Day 2 (Thurs 6/8/06)

    0828 - We're loading the buses now, getting ready to leave. Morning in Galilee is so incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Out the hotel window are palm trees, with mountains in the distance.
    From the dining room window there are various colors of flowering trees, palm trees, mountains, and the Sea of Galilee. The real Israel is not mostly desert wasteland and terrorism like the news media show. The view would be better compared to a resort in Costa Rica.

                            Formerly volcanic        Magdala        Cana of Galilee    Upper Nazareth

                

Kfar Kedem - (upper left) the house of Yehuda HaNasi can be seen on the hill 
(upper right) donkey rides
(lower left) threshing wheat
(lower right) grinding wheat

   

Zippori - (upper left) theater in Zippori
(below middle) tile mosaic of a woman that appears to be looking at the viewer regardless of what angle she is viewed from 
(lower right) millstone

    1342 - We're leaving Zippori, on the way to Tel Megiddo.
    This AM we visited the town of Kfar Kedem in Hosha'aya in Galilee. The town has 300 people living there, and was built 20 to 30 years ago. The guide there brought up the verse about "sowing in tears" in Psalms. He asked, "Why would you sow in tears?" Because if you don't get enough rain the wheat won't grow. And when your little girl comes asking you for bread you have none to give her and she starves. So you pray earnestly and cry to G-d for rain.
    You don't take bread for granted because you work so hard for it. You plow the field, sow the grain, harvest it by hand, thresh it, grind it, make bread... But you realize that without G-d sending the rain you would starve.
    There are [Biblical] laws that govern how you act. Even though you've worked so hard for this bread you do not muzzle the animal that plows. You let widows and strangers reap the edge of your field and what you have left behind. Even though you are struggling to survive, you must still be generous to the needy and not abuse your animals.
    Even today, Israel has little rain. They need rain to grow food and to survive. When you harvest your grain you must decide how much to use now and how much to save to sow next year. Israelis do not sing "Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day." Whether or not they get rain determines whether or not they survive.
    Also, there are terrorists. It is not easy living in the Land. America and other lands are prosperous and the people do not struggle daily to survive. So why bring your family to Israel? It is the land that G-d has chosen. His eye is on it all year. One must love Israel deeply in order to risk his family members' lives in Israel.
    I don't think that my words can express or do justice to what was said there. You live in Israel because you have a deep conviction and passion for her, not because she is easy to live in.
    Kfar Kedem seeks to recreate the times 2000 years ago. Visitors to the town dress in robes and head scarves and ride donkeys. The leaders of Kfar Kedem do this because a tree must have roots or she will sway in the wind. People must understand their roots (Jewish or Christian) in order to stay strong in the faith.
    Dear G-d, I do love Israel and her people. Help me to love her more and to share my love with others. Help me to find ways to support her.

Megiddo (Armageddon) - (upper left) stairs and outer gate built during the time of King Solomon
(upper right) grain storage area from the 8th century B.C.
(middle left) Gate of Megiddo, approx. 15th century B.C./time of Joshua
(middle, 2nd from left) Jezreel Valley/Valley of Armageddon
(middle, 2nd from right) Stable, 8th or 9th century B.C.
(middle right and 2 lower) underground tunnels to water source where Megiddo Spring was channeled by King Solomon or Ahab

    1654 - We're leaving Tel Megiddo National Park now. It amazes me how long ago these things were built. In the USA, historical places exist like the Alamo and Jamestown, but that is all recent history. In Europe I saw older places, but not really anything of significance prior to the Middle Ages. The sites here are thousands of years old! Joshua and Caleb walked through this land. Abraham viewed it from the mountain before he died. This place, and G-d's Word, have stood the test of time. G-d is faithful and covenant keeping. His Word endures forever! One jot or one tittle will not pass from His Word until all is fulfilled!

    1734 - We're riding the bus. We've just passed a huge forest. The interesting thing is that all the trees you see have been planted recently. All the forest in Israel were wiped out, mostly by the Turks when they occupied Israel. So Israelis and visitors plant trees to replenish the forests. They try to plant mostly fast-growing, long-living trees. I am told that Zola's group has planted several groves of trees. They have to keep going to new areas to plant since the old areas were filled. We too will have a chance to plant.

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