Tuesday, February 7 - A Light to the Nations

Well today was PACKED, but I'll do my best to summarize the day. It was a beautiful weather day, full of 60- and 70- degree weather, bright sunshine, and high winds. We made five stops total today as we made our way from the Mediterranean coast to the shores of the Sea of Galilee in the city of Tiberias. Our stops for the day were:

• Caesarea Maritima - Caesarea Maritima is a coast town that dates back to the ages of King Herod the Great, but went through many changes of power, as is the case for most areas in Israel. The key features of this location are the amphitheater, the stadium used for chariot and horse races, and King Herod's palace. It is believed that Paul was held captive here for two years, but that he preached the Good News of Jesus Christ here before Festus and Agrippa, and many others, as detailed in Acts 26. David read from that passage, and we were able to take in the great architectural and engineering feats that were required to build such an amazing place.

• Megiddo - At Megiddo, we were able to look around at the top of the hill at the Jezreel Valley, and then we walked through the underground water system tunnels. It was quite the adventure! We get the word "Armageddon" from Megiddo, because some people believe that this where the battles in the end times will happen.
• Mount Carmel - Mount Carmel is one of the highest peaks in the area where we were today, and the view from the rooftop of the monastery were unrivaled. It was so amazing to have these great vantage points as we were exploring Israel for the first day, and getting our bearings. Mount Carmel is also the place where Elijah battled with the Baal prophets to see whose God was more powerful. That story is in 1 Kings 18. After Mount Carmel, we broke for lunch, which was either falafel or chicken schnitzel with tons of veggies and sides!
• Our next stop was Sepphoris or Zippori. This is a town just two miles from Nazareth where it's believed that Jesus and his father Joseph were actually stone masons in the quarry there (not a carpenter, because there aren't good lumber trees in Israel!). We explored much of this first-century city, which included some amazing mosaics and a fully intact road through the center of town.
• Finally, we made it to Nazareth, Jesus's childhood home, and his mother Mary's hometown as well. We went to the Church of the Annunciation, which marks the time when the angel appeared to Mary to tell her that she would bear a son and his name would be Jesus or Emmanuel (God with us). It's a beautiful church building, and there was a Catholic Mass going on, so it really was quite a treat.

After all of our stops for the day, we made our way to our hotel for the next 3 nights in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. It was after dark when we arrived, but there is definitely a view of the sea from our rooms. We're looking forward to tomorrow's activities around Galilee!

Due to slow internet connections, and repeated failed attempts, pictures have been uploaded to Facebook. They are visible even if you don't have a Facebook account by clicking HERE.

Prayer requests - 

• Wednesday, February 8 – Second Day of Touring: Around the Sea of Galilee with stops at Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha (loaves & fishes), boat ride on Sea of Galilee – That Jesus would meet each of us as we spend time in the places of most of His ministry. Continued prayer for good adjustment and sleep, as some people are still feeling the affects of jetlag. (Overnight in Sea of Galilee)