Today was another packed day. Expect another long entry! I hope you're enjoying and don't mind my typos.
First thing, I am going to reply to an asked question that I've been meaning to answer. The currency here in Israel is called a Shekel as I mentioned before. One Israeli Shekel (Sheqal) is equal to $0.29. This means that one dollar is equal to like 3.48 Shekels. I am attaching some pictures of the currency(Bill of 100 Shekels, and then the coins that have the 1, 5, 10 Shekels). 
I want to clear a few terminology things up too(you may already know, but just reminding). Palestine is what Israel was called before the Israeli's came. As Americans, because we support Israelis, we call it Israel. But here, Palestinians still call this place Palestine, because this is what is was before the conflict and how they know their land. Israelis of course call it Israel. As travelers, the parts that currently belong to the Palestinians are referred to as Palestine, while Israeli land is Israel. Just thought I would clarify, because it confused me. For the most part, I will refer to it as Israel, because that is what most of you know it as. Also, I wanted to clarify what Jewish meant exactly. Many are unsure if a Jew is a religious label or ethnicity. Here, whenever I refer to a Jew, it is an ethnicity. You are a Jew and will be granted almost overnight citizenship to Israel if you can prove one of your four grandparents was Jewish. Okay, so now that I cleared that up, on with the fun we had this beautiful Monday!
*Disclaimer: Please understand that I am going to try to stay as unopinionated as possible when explaining the differences between the two settlements/camps I saw today. I know many of you may have already formed opinions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but I can tell you that the media is by law not prohibited to give Americans the full story of what is happening here. Many of you understand that the media can skew things, and I believe that in this case, our information is lacking. I am still in shock and reflecting about the things I am about to share with you all. It is something that is hard to explain or understand if you haven't seen it firsthand, but I am going to try to do my best.
Our morning began really early today. We had to be out the door at 8:30AM. We had a great buffet breakfast and headed to Efrat (named after the biblical story of Rachel) to meet with an Israeli settler. Efrat is an Israeli only settlement that was built around 35 years ago(It is built on Israeli government land). There are about 150 Jewish communities(settlements) housing over 380,00 Jews in Israel. It is home to 9,500 people and about 2,000 families. The settlement is built of seven hills and in the largest Israeli community aside from the big cities. It has it's own mayor, schools, healthcare facilities and shopping centers. Of the residents in the town, 25% work in Efrat, 10% commute to far away cities like Tel Aviv and the other 65% work in Jerusalem. Efrat has one of the best education systems in the country. They were just recently awarded for being the top schools in Israel. It was a very nice place with pretty (and expensive) houses(A 3 bedroom apartment goes for $200,000 and a single family home goes anywhere from 300,000 to 1million). There has just been a permit to expand the settlement (it will increase growth by 60% in the settlement). All residents buy the houses in the settlement and are able to own the land and houses (renters pay an Israeli who has bought their complex). It was a clean settlement with good roads and seemed very secure with security patrolling at all times and even a gate guard to get in (in the past 12 months, there were 2 attempted terrorist attacks on the community and both were stopped before they happened).
Our guide who lived in this settlement was named Bob. He was a very well educated and politically active jewish man with a successful family. He attended U of Wisconsin-Madision. He came to Israel years ago because of his historical roots. The Israelis claim they want to be in Israeli because it is Holy land for the Jews. To live in a settlement like Efrat, you have to be an Israeli citizen (The country of Israel is about 80% jewish and 20% muslim). This particular settlement was made up on 90% Orthodox Jews and 10% secular Jews(Orthodox Jews are practicing Jews that try to keep all hundred of the commandments while secular Jews may be religious, but not to the same extent as Orthodox Jews).
I am now going to relay to you Bob's opinion on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. Bob told us that he wanted peace. In his opinion, Bob thought the best option for Israel as a whole is one state with cooperation and peace. He wants "good relations which the Arab people". He believes that if the Israelis leave that the entire county will fall apart. Bob claimed that the Palestinians owed huge bills to Israel for water and electricity. He said the Israeli's were paying for an uncooperative PLO( Palestinian authorities). He claimed PLO prohibited any interactions between both sides. After saying this, Bob claimed that in the last 35 years the increased separation was really the reason for decreased peace and the lack of association between the two peoples may be to blame for the current situation. His community has advocated against putting a fence between the Israeli settlement and the Palestinian refugee camp. He also told us that the majority of the problem is that Israel is just such a small county that any land taken away is huge. Many people look at Israel with a microscope and blow the conflict out of proportion. Bob's ultimate solution for the problem is that there needs to be a one state democracy in Israel, in which the government in Israeli. He defended this by saying in the last few years since Israeli military has stepped in, terrorist attacks (which now includes throwing rocks) have been decreased from 1,000's to only 80-100 a month. He thinks having a democracy in a state that has 80% Jewish population will protect minority rights. I am attaching a picture of Bob's house.
Dheisheh refugee camp, located near the city of Bethlehem in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, is one of fifty-nine Palestinian refugee camps dispersed throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It was established after the expulsion and flight of more than 750,000 Palestinians who were displaced by the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Those that fled to Dheisheh originated from forty-five villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron. Their descendants now comprise the 11,000 inhabitants living in the camp today on less than one square kilometer of land. Only two under-resourced schools and one part time doctor serve the needs of the entire camp.
A resilient and active community, Dheisheh has a long history of struggle. Until the Israeli army’s withdrawal in 1995, the camp was surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence that sealed all but one of the fourteen camp entrances. The Israeli army controlled this single entrance with a revolving gate. The Social Youth Activity Center, which was the primary youth organization in the camp, was closed by military order from 1981 until 1993. Soldiers and violent confrontations filled the alleys, killing dozens of residents, while hundreds were injured, imprisoned, and disabled for life. During the years of the Oslo peace process, the plight of refugees was largely ignored in the negotiation framework, bringing a continued sense of stagnation and desperation to the community.
Since the start of the Intifada in September 2000, the Palestinian struggle to end thirty-seven years of Israeli occupation was met with unprecedented levels of military violence. Using US-manufactured helicopters and tanks, the Israeli military shelled Palestinian communities, destroying homes and killing hundreds of people. In Dheisheh, soldiers have opened fire on children, blocked families in their homes for days with little access to food or water, and denied emergency medical care to the sick and injured.
The Israeli occupation has had a particularly strong impact on the women in Dheisheh. With many men in jail, killed, injured, or restricted in their ability to travel to find work, women have increasingly become the sole providers for their families. They are responsible for income generation, home maintenance, education and care of children, and care for elderly and injured family members. As a result, many women find themselves suffering from increasingly difficult circumstances with fewer places to turn to for help or opportunities to struggle for change.
Yet those hardest hit by today’s deepening poverty and military violence are the children, who make up more than 50% of Dheisheha’s population. Severe human rights abuses, political instability and violence have deprived Palestinian refugee children of the basic pleasures of childhood. Like all Palestinian children, every child in Dheisheh has been traumatized by military invasions into their community, house raids in the dead of night, and arrests and murders of family members and friends. Almost every child in Dheisheh has lost classmates, neighbors, or family members in violent deaths or to imprisonment.
Now, that you have a little background, I can tell you about what I saw in this camp. I couldn't understand our guides name, so I will just refer to him as the guide. Most of this will be what I saw because we toured the camp by foot looking at everything. At Efrat, we saw the entire settlement from the bus and then talked with Bob in his home.
The first this I initially noticed about Dheisheh was that it was terribly dirty and gross. There was graffiti all almost every wall, it smelled terrible, there was garbage everywhere. It was really dirty and super crowded(sometimes 7 to 8 people live in one room). There is no security for the camp. The "homes" built in the camp were against every single building code I have ever invented. Some houses were literally just cinderblocks stacked up. There were wires coming out all over the places(at levels children could reach). There were only two schools. One for boys and one for girls, from kindergarten to ninth grade, then all education stopped. The roads were so tiny, you could only fit one car and they were filled with dangerous materials like old rusty nails. The buildings are so close together that neighbors have no privacy. Our guide said, "If you talk, all your neighbors hear you, if you shout, all the camp hears you". I believe it! Houses were so close. They are not permitted to do any kind of expanding or new building. The houses also rarely had windows so everyone would need to have their front doors open if they wanted any air. Our guide described the camp overall pretty well, "Living inside camp is disaster". There is a curfew in which the Palestinians have to be in their houses after that time. It is illegal to organize any kind of civil organizations to help with the conditions. Other governmental agencies like the UN have currently cut funding. The camp is all muslims. All christians were provided for by their churches to get out of the camp. We learned much of the graffiti on the walls was dedicated to martyrs that lost their lives to the Israeli soldiers. Here are some pictures:
This next picture I'm sharing is a memorial that a mother has posted on her front porch. The picture is of her son. He was a young child was murdered coming home from school by the Israelis soldiers because he was throwing rocks...
The first this I initially noticed about Dheisheh was that it was terribly dirty and gross. There was graffiti all almost every wall, it smelled terrible, there was garbage everywhere. It was really dirty and super crowded(sometimes 7 to 8 people live in one room). There is no security for the camp. The "homes" built in the camp were against every single building code I have ever invented. Some houses were literally just cinderblocks stacked up. There were wires coming out all over the places(at levels children could reach). There were only two schools. One for boys and one for girls, from kindergarten to ninth grade, then all education stopped. The roads were so tiny, you could only fit one car and they were filled with dangerous materials like old rusty nails. The buildings are so close together that neighbors have no privacy. Our guide said, "If you talk, all your neighbors hear you, if you shout, all the camp hears you". I believe it! Houses were so close. They are not permitted to do any kind of expanding or new building. The houses also rarely had windows so everyone would need to have their front doors open if they wanted any air. Our guide described the camp overall pretty well, "Living inside camp is disaster". There is a curfew in which the Palestinians have to be in their houses after that time. It is illegal to organize any kind of civil organizations to help with the conditions. Other governmental agencies like the UN have currently cut funding. The camp is all muslims. All christians were provided for by their churches to get out of the camp. We learned much of the graffiti on the walls was dedicated to martyrs that lost their lives to the Israeli soldiers. Here are some pictures:
This next picture I'm sharing is a memorial that a mother has posted on her front porch. The picture is of her son. He was a young child was murdered coming home from school by the Israelis soldiers because he was throwing rocks...
Many buildings carry bullet wounds (15mm bullet wounds from Israeli tanks). One of these buildings that has bullet holes is the little girls school. They were attacked and the tanks decided the school was the best place for bullets.
When we finally to our guide about what life was like there besides just the physical aspects, and he said that life was more than tough. The Israeli military constantly kills and arrests Palestinians. In fact, a common thing that happens is the night before the high school children have their graduating finals from school, the soldiers come and arrest them so that they have to miss their tests and wait another year to graduate. It took our guide 10 years to graduate from college due to the amount of times he was arrested. Although camp is a better option than nothing, it is far from okay. There is very little crime, but drugs are on the rise. They have no healthcare system for them. There is one doctor for all 30,000 in the camp. He sees up to 400 cases a day (Can you imagine? And we are worried about Obamacare here! Ha! Obamacare looks pretty great next to that!) The only thing our guide said he wanted was to go back to his homeland that his great grandfather owned and built their house on. His house was passed from generation to generation and he was just angry that was taken away from him. When Palestinians fled, they were left without anything and sent to these refugee camps. Here's us with our guide outside of the boy's school. 
After an exhausting meeting with both sides, we decided to lighten up the mood a little. We went to Beit Sahour to see the Shepard's Field. This is traditionally where the angels announced Jesus would be born(this took place in a cave). There was a beautiful little church too that we got to see! I have great pictures on my camera but here is a sneak peek!
After that we decided to get lunch at this adorable little place nicknamed "The Tent". It was a little place that was very middle eastern. There were cushion like seats and the roof was a tent. The food was amazing and the people were super fun! Heres a picture of our "salad"!
They also served us barbecue chicken and lamb for the main course. Some of the best lamb I have ever tried! Another surprise was that we bought a hookah for $6. It was chocolate watermelon flavored!
It was such a blast! Meals are so great. They usually last 1-2 hours and its just great to sit and relax and take your time and be. It's really lovely. There was a beautiful view outside too that I took advantage of....
Great view, right?!
After this we went to see the separation wall. It was very tall, scary and intimidating. It makes you feel like you are in prison. Again, I know it seems like a lot of pictures, but it's really the only way to describe. The pictures still don't do it justice either.
Palestinians have really used the wall as a form of artistic expression. We also visited a gift shop that was surrounded by the wall on all three sides. I will save those pictures for when I get back.
After shopping and seeing the wall, we ran back to have another meeting with Pastor Raheb (if you don't remember who he is, look back to my previous journals!). With Pastor Raheb, he informed us a little about his organization and his history. He was born in Bethlehem, across the street of the Church of the Nativity. His family has lived in Bethlehem for as long as the generations can remember. He was the first Lutheran Pastor with a Doctorate (he studied in Germany). In his work, he employs over 27,000 (between his university, church and other organizations) and helps over 60,000 in need. He is Palestinian. He notes when it comes to the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict, the bible is really important. A key theme in the bible in exile, and that alone is important. He believes the true conflict is about equality. He believes the right to return should be allowed and there is room for negotiation on other things after the right is granted. The Palestinians in his opinion are only looking for truth and reconciliation. They want the Israeli's to first admit they took the Palestinian land and that they are sorry for it. The Jews were granted the right to return to Israel after 2,000 years and now the Palestinians are being harassed for asking for it after 50 years.
Raheb also talked about the skewed media towards the Israeli side especially in America. One specific example I thought I'd share was this one, Christians in the Holy Land (Click on it to watch the 60 Minutes video or read the transcript, Raheb shows up around 3:43). This video features Raheb and his church (this is also where we are staying and things I've talked about). Initially, this was supposed to be a full 16 minute video about Palestinian Christians. It was later cut down to only 7 minutes after an American Jew who is in charge over at CBS got a call from Israeli Ambassador that the story was misleading and insisted that the jewish side be inserted or he would shut down the program entirely. They talk about it in the video! As you can see from this video, things are not at all what they seem. The press is a very limited freedom and the Israeli's try to limit as much as possible.
After a short hour and a half break following our talk with Raheb, we headed out again to go to an evangelical conference called Christ at the Checkpoint. It's a christian international conference about the conflict that people from all over come to. We heard the mayor of Bethlehem speak, but what we really came for was the Diyar Dancers. They are Palestinian interpretive dancers. It was a very interesting show. They did interpretive dance about the conflict. Heres their sheet
After the dance, we headed back for dinner. It's our last night at this guest house so they made us amazing food. I had the most amazing lamb shank ever. It was outstanding. We are headed to Nazareth tomorrow!
I hope everyone has a good evening. I'm sorry if I am getting too in depth in the conflict for you, but I really feel it's important to relay this information because the news is not.
Sending much love,
Danni
After this we went to see the separation wall. It was very tall, scary and intimidating. It makes you feel like you are in prison. Again, I know it seems like a lot of pictures, but it's really the only way to describe. The pictures still don't do it justice either.
After shopping and seeing the wall, we ran back to have another meeting with Pastor Raheb (if you don't remember who he is, look back to my previous journals!). With Pastor Raheb, he informed us a little about his organization and his history. He was born in Bethlehem, across the street of the Church of the Nativity. His family has lived in Bethlehem for as long as the generations can remember. He was the first Lutheran Pastor with a Doctorate (he studied in Germany). In his work, he employs over 27,000 (between his university, church and other organizations) and helps over 60,000 in need. He is Palestinian. He notes when it comes to the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict, the bible is really important. A key theme in the bible in exile, and that alone is important. He believes the true conflict is about equality. He believes the right to return should be allowed and there is room for negotiation on other things after the right is granted. The Palestinians in his opinion are only looking for truth and reconciliation. They want the Israeli's to first admit they took the Palestinian land and that they are sorry for it. The Jews were granted the right to return to Israel after 2,000 years and now the Palestinians are being harassed for asking for it after 50 years.
Raheb also talked about the skewed media towards the Israeli side especially in America. One specific example I thought I'd share was this one, Christians in the Holy Land (Click on it to watch the 60 Minutes video or read the transcript, Raheb shows up around 3:43). This video features Raheb and his church (this is also where we are staying and things I've talked about). Initially, this was supposed to be a full 16 minute video about Palestinian Christians. It was later cut down to only 7 minutes after an American Jew who is in charge over at CBS got a call from Israeli Ambassador that the story was misleading and insisted that the jewish side be inserted or he would shut down the program entirely. They talk about it in the video! As you can see from this video, things are not at all what they seem. The press is a very limited freedom and the Israeli's try to limit as much as possible.
After a short hour and a half break following our talk with Raheb, we headed out again to go to an evangelical conference called Christ at the Checkpoint. It's a christian international conference about the conflict that people from all over come to. We heard the mayor of Bethlehem speak, but what we really came for was the Diyar Dancers. They are Palestinian interpretive dancers. It was a very interesting show. They did interpretive dance about the conflict. Heres their sheet
I hope everyone has a good evening. I'm sorry if I am getting too in depth in the conflict for you, but I really feel it's important to relay this information because the news is not.
Sending much love,
Danni
Heading to Nazareth! (Trip Journal March 11th)
Shalom friends!
Hope all is well back in the states. I know it seems like not too many hours ago you read my last journal, but the day here is almost over and I have to share again(but today is not as long as yesterday!).
This morning began with breakfast at 8AM. Jet lag and the excitement of this trip are finally starting to catch up with me. I am tired! I am hoping to finish my journal early in hopes of getting to bed a little earlier!
After breakfast, we packed up are belongings and put them into our tour van. Today, we began to leave the city of Bethlehem to go to Nazareth. On our way out though, we made a few stops. We began with a tour of Dar al Kalima University College of Arts and Culture. This is a Palestinian college that focuses on helping the youth find positive self expression tools. Their vision is "That We(Palestinians) Might Have Life and Have it Abundantly". They have a mission to build a country, empower the community, and give life in abundance. Because Palestine is 47% youth, it is very important that at a time during this conflict, hope remains for a good life. Our guide, Angie, also talked a bit about the conflict here. I am going to share one thing she said about it that I found very powerful as a christian. She said, "If Mary and Joseph came from Nazareth to Bethlehem (from the North to the South) in present day, then they would have to go through 300 checkpoints. I find that very powerful to put an emphasis on the kind boundaries we are talking about. Another thing that I wanted to mention that I forgot to say yesterday was from Pastor Raheb. When referring to the conflict, he said, "Take the ten nicest kids you know, lock them in a room without any resources, crammed together for even only five days, and you will see why the Palestinians are angry." I thought this was a very interesting comparison if you haven't realized why the Palestinians are so angry and upset yet. Here is a picture of the university.
When we first arrived the University College, we noticed a group of students outside of the building standing around. They had signs posted on every door and window, but they were in Arabic so we couldn't read them. When we asked, we found out they were protesting four martyrs that happened this morning and last night. They were common people commuting to and from work. One particular case was a man who was on the public bus. The bus was stopped by the Israeli police and when the soldier saw one palestinian man standing up, he immediately pushed him down very hard. The Palestinian man got up and pushed the soldier back, so the soldier pushed the Palestinian to the ground and shot him to death. He was twenty two, married, and had a two year old son. His wife cannot even get a permit to attend his funeral and he will be buried without her goodbye. Here is a picture of the protesters.
Anyways, at the college we got a full tour. Currently, they have 220 students studying everything from film to art. Their school is a lot smaller than any university or college here. There were a few meeting rooms. Maybe 5 classrooms, 3 for hands on work and 2 for lectures. They have many people that contribute to the college, including my professor. Him and his wife donated part of the library and the brand new culinary kitchen for the new added program of the culinary arts. We are so blessed at Valpo. It's really amazing the difference. Their library had three rows of books, and all the books have to be smuggled in because Palestinians could be killed if they brought in the wrong books. After seeing the campus, we were able to meet with some of the students at the University. I met with two and we talked for an hour about our lives and the differences between Palestine and America. They were really down to earth and I enjoyed our conversation. We exchanged information to stay in touch.
Upon leaving Bethlehem completely, we stopped for one last thing...Falafels! I got to even make them myself! Attaching a picture! We decided to take them with us on the road to picnic later. We headed out to Nazareth. It was a long drive, but the scenery was gorgeous.
On the way, our next stop was Megiddo. This is a National Park and World Heritage Site. It is the biblical site of Armageddon and tells the story Hazor and Beer Sheva. It was basically several historic ruins that were discovered. It was interesting and beautiful. Here's an assortment of pictures.
After we left the ruins, we traveled the rest of the way to Nazareth. Here we are at St. Margaret's guesthouse. It's not as nice as the last place we stayed, but it will do! Plus, there is a great view here! We snuck up on the roof and took some great photos here. Attaching one!
Hope all is well back in the states. I know it seems like not too many hours ago you read my last journal, but the day here is almost over and I have to share again(but today is not as long as yesterday!).
This morning began with breakfast at 8AM. Jet lag and the excitement of this trip are finally starting to catch up with me. I am tired! I am hoping to finish my journal early in hopes of getting to bed a little earlier!
When we first arrived the University College, we noticed a group of students outside of the building standing around. They had signs posted on every door and window, but they were in Arabic so we couldn't read them. When we asked, we found out they were protesting four martyrs that happened this morning and last night. They were common people commuting to and from work. One particular case was a man who was on the public bus. The bus was stopped by the Israeli police and when the soldier saw one palestinian man standing up, he immediately pushed him down very hard. The Palestinian man got up and pushed the soldier back, so the soldier pushed the Palestinian to the ground and shot him to death. He was twenty two, married, and had a two year old son. His wife cannot even get a permit to attend his funeral and he will be buried without her goodbye. Here is a picture of the protesters.
Upon leaving Bethlehem completely, we stopped for one last thing...Falafels! I got to even make them myself! Attaching a picture! We decided to take them with us on the road to picnic later. We headed out to Nazareth. It was a long drive, but the scenery was gorgeous.
After we left the ruins, we traveled the rest of the way to Nazareth. Here we are at St. Margaret's guesthouse. It's not as nice as the last place we stayed, but it will do! Plus, there is a great view here! We snuck up on the roof and took some great photos here. Attaching one!
I am exhausted, so I am cutting my journal a little short. Dinner wasn't that great so nothing to brag about!
I hope all is well back home. I miss and love all of you much!
Danni
After this amazingly wonderful fish
dish, we headed to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was one of the
most amazing experiences I've had here to far. We could see all of the
beautiful landscape for miles and miles. All I can say is that I know why God
chose this land to be holy. We took an hour ride on the sea and soaked it all
in. Our captains of the boat were also very funny. Yes, Palestinians have a
sense of humor. They raised the American flag on our boat and played our
National Anthem for us, then they played "American music", which
consisted of Bohemian Rhapsody and Hotel California. Then they played Black
Eyed Peas and we all danced and laughed, and it was wonderful. I am so happy
here. These lands are indescribable. They have such power in them. Of healing
and happiness and peace and history. I can't help but feeling this conflict is
more than just people, but is the devil trying to destroy this Holy Place, The
Lord's place. People flock here from all over the world, and the conflicts here
will never end until the world's end. Here's me on the Sea.
My camera died and it was raining
during this time so it was hard to get good pictures(I'm lucky there are 10
other people on this trip also taking avid photos to share so it will be easy
to get some pictures). Near this was the Church of St. Joseph which as you can
guess is to Mary's husband Joseph. This church is built over the ruins of his
carpentry shop. We got to see those ruins as well.
Danni
Danni
Holy Places and Churches! (Trip Journal March 12th)
Hello everyone,
Happy Hump Day! (It's funny because
there are camels here all over and it's like the best hump day ever!). I hope
everyone's day is going well! Mine has been so busy!
Today started with breakfast at 7AM.
We left for the city of Cana (Canaan in english). This is the place where Jesus
performed his first public miracle. Here is the verse(John 2:1-11):
On the third day there was a wedding
in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his
disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the
mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His
mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now standing there
were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding
twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And
they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, “Now draw some out, and
take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the
water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the
servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10
and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior
wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until
now.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and
revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
So, we traveled to the site where they
traditionally say this happened. We say the ruins of the city and of the house
that the wedding most likely took place in. There is a church built on top of
the ruins that we also visited. We also saw a replica of what the jars they
talk about in here look like. They are huge rocks basically. I have pictures to
share when I get back!
After that we stopped at a store to
try the famed sweet red wine of Cana(Wedding wine). It's so sweet! I am
bringing some home, too! It was really a lovely store and our guide bought us a
bottle to share a glass of wine together tonight as celebrating gesture for
being half way through our trip! Much of the wine in Israel is world
renowned.
Next, we headed to Galilee to see The
Church of the Beatitudes(The beatitudes can me found in the Gospel of Matthew,
Chapter 5, verses 3 to 12 and in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 6, verses 20 to
26). This is the church built over the place in which Jesus was said to preach.
It was a huge hill which they have scientifically proven that the echo of his
voice on that hill would have been able to reach 100,000 people. The church was
absolutely beautiful. It overlooked the Sea of Galilee. Here's a picture:
And here's the view of the Sea:
It was really beautiful. After that we
headed to the town of Capernaum, which is said to be the city of Jesus. This is
also where St. Peter's house was traditionally said to be. Again, we got to see
the ruins of the entire city. It was very well in tact still for being 2,000
years old. We also saw what they call "the White Synagogue" which is
built on the ruins of the "Synagogue of Jesus". I am attaching pictures.
Above is ruins of St. Peter's home
where church was held often.
Above is the "White
Synogogue", another ruin.
After we left The City of Jesus, we
went to St.Peter's restaurant. They called it that because they served the type
of fish that St. Peter would have found in this bible story: Matthew 17:27
"But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your
line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a
four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
Here's a picture of that experience
for my lunch....
Up next, we headed to Mary's Well.
This is where it is said that the Angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary, but she
ran from him to her home in fear. This well is still in tact and running well
and I was able to get water from it to bring back with me. It also had a Greek
Orthodox church built over it. Following that route, we went to the Basilica of
the Annunciation. This is where Gabriel was said to officially tell Mary she
would bear the Son of God. This Church is built over the house that was said to
be Mary's. It was a super beautiful church that held mosaic artwork that
portray Mary from all over the world. It was really interesting. I am attaching
a picture of the outside artwork of the church.
That was pretty much the end of our
day. We drove back and had dinner together. The only other thing is that the
group feels very strongly about wanting to help with what's going on here.
After dinner we discussed possible things that we could contribute as a group,
from as small as educating our churches to as big as starting a nonprofit
organization. It was a very successful discussion, and of course, right up my
alley as far as passions go.
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of
their afternoon. I am sending much love and am bringing many presents home for
all.
Hugs and Kisses,
No comments:
Post a Comment