The Best Part about Israel

After I'd spent a couple of days in Israel, I caught myself reading my Bible under the covers with a flashlight after my roommates had gone to sleep.  Seeing the land itself settled for me the extreme accuracy of the Book. 

If we look at a map, we say that the Galilee is north or "up from" Jerusalem.  Yet the Bible says Jesus went up from Galilee to Jerusalem.  That sounds backwards until you take into account the landforms.  Galilee is close to sea level while Jerusalem is up on a hill surrounded by several hills.  You literally ascend in altitude when going from the north to the south.

Here's another one:  "A man was going from Jerusalem down to Jericho..." (Parable of The Good Samaritan).  In fact, you go so far down that your ears will pop a few times while making the trip.  The Dead Sea, just south of Jericho, is 1388 feet below sea level, the lowest point on dry land.

If even the prepositions are correct, then so must be every other word as well.

The most important part of the trip to me was this:  I've been to the tomb - and it's empty.  Nothing solidifies my faith more than the empty garden tomb.  Seen it, touched it, been in it.  Very awesome!!!

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi

Israel

It's been almost 30 years since I visited Israel.  The trip was pretty much unexpected and I barely had time to get a passport before the trip.  I took 14 rolls of film with me, the most frames per roll that I could buy.  By the fourth day, I was the only one who was still able to take pictures.  Everyone else had run out and buying film in Israel was rather expensive.

I ate everything that wasn't nailed down and lost weight.  (Only had one sugar in ten days - a piece of baklava.)  We walked miles every day.  I took notes while we were walking.  I almost jumped off the bus to live in the Galilee.  It was beautiful!  No wonder Jesus spent a good chunk of His time around the lake. 

Breakfast was a buffet with fish, fruit, and waffles with date syrup.  I'd love to find a way to make date syrup.  It was amazing!  After breakfast, I'd grab a pear and tuck it into the seat pocket on the bus to eat for a snack while we were traveling. 

Lunch would often be at a kibbutz where the meal would be rice with a tasty vegetable sauce and an excellent piece of fish or other meat.  I'd never had hummus before.  I never liked spinach until I ate a spinach souffle in Israel.  The last meal we had before the flight home was in an Italian restaurant.  They served in the usual Italian manner of leisurely eating.  Our tour guide got nervous about getting us to the airport on time.

I spent six months trying to duplicate the bread we ate in Israel.  My oven isn't hot enough to properly bake pita.  And as for the bread twisted into a loop that we tasted in the Arab section of Jerusalem - I hope they serve that in heaven - because I have no hope of getting it right and I'm pretty sure I won't be visiting the country again in this lifetime.

I still have a Coke can with the traditional red and white logo, but in Arabic and in Hebrew.  The can is a much heavier grade of metal than our cans are. 

Thirty years.  Huh.  The memory is a tricky thing.  It doesn't seem like that long ago.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Kathi