03 | July | 2017 | Susie Stewart

We drank from a Holy Land firehose today. And it was amazing! But we could hardly move by the end of the day. The temps are near 100 with humidity and I don’t think I’ve ever felt heat like this, but it’s all worth it. The Biblical history everywhere you turn is staggering. I’m swallowing just as fast as I can with that firehose, trying to remember what I hear.

I will be taking notes today. You just can’t remember it all.

It is Monday morning on the Sea of Galilee. 4:30 am. I know I’m crazy, but you’ve got to take the time while you have it. I just couldn’t wait to share with you what I experienced yesterday.

When we woke up on the Mediterranean Sea in Yetanya at The Seasons Hotel on the 11th floor, this was our view.

Andy and I were reacting like kids waking up at Disney World! We were in Israel on the Mediterranean! What?!?!

Andy immediately, before his shower, had to run out to the beach….oh wait, those are cliffs down there… and jump in the ocean. If you look closely you can find him in these photos. What you can’t make out is the 3 minor jellyfish stings he got when he was out there.

Because our schedule was shortened this week, we are going from one thing to the next fairly quickly. We are taking advantage of as much as possible with the time we’ve got. So we went on a walk there in Yetanya after breakfast, and enjoyed the view.

Then it was back on the bus!

There were a lot of cats walking around in Yetanya!

Our guide, Daniel, is very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to. He and our driver Mordi (Mordechai) took us to Caesarea, to an outdoor theater around since Bible times. It’s very likely that Paul was tried here.

There were actual remnants of the original theater, including a stone manger!

We continued on down to where horse and chariot races were held by the sea. It must have been something to see. The sand bags down by the ocean were preserving a beautiful mosaic.

You can see the large power plant in the background.

We then headed to the remains of a huge aqueduct. Water traveled 9 miles through this system! You can see where the end of it is buried in sand.

Driving on, our guide Daniel told us many things about the surrounding hills and countryside, naming so many stories in the Bible. The Scriptures were coming alive to me like never before!

It was surreal to see the modern mixed with the ancient. The above couple of photos are of the Valley of Armageddon.

There was a big difference when we came upon the predominantly Arab areas. The architecture was different, among other things. Those who live in these areas are about 2/3 muslim and 1/3 Christians. You can see the Arabic writing on the signs above. All throughout Israel you see English, Hebrew and Arabic writing.

You might be surprised to know that Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth is predominantly Muslim now. One of the highlights of the day for me was going to the top of Mt. Precipice overlooking Nazareth on the one side, and the Valley of Armageddon on the other.

I was profoundly affected by being in the place where Christ was raised. And I was surprised to see how hilly it was. The mount we stood upon is thought to be the one the villagers wanted to throw Jesus off of and he walked away from them.

The Valley of Armageddon was vast and it was sobering to think of it covered in blood, according to Revelation. Our guide told us of many battles fought here in the Bible, even one fought at Mt Tabor by Napoleon and his troops.

We saw Cana where Jesus did His first miracle of turning water to wine, which was a thrill because I just taught on that at women’s Bible study at our church!

Then saw Magdala where one of the Mary’s was from — complete with a Pizza Hut.

Ate tilapia at Peter’s Fish Restaurant on the Sea of Galilee and then headed to a museum where a boat from Jesus’ day is preserved. So cool!

Then… on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. How did I come to be in this sacred place? It’s more than my heart and head can comprehend. How great is our God.