“The Place of the Wild Goats”

It was amazing! It was the heat of the day and we were soaking wet from sweat, as we hiked up the trail. On the way down Chuck said “I would love to see the wild Ibex that are out here”, I told him that we might since they always come out when the weather gets cooler. We were praying “Lord, show them to us”. Sure enough we heard rocks falling from the cliff and then one of the wild goats “popped out”. Then another, then another, and their were small flocks of them walking right on the cliffs. I took some pictures. The bottom picture is from eyesight, then next one with a closer lens, then the sharpest lens that I have, Amazing! God is so Good!

My Favorite Place: En Gedi

This is the place where David hid as Saul was trying to kill him. There are hundreds of caves and places where David could hide. Also, this is an oasis in the desert. In the middle of the dry desert, there is this fresh stream coming out of the mountain. It was here that David wrote some of his Psalms.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Around 1945 the Scrolls of the Book I Isaiah as well as a few other writting were discovered in the caves near En Gedi. It was an incredible find, these scrolls of Isaiah dated back to the 3rd Century B.C. The beautiful thing is that we have almost word for word from the original manuscripts from back then the same Word of God that we have today. A great discovery!

Jordan Baptisms

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We were blessed with the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River. We were like the only group doing baptisms this morning. Most people do their Baptisms later in the afternoon so we were blessed with the whole area to ourselves. What a blessed event.

On the Border with Syria

We traveled through the Golan Heights and drove on the road that was close to the border of Syria. We could not have been closer unless we traveled over. There are still these old tanks that are left from the 6 day war. As we drove we saw exploded bunkers, military housing and a destroyed mosque. It was incredible.

Caesarea Philippi

It was here that Jesus asked Peter “Who do the people say that I am?” Peter answered “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Banias is one solid rock, and Jesus is the Rock that the Church is built upon.

Headwaters of the Jordan

We traveled far North today to the area of Tel Dan. The weather up on the mountain area was so cool and relaxing. In Tel Dan the Jordan River begins and it was absolutely beautiful. A great day of hiking and sightseeing.

St. Peter’s Fish Fry

One of the good things to do in the Galilee is to eat the famous Peter’s Fish that comes from the Sea of Galilee. It is delicious! As you can see from the boyz they are about to chow down. Some delicous food!

Absolutely Gorgeous!

What a joy! Michelle Bonner is now married! This is a beautiful picture of a beautiful bride! The proud mama and papa, God bless you Bonner family, remember, you are not loosing a daughter but gaining a son!

Swimming in the Galilee

This is the first time we have ever had the opportunity to Swim in the Galilee. I don’t know anyone who has ever done it. The Israelis do it all the time, so we thought “Let’s do it to”. We went to the Jordan River to be baptized but it closed early because of the Sabbath. Chuck is the one who initiated the work, so we all joined in on his idea. We were so glad that we did. It was a hot day, a great way to cool off.

The Lost City of Bethsaida

Well, it was never lost, it was always here, right where the Bible said it would be. People used to say that the Bible is not true because they could not find the city. Well, about 16 years ago the city was found and excavation has been done on it ever since. I remember on my first visit in 1995 we were the first tour to ever visit the site. It was still in full excavation then, it is pretty much completed now, but there is still more work to be done. God’s Word is true!

Synagogue Boyz

It is here in the place of this Synagogue where Jesus would set up headquarters in the city of Capernaum. It was also the home of Peter.  Jesus rebuked these three cities, Capernaum, Bethsaida and Chorazin for their unbelief.

“Peter do you Love Me?”

Some of you might remember John Chapter 21, Jesus has already resurrected from the dead. Peter told the other Disciples "I’m going fishing”, but they caught nothing. Jesus was on the shore and they came to Him. It was here that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, three times Jesus asked. It was a time of restoration for Peter. There is nothing like reading the story from the place where this happened.

Mount of Beatitudes

This is the area where Jesus would have taught the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew Chapters 5-7. Usually people stay in the fenced area of the Church, but we wandered out of the general area, down the hill to a place where we can better be acquainted with what the people might have experienced with Jesus. It was here that we took turns reading the three chapters. It was a good time on the Mount.

Nof Ginosar: The Jesus Boat

This is the home of the “Jesus Boat”, now this is not the boat that Jesus owned but this is one similar that Jesus and the Disciples would have taken on the Sea of Galilee. It is dated back to the time of Jesus and it has been persevered through the incredible work of experts. It is always exciting the visit here.

Peaceful Morning in the Galilee

This is the view from our modest hotel that we are staying at in the Galilee. The hotel name is the Astoria Hotel, nothing elegant, on the old side but it fits us good. Like I said the view is beautiful and the other three guys even have a better view. There is nothing like getting up early and getting in the Word on the Sea of Galilee.

Travel to Nazareth and Cana of Galilee

We took a side trip through a now controlled Arab community. Usually the tour buses avoid going through Nazareth and Cana but instead of going around we wanted to see this area and drove through. It is another one of those blessings of traveling and leading the tour ourselves. Jesus began his ministry in Nazareth as well as grew up in this area. It was here that Jesus gave the famous teaching “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me”. Today there is still trouble brewing in this area. As we passed through we witness a squirmish going on as a group blocked part of the street in a disturbance. As we passed by Cana it was here that Jesus performed His first Miracle. So good stuff to see!

The Fortress of Megiddo’ water tunnel

Solomon was one of the builders of the fortress of Megiddo where he had these special horses that he raised and took care of. The remnants of this fortress as well as his horses still remain to this day. The guys are here venturing into the water tunnel of Megiddo, it is another cool adventure.

Visit to Joppa

 

Today we headed out to the old city of Joppa. The place is significant because it was here in Acts 10 the Peter was called by the Holy Spirit to go to Caesarea and share the Gospel with the Gentiles. As a result of Peter going the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles and they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. You might remember it was while Peter was in Simon the Tanner’s house that he had the vision of the sheet falling from the sky.

Also, it was from Joppa where Jonah ran from the Lord and headed to Tarshish. One more thing; Solomon had Hiram bring Cedars from Lebanon, they were brought to Joppa, dismantled and carried to Jerusalem for his house and the Temple of God. It was a blessed visit.

Joe and Chuck witnessing in Caesarea

The guys always use every opportunity to share the Love of Jesus. They met this Jewish man who used to live in Spain, he spoke perfect Spanish. It is amazing the different views that people have about Jesus. Please continue to pray that we use every opportunity to share with people about Jesus.

The Road to Caesarea

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For the rest of the day we traveled up the coast and saw the old city of Caesarea. This place is famous for when Paul was imprisoned here for two years, and Herod was filled with worms and died here. We also visited the great aqueduct that Herod the Great built to bring water from Mt. Hermon, Amazing!

Anna and her new Niece

It is so good to see Anna. Please continue to pray for her as we are working on her missionary visa. It  would be such a blessing to have Anna come back and finish her last year with us and also serve in the ministry. Be blessed Anna, we look forward to seeing you soon.

Sweet Lunch on the Beach

The Lord led us to this great place up in Caesarea, it was a little restaurant on the beach. The place served these great schnitzels, they were delicious! We were chillin in the cool beach air and afterwards we started our day of sightseeing.

One Sweet Ride

The Lord blessed us with a cool ride. This is a 9 passenger beast! It drives good and is a 6 speed standard, so it takes the hills great. Good A/C and a lot of fun, you cannot ask for more, thank you Jesus!

Visit to Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv

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This afternoon we dropped off Takako at the church. It was a blessing to see the ministry as well as see how Takako will be serving. This is a new building for her, last time she served it was in a different location. God continues to do a new work in Tel Aviv. Please continue to pray for our missionary sister, she will need our continual prayers. We love you Takako!