Done

Today marked the end of our organized tour. Tomorrow we leave for home. We will treasure the memories for years to come.

Yesterday we visited Bethlehem, the West Wall of Jerusalem (Wailing Wall), the site of the Last Supper (also the site of Pentecost as described in Acts 2), the market place where Jesus chased out the unscrupulous money changers, plus much more.

Today we visited the childhood home of John the Baptist, the Via Delarosa (route Jesus took from His trial to crucifixion), and the pool of Bethesda where He healed the cripple. Our last stop was Golgotha and the Garden Tomb where we had Communion, led by Roger.

It was an excellent journey.

Finally Jerusalem

Today, Thursday, we left the Dead Sea for Jerusalem. Enroute, we stopped at the old fortress of Masada which has become a symbol of Jewish resistance to tyranny. Wini and I had our picture taken at the Northern Palace on the lower level. It is a gondola ride to the top but I decided to take the 20 minute hike down on a fairly steep "Snake Path". We then continued to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives where we could see the Old City and Temple Mount below us. Of course, Temple Mount is dominated by the Muslim golden "Dome of the Rock." We also visited Gethsemane and other nearby sites. Pretty amazing!

The Baptism of John and of Roger

Roger was asked to baptize several of our tour members in the Jordan River south of the Sea of Galilee. This was an extraordinary experience and the memory will be treasured for a lifetime. Our day ended at the Dead Sea with the obligatory salt water float. Wini got a little carried away but she seemed to be enjoying herself. On the drive from Galilee to the Dead Sea we made stops at Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered) and Beth Shean (an old Roman city and the ancient Philistine city where King Saul's head was displayed after the defeat of Israel).

Storm on the Sea of Galilee

We got caught in a squall, with wind and rain, as our boat crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Reminds me of a story I heard a long time ago. Fortunately, by the time we reached the other shore, the sun was out and we had another beautiful day.

Places we saw today included the "Jesus Boat", a two thousand year old boat that was recently excavated; Golan Heights and Caesarea Philipi; site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes; site of the Sermon on the Mount; Capernaum. Caesarea Philippi was where Jesus told Peter "Upon this rock I will build my church." I picked up a small rock there and slipped it into my pocket as a reminder.

We are having a great time.

Egypt Reminisce

A word about Egypt since I was unable to get Internet when we arrived on April 4th. Western tourists are scarce, as indicated by the empty chairs at the "Light and Sound" show at the Pyramids. We were welcomed warmly by the Egyptians who were really glad to see us. No crowds made our trip memorable.

Tahrir Square looked a little bedraggled with a few flowers here and there to honor the martyrs. I heard that two days after we departed Cairo, the square was once again filled with protesters but we were long gone by then. The Egyptian Museum was fantastic, especially the King Tut items, including the famous death mask.

Don't know how the country will end up but I wish them well.

Sea of Galilee

When we opened the door to our room at five star hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee we were greated with a two room suite with fruit, chocolate, a bottle of wine and a beautiful panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee off our balcony. It wasn't until later that we learned that we were assigned the wrong room but nobody has told us to leave so we will enjoy the next two nights in style!

Stuff we saw today included a walking tour of old Joppa (last evening), the ancient city of Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo (future site of Armageddon), Jezerel Valley, Nazareth and tonight Tiberia on the Sea of Galilee. You can check your Bible to learn what happened at these amazing places. Yesterday as we drove from Amman, Jordan to Tel Aviv, we stopped at Mt. Nebo and visited the traditional site of Jesus baptism by John, which is on the Jordan side of the Jordan River.

Roger and Bev celebrated their wedding anniversary today. We really treasure their friendship.

Picture of the four of us is at Caesarea. View of the Sea of Galilee is out our hotel window.

Amman and Beyond (and Before)

Yes, we are alive and well in the Middle East. I have had difficulty finding time and fast Internet to make entries in our blog.

Today we arrived in Amman, Jordan and will be entering Israel tomorrow across the Allenby Bridge across the Jordan River. The most profound experience so far was yesterday when Wini and I hiked to the top of Mount Sinai. We hiked for 3 1/2 hours in the darkness and arrived at the top before sunrise. As we approached the top in semi-darkness we heard singing. A group had gathered near a chapel and were singing praises to God! We heard many languages spoken since pilgrams from all over the world visit this sacred site where God gave the Law to humanity. On the way down, a group in front of us broke into "How Great Thou Art" in a language we didn't understand. We joined them in English and then greeted them. They were from Indonesia and were delighted to hear that we were from America!

So far we have visited Egypt where we saw the Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square (where he Egyptian Revolution began) and many other sights. Today we visited Petra, an amazing ancient city in Jordan before driving to Amman this afternoon.

So much to say! We look forward to sharing with you when we return. We will be spending a week in Israel beginning tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the Internet there.

Many blessings from Wini, Bev, Roger and me.