The weather delays in the States made no affect on our landing in Tel Aviv. We had a strong tail wind and arrived on schedule. I slept at least 9 hours of the flight! Praise the Lord! It was getting dark by the time we made it to our bus. We arrived at the Kibbutz (a little colony like area for our accommodations). Our room was adorable. I'm sharing it with my new friend Amy. She's a hip little 13 year old. I slept like a rock (aside from the fact that we didn't have an alarm clock or a watch. So we set her phone--Atlanta time--for what we THOUGHT would be morning in Israel. Apparently her cell phone finally did catch up to Israel time, and so we were up at midnight wondering if we were actually supposed to start getting ready...)

Today we went to Tel Beerseba, Arad, Masada, Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were supposedly found), Jordan Valley, and the Dead Sea. I won't attempt to tell you the details of those places at this time... but they were all incredible! Myself and 4 others actually hiked up to the "fortress" of Masada. Halfway up I was wondering why in the world I made such a dumb decision! But we finally made it... and I'm very glad I took the trek. I'll be feeling it tomorrow... that's for sure. But I was able to really identify with the Jews in 70 or 73 AD who hiked up the mountain in an attempt to escape from the Romans. To think of perhaps pregnant women, certainly the elderly to the very young, all trying to make it quickly up the slick slopes--literally running for their lives. For me... I was guaranteed freedom at the top. I would be "rescued" by my group and even take a fun cable car ride back down to the bottom. But for them... it was certain death. They actually killed themselves before the Romans (who eventually broke through) could do the job themselves.

These places I'm having the privilege to visit each day were the backdrops for some of the most significant events in all of history. Incredible!

I'm looking out the window now at the Sea of Galilee. I'll actually be spending part of Easter ON the Sea of Galilee! I'm excited! But first... all of the adventures of tomorrow... I can't wait! I don't have long to write because I'm borrowing someone's computer and it's nearly bedtime here. Until next time...


Another fancy shot of the Dead Sea