Holy Lands Trip; Galilee Region, Israel

Shane is on Sabbatical from December 28-February 16 so we decided to visit the Holy Lands in the month of January. The day we arrived in the Middle East, Israel began retaliating against the Hamas terrorist regime in Gaza. The bombing continued for the duration of our trip and ended 2 days after we returned to the US. Our safety was never compromised and we had a very peaceful, relaxing trip despite the war raging just a few hours away. We thank you all for your prayers while we were traveling, it truly was the trip of a lifetime.

We began our journey in Northern Israel where we visited the Sea of Galilee area, quite possibly the most peaceful place on earth, if you can believe it. We stayed in a picture perfect mountaintop cabin in Amirim, a Moshav Community in Galilee. Our Moshav was a vegetarian settlement and everyone there was very hospitable. They had excellent freshly prepared food delivered to our cabin each night, and we had wonderful massages by our new friend Yifat.

During our days in Galilee we visited the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha, Tiberias and the Jordan River. Capernaum was my favorite. Jesus spent most of his days in ministry here, specifically this is where he called his disciples, and where many of the recorded healings took place. It was a special experience for me to stand where Jesus healed a woman with an issue similar to what I am suffering with personally, it renewed my faith and restored my hope.

Shane liked the Mt.of Beatitudes view from the road. We could envision thousands of people seated on the hill leading up to the spot where Jesus delivered his sermon on the Mount, it was fascinating to imagine. We both loved the fresh St. Peter's fish in Tiberias and the beautiful scenery.

In the picture notice the Sea of Galilee in the background. It is actually a lake, and is referred to as such in the Bible, "The Lake of Kinneret". I am not sure how or when it came to be known as the Sea of Galilee, but make no mistake, it is a lake and a small one at that. So if you were wondering how long it took Jesus to get to the other side...um, about 10 minutes by ferry!

Please enjoy the pictures of our stay in Galilee by clicking on the links below:

Amirim, Tiberias, Jordan River

Mt. of Beatitudes, Capharnaum, Tabgha