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Erev Tov!  (Good evening)

 

We are here in Tiberias again tonight, tomorrow we will head further north to see sights in the Galilee finger, as well as the northern Golan Heights.

 

We had an incredible day on and around the Sea of Galilee, known in Israel as the Kinnerate which means "harp" in hebrew.  It takes the name Kinnerate because it is shaped like a harp. Our first stop of the morning after a later than usual start, was to Nof Ginnosar. We took a boat ride on the sea and were able to spend time in God's word and enjoy a wonderful breeze.  Sometimes it is incredibly hot and calm on the water and can feel like you are in an oven, but today was great as the breeze kept us cool.  The Kinnerate is the largest body of fresh water under sea level. 

 

After returning to shore we were able to see a rather remarkable exhibit called "The Jesus Boat".  This 2000 year old boat was found by to brothers who grew up on the shores of the Kinnerate and were walking along an exposed sand bar one day during a drought year.  One of the brothers noticed something in the mud and picked it up.  It was an ancient nail used to hold together wood planks of a ship from the time of Jesus.  After a careful excavation and preservation process the entire ship is on display at Nof Ginnosar here in the Galilee.  The museum and historical center where this display is housed is one of the nicest in Israel and has one of the most extensive gift shops in the region. 

 

Next we went to Tabgha, the traditional site where Jesus fed the 5000 from five loaves of bread and two fish.  There are several very old mosaics as well as foundations of churches that give the site credence.  We learned that Jesus expects us to be people willing to act in situations that require it, and to trust Him that it will be taken care of.

 

Capernahum was the next place we visited.  Capernahum is derived from the Hebrew words Kefar (Village) and Nahum (Biblical prophet).  So it literally means the "Village of Nahum".  Weather or not its the prophet Nahum we don't know.  Jesus spent a lot of time there performing miracles and healing many people.  Peter's mothers house was located in Capernahum, Jesus healed her at one point in her life, it was also at her house that the man who was paralyzed was lowered through the roof by his friends to be healed by Jesus.   We were able to see the foundations of the traditional location of this very house.  Can we be certain it was that house?  No.  But because of the earlier church's that were built on that site, it is a very good possibility. 

 

Our final touring stop was the Mt. of Beatitudes, another "traditional" site where Jesus gave the sermon on the mount.  It is a beautifully kept church and facility with lush gardens and an Italian catholic church.  We had 45 min to spend by ourselves in the word and to meditate on one of Jesus' most famous sermons.  Again it was very nice with a refreshing breeze.

 

Tonight was our first military performance on a base in the Golan heights, and we can now "officially" say that everyone on our tour is an International because they have experienced what the soldiers are like during the show.  It was a lot of fun and the soldiers were very energetic and rowdy!  Several had tears in their eyes after the show because it had touched them deeply.   Unfortunately for you, depending on the nature of our military shows, we won't be able to put many details on this blog about where the shows are at exactly and who exactly they are for.  Please ask us about these performances when we get home, thanks!

 

We will be uploading more pictures tomorrow, hopefully in the morning, thank you all for your prayers and for checking this blog!

 

Blessings from Israel!