Entry # 20, February 1st, Israel

 

O, Sea of Galilee

My soul, it stirs at the sight of thee,

Awareness of my Savior here

         His footsteps on your rocky shores

         His eyes on these rolling hills

         His breath on the gentle breeze

My heart is full, my doubts are gone,

My spirit humbled

Looking over your water touched by His hand.

 

I wrote this poem in my attempt to express the feeling of being on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee. It was an amazing, worshipful experience. 

 

We spent the month in the coastal city of Tiberias. Not where tourists usually go to
spend a long period of time. Many people, including those living here, asked,
“Why Tiberias?” All I can say is, “God led us here. It was meant to be.”

 

When we decided to visit Israel, our first thoughts were to spend our month in
Jerusalem. I wanted to experience all the Biblical sites there, especially the
Garden of Gethsemane—where Jesus was arrested, and the Via Dolorosa—the path
Jesus would have carried the cross. I also wanted to be near Bethlehem, Christ’s
birthplace, so we could easily visit it. My thought of the Sea of Galilee was as a
“possible daytrip” from Jerusalem.

 

However, the more we researched and talked with people and watched the
ever-unfolding tensions in the area, we decided to make our base farther out from
Jerusalem, and—thank you, God—we landed in Tiberias at an AirBnb with a
panoramic view of the sea. What an unexpected blessing!

 

My first surprise was to see how small the Sea of Galilee is. Not that it IS small, just smaller than the “can’t see to the other side” I had envisioned. From any spot on the shoreline, you can view the location of all the significant Biblical sites: Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Magdala, Mt Arbel, and more. Each day, I would just stare and let it sink in that Jesus stood there and taught, and that’s where He called his disciples, and that’s where Mary Magdalene lived, and that’s where He fed the 5,000 from the meager supply of fish and loaves. And right there in a boat on that water, that’s where He calmed the sea. 

 

My heart, my soul, is forever touched being in this place.

 

Though the Galilee was our main focus, we enjoyed everywhere we visited in Israel. What a beautiful and special country. 

 

We flew into Tel Aviv and explored there for a day. Of course, the Mediterranean is beautiful, but the central bus station is the most confusing we’ve seen on our travels. (If you must go through the Tel Aviv bus station, please contact me first. It’s an adventure all on its own.) On the other hand, the Jerusalem central station is one of the finest bus stations we’ve been to.

 

Our journey through the country (besides the Sea of Galilee) took us to Haifa, Mt. Carmel, the Hula Valley, the Jordan River Valley, Jerusalem, and Nazareth. Each location has many stories to tell and beautiful sites to see. There are places we didn’t make it to…but that will need to be another trip.

 

We also connected with several people during our stay in Israel. Our Tennessee friends, the Stamms, connected us with their friend Lori who lives fairly close to Tiberias. She and her husband are part of a music ministry, and they acted as our tour guides a couple times during the month. Through them, we met Ben and Celeste from a Messianic congregation in Tiberias. We attended there each Saturday (the Jewish shabbat), and we attended a small English-speaking Presbyterian Church on Sundays. As with other countries, we so enjoyed connecting with sisters and brothers in the Holy Land.

 

Then there were our AirBnb hosts: an Orthodox Jewish family that included the parents, their nine adult children, and a couple spouses and grandchildren. One of our highlights of our stay in Israel was sharing shabbat dinners with them. The food was delicious, the conversation was engaging, and the fellowship was a blessing. Through them, we learned a lot about Hebrew beliefs and customs. And they learned some of ours.

 

Oh, and I must mention the food of Israel. It was there that this 14-year vegetarian decided that she must eat fish, the kind the Jesus and the disciples would have eaten. Tilapia. It was so good!  So, I now dub myself a pescatarian. 

 

Other notable foods include falafel, hummus, baba ganoush (smoked eggplant), so many varieties of olives, tabbouleh (chopped parsley salad), yebreh (stuffed grapevine leaves), dates, tahini (sesame seed paste), and latkes (potato pancakes).

 

Now, my clothes are even snugger than they were when I left Morocco. 

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O, Israel. You are a land of beauty and tension, rich in culture and history. I am beyond thankful for experiencing you.

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Now, our journey continues to Nepal.

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Hasta luego,

Pam

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"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." ―St. Augustine

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