So much to say, but very little adequate words to describe what we have seen and felt.  I mean, I'm literally sitting here staring at the Sea of Galilee.  It is hard to write surrounded by such a beautiful place.  And that isn't even taking into account that Jesus once walked these grounds and sailed on this sea.  Wow.  One interesting fact about the Sea of Galilee is that it sits at 686 feet below sea level.  Following this you will find some highlights of our days.  It would take too long to describe everything we have taken in.  It just boggles my mind.  Of course it doesn't take much for my mind to be boggled.  

We have finally made it to the Holy Land.  When we stepped off the plane and my feet touched solid ground, I thought, I am here.  But it didn't really hit me until we were on the bus to the hotel about an hour later.  I'm in Israel.  I am in the Holy Land.  This is where Jesus grew up and taught.  He walked all over these hills.  At that moment when I was sitting in the stillness and quiet (after 30 hours, everyone was too tired to talk), I felt His presence - and I knew this was going to be a special trip.  He finally brought us out of Egypt into the Promised Land through Frankfurt Germany.  (See first post.)  His presence just washed over me giving a new freshness and willingness to see with my own eyes the places where He lived.  

We stayed the first night on the Mediterranean Sea.  It was beautiful.  Below you will see a picture of it taken from our balcony(1). One of the highlights of the first day was going to Caesarea.  It is here where we saw ruins of Pontius Pilate's home on the sea and the Hippodrome.  But the best part was the amphitheater.  This is where Paul made his defense when he was arrested.  Below you will see Mike speaking to our group in the same amphitheater (2). Another highlight was Mt. Carmel and The Valley of Armageddon.  Seeing the Valley of Armaggeddon was amazing.  Knowing the stories past and future of this place was ever so interesting.  Avi, our Jewish tour guide, is very knowledgable in his Bible and history. (He even knows the names of all the plants along the side of road.)  He gets so excited to describe the land he loves. After visiting these places we listened to Days of Elijah.  (If you don't know why, read up on those places.)  What a wonderful time as our bus of 22 broke out in joyful worship singing.  We were riding along the highway where Elijah actually stood and fought.  Elijah - you know how long ago that was? Thousands....  One last highlight was seeing the city of Nazareth, home of Jesus.  Once it was considered a small, lowly community.  Now it is thriving taking up the hillside. Then we ended the day on the Sea of Galilee at our hotel.  Great things are in store for this week.


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Once again it is 10:30 and we have a very early morning.  I will work harder on catching up with my days tomorrow.