We are getting ready to leave to join the Beydlers and others at Migdal in Galilee. They have been in Jordan for the last three days while we came home to work. We are going to join them in a B&B and we will have a sort of relaxed sight-seeing vacation type journey and will not be going at the speed we were with Dr, Bookman. The weather is better so we expect to have a nice few days. Two families from Cana will be having all of us for dinner on two separate nights and then on Tuesday we expect to show them around the Nazareth area and we will bring back them back to our house for dinner and then they leave the next day for the U.S. We have rested these last three days, working some, cleaning house, doing laundry; nothing too strenuous. Yesterday we walked into town and picked up a few groceries then walked nearly home again but couldn't face the uphill walk, so we got a taxi at the bottom of the hill to take us home.
This was a new car, still had plastic on the seats and the guy told us we were his first passengers. So they offered us dessert to celebrate the occasion of the new taxi. On the outside of the taxi in the top left-hand corner of the windshield was a flower arrangement stuck to the windshield which was rather attractive. It was also there to celebrate the new vehicle. We thought all that was rather interesting.
We will be in touch when we return to Nazareth.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Last Day on Study Tour
On Wednesday we started out by walking to what is a likely location for the Upper Room where Jesus had the Passover with his apostles. After that we walked down to Gethsemane. From there our bus picked us up and took us to the Garden Tomb. It cannot be the actual burial site because the grave is from the wrong era, but it is a much nicer place than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, although that tomb is from the right time frame.
Then we started out for the Dead Sea but only got as far as En Gedi, where we had lunch. We could not get down to the Dead Sea because there were sinkholes in the road and they had it closed off. After lunch we went to Massada and dropped off some of the group. Five of us did not want to walk down the siege ramp as the others did so we drove around the mountain to pick them up on the other side. It took more than an hour to get to the other side and it was a twisty, winding road.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Tuesday, 24 February
Wow, has it really been four days since I wrote in my blog? We are just so tired when we come in at night that I often forget to write. On Saturday we drove west to Beth Shemesh, Lachish, and the Ela Valley. This is the valley where David had his battle with Goliath. We had an interesting lecture about the battle and saw the valley where it likely took place. We went to a place called Azeka and from there we had a good view of the valley. We then drove around and had a good look at the city from mountainous overlooks on all sides.
On Sunday we visited Gibea and what was to have been King Hussein of Jordan's palace but that idea got stymied by the 1967 war. He was sure he would have Jerusalem for his capital, but things didn't work out that way. We then went to the Israel Museum and saw the huge model of the old city, followed by a visit to the Shrine of the Book. We saw some other antiquities then were asked to leave the museuym since it was closing time. That night we took a walk along the south wall of the city to a place outside Herod's poalace. Our leader thinks that this is more likely the spot where Jesus was taken for his trial by Pontius Pilate and makes a compelling case for this, more than I want to include in the blog. He says that people have it all wrong as to where the trial took place.
On Monday we went to the First Temple Museum where we had an interesting hostess who told us a little about the first temple. Then we went to the Western Wall where there were several young meh having their Bar Mitzvah. Then we went down to the City of David, took a look at some diggings, saw a movie about the place, then most of us went through either Hezekiah's tunnel or a Canaanite tunnel where we met at the pool of Siloam. We had a late lunch at the Hurva synagogue, then the ladies went shopping and I came back to the hotel to rest.
This morning we went first to the Davidson Museum, which is dedicated to the southern wall of the temple mount and we had an interesting lecture about the architecture and the engineering that went into building up the temple mount. We then went up on the temple mount where the Shrine of Omar (Golden Dome) and the El Aqsa mosque are located. The Golden Dome is located probably on the spot where the Holy of Holies used to stand in the first temple. We had to leave the mount about ten o'clock so we went from there to a church where they had a lot of artifacts from Jesus day and older and then to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. From what our guide said, if either of the two grave sites is correct, it would be this one because it is the right period. That ended our day until tonight when we go into the tunnels under the temple mount. We have been there before, but are eager to go again.
We only have one more day left of our study tour then it is back to Nazareth, so next blog will be from there.
On Sunday we visited Gibea and what was to have been King Hussein of Jordan's palace but that idea got stymied by the 1967 war. He was sure he would have Jerusalem for his capital, but things didn't work out that way. We then went to the Israel Museum and saw the huge model of the old city, followed by a visit to the Shrine of the Book. We saw some other antiquities then were asked to leave the museuym since it was closing time. That night we took a walk along the south wall of the city to a place outside Herod's poalace. Our leader thinks that this is more likely the spot where Jesus was taken for his trial by Pontius Pilate and makes a compelling case for this, more than I want to include in the blog. He says that people have it all wrong as to where the trial took place.
On Monday we went to the First Temple Museum where we had an interesting hostess who told us a little about the first temple. Then we went to the Western Wall where there were several young meh having their Bar Mitzvah. Then we went down to the City of David, took a look at some diggings, saw a movie about the place, then most of us went through either Hezekiah's tunnel or a Canaanite tunnel where we met at the pool of Siloam. We had a late lunch at the Hurva synagogue, then the ladies went shopping and I came back to the hotel to rest.
This morning we went first to the Davidson Museum, which is dedicated to the southern wall of the temple mount and we had an interesting lecture about the architecture and the engineering that went into building up the temple mount. We then went up on the temple mount where the Shrine of Omar (Golden Dome) and the El Aqsa mosque are located. The Golden Dome is located probably on the spot where the Holy of Holies used to stand in the first temple. We had to leave the mount about ten o'clock so we went from there to a church where they had a lot of artifacts from Jesus day and older and then to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. From what our guide said, if either of the two grave sites is correct, it would be this one because it is the right period. That ended our day until tonight when we go into the tunnels under the temple mount. We have been there before, but are eager to go again.
We only have one more day left of our study tour then it is back to Nazareth, so next blog will be from there.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Friday's Report
I can't believe I haven't posted since Tuesday. On Wednesday we went to Upper Galilee. I can't remember the order but I think we went to Dan first. Dan has the largest continuously flowing water spring in the country and is one of the sources for the Jordan river, which feeds the Sea of Galilee. The spring is located in what is now a nature park, and we walked one of the trails. It was very muddy and we had to walk over rocks that were a bit slippery. Dan also has an ancient Canaanite gate that dates back to the time of Abraham. Our leader made sure that those of us who are a bit long in the tooth had someone to help us along. That was very thoughtful of him.
We also went to a place called Banias; the site of the Biblical Caesarea Philippi. This is another very nice spring, but not so large as at Dan. Here there is a famous city gate and what was a temple to the god Pan, thus its name. It is Banias, not Panias because of the Arabic language problem with the letter P. It doesn't exist in Arabic but comes out as a B. They have problems with such English words as "park" or "pray", etc. They come out as "Bark" and "Bray" instead.
We went to a little strip mall for lunch at a place called Kiryat Shmona, Hebrew for the village of eight. From there we went to a dig called Tel Hazor. Hazor was one of the three cities that Joshua destroyed when they conquered the land.
Wednesday night we spent in En Gev on the Sea of Galilee, then headed south. We went to a baptismal site down south, close to the Dead Sea, then back to Jericho where we visited a dig. There we saw a burn layer that dates back to about l440 BC, and was evidence of the destruction of the city again by Joshua. This city is under Palesltinian control. We had lunch there at a cafe run by a missionary group. Lunch was good.
Because of threatening weather we made a quick visit to Qumran, but didn't go into the park. We saw some of the caves from the roadside then headed up to Jerusalem. We were expecting snow and when it snows here the government shuts down the roads. We made it to Jerusalem okay and checked into our hotel in the old city.
Overnight we had 30 cm of snow or about 7 inches. Very unusual for Jerusalem. The place was quiet as a tomb. It began to wake up around noon. We stayed in the hotel until about lunch time then went out for a while, and got a good tour of a musuem near Christ Church, the oldest protestant church in Jerusalem.
Water was running in the streets from melting snow. Now it is very sunny but expecting rain during the day. Temp expected to be in the low 50s. We are headed west for the Shephelah and a visit to Shiloh, among other places. Not sure where. More to follow.
We also went to a place called Banias; the site of the Biblical Caesarea Philippi. This is another very nice spring, but not so large as at Dan. Here there is a famous city gate and what was a temple to the god Pan, thus its name. It is Banias, not Panias because of the Arabic language problem with the letter P. It doesn't exist in Arabic but comes out as a B. They have problems with such English words as "park" or "pray", etc. They come out as "Bark" and "Bray" instead.
We went to a little strip mall for lunch at a place called Kiryat Shmona, Hebrew for the village of eight. From there we went to a dig called Tel Hazor. Hazor was one of the three cities that Joshua destroyed when they conquered the land.
Wednesday night we spent in En Gev on the Sea of Galilee, then headed south. We went to a baptismal site down south, close to the Dead Sea, then back to Jericho where we visited a dig. There we saw a burn layer that dates back to about l440 BC, and was evidence of the destruction of the city again by Joshua. This city is under Palesltinian control. We had lunch there at a cafe run by a missionary group. Lunch was good.
Because of threatening weather we made a quick visit to Qumran, but didn't go into the park. We saw some of the caves from the roadside then headed up to Jerusalem. We were expecting snow and when it snows here the government shuts down the roads. We made it to Jerusalem okay and checked into our hotel in the old city.
Overnight we had 30 cm of snow or about 7 inches. Very unusual for Jerusalem. The place was quiet as a tomb. It began to wake up around noon. We stayed in the hotel until about lunch time then went out for a while, and got a good tour of a musuem near Christ Church, the oldest protestant church in Jerusalem.
Water was running in the streets from melting snow. Now it is very sunny but expecting rain during the day. Temp expected to be in the low 50s. We are headed west for the Shephelah and a visit to Shiloh, among other places. Not sure where. More to follow.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Tuesday 17 February
Today we started at 8:00 in the morning as we had done the day before. We went first to Mount Arbel so we could look down on the Arbel Valley, which is one of the caravan and trade routes through the area. It was cloudy at first but when the sun finally broke through we had a great view of the valley, and of the Sea of Galilee, on the shores of which we are spending three nights. We spent about an hour on the mountain and listened to a great lecture of how Jesus had used this area for his Galilean ministry.
After Arbel we went to a Kibutz called Ginosar, where they have a preserved boat from the first century. There is no doubt about the age of the boat. We had been here before but it was interesting to see the boat once again. We also took a short ride on the Sea of Galilee and stopped to look at the probable site for the Sermon on the Mount from the sea.
We had lunch at the Kibutz and then went to a relatively new dig called Magdala. It was very interesting and we had a good view of what a fishing village on the shore of the lake would have looked like. Afterward we went to the Mount of the Beatitudes, above the natural ampitheater we had seen from the lake earlier in the morning.
We then went to a place which is onle a probably location of where Peter was challenged by Jesus with his "Do you love me?" question followed by Peter's answer. Beautiful seaside and interesting lecture by our leader. We also stopped at the site of Capernaum, and our leader thinks this is probably the correct site for the city of Capernaum.
It was getting late by this time so we got back on our bus and came back to our comfortable cabin on the lake. It has rained on and off all day, but we have not let the rain stop us from enjoying being here again and listening to very enlightening instruction. We have been accompanied today by the pastor of the Cana Baptist Church, and he will be with us again tomorrow. We are really blessed to be able to be in this place.
After Arbel we went to a Kibutz called Ginosar, where they have a preserved boat from the first century. There is no doubt about the age of the boat. We had been here before but it was interesting to see the boat once again. We also took a short ride on the Sea of Galilee and stopped to look at the probable site for the Sermon on the Mount from the sea.
We had lunch at the Kibutz and then went to a relatively new dig called Magdala. It was very interesting and we had a good view of what a fishing village on the shore of the lake would have looked like. Afterward we went to the Mount of the Beatitudes, above the natural ampitheater we had seen from the lake earlier in the morning.
We then went to a place which is onle a probably location of where Peter was challenged by Jesus with his "Do you love me?" question followed by Peter's answer. Beautiful seaside and interesting lecture by our leader. We also stopped at the site of Capernaum, and our leader thinks this is probably the correct site for the city of Capernaum.
It was getting late by this time so we got back on our bus and came back to our comfortable cabin on the lake. It has rained on and off all day, but we have not let the rain stop us from enjoying being here again and listening to very enlightening instruction. We have been accompanied today by the pastor of the Cana Baptist Church, and he will be with us again tomorrow. We are really blessed to be able to be in this place.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tel Aviv
Sorry we have not written before this weekend/ We have just been so busy. Yesterday we went to Bethlehem and did not get home until well after dark. Had a great day, but got home tired. This morning we were driven to Tel Aviv and got to our hotel with a lot of difficulty. Drove past the street three times before we finally realized where it was. I had intended to write a blog last night but the blog site came up in Hebrew and I couldn't figure out how to work it. I got it figured it out so maybe a blog tomorrow but don't hold your breath.
This afternoon we went to the house called Independence Hall and it is the site where Ben Gurion (first Prime Minister of Israel) announced the Israeli Declaration of Independence. It was a very interesting place to visit.
Tomorrow will be a full day, going to lots of places in the Jezreel Valley and then over to the Sea of Galilee, eastern side where we will be spending three nights while we travel to the northern sites.
Will try to do better about writing from there.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Weekend in Nazareth
Saturday was a lovely, warm, sunny day. We walked into town in shirtsleeves. It was very pleasant. We did our usual shopping for groceries, fruit, vegetables, whatever. We enjoyed sitting in the square under an olive tree watching people go by. Then we got a taxi home.
Our friend Afif came for us for lunch at his house, where we enjoyed a fish dinner with his oldest son, daughter in law, and their children. It was a very nice afternoon.
Sunday morning we went to a church nearby where our friend is the pastor. After that we went with him to visit a widow from his church whose husband just died about a month ago, to take her some food.
Then we drove to Acco, on the sea, (biblical Ptolemais) and ate lunch, then took a walk along the seashore and the Med looked rather stormy. The interesting thing about walking along the seashore was that we came across an ancient anchor made of marble, that was set up as sort of a monument. It dated back to the time of Abraham.
From there we drove to a village back off the beaten path to visit the family of our friend's son's fiance. They were not expecting us, but they could not have been more hospitable and acted like we were long lost friends or relatives. Food appeared on the table and drinks, which is typical of Arab hospitality. We couldn't stay there long, about 45 minutes and on the way out they gave us lemons from the tree that Morag had been lusting after. As we were pulling out our hostess told us to wait a minute while she ran back into the house to get us some home-made pita out of the freezer that was baked the day before.
Of course we were late for church in Cana Sunday night, but not too late for the dinner afterwards; a big dinner for 16 people, delicious. We were still eating at ten o'clock at night. We always have such a great time with this family.
Of course we arrived at home tired, but too wound up to go to sleep immediately. As you can see, we are really suffering for Jesus in Israel.
Our friend Afif came for us for lunch at his house, where we enjoyed a fish dinner with his oldest son, daughter in law, and their children. It was a very nice afternoon.
Sunday morning we went to a church nearby where our friend is the pastor. After that we went with him to visit a widow from his church whose husband just died about a month ago, to take her some food.
Then we drove to Acco, on the sea, (biblical Ptolemais) and ate lunch, then took a walk along the seashore and the Med looked rather stormy. The interesting thing about walking along the seashore was that we came across an ancient anchor made of marble, that was set up as sort of a monument. It dated back to the time of Abraham.
From there we drove to a village back off the beaten path to visit the family of our friend's son's fiance. They were not expecting us, but they could not have been more hospitable and acted like we were long lost friends or relatives. Food appeared on the table and drinks, which is typical of Arab hospitality. We couldn't stay there long, about 45 minutes and on the way out they gave us lemons from the tree that Morag had been lusting after. As we were pulling out our hostess told us to wait a minute while she ran back into the house to get us some home-made pita out of the freezer that was baked the day before.
Of course we were late for church in Cana Sunday night, but not too late for the dinner afterwards; a big dinner for 16 people, delicious. We were still eating at ten o'clock at night. We always have such a great time with this family.
Of course we arrived at home tired, but too wound up to go to sleep immediately. As you can see, we are really suffering for Jesus in Israel.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Today's news
We thought we had better write to you while we still remember what has happened. Went to work as usual this morning but they were not very busy, so Morag asked the boss where he got his sausages. As far as we know, you can't buy sausages in Nazareth from a normal super market. But the boss was eating breakfast one day and the ladies could smell the cold sausage. Morag asked exactly where the sausage place was located. Since they weren't busy, the boss suggested to one of the workmen that he drive the ladies up to where it was sold. When they got there they found a very nice market where the owner cured all of his own meat. They were allowed to sample all the food and then they bought cheese, sausage, etcetera. The driver suggested to the owner that the ladies deserved a discount so he gave them a substantial discount.
We were to visit the hospital chaplain for coffee this afternoon. When we got to his house, we had a cup of tea and then he took us to the home of one of the hospital workers who had had some problems after surgery. He took a box of food to this woman from Jordan, now living in Nazareth, who had married a man much older than she. He was in his seventies and she was only in her 30s. She had twins and then the man died, leaving her a widow with two small girls. When we got to the house, the woman had prepared food for us, which was very good. The girls are now twelve years old. There was a man helping there who was the son of the husband by a previous marriage. Turns out there were several children from previous marriage(s). It seemed odd to us that this man was older than his (step) mother. Another brother came in to talk for a while as did a sister-in-law also. Not sure if she was the wife of the brother who was there. Anyway it was a very interesting evening. The point of this is that the two men were looking after this young woman from Jordan. They seemed to be genuinely fond of her and their half sisters. She had just come out of the hospital and had prepared a beautiful spread for us. We are not sure that she knew we were coming. This was just another example of Arab hospitality.
We were to visit the hospital chaplain for coffee this afternoon. When we got to his house, we had a cup of tea and then he took us to the home of one of the hospital workers who had had some problems after surgery. He took a box of food to this woman from Jordan, now living in Nazareth, who had married a man much older than she. He was in his seventies and she was only in her 30s. She had twins and then the man died, leaving her a widow with two small girls. When we got to the house, the woman had prepared food for us, which was very good. The girls are now twelve years old. There was a man helping there who was the son of the husband by a previous marriage. Turns out there were several children from previous marriage(s). It seemed odd to us that this man was older than his (step) mother. Another brother came in to talk for a while as did a sister-in-law also. Not sure if she was the wife of the brother who was there. Anyway it was a very interesting evening. The point of this is that the two men were looking after this young woman from Jordan. They seemed to be genuinely fond of her and their half sisters. She had just come out of the hospital and had prepared a beautiful spread for us. We are not sure that she knew we were coming. This was just another example of Arab hospitality.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
This week in Narazeth
Greetings from warm, sunny Nazareth. It is lovely to go to work with bright, blue, sunny skies. Mel has really appreciated the good weather since his job is outside, picking up what the local populace leaves behind. We really don't have a whole lot to say except that we have now adjusted to the time change and we are set into a routine of going to work, coming home, getting the apartment how we like it, eating dinner, doing some reading, and going to bed. Does that sound exciting to you?
Last night we had a couple of Canadian volunteers from Winnipeg, Manitoba, over and they joined us for our evening meal. We had an enjoyable evening with them. This is their first time in Israel although they have done volunteer work in many places. We haven't seen any of the locals this week except the ones we work with because the sister of the first friend we made in Israel died this week. It seems the custom is they bury the person the day after and then they receive friends and family who want to share their concern and their grief. They do that for four afternoons in a room in the local church, Greek Orthodox, from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. How exhausting could that be!
So we left Chris home on Tuesday and we walked down to the Souk (local market), bought some victuals and got a taxi home with our usual taxi driver who seemed glad to see us. He said the tourist industry was really way down, and we have not seen many tourist buses ourselves. We also noticed that at rush hour, there were a lot of taxis at the taxi stand instead of out carrying fares somewhere.
Our boss told Chris and Morag today that he wanted them to volunteer for a year instead of a few weeks. Somehow I don't think that is going to happen.
That's the way it is, Thursday, February 5, 2015 in Eretz Israel.
Last night we had a couple of Canadian volunteers from Winnipeg, Manitoba, over and they joined us for our evening meal. We had an enjoyable evening with them. This is their first time in Israel although they have done volunteer work in many places. We haven't seen any of the locals this week except the ones we work with because the sister of the first friend we made in Israel died this week. It seems the custom is they bury the person the day after and then they receive friends and family who want to share their concern and their grief. They do that for four afternoons in a room in the local church, Greek Orthodox, from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. How exhausting could that be!
So we left Chris home on Tuesday and we walked down to the Souk (local market), bought some victuals and got a taxi home with our usual taxi driver who seemed glad to see us. He said the tourist industry was really way down, and we have not seen many tourist buses ourselves. We also noticed that at rush hour, there were a lot of taxis at the taxi stand instead of out carrying fares somewhere.
Our boss told Chris and Morag today that he wanted them to volunteer for a year instead of a few weeks. Somehow I don't think that is going to happen.
That's the way it is, Thursday, February 5, 2015 in Eretz Israel.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Sunday and Monday, February 1 and 2
Just to make you a little jealous, it has been sunny and warm all day. In fact Mel's job today was to pick up trash in the hospital compound (a full-time job in this area). It seems that people drop things as they get through them. In fact, at the bottom of our stair there are four chairs and a TV, along with various other things, just like that is the local dump.
Meanwhile, back to Mel picking up trash, he is already sporting quite a tan because he was outside in the sun all day.
After getting settled in on Saturday, someone took us to a grocery store that had a five-story garage, but the grocery store was so crowded it was worse than a snow day in Laurel in the Giant. Can't say it was pleasurable because it was so crowded but it was interesting.
We enjoyed going to two different churches yesterday, one in Nazareth, one in Cana. We were warmly greeted in both churches like long, lost relatives and the pastors of both took us out for meals afterward. We got to see the new building in Cana for the first time. It was very nicely done, well equipped, and most of the labor was done by men in the church. The number seemed to be quite a bit larger than when we were last here, so it's a good thing the new facility is ready because there would not have been room in the old place.
We met an Englishman who represents the Baptist churches in England and he preached a sermon. It was nice that we could understand. It was nice that the locals had to have an interpreter instead of us. Turns out the gentleman knows a lot of people whom Morag knows.
We all started work today and had a busy day. We are all quite tired and are thinking of hitting the hay early, so that's it for this time. Tomorrow we might be funny but tonightwe are just too pooped to pop.
Stay tuned for future adventures
Meanwhile, back to Mel picking up trash, he is already sporting quite a tan because he was outside in the sun all day.
After getting settled in on Saturday, someone took us to a grocery store that had a five-story garage, but the grocery store was so crowded it was worse than a snow day in Laurel in the Giant. Can't say it was pleasurable because it was so crowded but it was interesting.
We enjoyed going to two different churches yesterday, one in Nazareth, one in Cana. We were warmly greeted in both churches like long, lost relatives and the pastors of both took us out for meals afterward. We got to see the new building in Cana for the first time. It was very nicely done, well equipped, and most of the labor was done by men in the church. The number seemed to be quite a bit larger than when we were last here, so it's a good thing the new facility is ready because there would not have been room in the old place.
We met an Englishman who represents the Baptist churches in England and he preached a sermon. It was nice that we could understand. It was nice that the locals had to have an interpreter instead of us. Turns out the gentleman knows a lot of people whom Morag knows.
We all started work today and had a busy day. We are all quite tired and are thinking of hitting the hay early, so that's it for this time. Tomorrow we might be funny but tonightwe are just too pooped to pop.
Stay tuned for future adventures
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