started off with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee! Cruising over the water and getting yet another perspective as to the area where Jesus taught. From the Sea, it became very apparent that Jesus could easily be seen from the villages and that people could, on land, follow where he was headed and meet him on the shoreline. We then went to the museum that housed a 2000 year old boat. The Sea of Galilee is gradually going dry (usually no rain here between March and December) so the water is being used for irrigation and consumption. As the lake receded, a couple of individuals discovered some very old nails and began to dig. An archealogical team was put together and they unburied a large portion of the old boat. Once it was uncovered, time was against them as the air began to deteriorate the old wood. They decided to cover the boat in polyurethane and then lift it from it's resting place. It was floated on the sea to it's new home and quickly the polyurethane was removed and the boat has been preserved. Just amazing!



Wednesday--today; we went to the Falls of Banias--another fantastic view. So different from what we have seen as the vegetation was much greener because of the springs and the falls. These waters eventually run into the Jordan which flows into the Sea of Galilee. From there we went to the ruins of the House of Pan and found more springs which run into the Jordan River. Cool clear water.



It's our free time now and so a nap and a shower will be happening soon. Life here is very quiet in the afternoons due to the heat.



Friends I hope you are enjoying this trip along with me. I can't wait to share photos and lots of stories with you! I am blessed!



Shalom