Well we have completed our first day of touring. The group was much more excited today as we started our tour. We went to the Palmach museum – which highlights the development of the IDF and the State of Israel. It was very interesting…and a great way to start things out.
From there we went to Caesarea. It was windy and rainy, but we were still able to talk about the site, visit the theater, palace, hippodrome, and aqueduct. Everyone was so excited to see the ruins and to connect with the biblical history of Caesarea.
After that, we went to eat lunch with a Druze family. They fed us a FEAST. We all had so much to eat – and even after eating as much as we did, there was more left over than we actually ate. They family that fed us lost their son in 1995 – due to a terrorist attack on Israeli soldiers. It was very emotional. We were grateful to spend the time with them and to hear their story.
After lunch, we drove to Mount Carmel. Everyone enjoyed the amazing view of the Jezreel Valley below. We took lots of pictures and reflected on the story of Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). It was awesome to think that we were standing in the place where God had so powerfully demonstrated his authority over all things and identity as the one true God.
From there we traveled to Nazareth to visit the Mount of Precipice. This is the traditional site where Jesus was taken as the people tried to throw him over the cliff - they were frustrated with some of the things that he said in the synagogue (Luke 4). Beautiful view from this peak.
We finished the day with our arrival at the Sea of Galilee. We are staying at Ma’Agan – which is one of the best places to visit. It is so real, so authentic, and so peaceful. At dinner we talked about our day and discussed our itinerary for tomorrow. Now we are all hanging out in the hotel lobby, writing in our journals and enjoying each other’s company.
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