Magdala and the Sea

We began our day early, eating breakfast at 6:30 so that we could be on the road by 7 to meet with Claudia who was going to show us around a newly excavated site (began JUST 4 years ago!)  a company was building a hotel type building, so that the parking lot for the property needed to be built.  However, in the process of breaking the ground to do so, the workers discovered ruins, and after calling the Antiquities department of Israel (required by law) the project builders had to postpone their plans to build, and instead began their exciting archaeological dig.

Pillars from Magdala

 These specialists found the town called Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene whom we all have grown to love through reading scriptures and who treasured the One we call Messiah.  They discovered that this site (in the continual process of being uncovered and advertised...) was from the first century, 2000 years ago, because a coin was discovered with a picture of Tiberius's profile as well as the date.  Truly an amazing discovery, another fact that cannot be ignored is the location of this town between Nazareth and Jerusalem: in order for Jesus to be faithful as a

 Jew in his travels, he must stop for his second prayer

around 2 O'clock.  This means that by the time the later afternoon rolled around, Jesus would have been near Magdala-- This is the place Jesus would have stopped to pray to his Abba.  THAT is INCREDIBLE.  we got to sit on the very place and likely steps that Jesus must have been worshipping in.  This was a once in a lifetime experience that many will never receive. Our team was very privileged to be visiting the incredible site of Magdala at the same time a certain Father John (from Mexico and the Notre-Dame Center in Jerusalem) was.  This priest is the executive man in charge of everything that is being done to allow this incredible find to be shown to other pilgrims.  Father John invited us to step into the site and actually have a prayer in a first century, 2000 year-old synagogue that our Lord had used.

Claudia showing us the painted original column!

Father John felt moved to show us the church that he is building right off this beautifully amazing historical and more importantly biblical site that is dedicated to Mary Magdalene as well as the other women in the bible who followed Jesus Christ unswervingly, providing instruments of models for many women and men today.  It was something that I know all of our group found touching (especially Nicole, Meg, and I :) ).  The building is going to be magnificent: overlooking the town of Magdalene with the Majestic Sea of Galilee just off in the distance of the sanctuary.

The whole area is being excavated as well as being built (in the church's case) based on donations and volunteers alone.  An incredible feat, but one that is being accomplished each day, one step at a time!  This church, this vision is something that I along with many i am sure, find empowering, unique, and bold.  But also SO perfect in terms of it being in such close proximity with Magdala the home of a beautifully devout and faithful servant, Mary: always supporting, always listening, as well as experiencing life as a believer and follower of the Prince of Peace.

Mark, Nicole, Meg, and Jonny (the students)

...and most importantly what kind of day spent in Galilee could be complete without sailing on THE Sea of Galilee, the one that the disciples had so many challenging and forming experiences on with Jesus.


 Well we DEFINITELY didn't skip out on any opportunities.  Lastly we got to see an exhibit about the Jesus Boat that was discovered sunken into the sea floor of the Sea of Galilee. It was amazing to see how they moved it and the steps that the professionals went through to date it and learn as much as they could about it.  All in all.  A VERY good day.

Gracious Gifts

Mount Precipice

Today was an extensive day.  Yet full of amazing places, bringing life to stories from ages ago.  The first place we visited was the place where Jesus was almost thrown off of a cliff to his death for the blasphemous things He was saying that his home town thought was preposterous. It was an ENORMOUS mountain with rocks jutting out, steep cliffs all around--truly the definition of certain death, and yet Jesus got away somehow.  although the mountain is not mentioned by name, this is the most logical place (being right off of the road from Nazareth) that there would be a large possibility that people were dragged here to be cast off and then stoned.  It really constructed a reality that was scary and ultimate, from something that before had simply been words on a page.

Granary in Megido

It was our first day with our tour guide Anot and the historical knowledge that she brought to the table was pretty impactful in many areas.  Megido was an archaeological dig site that gave deeper explanations to how archaeologists work, and the difficulty of the decisions that go into deciding whether to continue to dig in order to look for older remnants of civilizations, which shows multiple layers of different centuries--or if they'll only uncover the top layer.

This site is historically known as the place of Solomon's Kingdom-- so that was a very interesting concept to explore, we saw the ruins of the gates and possibly King Solomon's private stables.  But one of the most interestingly strange things for me to see, was the field where the ultimate clash is predicted to take place on.

Megido

Anot took us to a hill where she read us the bible story from 1 Kings 1:21 where King Ahab and the desired vineyard that Naboth owned.  Jezzabel, Ahab's Queen slyly proved Naboth wrongly guilty that was paired with punishment of death.  Now that Naboth was out of the way, King Ahab could have the coveted property.
 after this innocent's  blood was shed over land, the prophet Ezekiel came to the king and said, "Have you murdered AND inherited?"  To the right of where this dreadful thing happened was the mountain where Saul commits suicide to avoid capture and Jonathan dies in battle.

After our historical stops we took a quick hiatus for some relationship building with some amazingly kind and hospitable missionaries.  The house was called Beit Baracha, or House of Blessings and boy is that ever the truth.  This gorgeous home created a beautiful solace for christian groups to stay in while on their pilgrimage.  Ted was the director of the house, and words can't describe the countenance of this man.  He was exuding joy and compassion.  His graceiousness was an innate characteristic that as we were walking onto the deck to see the beautiful nview that they had.  Dan spotted a Chofar, one of the beautifully twisted ram's horn that is blown like a bugle.  He asked a few harmless friendly questions about it mentioning how he hopes to find one before we leave the amazing country of Israel...LITERALLY 5 minutes later, Ted comes out holding the Chofar.  He tells Dan that 
wants him to have it.  I think its safe to say that every person who witnessed this gesture, was blown away.  Ted said, "It was a gift to me long ago, so please--let me give it to you now.  It was truly amazing.

 Graciously, Dan used his trumpet skills to coax out some rich notes so that Ted knew he chose the right man.

Such a story tale ending to this day:  beautiful places, beautifully kind people, and a most humble gift.

What a blessing ,and perfect transitions for the place that we are headed---The Mount of Beatitudes.

Meandering Through Nazareth

Waking up to the songs of birds is leagues above any blaring alarm clocks buzz and that is how my morning began--it was glorious.  There is nothing as refreshing as a rejuvenated spirit.  One that is prepared and ready for a new day (this is a request that I ask each night, and boy am I thankful for the Lord's blessing as I awake bright and eager).  This specific day was like sardines, packed to the brim with adventure.

church of Annunciation

Our day began at the Church of Annunciation.  A church that was built over some excavated remains and supposed cave where Mary was to have heard and accepted the will of the Lord through her.  It was an exquisite building, beautiful in all aspects.
 There were also ruins in this Catholic church of layers upon layers of synagogue basis that continued to be built by civilizations throughout the years.  It gave a sort of rose petal-like layered look which reminded me of the significance of the rosary and its impact through the faith.

Church of Annunciation

Every country was commissioned to provide a piece of art rendering the Virgin Mary and her babe.  They each were so diverse, yet so similar.  It was a simple and somehow still exquisite ministry, and so interesting that one could truly tell almost from just the style and colors they used which country had painted which artwork.  While we were all exploring the upstairs floor of the building, where worship takes place, we got to delight in overhearing another community worshipping in Portuguese.  I realized how meaningful it was to see the church being used as a place of worship and practiced reverence rather than being distortedly transformed into a touristy photo-opt spot.  It reminded us of our purpose that is guiding our journeys and the roots that we are strengthening with each "A site" that we visit.

Down the road from Mary's church was the church of St.
Joseph, a place of worship built simply upon the believed place of Joseph's carpentry shop.  It was much smaller and less ornate than the church of the Annunciation which almost seemed fitting to serve to the dedication of Jesus' earthly father.  a quite, yet compassionate and determined man.  Meek and gentle natured as well as a fervor to love and serve. There was a statue outside the church which was a beautiful representation of him.  Joseph was standing with an expression of quiet understanding and downcast eyes in compassionate subservency.   I could almost picture the moment in which Joseph told Mary that he was not going to disgrace her name or send her away.  (who knew that a sculptures face could portray such feeling).  The incredible composure that this patient trusting man must have had.  It was a lovely sanctuary and so we took a spontaneous moment to stand up and sing the doxology.  imagine: 8 people, voices raised like a choir flowing and blending beautifully, creating a remarkable melodious tune (with some harmonizations, thanks Dan!) the sound engulfed the four walls.

St. Joseph's Church

The international Center of Mary was dedicated and provided by a Catholic french community.  It was unlike anything that I've ever seen or experienced.  There were four rooms that told the story of Jesus from his conception to his assent ion.  Each room was different than a simple screen in a dark room.  The theaters had depth in every sense of the worth.  It had surround sound, lighting, holographic and moveable parts.  It provided scriptures from all parts of the bible as well as an intense grip on my emotions through movie clips.  We were overcome by the selflessness and hospitality of these amazing servants of the Lord.  They have the heart to let us come back during closed hours in order to finish the tour.  To me, it was a beautiful way to observe service to the Lord through humbly and sweetly loving Him, through loving and caring for us, a few strangers.

Next was the city and site where Jesus' first miracle was done.  Although the church didn't seem all that special on the outside as well as little distinction on the inside... it was exciting to see that the church was built around the believed tomb of Joseph.  This very cool place is very near to the area where Jesus turned water into wine, an act of compassion and to bring joy-- which it did!The nun told dan and Jonny that this is a church, not a beach which as a statement is very true and though it seems a bit short and harsh, when examined a little deeper there is a solid truth to it.

the skirts 

One of the coolest paces that words can't possibly describe (along with EVERYTHING else in Israel) Was the Nazareth Village.  It provided a new reality and perspective to what life might have been like in the town of Nazareth during Jesus' time.  We saw men and women dressed in the head-wraps and cloaks of the time period working carpentry tables and sewing tapestrys.  We learned about the process of making olive oil--which is a very important industry used in many biblical traditions especially within Israel.

Steve using the Olive mill

Lastly we got to see a MASSIVE excavated town in Tsippori that is dated from the time of our Lord 2000 years ago.  It is just outside of Nazareth and scholars and theologians are quite certain that Jesus and his father must have come for work in this city and therefore built many of the structures from this town.  It was very cool.  The last part of this stop was walking through the place where water had been kept.  This was amazing technology, for this time in history, that would have taken lot of will power, muscle power, and sheer knowledge to create this amazing reservoir.

Posing in Tsipori (Sepphoris)

Exploring Caesarea Maritima

Our first full day began early with a mediterranean breakfast consisting of eggs, potatoes, spaghetti noodles (?), yogurt, bread- of course, and thank heavens, coffee.

The first stop on today's itenerary was in Jaffa, the city were simon the tanner supposedly lived.  We got to see the house where the scholars believe simon's house is to have been.  The city was quite amazing, being the home of co-inhabiting christians, Jews, and Muslims.  A testament to this fact was the adjacent location of a beautifully crafted mosque and a church (Roman Catholic) on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.  It was quite refreshing, and honestly surprsing to see 3 very different religions as well as cultures successfully living lives that commonly interact or intersect with such a peaceful manner.

We got an impromptu lesson about the symbol on a door of someone's home that seemed arbitrarily placed.  The symbol painted on the door was a cross with the greek shortening of Jesus Christ, Victor.  Jim loved this humble, yet powerful reminder that our Christ DOES NOT FAIL: which gives an entirely new way to interpret the symbol and meaning of the word Nike.  ( as well as being a beautiful reminder of our redeemer and the promise that was prophesied long before his coming.

Our next stop was Caesarea maritime, or Caesarea by the Sea. This was King Herod the Great's paradise palace.  He dedicated it to Caesar and built a temple to the god Roma and as well as placing a statue honoring Caesar in a place where idols are put; This caused disdain and loathing in the hearts of the Jews for the ruthless king.

We saw an amphitheater, and to test its acoustics Jonny and Dan preformed an amazing rendition of a classic Les Miserables Song ( a soundtrack that we have been serenaded with throughout our entire trip :) )

 We saw the arena where chariot races and entertainment games were thought to have been held.  A very interesting tidbit of information that we learned about was the ingeniousness of the engineers and architects so early in history: they came up with the means and designs to build a floating port so that the city could compete with Rome. A little ways down the road we saw another architectural masterpiece that withstood the trials of time.  It was a massive aqueduct designed to bring water to the people inhabiting the area.














We drove up to Mount Carmel and drank in a view of many Holy cities---it was breath-taking, and though a fog obstructed some of the scenery from our view (particularly the Mediterranean sea) it was still as view over looking nazareth and the surrounding cities and mountains.

The next stop was in a town called Accra.  This was not a holy city, but rather a functioning village in a very old city  Dan experience a bit of confrontation from a camera shy man's misplaced angst.  But do not fear we resolved the issue along with befriending Beyonce's biggest israeli fan.  Our bus driver then drove us a little further insuring that he knew of a beautiful view that we would most definitely want to snap pictures of (this is one of our best skills, as well as our ability to form circles, without fail, at every entrance that we come across!) Its great having Haled,a native, with us to show us the gems of Nazareth.  It was a beautiful landscape the time was probably half-past 6, and the sun over the ocean was just magnificent.

 There was the smallest of mishaps that resulted in some damp and salty clothes along with a good sized bruise and bump--but we are aware and grateful, knowing that it could have been much worse... right Meg?

Tonight we rest our heads in Nazareth, the place where Jesus called home as a boy.  The place of the people that his home-town boy success brought honor and respect. And the place that would later reject him and his truth.  Its going to be an amazing day tomorrow.

Shalom.

The Journey Commences

Its amazing, the capabilities that we have today: waking up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and successfully traveling over 5,000 miles across the ocean to lay our heads down in Tel Aviv, Israel.

First picture of the team in Israel

We started out in the Tulsa International airport with a very interesting meeting.  A man came up to our team saying that

he overheard us talking at security about our excitement for israel and he extended $20 along with he email address on a business card asking if anyone was willing to volunteer to try his favorite dish from Caesarea by the sea--Shawarma.  Jonny offered to take that burden upon himself, although Im sure we all won't mind trying Phil Smith's personal favorite mediterranean dish :)  So fun to see the Lord at work all over the world, but starting in our very own small town Tulsa.

Our team experienced a basically flawless travel plans.  Quite seamless, until we reached Paris customs-- and experienced the slight tightening that occurs in one's chest when a realization that something is lost sets in, in this case, Jonathan Miller's final boarding pass to Tel Aviv.  No worries, however with a small amount of urgency the travesty was avoided and I am proud to say that all eight of us have successfully made it to the promise land.

Dan and Meg

After enjoying an authentic Middle Eastern meal for dinner at the Ruth and Daniel Residence (our hotel) we decided to take a night stroll to explore the city (minus Jonny and Mark, who needed their beauty sleep)  Although it was nearing 10 PM there were still some shops open near the flea market-Mostly food oriented vendors selling gelado or ice cream, falafel, croissants and other delicious looking breads and sweets.  Steve made an interesting comment that although some may have the interpretation that Israel is not as modernly savvy as America--The fact is , is that it almost has a New York quality to the pace of the city.  Meg and Nicole will attest to the CRAZY driving on the streets.  They seem to 

have no desire to utilize the blinkers on their cars, and the only "safety feature that they advocate and (in my opinion) overuse is the horn.  The horn is honked in a variety of fashions to get any and all messages across to fellow drivers, as well as pedestrians, bikers, and buses; and suprisingly most Israeli drivers seem to heed the "warnings" that they hear.

After our window shopping and snack outing; we decided to make our way to the mediterranean sea.  Seeing the waves crash (even at night) was breathtaking.  Dan suggested that we wander down to wade in the tide.  Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the lack of graininess of the sand.  It felt like we s=were standing on flour!

 Mediterranean Sea

Wading into the w=sea was so refreshing after spending basically two days air bound.  The water was air temperature; which gave the sensation that we weren't even in the water-- the only evidence of this was the slow sinking that happens when the tide pulls out.  the aqua-green color of the sea was briefly distinguishable even at night.  This seemed to give a testament to the crystal icy of the water-- so clear and yet still beautifully mysterious- think of all the glory and majesty this body of water must have in the light of day.


I can't wait to see what experiences and journeys this pilgrimage will create.

Eyes will be opened and focused---hearts will be molded and mended.  I pray for the Lord's guidance to be with us as we embark on this pilgrimage,  His discernment within our desires, and that our minds be present and expectant to any and all lessons that we might encounter.

God you are good.