3.17.17 "Grand Finale"

We cancelled our planned visits to the Dead Sea Scroll museum and Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial) due to the Jerusalem Marathon. With over 300,000 runners, roads blocked, rail closed, extra traffic... no thanks. We were able to sleep in a bit and not feel rushed. We finally got to experience the Gush Etsion zipline. 400m of pure excitement. Reuven missed school today so he joined us. He went tandem with Shannon. The rest of us went solo. Steve did great. I was last to go and did not want it to end. Our tractor ride back was quite the thrill too. The driver got a good laugh when I told him it was as fun as the zipline!

View from underneath the zipline

Zipline platform

Stacey going down

From there we went back North to Neve Daniel, just past Elazar. We picked up some bread for the Shabbat meal then Shannon showed us a house they are hoping to buy. It's a beautiful house with incredible view. We made our way to the lookout deck which is the highest elevation in Israel. It was a little hazy but still could see for miles and miles in every direction. It brought to mind Deuteronomy 11:24. We took plenty of pics.

Bakery at Neve Daniel

Steve lovin' the smell of fresh bread

Neve Daniel Lookout

We then headed back South past where we came and traveled to Hebron. Uncharted territory for most tourists due to security issues but we were able to visit the Tomb of the Patriarchs. A guy Shannon knows met us at the entrance. Not a formal tour but he explained 100% this is the burial site of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. This site is guarded well as the area is predominately Arab and frequented by Jews. Even the door to Isaac's tomb inside has an IDF guard at all times. Very fascinating place but we were happy to get back!

Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron

Abraham's tomb in front of me

Sarah's tomb behind me

Guard in front of Isaac's tomb

Back to the Nuszen's house to pack up and eat lunch. Our plan was for Shannon to drop us off in Jerusalem at Jack's brother's house, then go back for the rest of the family. But no, we decided to pack all 10 of us plus luggage in the van! Quite the experience! The rush was on to get to Perry's house, unload, freshen up, get the meal prepared and be at The Kotel by sundown. No wonder they need a day of rest after everything they do on Preparation Day *sarcasm*. But it was worth it.

I didn't think we'd make it in time but somehow we did. Maybe the sun stood still for a few minutes! Excitement was in the air as we approached The Kotel. I somehow assumed we would be observing the celebration from the back. But no, we got the full experience! Front and center (about 15 yds from the Wall) we were in the middle of thousands of people. Groups were singing and dancing, other quiet and reverent, others reading, others shaking hands and hugging, echoes of "Shabbat Shalom" everywhere! There was no order or structure, everyone appearing to do their own thing, but yet everyone was in perfect unison, Shabbat is here!

Kabbalat Shabbat at The Kotel

Steve & I sat in chairs in the middle of it all. We read the Psalms that were in the Kabbalat Shabbat book with people all around us. I don't know how to describe it but it was incredible. Now that it's Shabbat, no driving. We walked over 3 miles down the vacant streets of Jerusalem. Ben Yehuda Street, which is usally a bustling place, now barren. We did have one minor Shabbat infraction but Steve & Debbie had to take a cab the rest of the way from Ben Yehuda St to the house. Stacey & I, although tired, decided to get the full Sabbath Day's journey which was good time spent visiting with Jack & Shannon.

Stacey & Daphne visiting on the long walk back 

Hour walk back to the house

Finally at the house, well after 8pm, it's time for the Shabbat meal. The family sang the customary blessings as we made our way to the table. Jack recited the Proverbs 31 blessing to Shannon, then blessed each of the children individually. Beautiful. The meal started with the challah (2 loaves of bread) which symbolized the double portion of manna. Reuven poured water (God's mercy) into the wine (grape juice for us) which represents God's judgment. A reminder that God's judgment always has mercy available. Then the main course which included roast, potatoes, carrots, edamame, mashed potatoes, chopped bbq, chicken, salad, the whole 9 yards. Everything was so delicious. The meal concluded with everyone singing another blessing as well as other psalms...

We then sang some of our old church songs that were based on the psalms. Jack didn't know which psalms they were because he only knew them in Hebrew. The kids loved our singing. Zipporah especially loved a song Steve sang that he wrote and gave him a hug. So sweet.

We visited a little bit and said our goodbyes. Time to go bed. Cab arrives at 4:30 AM to take us to airport.

3.16.17 "Jerusalem"

Well, we got a late start plus traffic was bad and directions were off a little but we finally made it to our segway tour...an hour late. So we only got a half tour but it was incredible. We got some amazing views of the city plus driving the segway was tons of fun. We past a group of believers who were praying for Jerusalem with arms outstretched. I wanted to stop and join them but we had to keep moving. Everyone was doing great but we hit a pretty steep slope and Steve lost control and wiped out. He skinned his knees and hand up pretty good but he toughed it out and rode it back to the station. I was proud of him for riding it.

I finally got brave enough to get a segway selfie

Steve getting doctored up after fall

Views from segway tour

View of Temple Mount and Mount of Olives

We then went to the Old City through the Jaffa gate. Our first stop was at the Temple Institute. It was interesting but not as "wowing" as the other high tech walk-throughs we visited. We then made our way to the Tunnel Tour. We needed a quick pit stop so Shannon took us into a building called Aish Yeshiva. I didn't know what it was but it was very impressive and appeared to need reservations to get in. Shannon threw some names out to the guy at the desk and got us permission to briefly go to the rooftop lookout. When we got up there we had a breath taking view of The Wall and Temple Mount. We snapped a few quick pics and left but it was an amazing moment.

Entrance to the Temple Institute

Unbelievable view of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock

View South to City of David

We hustled to the tunnel tour for our 1:40 appointment. We had a fantastic tour guide. He inquired where everyone in our group was from (several nations represented) and he said we are fulfilling prophecy in being here because Isaiah talks about people from all nations coming to worship. The tour was amazing, we learned a lot of interesting things about the wall. As we exited, we just turned the corner to go to the Virtual Reality tour. The entrance is practically even with wall on the northern side of the prayer plaza which made for more great pics. The VR tour was simply amazing. 360° views of the outside and inside of the temple really felt like you were there. Again, I was proud of Steve for overcoming his motion sickness to do this. He loved it!

Our guide at the Tunnel Tour

Praying at the middle point of the Wall during Tunnel Tour

Virtual Reality tour of the Temple

When we exited it was time to pray. Ladies to the right, Steve & I to the left. It was busy but not super crowded. We found a good spot to stand beside each other and pray. What a humbling experience to think of millions of people who have stood in this spot to pray. I prayed for peace, and quoted Matthew 23:38-39 "...you won't see me again until you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Maranatha! We took several more pics, found the ladies and exited the plaza.

Prayers at The Kotel

Steve praying

Written prayers are stuffed in the cracks of the wall

Standing at The Kotel

It's after 4:00 and we haven't had lunch. We ate at Burgersbar which was awesome. I had a beef/lamb burger cooked medium...oh wow!! We visited a jewelry shop next door and I found a new wedding band with the Hebrew inscription, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." We visited with the shop owner about where we're from and when we told her about our love for Israel and that we pray for Israel, with a smile of excitement she said, "These are the days of Meshiach." Indeed! We then went to see the giant menorah display that we missed on the way out of the Temple Institute. As we were heading down the steps we could see the sunlight illuminating the Mt of Olives as the sun was setting behind us. I ran down the stairs, past the menorah to a good spot to get some amazing shots. When I walked back up just a little ways to the menorah, the Mt of Olives was already in the shadows. I was so glad I got there when I did. Oh and the menorah was pretty cool too.

Sun lighting up the Mt of Olives (view along the Southern Wall)

Menorah created by the Temple Institute

We visited a couple of more shops and got portraits made dressed up as Bible characters. Steve was Elimilech, Debbie was Naomi, Stacey was Ruth and I was Boaz. I thought it was kinda corny at first but it was a lot of fun. And Ruth was pretty hot too!

We finally left the Old City as it was now dark and getting colder. We drove to Jack's mom's house where we walked across the street to get on a city bus to go to Ben Jehuda Street. The city bus ride is another of those experience most tourists do not get. The bus riders run the gamut of Jewish society. From the secular, low income to the Ultra Orthodox dudes with the hats and everyone in between, including a couple of crazy Texans.

Fortunately it was only a few blocks to Ben Jehuda St. We visited a few shops but mostly enjoyed the lights and music and variety of people all around us. Such an amazing difference between the "Old City" and "New City" so close together. Lots of high end shops. Our favorite store sign was "City Market 24/6". Only in Israel! We stopped at The Coffee Bean shop for some gourmet hot chocolate and cookies and got in some Facebook updates on the wifi. We finally made our way back up Ben Jehuda St making a few more stops before catching a bus back to the van.

Entrance to Ben Yehuda Street

Sam

Outside of coffee shop

Nothing is 24/7 here

The day started out a little stressful but overall it was a day we will never forget. Truly an unforgettable experience being in Jerusalem, the heart of it all. Looking forward to the New Jerusalem but until then, we still have a lot of work to do. Gotta get some rest. One more full day before we head home!

3.15.17 "Dead Sea"

On our way to the Dead Sea, I read an interesting article by Moshe Dann about the Essenes at Qumran. It was very helpful prior to getting to Qumran. We picked up Ross at a bus stop near our turn for the Dead Sea. Then we stopped at a gas station for the obligatory camel rides. I admit it was fun.

Guess what day it is...

We quickly arrived at the Qumran site. Such incredible history there. From there we went to Ein Gedi. I was excited because we skipped this when I visited 18 yrs ago. Such a beautiful hike up the mountain. However we were slowed down by a large group of girls on field trip. We tried to get in a waterfall but the girls were having too much fun. We started to give up but Ross asked them in Hebrew to give us a minute. So Ross, Stacey and I took turns getting under the waterfall with an audience of a bunch of girls watching us. I'm sure they'll have a story to tell about crazy Americans when they get home. We took lots of pics on our hike and learned about the story of Saul and David at this very spot. Ezekiel 47 says this will be a good fishing hole in the future!

Qumran where scrolls were discovered in 1947

Some of the caves where Essenes hid some of the scrolls

View of Dead Sea near Ein Gedi

Girls hogging the waterfalls at Ein Gedi

Cold but worth it

Lovely views

Then we went to Masada and ate lunch there as it was well past 1:00. Masada is definitely one of Ross' favorite places. We learned about Herod as well as the final hold out of the Jews against Rome from 68-74. My favorite moment was Ross reading Ezekiel 37 to us inside the synagogue. We learned a lot but didn't get too extensive because we had to catch the last trolly at 4:00 or else hike down the snake path.

Views from Mt. Masada

Area where Romans surrounded Jews at Masada from 68-72 AD

Ross reading Ezekiel 37 at Synagogue on Mt. Masada

Mt. Masada at sunset

We continued South of Masada to a resort at Ein Bokek where we went swimming. It was very windy but definitely worth getting to float for a little while. The changing area was a little too personal with just a half wall for "privacy". We walked through the shops for a bit before leaving.

Floating in the Dead Sea

My changing room

Easiest job in the world

The long drive back North along the western shore of the Dead Sea allowed for more interesting conversations with Ross. But we eventually arrived at his bus stop where we dropped him off and said our goodbyes and toda raba (much thanks). Our experience in Israel is much richer with Ross as our guide. I certainly learned a lot from him. We're almost home and going to pick up some pizza. Need to eat and go to bed early because we have another big day tomorrow... Jerusalem!

3.14.17 "Galilee"

Today started super early as we had to make the 2+ hr drive north to the Sea of Galilee. It was such a beautiful drive through the hills with all of the green farmland. I wanted to take so many pictures as you could see the horizon for miles and miles with the Jordan calmly winding down below.

Morning fog outside of Jerusalem

Views on way to Galilee

Views on way to Galilee

We picked up our tour guide, Ross, at a bus stop just south of the Sea of Galilee. We made a quick connection with him and his love for God and the land was apparent. Our first stop was at Yardenit, the popular baptism spot for tourists. We passed on getting dunked because it was cold. Ross briefly explained a few things about the area and we took some pics and loaded up.

Yardenit

On our way to Tiberias, Ross phoned in a to-go order at a sandwhich shop. We had a little trouble finding it because it is a little hole in the wall off the tourist path. But we got our order and headed up to Ginosar to the museum of the Ancient boat.

Sandwich Shop in Tiberias

But before seeing the ancient boat, we had to ride one across the lake. Ours was the "Shimon". It was just a 30 minute ride down and back across the northern end but it made for a ton of pics and more conversation with our new friend Ross.

Ancient Boat museum at Kibbutz Ginosar

Our boat on the Sea of Galilee

Beautiful

Northern shore of Sea of Galilee

Ancient boat discovered 30 years ago

We visited the museum and then headed to Magdala to see a new discovery since my last visit 18 years ago. The rain began to pick up so we ate our lunch under the awning there. The sandwiches were delicious (I had pastrami with humus, olives, carrot slices and bell peppers). As we waited for the rain pass we had fun discussing the Bible with Ross and even telling some jokes.

Bible study at lunch

After a while, the rain let up enough for us to discover a 1st century synagogue that archaeologists found when plans were underway for the construction of a hotel on that site. This is a very important discovery as it confirms the NT narrative and was likely frequented by Jesus and his disciples and Mary of Magdala. We also saw other excavations there and what was likely the boat dock at the time showing just how far the lake has receded.

Synagogue at Magdala

Synagogue at Magdala

Shoreline used to be up to here

From there we went to Capernaum, Kfar (Village) Nahum, which means "Comfort". This is a beautiful site was very busy as it was the HQ for Jesus' public ministry. Ross (an orthodox Jew) read to us from Luke and Mark showing the significance of Capernaum. We visited the synagogue which is from the 5th century but was built over the original one. We also visited Peter's house which Ross was very interested in. And of course I had to get more pics of the Sea of Galilee from the shore.

Entrance to Capernaum

Ross reading from Gospels about events that occurred in Capernaum

Synagogue from Byzantine era built over original Synagogue

Archaeologists believe this to be Shimon Peter's house 

Sea of Galilee from Capernaum

We spent quite a bit of time at Capernaum so we passed on going to Tabgah where the mosaic of loaves and fishes is. We made our way back through Tiberias, my eyes glued to the window as the lake was now on my side of the van. We stopped at a kibbutz where a army tank has remained dead in it's tracks since 1948. We got out for some pics and a quick history lesson from Ross.

Tank from 1948

I was hoping to get a quick visit to Beit Shean but we decided on learning more about the kibbutz lifestyle by taking Ross home at his kibbutz at the top of Mt. Gilboa. It was very cold and windy at the summit so we didn't spend much time out of the van, but we learned this was where King Saul was killed. We also learned about the tech innovations here that is changing the power industry as well as the farming practices of the kibbutz. Steve was miserable from the cold so we took the conversation to the van. But I would not be denied getting more pics from the summit as the sun was beginning to set. Absolutely gorgeous views.

New power plant at kibbutz on Mt. Gilboa

Mt. Gilboa

From top of Mt. Gilboa

Sunset view from Mt. Gilboa

Headed back down Mt. Gilboa

We said goodbye to Ross and headed down the mountain. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant recommended to us by Ross. The fresh bread and dips were amazing. My spicy beef sausage was delicious but couldn't finish the 4th one because I was so stuffed. Tourists are missing out on this little gem as the village is off the main road.

Our restaurant

Steve said, "I just want a burger & fries"

After a long day and bellies full, now begins the long journey back South to Elazar. I passed out for a little while but most of the time I just gazed at the moon rising over the Jordanian mountains and the never ending lights in the distance along the Jordan River valley.