Reflections on Israel
Well, here are a few of the pictures from our trip--if you'd like to see a full version you can check out the highlights album but I'm warning you, there are nearly 200 pics!
The synagogue in the ancient town of Capernaum.
Tiffany, Natalie, Me, and Shanta at the Roman baths at Caesarea.
The boat we sailed on out on the Sea of Galilee.
Writing in my pink journal at Petra.
Tiffany, Linda, and Me at the ruins of Jerash
A typical scene in Old Jerusalem today
Me and Tiffany in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Tammy, Lois, Shanta, Me, Tiffany at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
The passage about the Garden of Gethsemane that I read in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Under an old olive tree on the mount of olives.
He is risen!
The carpenter at the Nazareth Village works with a chisel and hammer.
The synagogue in the ancient town of Capernaum.
Tiffany, Natalie, Me, and Shanta at the Roman baths at Caesarea.
The boat we sailed on out on the Sea of Galilee.
Writing in my pink journal at Petra.
Tiffany, Linda, and Me at the ruins of Jerash
A typical scene in Old Jerusalem today
Me and Tiffany in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Tammy, Lois, Shanta, Me, Tiffany at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
The passage about the Garden of Gethsemane that I read in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Under an old olive tree on the mount of olives.
He is risen!
So with so many adventures and experiences, it's really hard to narrow down one favorite experience. There were several places that I really loved--the Sea of Galilee, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb--but beyond the places, I came back with a few clear themes that were revealed to me during the trip. Hard to put into words, but here's a taste of them:
*It's not about the place, it's about the person. Strange that after two weeks of touring places this would stick out. But, we realized that God has blessed us with amazing freedom to worship HIM, not a wall or a rock. Jesus doesn't need us to be in the Holy Land in order to be in a holy relationship with him.
*Bread of Life. We ate a lot of bread on this trip--a lot. And we talked a lot about bread too. One of the things I learned was that Bethlehem means "house of bread" which is interesting since this was the town where Jesus, the Bread of Life, was born.
*Loving the world. The lessons again and again, whether spoken or observed, were always about God's love for us. About his hope that we will turn to him and that we will show his love to the people we come in contact with each day.
*It's not about the place, it's about the person. Strange that after two weeks of touring places this would stick out. But, we realized that God has blessed us with amazing freedom to worship HIM, not a wall or a rock. Jesus doesn't need us to be in the Holy Land in order to be in a holy relationship with him.
*Bread of Life. We ate a lot of bread on this trip--a lot. And we talked a lot about bread too. One of the things I learned was that Bethlehem means "house of bread" which is interesting since this was the town where Jesus, the Bread of Life, was born.
*Loving the world. The lessons again and again, whether spoken or observed, were always about God's love for us. About his hope that we will turn to him and that we will show his love to the people we come in contact with each day.
Labels: Travel
posted by Katie at 9:59 PM
7 Comments:
OH MY WORD- these are gorgeous pics........thank you for sharing! I am amazed by all you guys got to see and experience. BTW- I LOVE your long hair....beautiful! And those pics of you journaling in Petra and sitting by the olive tree need to be framed- they are just so cool. I joked with Shanta that you, her, & Ken can be our tour guides when we all take a trip there after retirement- ha! We really want to go, but it's not looking like that will be anytime before age 65 :).
I am so jealous that you go to take this trip! I can't wait to sit down with you and hear all about it!! You know I love it when you tell a story! Cool pictures!
WOW!! I am so envious! Your pics are great and you look great! I would love to hear all about the trip someday.
Amazing!!!
Unbelievable trip! What a blessing to have been able to experience this - and I love your comments on what you learned while there! So awesome!
I agree with all others that think it is super cool that you had this experience. The pics are great but I do have a random question for you: What was the weather like? From the way you are dressed in the pictures it seems as though it is milder than I would think or did you need to dress like that for the culture?
Brad and I were able to go to Israel almost 10 years ago (I can't believe it's been SO LONG!). It was a once in a lifetime trip. I remember being so moved at the Western Wall and feeling so insignificant next to all the large stone buildings that held so much history. Aside from Jerusalem, we went to Masada, the Sea of Galilee, Tzfat, the Dead Sea and a few other places I can't remember now. It's so awesome to see you traveling all over the world. I know everyone is totally jealous.
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