Israel update

Our group arrived in Israel safely on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. Israeli time. I had not had good internet access until now. So let me catch you up as briefly as I can with all the information and sensory overload we are experiencing. 

Thus far we have traveled to and visited some/all of the following: Caesarea Maritime where we explored the ruins of Herod the Great's theater, hippodrome, palace, and harbor; Mount Carmel,s the site of the Prophet Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Baal and which overlooks the Kishon valley and here we also visited a Carmelite church; Har Meggido (think Armageddon) where we visited this excavated tel where 25 civilizations where built, destroyed, and rebuilt; Nazareth and the mountain overlook where the crowds attempted to push Jesus off the mountain after his words as recorded in Luke 4; visited the church of the Annunciation and the church of Cana (wedding feast miracle); Plain of Miggdol, place of Mary Magadalene; Church of the Beatitudes, a beautiful site overlooking the sea of Galilee; Baniass (think Jesus talking to Peter and telling him that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church; drove the Golan Heights where we could see easily into Syria; crossed over the Jordan river as flows into the Sea of Galilee; visited the church site built over the ruins of Peter's mother-in-laws home; Church of Multiplication, celebrating the feeding of the 5,000; took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (where we also had an anointing for healing for 4 persons in our group); Beth-Shean an excavated site that has Egyptian, Roman and Israelite ruins; Jericho and entered into Palestinian controlled territory (checkpoint where we had to show our passports); Bethlehem where we saw the Shepherd's Field and the Church of the Nativity.

We are now in Jerusalem and staying the same hotel for 4 nights and traveling out daily from here for the rest of our tour which ends on Saturday. Stay tuned!