Day 8

East Gate and Grave Yard............Palm Sunday Road

Garden of Gethsemane..... Hezekiah's tunnel

Pool of Siloam.............................Southern Steps of Temple Mount

South wall of Temple Mount....... Herodian Stone

April 2, 2008

Bible Study Theme: “Let the Lord’s will be done in my heart.”

Places Visited:

Jerusalem
Mount of Olives
Golden Gate
Palm Sunday road
Gethsemane
Hezekiah’s Tunnel
Pool of Siloam
Southern Steps of Temple Mount

We ascended to Jerusalem today! You say that you are ascending to Jerusalem even if you are coming here from Mt Everest, because you are coming to the home of the Most High God! We drove in on the road from Jericho and had to stop at a security check point before entering the city. From here we could see the large security wall being built around the city. There was much excitement and anticipation as we made our way to the Lords Holy City.
Our first stop was a look out over the city. As we got out of the bus we noticed that it was quite chilly outside. After taking in the beautiful view of Jerusalem we headed to the Mount of Olives! It is fixed on a hill facing the East Gate of Temple Mount.
The East Gate is known by many names. In Christian literature it is called the Golden Gate. Jews would pray for mercy at this gate so it is commonly referred to as the Mercy Gate. In Arabic, it is known as the Gate of Eternal Life and in ancient times, the gate was known as the Beautiful Gate. The important thing to note is, the gate faces east from Temple Mount and prophecy foretells that the Messiah will enter the Temple and set up His throne by way of the East Gate (Ezekiel 43:4).
It was prophesied by Ezekiel about 2500 years ago, that the East Gate would be sealed, not be opened and no man may enter by it (Ezekiel 44:1-2). About 2000 years after this prophecy the East Gate was sealed up with brick and mortar by decree of Sultan Suleiman “the Magnificent” leader of the Ottomans Empire in 1543. Suleiman may have intended to prevent Messiah’s return, but by sealing the gate, a Muslim fulfilled a Hebrew prophecy. The Turks also placed a grave yard in front of the gate, believing that the Messiah would not walk on a grave site and risk impurity. This would also stop anyone from pretending to be the Messiah, as Jews will not walk on graves.
We learned that the gate was nearly opened twice. In 1917 during World War I a Bible believing Christian name Edmund Allenby laid siege on Jerusalem. At the time Jerusalem was being used by the German allies, (the Turks), as a stronghold. Allenby knew of the prophecy and did not want to blow open the gate, so he ordered leaflets dropped by a war plane saying the war was over and to surrender. They surrendered and the gate was not opened.
The second time the East gate was nearly opened happened in 1967. King Hussein of Jordan ordered a construction crew to open the East Gate because it had the best access to Temple Mount. Within hours of this order, the Six Day War broke out. During which Israel took control of the Jordanian occupied territories. The gate was never opened. Therefore the gate remains sealed to this day, waiting on the Lords appointed time to be reopened, most likely an earthquake (Zech 14:1-4), will provide a nice path through the grave site and bring down the brick and mortar. I guess we’ll wait and see.
We left our vantage point of the Beautiful Gate and walked down the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday Road singing Hosanna in the Highest! It is a narrow roadway almost like an alley. What an awesome experience to walk and sing out Hosanna, Hosanna, along the traditional path Jesus took in his triumphal entry into the Holy City. (John 12:13-15). On the south side is an ancient Jewish cemetery and on the north side toward the bottom of the hill is the Garden of Gethsemane!
Gethsemane is a garden of olive trees (Matt 26:36-57). This is where Jesus took Peter and two others to pray and watch (lookout) and they fell asleep three times. During His intense prayers to the Father, Luke 22:44 notes Jesus was sweating what seemed like drops of blood. I did a little research on this phenomenon and found: “So great was the stress that tiny blood vessels were rupturing in his sweat glands and emitting as red drops, that fell to the ground (see Luke 22:44).This symptom of severe stress is called hematohidrosis.” (christiananswers.net). “Luke is also the only gospel writer to mention the bloody sweat, possibly because of his interest as a physician in this rare physiological phenomenon, which spoke eloquently of the intense spiritual agony Jesus was suffering…”(Dr. Henry M. Morris, The Defenders Bible, original notes for Luke 22:44) Shortly after this event the chief priest came and arrested Jesus in the Garden. The story of Jesus in the garden is told in Matt 26:26-46, Mark 14:32-42 and Luke 22:39-53.
After a short wait we entered the garden and had a bible study. After the study we had time to pray, so we all spread out through the garden picking our spots of solitude. I picked an Olive tree that looked sad and broken intentionally. I wanted to remember how we enter into a conversation or the presence of God, weak and usually broken and only by the grace of God could we be pruned and bear fruit. After praying for about 30 minutes, I got up and took a stone with me to remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Luke 19:40)
We left the Mount of Olives and went to the site of Hezekiah’s Tunnel (2Kings 20:20, 2Chron 32:30). This was a really neat experience, but not if you are afraid of tight spaces filled with water. The 1750 foot tunnel goes under the city from the source of water to the Pool of Siloam. (Nehemiah 3:15, John 9:7). We had a bible study here about how Jesus took clay and placed it on the eyes of a blind man and said “go wash it off and be healed” The blind man washed his eyes in the pool of Siloam (which is translated sent). The pool is located in the Arab quarter so it is not fully excavated yet. There is what looks like a weed garden on the unexcavated site now. Maybe someday the entire pool will be revealed, that would be an awesome sight!
After the tunnel we headed to the Temple Mount Southern steps! The southern steps were where people would have entered onto Temple Mount, this includes Jesus ! (Mark 11:11) We had another bible study here and then worshipped the Lord sitting on quite possibly the very steps Jesus walked on nearly 2000 years ago. Knowing this mom and I took off our sandals and stood bare foot on the Herodian stones and took a picture to remember the moment.

Day 7

Date Honey (Land of Milk and Honey) Camille at Tabernacle

Tabernacle Replica at Timna and Sign pointing to Snake Path

Store house ruins at Masada and a view of the Dead Sea

Me laying on top of the water Saying good-bye to Dead Sea

April 1, 2008

Bible Study Theme: “Let the bible be real in you.”

Places Visited:
Timna (Tabernacle replica)
Masada
Dead Sea

Our first stop today was kind of in the middle of no where, a place called Timna. I believe there was a kibbutz there, but we stopped at the Tabernacle replica. The lady who built and runs the exhibit is a Christian converted from Judaism, named Camille! What a blessing it was to talk to her, she was so full of knowledge and on fire for the Lord! Our guide stepped away from inside the tent as Camille shared how the Tabernacle was a symbolism for the messiah Jesus. She stopped what she was saying and told us, “Pray for your guide! He did not want to hear the truth and the word of Jesus.” She also said that Jews do not recognize that Jews and Christian are of the same God, “Jehovah!” They think Christians worship a different god altogether. She said they don’t even recognize Jesus as being Jewish, and if the subject came up they would respond, “Why do you talk to me of this?” (More of a statement than a question)

From here we headed to a place called Masada. Masada was a fortress built on a mountain top. To reach the top you would have to hike about a mile of narrow trail called “The Snake Path.” But today we took the tram car of course. Masada’s ruins were very well maintained. When the archeologists excavated the site they merely had to restack the large stone that fell over. This is probably the spot David referred to as the “Stronghold” (1 Sam 22:4-5; 1 Sam 23:14; 1 Sam 24:22), or quite possibly the depiction of the “Rock of Refuge” (Psalms 18:2, Psalms 31, Psalms 71:3, Psalms 144:2). They had a great way of collecting all the water run off which was brought up the hillside by slaves and dumped into a large cistern. Masada was the last hold up for some Zealots who escaped death from the Romans by leaving Jerusalem and heading to Masada. This was around 70 AD. Before the Romans finally reached the top of Masada to put to death the remaining resistance, the Zealots committed a mass suicide. Masada was also established as a trade route middle point for myrrh, frankincense, salt and other trade goods.

We left Masada and drove to our hotel at the Dead Sea. We put our swimsuits on and headed for the water. Other than the sulfur like smell this was quite an experience. We walked into the water about waist deep and sat down. Then ploop… you can’t sink. You just float around; it’s pretty weird and funny too. I floated out to where it was too deep to stand and did the running man. On my way back to shore I found a very shallow spot in the middle of the sea (about 12” deep or so with sharp salt deposits), so I stood up and walked a little way. It gave the appearance I was walking on water… Hey I was in the Holy Land I had to try it. Before getting out of the water, I posed a few times laying on my side and then out I went to wash off.

Lying 1300 feet below sea level the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth. Its waters produce an abundant amount of minerals that have been known to provide great medicinal value for problems such as, skin ailments. This is why there is a huge cosmetic industry that originates from the area.

The Dead Sea is supplied with fresh water via the Jordan River, but the water stops here and has nowhere to go, becoming stagnant and polluted with high salt contents. It is called the Dead Sea for a good reason, because nothing lives in it… right now. I enjoy learning about bible prophecy and I had heard that during the end times, the Dead Sea will come to life. Well during our bus ride I had plenty of time to do research. In Ezekiel 47:1-12 God reveals to Ezekiel His plan for the waters to the east of the Temple Mount. Ezekiel 47:8-10 says, “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there: for they will be healed, and everything will live where the rivers goes.” At this very moment there are plans that would bring waters from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea via canals. (See article on Red/Dead canal project). The thought is that the new water entering the Dead Sea through the canal would replenish the evaporated water and thus give rise to life in the barren sea. I guess we will stay tuned in to find out…

Things I learned in Israel today:

Pastor Jim and I talked today on our bus ride to Masada. I asked about his testimony and about spiritual gifts. I explained my assessment of the spiritual gifts in action as an 80/20 rule. A person should spend eighty percent of his time using his spiritual gift and twenty percent of his time practicing other gifts. This will allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish more through us. If we spend our time trying to be well rounded in all gifts we lose out on how the Lord wants to use us through the gift He gave us. Let others use their gifts in the areas you are weak and vise versa. So much more could be accomplished this way. Pastor said he liked my take and gave me some more insight on the subject. He knew I was searching for my gift and his advice to me was, “Pray and wait on the Lord. God will answer those who truly seek His will for their lives.” So I will. Amen!

1. My Hebrew name is ATIR, which I believe is pronounce (i-teél)
2. Gee-hook (not sure on spelling) means hiccup

People I’ve met:
1. Camille- Christian Lady at the Tabernacle Replica
2. Seagul- Ice cream girl at the kibbutz who taught me “gee-hook”
3. Karen- Ring girl; friend of Nir who sells jewelry
4. Eli- Bellhop at the Dead Sea hotel; 18 years old, leaves for the army in 1 month to be a medic. He wants to be a doctor.

Day 6

The landscape of Jordan... arid and Halleluiah we are back in Israel!

Cliffs entering Petra.....Most famous cave carving in Petra

Some very smelly Camels and another really cool Cave carving in Petra

March 31, 2008

Bible Study Theme: Preparing for the Future

Places Visited:
Petra

Today we visited the country of Jordan and went to the ruin city of Petra. Pastor Jim taught on how we are seeing a wonderful intersection of time on our trip as we see the past and the future. We can definitely see that the past is real and coming to life so vividly for us. What will the future have in store for the Jews and us too? Well we just need to open our bibles to find out. One of the most obvious signs of the future being told to us is found in Ezekiel 36 -37. These chapters can be summarized in a few ways. First, even though the Jews were scattered throughout the world, Israel became a nation again in one day. Second, the land which was once desolate will flourish with fruit. Well all of us here can see that everywhere the Jewish people are settled, the land is lush and fruitful. In fact, Israel is one of the worlds leading exporters of flowers and fruits and vegetables. So what else does the bible tell us about events yet to come? That’s where Petra comes into the picture. Most bible scholars believe that Petra is the location that the Jews will flee to in the end days. Several verses in the bible paint this picture. Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:13-17, Daniel 11:40-41, Isaiah 16:1-5, Isaiah 26:20-21 and Isaiah 42: 9-11, all point to the fact the Israel will flee into the wilderness to seek refuge provided by God. That wilderness is most likely a mountain region in Edom, Moab and Ammon. These three regions are located in present day Jordan. I’m not exactly convinced that Petra is the exact place of refuge, but likely one of many places. In the bible passages above, Moab is mentioned more than Edom as the location of the wilderness, but this topic could be debated at length. The point is that Israel will flee into the wilderness of Jordan and the Lord will provide safety for them. And our tour took us to parts of that wilderness… Petra.

I must be totally honest here, I did not like being outside the borders of Israel! Some of our group really enjoyed the whole experience, but as for me…I had a narrowed point of view. The first thing that struck me were the people and me feeling like I was not safe anymore outside of Israel’s borders. We did keep hearing from Nir that Jordan was the “nice” neighbors but I was still uneasy. We waited in the street outside the border crossing for a long time, while the Jordan officials took our passports and did who knows what? All the people smoking like freight trains really annoyed me to no end, but that annoys me back in the state as well. When we finally got permission to leave the border crossing and start our long drive to Petra, I could not help but notice the landscape. In Israel the land was lush and green and liter free for the most part. The land in Jordan was desolate and dry, with trash everywhere. It was like their local dump was the side of the highways. Another thing that I was less than impressed with was the food. We ate at a restaurant just prior to going to Petra. It was a buffet and seemed to have a large selection of food items, none of which we had any idea what they were. Just like in Israel our favorite meal time conversation was, “What is that?” followed by “I don’t know, what is that?” followed by a puzzled look of the unknown. Typically we didn’t care and just ate everything anyway, because we had just walked a marathon that day and needed to replenish our calories… Did I mention the giant black bug a few of us found on the buffet table in Jordan? Well, we didn’t tell the others either, since who knew when we would eat again and didn’t want to ruin it for the rest of the group. So the cat is out of the bag.

In spite of the cockroach on the lunch table, Petra was really amazing! No wonder it is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is something that you just have to see for yourself. Pictures just don’t do it justice. Walking through the canyons we were typically looking up in amazement at the Lords creation. One of the challenges of this was avoiding the horse, donkey and camel dung! The group split up and explored on our own. Mom and I found Petra really cool, but have some advice for future travelers. Be prepared to be hounded by every peddler within eyesight and take some cash for the restroom or hold it for quite a while. We found out that only about 7% of Petra is excavated and the area is about 45 square miles. (That’s what the guide said anyway.)

Things I learned in Israel today:

The most important part of this day trip was what the Lord revealed to me on our return to Israel. But first we must start off with a little history:

In the Genesis 15-17 and Genesis 21-22, we read that the whole earth will be blessed through the line of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Lord said He would bless Abraham with a son (Isaac) begotten by Sarah and make him a great nation. Through Isaac the whole world would be blessed (Jesus the Messiah). Abraham and Sarah decided to take matters into their own hands, since Sarah was barren. So Sarah gave Abraham her Egyptian handmaid Hagar, to bear a son (Ishmael). This is not what the Lord intended. So in Genesis 17:19-22, God reveals His plan to give blessings to Ishmael and his decedents and to make him a great nation with twelve princes. But in Genesis 21:8-21, Ishmael is cast out of the land to which Isaac had the God given birth right, the land of Israel!

The whole time we were in Jordan I felt like a dark cloud was hanging over me, with an occasional ray of light. I felt uneasy and unsafe. (Even though others did not feel the same way.) When we crossed back over the border into Israel, I felt the darkness lift and Gods glory shine on His people and their land, Israel. I know it sounds strange but I’m telling you it was vivid to me. This is how I interpreted what the Lord showed me:

The Arab nations are descendants of Ishmael, and worship Allah. Allah is depicted as the moon god and symbolized by the crescent moon. The Lord said He would bless the offspring of Ishmael, so therefore there was an occasional ray of light or a little bit of Gods glory shines through on to these people.

The Jews, who are descendants of Isaac, worship the Living God. Gods Glory is usually thought of as Gods bright radiant light. The brightest light we can relate to is the sun. So when I walked back into Israel, I felt like the cloud had lifted and the sun was shinning bright. The symbolism I am using is that the sun is the Glory of God and shines bright on Israel. And the crescent moon is a small reflection of Gods true Glory and symbolized the small blessings poured out on to the Arabs.

Day 5

Spring running through En Gedi and me standing in front of waterfall

Sunrise at the Sea of Galilee........Gladiatorial Arena at Beth Shean

Ruin city of Beth Shean............ Gideon's spring at En Harod

Cave where scrolls were found in Qumran...A View from our hotel room to the Red Sea

March 30, 2008

Bible Study Theme: When I’m done with this life how do I want people to remember me?

Places Visited:
Sunrise Service at the Sea of Galilee
Beit Shean (Gladiatorial Arena)
En Harod
Qumran
En Gedi
Eilat

Today started early with a sunrise worship service on a jetty of rocks on the shore of Galilee! It was so incredibly beautiful, seeing God’s creation on the sea where Jesus did most of his ministry! To sing praises to the Lord and watch the sunrise is an experience that is very hard to top and something I will cherish the rest of my life! Without a doubt this is something I wish every Christian could experience!

We left Tiberius heading to a ruin city named Beit Shean. Where we took a seat at the Gladiatorial Arena. We had a short bible study sitting where the spectators would have sat in the theater. We took pictures and marveled at the arena. This place really made you think about the number of Jews and also the people of “the way” who were put to death here and in other arenas like it; mostly by animals.

Then we went to the rest of the ruins of Beit Shean. This is a pretty big city and the site where King Saul and his son’s bodies were displayed on the city walls after their deaths. (1 Sam 31:10). We had a Bible study and explored the city a short while, checking out the public latrine and the huge stone columns. Then we were off to En Harod.

En Harod means “Spring of Harod”. This is where Gideon and his army camped while the Midianites camped to the north at the bottom of the hill of Moreh, in the valley. (Judges 7:1-8) All of this area could be seen from a high vantage point a few of us dared to hike! We had a Bible study and were reminded that the Lord thinned out the army by testing them on how they drank the water from the spring. All those who drank with their hand were chosen (300 men). Some of us took took turns drinking with our hand from the stream as we took pictures! We also had lunch and worshipped too!

Next we headed to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. There not a was not a whole lot to see; a few ruins, and a cave across the way in the distance. Mostly all Qumran had to offer was shopping for Dead Sea cosmetic products. This is where some communication barriers were tested. We tried to buy some products but the total was close to $400! I freaked out in a nice way and needless to say we did not purchase as much as we would have liked.

Then we were off to En Gedi. This is the area where David hid from King Saul for 17 years between being anointed King and Saul’s death (1 Samual 23:29; 1 Samual 24:1). Our guide said David must have known this area well from his childhood. Growing up as a sheepherder, he would have brought the sheep to graze at the end of each winter before the first heat wave. As we pulled in we came across a bunch of wild goats and dry land desert landscape. We started out with a bible study and then ventured further into the valley. We found En Gedi to literally be a desert oasis. A stream of water all the way through the canyon, supplied by a pool of water on top of a large cliff. The spring created lots of waterfalls along the way. I really loved En Gedi and wished we would have had more time to spend there. While at the top waterfall we had a few minutes to sit and write a psalm of our own. (Since this is probably were David got a lot of inspiration to write some of the psalms.) Mine is kind of silly but I tried anyway…

Short Psalm I wrote at En Gedi:
The cliffs of Your protection
The waters of Your word
The Birds are Your warning
When danger is Heard

We left En Gedi and started our four hour drive to Eilat. On the way we stopped at a Kibbutz and had homemade ice-cream, then off to find our lodging. Our hotel is oriental style meets tiki. Minus the buddha’s in the rooms it was really nice. Phil and I stayed up late talking and praying. He delivers a very powerful prayer! Phil is the worship leader in the church and has a strong desire and huge heart for the Lord!

I was thinking all day about what Jim had said at En Harod, “The Lord may and probably will call you out of your comfort zone.” This trip has been an eye opening and heart opening experience for me. It has given me an opportunity to look at my life through a God perspective (spiritual) lens and not just a “me” lens. I believe the Lord is leading me to teaching as my gift, my test confirmed it, mom confirmed it and tonight Phil did too. How long must I resist God’s will? Then the thought came to me, I have very few problems about public speaking. I love to learn and educate others and I adore the word of God! All things a teacher would need to be able to teach. Then what is it, I said? “READING OUT LOUD in public or even one on one with my seven year old cousin Zoey. I am just plain terrible at it. I thought that I had dyslexia or something. But an expert said that I was just fearful. Phil reminded me to think about Moses. At first he needed Aaron because he lacked faith, but as time went by Aaron dropped from the scene and it was all Moses and God! (12:30AM)

Things I learned in Israel today:
1.“En” means natural spring
2.Israeli’s view the United States much the same way an American (non-Christian, non-Jewish) think of Israel…UNSAFE! They may have a point, not only is safety an issue but our moral values are an issue to them also. Lack of family values and Godly morals as a whole.

Quote I heard today:
“No matter where you are now, tomorrow or in life, it is always a good time to worship the Lord. In good times and in trials worship the Lord.” -Unknown

Day 4

Part of the Golan Heights--------------------Nimrod's Castle

The Road to Damascus ----------------------Spring at Caesarea Philippi

Base of Mount Hermon-------------------Burnt offering altar at Tel Dan

Shooting Range area------------Mount Arbel during storm

March 29, 2008

Bible Study Theme: To be “In Tune” with the Lord and listen to His will for us daily.

Places Visited:
Golan Heights (bunker)
Nimrod's Castle

Road to Damascus

Mount Hermon
Caesarea Philippi
Tel Dan

Shooting Range
Mount Arbel

I fell asleep last night at about 11:30 and woke at 7:00, so I had plenty of sleep, but I was so tired at the start of my day today! I read my bible and off we went to breakfast. After eating we got onto the bus and drove around the Sea of Galilee toward the Golan Heights. It is located east and goes to the north of Galilee. Golan (“Bashan” in the bible) was designated to the tribe of Manasseh. It was an area which the Lord set up as a “Refuge City” for the man-slayer (Joshua 21:27). This was also the land taken back from Syria in the Six Day War. Syria still cries to the UN (United Nothing) about this land and the United States is currently trying to negotiate to give it back to Syria. But if this happened they would likely just start firing missiles into Israel again. We stopped at a bunker located at the top of a hill overlooking Syria and checked it out. We could see the borders lined with two sets of tank trenches. While in the area we stopped at Nimrod’s Castle. This is a castle built upon a hill which guarded the Road To Damascus. (Not in Paul’s day) We find this road mention in the bible in Acts 9:1-25. It is a long winding highway now, built on top of the old road which Paul traveled.
Next we drove to Caesarea Philippi (Matt16: 13-20), located at the base of Mount Hermon. Caesarea Philippi is now a ruin city with natural springs and waterfalls feeding the Jordan river. In Jesus’ day this is where he took His disciples and asked “ Who do you think I am” Peter answered “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matt 16: 15-16). If you continue reading in the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus and the disciples were in Caesarea Philippi before Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. This mountain is most likely Mount Hermon and referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-13).
After lunch at a kibbutz we went to Tel Dan. Tel Dan is a pagan city taken over by the Danittes, where they set up a pagan temple to worship a golden calf.[Apparently they still believed in the Living God, but just got it all wrong. In my opinion this is kind of like the Catholic Church and their ways of worshiping the Lord.] This happened in the days of kings Jeroboam and Jehu. (1 Kings 12:28-33; 2 Kings 10:29). This event is a subject debated by bible scholars as to the reason the tribe of Dan is left out of the twelve tribes mentioned in the book of Revelation (Rev 7:1-8). We had a very moving and powerful message in Tel Dan at the steps of the Pagan Temple about idol worship. Mom and I had a discussion on the way back to the bus about idol worship and the Catholic rosary. Again in mine and my moms opinion’s this too is idolatry.
From Tel Dan we went to a shooting range, where most of the group shot Uzi’s. Mom and I had no interest. While the others shot the machine guns we enjoyed some fellowship and prayer together in a grassy area filled with huge palm trees and shade. This was a tranquil and peaceful time spent with mom and the Lord!
From the shooting range we drove to Mount Arbel. The theory is that Jesus came to this mount with His disciples after His resurrection (Matt 28:16). It is a beautiful hike and overlooks all of the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights all the way to Mount Hermon. We had a short bible study and we worshipped for a short time too. There was a storm funneling into the Sea from the north, so we had a chance to witness first hand how rough the sea could get and just how quickly it could happen. No wonder the disciples we scared on that little boat they were had. (Matt 14:22-23, Mark 6:45-51, John 6:15-20). It was windy and cold up there but what a site! I loved it! AMEN

Leaving the Sea of Galilee: “The Cradle of Ministry”

Things I learned in Israel today:

1. “Tel” means hill formed by the build up and destruction of cities through the centuries
2. Israeli secret service top’s in the world
3. Electric fence (light bulb to base) between borders is a very efficient obstacle for suicide bombers.

Thoughts from the Momma to Be

We've had a few requests for some belly pictures and thoughts so here goes... I am over half way through this amazing journey of pregnancy! I am just about 23 wks and it has been an incredible experience so far. To recap, "all day" sickness took hold of me but ended upruptly around week 12 and I have been feeling wonderful since then, praise God! Although 2 days ago, I was startled while working in the morning with some cramping/bleeding/etc. After calling my doctor is was deemed necessary to take a trip to the hospital. After some tests, monitoring, and corresponding with my OB doctor, they decided that my uterus was aggravated/quivering for an unknown reason. With a quick shot in the arm, it immediately calmed down and returned to normal. But thoughts of fear went through our minds thinking that our little girl could potentially arrive way too early. But we prayed in the hospital room and embraced each other knowing that whatever the future holds, we and our little baby are all in God's precious hands and we need not worry! Two days later I am doing well, and no sign of any abnormalties. We hope and pray that my health will stay strong, and that I will not have to limit my life's activities and or work in the next few months. We are already learning that having children means a life full of unexpected surprises! As parents-to-be, we are scared and excited to take on this new adventure! I remember talking to my parents one day a long time ago, and them saying that having kids is the hardest job they had ever taken on, but also the most rewarding and fulfilling role they got to have as well! Thank you God for entrusting us with one of your precious children who will be here soon!

Bump!!!

Alicia (sister-in-law) and I

She is due Sept 23rd with baby Ellaina!

Our first baby-Codie :)

Ultrasound 21 weeks!