Sunday, Oct. 20, Read John 1:14

We left our hotel in Tiberias this morning after another good breakfast.  Our first stop was at Mt. Arbel which is just to the north of Tiberias where, after a short hike, the group enjoyed great views of the Sea of Galilee.  We also gathered around one of the picnic tables for a time of worship together.  I will put the itinerary here though on Sunday and Monday we have room for changes as we spend our time roaming around and crisscrossing  Ha Emeq, the Valley (Jezreel, Esdraelon, Armageddon).  It is the largest valley in Israel and a central location to a lot of history.

·        Mt. Arbel

o   Worship Service.  We are leaving the Galilee area today so we joined John 1:14 with the passage we are memorizing throughout the trip (Titus 2:11-14) to remind ourselves of the historical and geographical reality of the incarnation.  We used our Garden Tomb songbooks for a few numbers and enjoyed prayer together.  The fellowship has been good as we have spend hours and hours together in a van.

o   Tomb of Jethro (Ex. 18).  We can see this huge building in the distance from the parking lot at Arbel.  The Druze hold the father-in-law of Moses in high esteem as a prophet and have an annual festival in April.  We don’t go there although it is open to the public.

·        Kfar Cana

o   Visit with Arab Christians.  We met Pastor Hani and his wife Shifa and their family back in 2010 and appreciate their zeal for the Lord.  We met with them while Sunday School was in progress.  Their service is in the evening because Sunday is the first day of the work-week for most people.  Hani shared how he came to Christ as well as some things about their ministry.

Pastor Hani sharing his testimony, ministry.

o   Jesus 1^st miracle: Water to Wine (Jn. 2:1-12)

o   Jesus 2^nd miracle: Healing of Nobleman’s son (Jn. 4:46-54)

o   Home of Nathaniel/Bartholomew (Jn. 21:2)

·        Mt. Tabor (Judges 4:46-54).  There is a great view of Ha Emeq from here but there are other great views so we talk about the can see this area so we don’t make the drive up.

o   Nain (Lk. 7:11-17)

o   Endor (1 Sam. 28:5-25)

o   Hill Moreh (Judges 7:1)

·        Tel Dor (Josh 11:1-9)

o   Museum, Mollusks

·        Caesarea.  We enjoyed our main meal of the day sitting at a table by the sea.

o   Cornelieus (Acts 10)

o   Paul in prison (Acts 23:22-35; Ch. 23-26)

o   Swim the Mediterranean.  Already did this in Ashkelon.

·        Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:17-19:3).  We moved this off of Monday.  The view of Jezreel is amazing from this spot.  And of course it commemorates the “context” between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

View of part of Ha Emeq, the Jezreel Valley.

(We are trying to upload a short video clip on our Facebook page.)

Panorama of the Valley.

It's traditional. In front of the statue of Elijah.

·        Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:1-8).  Our hotel is up against Mt. Gilboa.

This was a wonderful day.  We hope to get more photos on but the internet has been weak throughout our journey so far.