We're not in Kansas anymore...

(An original street in Bethsaida)


(Ruins of the synagogue at Capernaum)


(Sailing on the Sea of Galilee from Tiberius)


(Looking down from Tel Jezreel on the possible site of Naboth's vineyard)


(The Judas Tree used in the production of "Jesus Christ, Superstar")


(The ruins at Bet She'an)

What a diverse country this is! Israel is about the size of Connecticut but has all the different landscape of our whole country....and we saw it all yesterday...along with cows, sheep, donkeys, goats, camels, peacocks, and lots of cats!

Posting has not been as easy as I thought...internet access is sparse and time is scarce. I don't think I have moved at a pace this fast since college! When I list all the places we have been, you will understand.

Wednesday morning we drove from Tiberius to the ruins of Hazor, which was one of the greatest Canaanite kingdoms. They call these ruins "tel" because they are like small mountains but are actually layers upon layers of civilizations...we have seen places where it is believed there are up to 30 layers. Then we visited what I call the "woe" cities...Corazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (Matt 11:20). It is believed that Corazin is the site where Jesus did miracles on the Sabbath; in Bethsaida we walked along ruins of one of the ancient streets where Jesus would have walked. Capernaum was the location of the home of Peter's mother-in-law, and we saw what is believed to be the ruins of that home. From there we went to the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount (and heard some sweet little nuns singing) and to Tabga, where the Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes for the 5000, and then to the place where it is believed that Jesus served breakfast to the disciples on the beach after His resurrection. I have to used "believed" because none of this is known for sure, and there are differing opinions on all of it! But that was one big day, and then we went back to Tiberius for a short night's rest, and began again on Thursday!

We boarded a small wooden boat on Thursday morning to sail across the Sea of Galilee. We were quite surprised when they started raising the American flag and playing the National Anthem...but we all sang along. They also played Elvis singing hymns if that tells you anything! We saw the ruins of an ancient boat at Gennesar, and then drove on to Kursi where Jesus healed the demonic man (the herd of pigs story) and fed the 4000. We drove south through the Jezreel Valley to Tel Jezreel where King Ahab and Jezebel had a palace. It was on top of a hill that looked over the valley, and there was a spot in the valley where there is still a spring, and that is most likely where Naboth's Vineyard was located...you know, the one King Ahab wanted and pouted because he couldn't have. And his lovely wife Jezebel figured out a way, but she got her just reward when she was pushed out a window and eaten by dogs. It's not so hard to imagine that happening when you are in this land...so much history! Then it was on to Beth Shean, which was the only city in the Decapolis that was west of the Jordan River. The ruins here were spectacular...there was a huge amphitheater, a huge public bathhouse, a huge public bathroom (yes, I said public), and even rooms for the temple prostitutes! We climbed to the top of the mountain to see the "Judas tree". When "Jesus Christ, Superstar" was filmed, they used this tree in the scene where Judas hung himself. Not exactly biblical, but interesting anyway! Last stop was Jericho, which was very unimpressive except that some of the ruins dated back 10,000 years. But I told David, it just looked like dirt and rocks to me...I guess you lose your perspective after a while!

Then for the excitement of driving to Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem. It was dark when we went through Jerusalem, but still amazing. Getting into Bethlehem is a hassle...every vehicle has to stop and be checked because Israeli citizens are not allowed into Bethlehem. We probably waited close to an hour in a horrendous traffic jam. There are lots of guns and soldiers here...and roosters who like to crow quite early! HA

So that is the tale of our last couple of days, and hopefully I can update you more often so it won't be so long! Again I will try to add some pictures. I tried after the last post, but the internet was so slow I just gave up. Love to all at home and Shalom!