February 24

We have enjoyed worshipping at Good Shepherd Baptist Church here in Nazareth near our apartment for the past two Sundays.  Even though we do not understand many of the words used, the worship experience has a fervor and intensity that is holy and moving.  Pastor Afif and his wife Mimi have done a great job in first planting this church 15 months ago and then in leading the people.  Most of the congregation are new believers.  Afif is a real evangelist with a great pastor's heart.  He lives just a few doors down from us so we have enjoyed their friendship and we get together from time to time just to visit.

We are planning another road trip this week to visit Mt Carmel, Megiddo and Mt Tabor.  But before I get ahead of myself, let me back up and finish sharing about our road trip this past week. 

We stayed in a kibbutz about 30 miles north of Nazareth.  Kibbutz Inbar was established about 20 years ago by 10 single Jewish immigrants from Moscow.  Their main business is running their lodging operation.  Our room was clean but really small and sparse.  But the food was excellent and our host did a great job of assisting us.

On the second day of our road trip we went to the ancient city of Akko (Acco, or Acre).  This city sits on the only natural harbor for the entire area along the Mediterranean Sea.  It was originally called Ptolemais after King Ptolemy of Egypt.  It has been conquered and lost by the Egyptians, Greeks, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks, Mamluks and others.  It was a Crusader bastion until they were defeated by Saladin.  The ancient sea wall remains as do many of the original buildings of the Crusaders.  You can sense in the city a real spiritual darkness. 

We traveled up the coast to the Lebanese border and visited Rosh Hanikra.  This area provides a spectacular view of the coast line.  The cliffs are a soft limestone and through the years the waves have carved caves and tunnels into the stone cliffs.  We rode a cable car down to the cliff and grottoes.  The sound of the waves spashing into the caves was deafening.  An incredible experience.!

The next day was a really special day as we circled the Sea of Galilee!  We traveled to Chorasim and hiked through one of the oldest intact synagogues in Israel.  Then we visited the location where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.  While visiting that church I heard a group speaking in Indonesian!  We engaged in a brief conversation and learned that the church is from the same city where I lived forty years ago!  One of my favorite spots along the Galilee Sea is called Tabgha.  This church commemorates the feeding of the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread.  It is a simple yet moving chapel with an ancient mosaic under the altar which is built over a stone outcropping reportedly of the location where the miracle took place. 

From there we traveled to the ruins of Bethsaida.  It was moving to walk along the path to the ruins and turn a corner and stand in front of what remains of the gates to the city.  We could imagine what it was like when Peter, Andrew and Philip lived here. 

We finished up our sightseeing at Kursi which is a National Park in the area where Jesus healed the Gadarene demoniac.  On the way back to Nazareth stopped at a restaurant in the En Gev Kibbutz.  Had an incredible grilled St Peter's Fish.  Great trip and the most amazing thing--I actually found our way back to our apartment driving! 

Looking forward to our next trip!  Please continue praying for the people we are meeting during our walks through Nazareth.  Our favorite vendor in Souk greeted us on Saturday with an intense question and conversation about mercy and grace and God's forgiveness!