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.