Greetings once again from Israel! I won't take long to write because once again I'm borrowing someone's computer. Tonight is our last night in Maagan. We're headed to Jerusalem from here and we'll spend the rest of out time there. I'm very excited about that! Hopefully, if there is time (and no major security issues) we'll go into Bethlehem tomorrow. That'll be incredible.

Since my last update... we've gone to Sepphoris, Korazin, Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Rosh Hanikra, Kursi, Bet Shean, Ben Tal, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, and others I'm probably forgetting!

Let me just attach some pictures and give you a brief description about each one...

Easter morning was spent on the Sea of Galilee. Dr. Nelson Price brought a challenging message and it was an incredible start to our day! The water was beautiful and calm. I wouldn't mind seeing it during a storm. Our guide said that 10 foot waves form and it is truly a dangerous event! What a miracle for Jesus to calm the storm. While I was sitting on the shore early one morning, I imagined how startled and amazed I would be to see Jesus walking on the water. I decided that I would jump at such an opportunity to venture out on top with Him as well!

The picture here is of a chapel on the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). The remains of a Byzantine chapel were found here in 1935, but the chapel now was built on the hilltop instead of over those remains.

The next picture is of me soaking my feet in the Jordan River (referred to in Israel simply as "The Jordan"). It was chilly and to our surprise, full of huge catfish! :) It was humbling to have the privilege to visit such a significant site.

Mount Ben Tal offers an incredible view overlooking the Golan Heights and Israel’s Northern borders. It was also a significant stage for the war against Syria. I explored the bunker--which was so cool! (And literally cool as well compared to the heat above ground). I'm pictured here with my roommate Amy... a spunky 13 year old that's keeping me young on this trip. Seriously though, it's neat to get to know her and what an experience to go to Israel at 13!! I pray it's just as life-changing for her as for the rest of us!

I LOVED Nimrod!! We only had a short visit there and I felt like a kid in the candy store trying to sample every inch of that place! Nimrod Fortress sits on a mountain 2,675 feet above sea level. It is one of the largest fortresses to survive in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. There's a long history there, and I'll let you look it up and read about it. :) But it was sooo neat to explore that area. We found secret passageways, pitch black staircases that we fearlessly followed down to different lookout areas... if only I'd had a bow and arrow... or whatever they used back then!

Kursi is the site where Jesus miraculously cast the devils out of a man into a herd of swine which stampededed into the water and drowned. As our guide put it... this was the first recorded case of "deviled ham". :) A Byzantine basilica was uncovered at this site--attached to it was a chapel and foritified monastery. There is a crypt there that I regret not going down into. (If you would have seen the entrance to that thing, you wouldn't have blamed me. But honestly, I just didn't think there was much to see.) After seeing pictures from others, it actually would have been a neat thing to behold. After uncovering the remains, skeletons of more than 30 middle-aged men were found there.

This is SUCH a brief rundown of just a few of the dozens of sites we're seeing. It's a fast-pace trip and I already know that it would be great to come back to Israel at a later date. Regardless, I know this will be life-changing and I'm treating it as if it were a once in a lifetime opportunity... because it very well may be. I'm going to make the best of it! Thank you for your prayers while I'm are! I hope one day you get the opportunity to explore Israel (if you haven't already).