February 17, 2007

Hello everyone! First off, no pictures-we apologize! At the kibbutz where we are staying, there is no wireless internet. Therefore, we are writing to you from a computer in the lobby. The keyboard has the Hebrew symbols on it! It's been another jam-packed day. Where do we start?

The day began early with breakfast together and the arrival of our final guests. Victoria, Evelyn, Ken, and Park finally joined our group after 18 hours of flights. We headed to Nazareth to see the hustle and bustle of this city of Arabs, Christians and Muslims. Our first stop was The Nazareth Village. This village is a recreation of Nazareth as it was 2000 years ago. It is a window into the history of the life of Jesus. We got a tour of the "grounds", which consisted of a wine press, a few homes, and a synagogue. At the end, they gave us our own oil lamps! After this neat stop, we walked up the hill to the Church of the Annunciation. It is believed that this church is the location where Mary was visited by the Angel Gabriel. They say this is where she found out she was to be the mother of the Son of God! Throughout the church grounds, there are mosaics contributed by different Catholic factions from all over the world. Portrayed somewhere in the mosaics is each country's own representation of what Mary and the babe looked like. There were vibrant colors and brilliant designs. Our fabulous tour guide, Mike, pointed out that Catholic masses are no longer performed only in Latin. They are now performed in the language of the region. In this region, for instance, the Stations of the Cross have captions in Arabic. The church was a beautiful portrayal of the preservation of Christian sites in the Holy Land.

After a busy morning in Nazareth, we moved on to the city of Tibereas on the Sea of Galilee. It is said that 80% of what Jesus did or said was done on, around, or in sight of the Sea of Galilee. What a thought! We shared a lunch on a deck overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Our lunch was St. Peter's Fish. This means it was a whole fried fish. When I say whole, I mean head, gills, etc. It was delicious. After a desert of fresh figs, our group hopped on to a boat to ride out onto the Sea. It was incredible. It was calm, clear, and soothing. Definitely an experience to remeber! Our boat took us to the museum of the "Jesus Boat". This is a boat that was discovered 21 years ago on the shores of the Sea. It has been carbon dated to prove that it dates back 2000 years. The remains have been preserved and the structure is so interesting. It's made of twelve different types of wood!

After some shopping and some coffee, we headed back onto the bus and off to the kibbutz of Kfar Giladi. We are about to head into a dinner together and afterwards, some much needed rest! It's been an eventful two days and we look forward to what tomorrow brings! Keep commenting and we'll keep checking! Love to all!