My Adventure to Israel: Chapter 5: Capernaum Part 2: It's All About Bread

Saturday, April 21

We followed Roman towards the ruin of a large building, which used to be the synagogue:

                                    

Look closely at the second picture, the white limestone blocks are actually from the late 4th century, while the dark basalt layer is all that's left of the synagogue from Jesus' time. As was custom, the synagogue sits in the center of town and faces towards the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

"The book of Luke states that a Roman centurion commissioned the building of the synagogue," Roman said. "This Roman is of course the centurion whose servant Jesus heals. Now remember that Romans hated the Jews, they would not even hang around them, they hated them so much, but this Roman was different. He had a love for the Jewish people, so much so, that he built them their own synagogue. So in Luke, when his servant is dying and he hears about Jesus, he sends the synagogue elders to plead with Jesus on his behalf. And these elders give Him this message: 'Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.' Imagine, for a Roman to humble himself like that, and to a Jew no less, was unheard of. But he recognized the authority that Jesus carried and he respected it. And Jesus, hearing this is amazed by this mans faith, saying that He had not found such faith in Israel like this centurion's, and heals the man's servant right then and there."

(Our group as we walk to the synagogue entrance)

(Inside the synagogue. Can you spot Roman?)

At this point, we had entered the synagogue. There were other tourists, but we managed to claim a space on the left hand side and sat on large stone steps, which served as seating back then (which wasn't very comfortable for sitting about 20 minutes, so imagine having to sit there through an entire service!). 

We were short for time (we still had one more site to visit that day), but Roman gave us a quick, and very insightful history lesson:

"In Jewish law the only person allowed to read the Torah in public or in the synagogue was a Jewish man. Jewish children, including girls would be taught the Torah from the age of 3 by their fathers, but the girls education would stop when she was 7 years old; then she would start to learn cooking, cleaning and looking after the house, so she could be ready for marriage in a few years. But the boys would go on with their schooling and if they were smart and good at it, their fathers would speak to the local rabbi about their sons possibly studying to be a rabbi.

At the age of 13, that is when a Jewish boy is brought out in public by his father and loved ones, he is honored by them and he reads from the Torah in public for the first time. But he does not read it in the synagogue, he would have to be a rabbi to do that. Now, if the boy studies hard and passes all his tests and becomes a rabbi, he must be of the age of 30 in order to start his ministry and read the Torah in a synagogue."

This statement caused a stir in our group, as we realized that that was Jesus' age when he began his ministry!

"Yes, yes," Roman said, settling us down. "Remember Jesus had said that He came to fulfil the Law, not do away with it. Also, remember when He tells the people that He is the Bread of Life? That sermon took place right here, in this synagogue."

Yet another stir of amazed murmurs began coursing through our little crowd. Just then, Pastor Troy got up to say something:

"Hey ya'll so get this: this year in the Jewish calendar is 5778, for those of ya'll who went to the New Beginnings conference at Open Door back in January, remember I said that the number 5778 stood for bread, and this year was the Year of Bread and Life? Well look at where you are now, you're in the same place where Jesus said, 'I am the Bread of Life' and it is no coincidence that each and every one of you are here right now, in this place, at this time."  

Indeed I did recall that. As we all got up to head out, I thought about how amazing it was that when God reveals several things that connect and may seem like coincidences, they're actually Him working great things in our lives. And speaking of coincidences being greater things...

Remember I said in my last post that God Coincidence No. 2 would happen in this chapter? Well here you go: As we walked out of the synagogue and to the towns exit, Roman began by mentioning another man connected with the synagogue: 

"Everyone remember the story of Jairus' daughter?" Roman asked. "Jairus was a leader here in the synagogue and had come to Jesus, hoping He could heal his sick daughter. And along the way, Jesus also heals the woman with the issue of blood."

At hearing this I perked up, adjusting my Whisperer's earpiece, intent on not missing a single detail.

"An interesting fact for you all," Roman continued. "When Jesus heals this woman, He says to her: 'Daughter, your faith has made you whole.' Why would He call her that sense she was probably late twenties, not much younger than him. Well, let me explain: Jesus was a rabbi yes? And for an unclean person to touch a rabbi, therefore making them unclean, that person would be stoned to death for defiling the rabbi. This is why the woman tries to touch the hem or Tallit of His garment (A Tallit is one of many tassels on the traditional prayer shawls worn by Jewish men) in secret, but when Jesus asks, 'Who touched me? I felt power go out from me', she knows she can't stay hidden. So, facing the risk of being stoned, she reveals herself. Now, in Jewish law, an unclean person can touch a rabbi only if they are close relatives, and the rabbi claims them as their own. So when Jesus calls her daughter, He is claiming her as His own, and therefore, no one can stone her."

I didn't feel the same jolt as when I heard the first Coincidence, but I was certainly blown away by this; and as if it couldn't get any better, I was about to find one more thing that day that would reassure me in the knowledge that God cared for me and my future healing. 

My Adventure to Israel: Chapter 4: Capernaum Part 1: God's Roommate

Before I start, I must explain something, or rather, a few things that have to do with one of the many reasons why I came to Israel: First, I was believing God for a miraculous healing in my life. Second, throughout this chapter and the chapters to come, God would reveal little hints, or coincidences if you will, that caught my attention, that pointed to the possibility of my future healing. And thirdly, I have decided to share exactly what happened, and the reason I needed a healing so bad.
It's a little personal, a subject that men in particular would feel uncomfortable hearing about. So for your sakes guys, I'll try not to make it unpleasant for you. So, if you're a guy and are willing to keep reading, thank you for your support and willingness to be the better man. And who knows? God may show you something here:
For the past few years, I've had very irregular menstrual cycles, and eventually they got to where they would last for one or two months! Last year alone, I bled seven months out the twelve. I would be miserable and tired, but refused to see a doctor, knowing that they'd just put me on Birth Control, which I absolutely did not want! I was almost out of options except for some herbal supplements that my mom had found for me, but they hardly helped. I had also being praying and been prayed for, but again, nothing changed. I'm not saying prayer doesn't work, it was that my faith that wasn't strong enough to believe that I could be healed.
When I had signed up to go to Israel, I found renewed hope when I was told that we'd get a chance to be baptized in the Jordan River a few days into the trip. I suddenly had the idea that if I got baptized in this river, the most famous of rivers in all the Bible where so many miraculous things happened, I'd be healed. It seems pretty silly to put my faith in a natural thing, but I really was believing God, it was something special to me and I knew it was also a place that God favored, so I figured, why not try?
And so, with that out of the way, here's the first place we went to where God began to show me some pretty interesting things:

Saturday, April 21
Our second to last site of the day was Capernaum, the Town of Jesus, or so it said on the sign as we all walked through the gates. Roman lead us through a courtyard and past a church that, no lie, looked something akin to E.T.'s spaceship (more on that later). We then passed another set of gates that let us out on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, where we all sat in a circle underneath a tree.
"I'm sure you could all tell by the sign outside that this was the Biblical town of Capernaum," Roman began. "But some of you might be wondering, 'Why does it say it's the town of Jesus?' You'd think that Nazareth, the place where He grew up, or Bethlehem, the place of His birth would be the town of Jesus. Well, that is the question we are going to answer today." He began to walk around the tree, "Who can name some miracles that occurred here?"
A few people named various miracles: Peter's mother-in-law, the Roman Centurion's servant, Jairus' daughter, the paralytic who was let down through the roof; all of these Roman confirmed with a yes.
I then thought of the woman with the issue of blood, someone with whom I'd always felt a strong connection to because of my own issue. I wanted to raise my hand and ask if that miracle also happened here, which I was sure it was, but, I couldn't bring myself to ask. It's ridiculous now that I look back on it, but I was worried about everyone thinking, 'Is there a reason she's bringing that miracle up?' I have an overactive imagination at times and because of my introverted nature, it's hard for me to raise my hand or speak up in a group, I often feel like everyone is staring at me and is able to see right through me...
Anyway I didn't raise my hand, or, at least I was pretty close to convincing myself to speak up, when another lady sitting a few feet away from me, raised her hand and asked: "What about the woman with the issue of blood?"
"The issue of blood, yes, that miracle did happen here." Roman confirmed.
Pastor Troy has a way of describing that moment when God shows you something awesome that applies to you in the season you're in, he calls these moments "Baby Leaping", like when Mary visited her cousin Elisabeth after being told by Gabriel that she would birth the Messiah. The book of Luke says that Elisabeth's baby leaped inside her because he was so close to the mother of his Savior. That's the feeling I got the instant that lady asked that question and Roman said yes. It was a jolt, starting in my stomach and spreading throughout my whole body. I wish I could tell you that I was instantly healed right then and there, but no. But it was enough for me to just be there, in the same vicinity where my favorite miracle took place. This was God Coincidence No. 1.
We soon got up and followed Roman back to where E.T.'s spaceship was.

The church was positioned over one of many archaeological ruins, but these ruins were special. Underneath the church were three structures, octagonal in shape, with one inside the other:

 (The central octagon directly under the church.)

(A photo of the three octagons before the church was built over it in 1990.)

The outer octagon is all that's left of a church built sometime during the 5th century, while the next one is yet another church circa 4th century, and finally, the central octagon, on which Roman brought our attention, was from the time of Jesus.

"This central octagon was one of many homes in the town of Capernaum." Roman said. "It is in fact, a fisherman's home; this is the normal size for a house like this from that time. Now how do you know if it was someone's home?" He let our group try and guess the answer, to which no one thought of the correct solution. "Pot shards." Roman answered. "That is how you know if a house was lived in. Pottery is one of the top things archaeologists look for when excavating a site.

So, the significance of this particular house is that it not only belonged to a fisherman, but it is the house of Simon Peter, Jesus' disciple."

After giving us a second to recover from this bomb shell of Awesome, Roman told us that when Peter's house was uncovered, etchings were found on the walls, one of which read: "House of Cephas* and Yeshua." (*Aramaic for Peter.)

"What?!" I thought, trying to process what I'd just heard. Roman went on saying that when Jesus was at Capernaum, He would have stayed with someone He knew, and there was even evidence in the Bible to support this theory:

In Matthew 17:24-27, Peter is asked by the temple tax collectors if Jesus pays taxes, and he replies that He does. When Peter returns to where they're staying, Jesus asks him: “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” And Peter says to Him, “From strangers.” And Jesus says, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin, take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

Roman then explained to us how taxes would have worked in that time period: The temple tax was two drachmas per person and the way people would have paid taxes then was per person, per household. 

"That's how we know Jesus was living with Peter at the time, because they paid taxes together." Roman finished.
Also, anyone remember the story of the paralytic being lowered through the roof of a house so Jesus could heal him because it was so crowded? Ever wonder whose house it was? Well, I'll let you do the guessing.

We walked a short distance off to the left of Peter and Jesus' home and stopped to look out over the massive ruins of one of the neighborhoods in Capernaum. Roman mentioned the fact that the whole of Capernaum had been destroyed in an earthquake because of their unbelief (Matthew 11:20; 23-24): "Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.... And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
"They tried to rebuild Capernaum a second time," Roman said. "But it was again destroyed by an earthquake."

The two above pictures are of these ruins, the top has some Stonehenge looking shapes. Look real hard and imagine whole vessels of pottery being stored on them; those used to be shelves. The bottom picture shows a courtyard of sorts that was open to four different houses in the neighborhood. If you're thinking those are pretty small living spaces, well, just remember that whole families lived there; and that courtyard space was shared by the women of those homes, where they would cook and wash clothes. Also, when no one was around, the only place private enough to bathe was the roof of the house.

"Sound familiar?" Roman asked. "That's because that is what Bathsheba was doing when King David saw her, she was using the free time she had in order to bathe in the only private place in the house. Of course, as you all know, it wasn't so private after all."

I was so fascinated with how so many pieces from history could fill in the empty places that the Bible doesn't fully explain. Roman would again provide a marvelous piece of history in the minutes that followed, a piece that would also become God Coincidence No. 2.

TO BE CONTINUED...

My Adventure to Israel: Chapter 3: "Children, have you any food?"

Saturday, April 21
We stopped at another Catholic owned spot on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. A huge, beautiful chapel faced the calm, serene lake. The sun was shining warm and bright now that the rain was gone, although some clouds stayed.

We all sat beneath some trees beside the chapel facing the Sea, and Ron was given Roman's microphone as well as Susan's so that he could speak to both groups with ease. He asked us to turn to John 21, where Jesus appears to His disciples for the third time since his resurrection:

"The whole chapter of John 21 happens right here on the shores of Galilee, maybe not in this exact spot, but it gives you a good mental picture." Ron explained, then he read: "'After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.'

Imagine what it must have been like," Ron continued, "To be the disciples, sitting here on the shore with Jesus, eating fresh fish, and by the way, we're about to go eat at a really amazing restaurant that's on the shore near here. They get fresh Tilapia right from the Sea of Galilee."

My stomach was already imagining it before my mind started weaving the picture. Ron had one more part of the passage to cover:

"'So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep."'

You might be wondering, why is Jesus asking Peter if he loves him so many times, why not just once? It's because Peter still needs some healing in his life. He still feels the guilt of denying Jesus in His darkest hour. Peter had told Jesus at the Last Supper that he would never abandon Him, but several hours later, he's swearing up and down that he doesn't know the guy; and at his third denial, he starts cussing and insisting that he never even met Jesus. And right there, that's when the rooster crows."

I can only imagine the pain that Peter felt, I still wonder how he was able to bring himself to face Jesus again. It definitely wasn't easy, but what Ron said next blew my mind:

"Jesus asks Peter this question three times. In a way, He's restoring Peter to Him."

Ron went on, discussing the context of the love Jesus mentions to Peter. You see, in Greek, there are four different words for Love: Eros, romantic love. Storge, affection, like the love of parents for children and vice versa. Philia, brotherly love, or friendship. And finally Agape, the highest form of Love, the unconditional way God loves man and the way man loves God. In that particular passage in John 21, Jesus firstly and secondly asks Peter if he loves Him Philia (like a brother or family). When Peter answers yes twice, Jesus asks a third time, meaning Agape, the highest Love there is. Peter, finally ready, insists yes, he does, and through this, Peter's faith and standing with God is restored. 

Ron gave us leave to go and put our feet in the water before leaving for lunch. I quickly took off my tennis shoes, switching them out for flip flops from my backpack, and went to the edge of the shore. The water was cool and refreshing, it was one of the nicest moments on this trip.
After rinsing the dirt of my feet, then putting my flip flops back on, I turned to see Elana Cantor walking my way. I've failed to mention this before, but she and Ron had gone to Nepal earlier this year, a trip that my mom had also gone on. She'd told me about getting to know Elana and spending time with her. Elana had expressed her wish that my mom should come to Israel, but because she wasn't able to go this year, my mom had told her about my going. Elana was excited to meet me, and I her, but I hadn't gotten the chance to introduce myself, until now.
"Are you Amy's daughter?" She asked, her heavy accent containing a mix of Moroccan and Jewish (fun fact, I learned her mother is from Morocco).
"Yes, I'm Tirzah," I said.
"It's so good to meet you! I love your mom, she was telling me about you!" She pulled me into a tight embrace, the kind that stops you from breathing, but is nice anyway.
"She told me about you too!" I said when we pulled apart. She asked how I liked Israel (she would often refer to it as her country) so far. I said I loved it and was enjoying it.
We didn't talk long however, before I heard Roman's voice via my Whisperer calling everyone back to the bus. Elana and I said goodbye, then she and another lady in my group left for a restroom break, while I headed back to the bus.

We stopped at ST. Peter's Restaurant a few miles away. They had a simple menu, you could get Tilapia two ways: cooked whole, the way Jesus and His disciples would have had it, or filleted. They also offered meat kebabs and a salad bar, from which I got a LOT of hummus and pita bread!
The place was PACKED! So when we finally got a few tables for our group, we all placed our order at once before using the bathroom or visiting the salad bar. And though I got my order in (I got the fillet, there was no way I wanted my lunch staring at me the whole time!), I was at the salad bar when the waiter brought several plates of the fillets to our table and I wasn't there to claim mine. Needless to say, we fixed the mistake.

 (Whole cooked Tilapia. Thanks person I sat next to who let me snap this picture!)

 (Filleted Tilapia, mine. And. it. Was. The. BEST. FISH. I. EVER. HAD. IN. MY. LIFE!!!!!)

(A lamb kebab on the left, that someone passed around for all of us to try. It came to rest with me the remaindered of lunch; hands down best experience I've had with lamb so far. Also, on the right, some pita bread and hummus!)

Finished, full, and ready for a nap, we got back on our respective buses, and headed for the second to last site of the day.

My Adventure to Israel: Chapter 2: Blessed are the jetlagged, for by the Grace of God they will not be late to the bus!

Saturday, April 21
One of the first things Roman did once we were all aboard the red bus, was hand out these devices:

"These, are Whisperers," Roman explained, as he passed dozens of them out so that we all got one. "They are wireless receivers with an earpiece so that it will be easier for you all to hear me when we are at various sites or in large crowds."
I plugged in the earpiece, then tied the lanyard attached to the Whisperer onto my purse. Finally I hooked the earpiece around the lobe of my ear the way it was supposed to, and turned it on. Roman spoke into a small microphone attached to a white transmitter Whisperer to test if our receivers were working. Once we all got functional Whisperers, Roman started to tell us about our next spot.
"Our next site, is Mt. Beatitude," He said, as the bus wove this way and that on the winding roads in the large hills surrounding the Sea of Galilee. He also informed us that the property was owned by the Catholic Church and was well kept up and taken care of.
We soon pulled into the parking lot and saw that dozens of other buses filled it up, so our driver pulled alongside the curb nearest the entrance, where we disembarked and followed Roman onto the grounds of Mt. Beatitude. He lead us past an information building and gift shop, up several steps with small, shaded areas designated for prayer groups and Mass on either side beneath large trees. We found an empty area for us to gather in and sit. I settled down next to Leanna and Troy, as everyone else found a place to sit, while Roman remained standing.
Now you may or may not be curious about Roman, I mean, I've only mentioned him here and there but haven't said much, so, let me pause this story and tell you about him: He was a Russian Jew (remember I mentioned his accent in the Prologue?) who immigrated to Israel about 12 years ago with his wife and young son (he also had another son soon after moving there). He was about 43 years old, stocky, with short black hair and beard, with a little gray sprinkled in it. He always wore either a navy green ball cap that said 'Israel' on it or one of those hiking/fishing hats that nobody really knows the name of; and often had on cargo pants and a long sleeved shirt in light, neutral colors to keep the sun off. In a style reminding me of Indiana Jones, he always had a satchel slung over his shoulder, where he kept a water bottle and anything else he might need.
"Now," Roman began, "This area is famously known as the place where Jesus preached His sermon on the Mount and listed the Beatitudes. Unfortunately, I have to burst your bubble by saying that although this is the Mount of Beatitudes, it isn't the authentic spot, it is rather the traditional spot. Later on when you hear me say that someplace is the traditional spot, it means that it's the place that most everyone accepts as the spot where something happened, but it probably didn't. When I tell you if the place is authentic, it means that it is the spot where something happened. This property is accepted by the Catholic Church as the traditional spot where Jesus preached, and although it's the same general area, it most likely didn't happened on this exact location, okay? It could have been here, but it also could have been on any one of the nearby hills surrounding this place.
Now that I've got that explanation out of the way," He continued. "I should start by saying that if you came here to listen to me preach the Sermon on the Mount or recite the Beatitudes... I'm sorry to disappoint, but no, I will not."
Roman instead told us his testimony, which if you ever happen to be on one of his tours, it's a story worth hearing. You may wonder why I'm not telling it myself. Well, while he probably wouldn't mind, it's not my story to freely publish for all the world to see without his permission (also, it'll be a good excuse for you to go to Israel).
As we were sitting there, I was searching through the little travel sized Bible that I had brought with me and I'd just found the Beatitudes when I noticed that Troy was having trouble with loading the Bible on his phone. He leaned across Leanna (she was sitting between us) and asked if he could borrow my Bible for a moment. I nodded and handed it to him. He then proceeded to get up, ask Roman if he could speak for a second, and preached with my Bible in hand:

(Note: Throughout the entire time we were sitting here, I'm pretty sure there was a chicken coop nearby because literally every 10 seconds or so, this rooster would crow, and crow, and crow. And crow. AND CROW. I'm certain everyone noticed him too but were exercising self control. I was somewhere between trying to not laugh or going to make my own version of the Chick-fil-A sandwich for lunch.)
Now then, I'd like to apologize if this next section sounds scatterbrained, you see, I wish I could remember everything Troy said, but I don't, but I will write what I remember to the best of my knowledge:
First, Troy talked about how special Jesus' mother Mary was, and that God chose the right woman to raise Him. It's believed by scholars that Mary's husband, Joseph, died sometime after the incident in Jerusalem when they unknowingly left 12-year old Jesus behind. So not only would that make Mary a widow, but she was also a single parent raising God's son no less, along with the children she bore for Joseph. Imagine all the things that Mary had to go through, because widows in those days were seen as little more than worthless or useless, but she persevered and did the best she could with God's help. It was this statement that brought Troy to draw our attention to something he'd noticed in both the Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-10) and Mary's Song (Luke 1:46-55).
"Mary's Song is the most dialogue that Mary has in the Bible," Troy said. "It's the only time we get to hear what she's thinking, and if you look at the Beatitudes, the first sermon Jesus ever preaches, there's a similarity between the two."
Indeed there was, I noticed when reading the two passages later. Was it possible that God downloaded Mary's personal revelation to their son later in life? I've inserted an image of the two verses below so you can compare them side by side, and draw your own conclusions:

The last thing I remember Troy discussing, was how the message of the Sermon on the Mount was so solid and enduring, that some pastors will just recite it straight from the Book of Matthew, which was exactly what one pastor did. Forgive me, I can't remember his name or where he came from, but basically, this pastor was being pressured by his local religious leaders to not preach anything radical or against their government. So instead, the minster preached all of Matthew chapters 4-6 from memory to his entire congregation. And that was it, that was his sermon. He spoke the simple truth and those religious leaders couldn't do anything about it because it was straight from the Bible, in Jesus' words, not the pastor's. Troy proceeded to tell us about an open challenge he had for anyone to try and memorize all of Matt. 4-6, and anyone who could recite it all for him, would get $100. The challenge stands to this day, so if you're interested... (Sorry P.T.)

When Troy finished, he handed me back my Bible and thanked me. Roman dismissed us, giving us about 20 minutes to look around or visit the gift shop. We headed back the way we came, approaching a chapel known as the Mt Beatitudes Chapel.

I looked around the outside of the chapel, then entered through the left side. I peeked into the main entrance hall, and the open, ornate gates caught my eye:

Suddenly, a grey dove flew through the door right past me, startling me. I followed it with my eyes as it flew through the entrance hall and into the innermost room, where there sat an altar in the center with an alabaster arch surmounting it. The dove landed at the top of the arch. Amazed by this sight, I decided to enter the main room. On either side of the door were bowls of holy water for devout Catholics to dip their fingers and make the sign of the Cross, so I decided, what the heck, let's do it too!

I crossed the threshold of the room in the middle of the chapel: it was octagonal in shape, and as you already know the altar with the arch was in the center; circling round it were prayer benches. The dove was still perched on the arch when I left.

My visit lasted less than 5 minutes, so I was on my way to the gift shop! I purchased anointing oil, a couple of keychains and a pin. Looking at my phone to check the time, I realized my 20 minutes was almost up. Running, I made it to the parking lot and looked around, trying to find the red bus. Seeing Pastor Troy standing near it, helping others find it, I hurried towards him. He saw me and waved me over, but another bus that was backing out of a parking space suddenly blocked my path and was edging dangerously close to me. I rushed to the side, hopped on a nearby curb beside which a car was parked. Putting the car between me and the bus I quickly headed to my own bus. Once on board, I sat down in a relieved huff.

Once everyone made it, Roman counted us, then informed us that we unfortunately spent too much free time than we were supposed too, and were behind the white bus by several minutes. At this point Troy and Roman explained to us that although we wanted to spend more time at each place we simply couldn't, and at some locations we had to be on time, not late, because we had certain bookings that had to be kept.

"I don't mean to sound harsh," Troy said. "But if you are late to the bus, you will be left behind and have to take a taxi back to the hotel."

(A last note, if I may. I'm not writing this last bit about what Troy and Roman said in a way for anyone to see them in a negative light. We had so many places to go on this trip, nearly 30 sites total with an average of about 4-5 sites a day. That's a lot of places, not to mention a lot of people [around 45 on the red bus] to try and herd around. Although Troy's words may sound mean to you [they did to me at the time], they reminded me that we were all adults, and we had to be responsible with keeping up with the group, keeping track of time, and not wondering off on our own. So I understand where they're coming from and I hope you do too.)

"Now I know you're all tired," Roman said. "Some of you got here at three in the morning and are jetlagged, but if you could just power through for awhile longer, it'll work out in the end. You are all doing so well already for being tired and jetlagged. We have just a few more places to go."

Following these last statements, the red bus rolled out of the parking lot and on to our next adventure.

My Adventure to Israel: Chapter 1: Calming the Storm

Saturday, April 21
My roommate Haley and I were semi settled into our hotel room and had gotten about 2 hours of sleep before our alarms rudely awoke us. We got ready and headed down to a disappointing breakfast. You see, we had arrived early Saturday morning, which to the Jews, is the Sabbath, or Shabbat. On the Sabbath, they cannot work to do anything that would be considered 'creating', just how God rested from creating on the 7th, or Sabbath day. In short, heating things up with fire and cooking are not allowed on the Sabbath. So, our options for breakfast were mostly fresh fruit, yogurt, bread and coffee kept in a heater from the previous day. Although the yogurt was really good, I just wasn't feeling well, I found myself feeling alone again.
Suddenly, Pastor Troy, who I'd noticed earlier was sitting at the table to my right, saw me and said, "Hey girl, I didn't know you were coming, did your momma come with you?"
"No." I answered.
"I'm so proud of you, being a big girl and coming by yourself!" He said enthusiastically.
I smiled and said thanks before I left to wait for the group in the foyer. I felt like crying, Troy's words were encouraging and just what I needed despite the fact I didn't feel brave at all.
I suddenly realized I was thirsty, but wasn't sure how soon I could get a water bottle. Our bus had them for a dollar each, but I knew we wouldn't be getting on it anytime soon, seeing as how the first thing on our itinerary was to sail across the Sea of Galilee that morning.
Suddenly, I saw Darrell Knight, Troy's brother-in-law and Mission's Pastor at Open Door. I knew him and his family well. When he saw me, he came over, gave me a hug and asked how I was. I said I was fine, but needed to get some water.
"Here I know a place right across the street where we can get you some water." He said, and we exited the hotel, turning right and then crossing the street to a little shop that sold bottled water, soda and even had a slushie machine. Darrell kindly gave me some shekels (though I would have gladly bought my own water) and I purchased two water bottles. I handed Darrell his change and we headed back to the hotel.
I would like to take a second and say a word or two about Darrell. He's amazing, that's plain and simple. If you're ever stuck in a foreign country with him and don't know what to do, he's got your back. He's so sweet and such a rock star! (Love you Darrell, thanks for looking out for me!)
Eventually, Ron Cantor, the Israeli Pastor who was hosting this trip arrived. We all received our own name tags attached to lanyards, a navy blue ball cap and backpack with the logo of the Sar-El tour company our group was booked with, and a map.

We then exited the hotel, and walked a few blocks to the pier on the Sea of Galilee, where we were to board a boat that would take us across to the opposite shore. As we walked it began to rain lightly, I stopped briefly and put on my rain jacket, then continued. That's when the first exciting thing of the day happened for me:
I have this thing where I always looked on the ground when walking a street, hoping to spot any coins or other things I might want to collect; and low and behold, as we turned a corner near some shops, a few yards from the pier, I saw it:




A small gold coin with the number '10' on the back and a Menorah on the reverse side. It was 10 Agora piece, basically Israel's equivalent to 10 cents, because 100 Agorots equals 1 Shekel. I was so excited because I had just been hoping and praying that I'd find a coin on the ground!
We walked down a ramp to a dock, where we boarded a boat, I could worship music playing and saw that chairs had been set up for us. We had a time of singing and worship, during which I looked out across the giant lake and was hit with the full realization that this, THIS, really was the Sea of Galilee! I was really here! This was where so much happened during Jesus' time. This was where He WALKED ON WATER!!! I started crying because of how overwhelmed I was by just being here, it was so awe inspiring! In fact, Susan, one of the other tour guides on this trip, explained that about 80-85% of Jesus' ministry happened in this area.

After worship, Ron came up and began to talk. He spoke about The  Last Days and that in Them, God was not only bringing His people home, but also showing them new, supernatural and natural discoveries. Within the past 30 years, archaeologists found a boat dating back to the time of Jesus, perfectly preserved under several layers of mud at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee (more info on it here). God was allowing this generation the privilege of discovering all these new and exciting hidden things. In fact, later on that day we were to visit the site of an archaeological find that was barely 12 years old!
We were nearing the middle of the lake by now, right around the spot where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on water (Troy told us that the reason why the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost walking on the water was because the old fisherman of that area told tall tales and ghost stories to pass the time; and Peter and some of the other disciples would have heard them).
Ron then began to talk about the time when Jesus calmed the storm:
"Imagine these huge waves rocking the boat and getting everything wet, and there's Jesus, sleeping comfortably over there in the stern," Ron was saying. "Now picture the disciples freaking out and yelling, 'Jesus! Don't you care if we all die!' And Jesus you know wakes up and stretches and is like, 'I was having such a good dream about my Father, and you had to go and wake me up.'" Ron continued, "Listen! God is not scared! He's not freaking out about your storm, because He's got it! He's not worried about the problems your facing. You worried you're not gonna be able to pay bills next month, God's not worried! He's got it all under control! Don't worry about tomorrow because He is the God over the storms in your life!"
I looked out over the calm water and tried to imagine the storm and the waves, I tried to picture Jesus as He walked on the water, wishing now more than ever that those Biblical events were happening right now.
Ron pointed to the southeast shores of Galilee, where the ancient region of Garasenes, where Jesus had cast several demons out of man into a herd of swine that then ran down into the water and drowned. "And archaeologists," Ron was saying, "have done excavations in that area and found pig bones. Now, you should know that that region was populated by pagans, because only they ate pig. Who else would own pigs, not the Jews, because Jews don't eat pigs. And another interesting thing is that because it was pagan land, the Jews would often just refer to that region as The Other Side, which is why in Scripture, it'll say, 'And they sailed to the other side.'"

We still had some time before our boat docked, so Elana, Ron's wife, a beautiful Jewish lady with naturally curly dark hair, offered to teach us a traditional Jewish dance. I watched as most of the people on board joined hands in a large circle and followed Elana's lead:

Not wanting to miss out on the fun I quickly jumped in. I'm not gonna lie, I loved it (and felt like an extra in Fiddler on the Roof!)
A few minutes later, our boat docked, we walked up a ramp and then some stairs that lead to public restrooms. Our buses were waiting in the nearby parking lot for us. There was a white bus and a red bus. Susan was the tour guide for the white bus, which Darrell, his wife Mendy and daughter Mykah were on, including Ron and Elana. Roman was the red bus's guide, which had most everyone I knew from church on it, like Haley and her parents, Lisa and Les, then Troy and his wife Leanna.
I hopped on the red bus, looking forward to our next stop.

My Adventure to Israel: Prologue: The Long Exhausting Journey

I'm back everyone! 

God has shown me a lot this past week; I've really had the adventure of a lifetime and I'm sad that it had to end so soon. But that's why I'm writing about it now; so that you might share in my joy.

Because I have so much to tell, I've decided to publish a multi-part serial of sorts so that each post won't end up being as long as say, War & Peace... Or Les Mis.

On our tour of Israel's sights, my group visited several places each day, so I won't be chronicling this journey day by day either. I will instead cover one site at a time in chronological order, so keep checking in regularly!

Let's begin:

I'll spare you the long and exhausting details of the journey there, so here's a quick summery:

It started on April 19 at DFW Airport, where I met the group I was to travel with (several groups flew out at different times because the entire tour group was nearly 90 people in all). We had a 9:55 p.m. departure time, followed by a 10 hour flight to London Heathrow Airport. After about a 3 hour layover, we hoped on another plane with a 4-5 hour flight to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Long story short, we arrived, exhausted, but excited, at about 11:30 p.m. on April 20.

After being issued an Entry Visa and getting our luggage, we made our way out of the central airport building into the arrivals hall where we met our designated tour guide, Roman, who spoke with a Russian accent (more on him later). We then boarded our bus around 1 a.m. and were informed to get as much rest on the bus as possible because we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us.... And a 6:30 a.m. wake up call later that morning so as to be on time for our first tour of the day.

"Great!" I remember thinking, not feeling as brave or adventurous, but rather, tired and wanting to be back home in my comfortable bed. I began to wonder if I would be able to survive this trip at all. Even though I was going with people I knew, I just couldn't help but tear up feeling like I was all alone and farther away from home and everything I'd ever known in all my life...

"I have so much to show you." I heard Him say and decided right then to instead think of all the things He'd planned for me to experience that coming week.

"You'll get plenty of rest," I reassured myself, feeling better as I laid my head against the window of our bus as the empty Israeli highway passed by in a blur along with streetlights and distant landscapes.

Me, on our first flight out of DFW (Ignore the Indian dude in the background).

A 'welcome' sight for tired eyes after nearly 20 hours of travel.

Me and my roomie, Haley, sitting on the bus about to head to our hotel in Tiberias.

I'm Going on an ADVENTURE!

Hello Everyone! I'm sorry it's been awhile but I'm back and have an exciting announcement!
In exactly one week, I will board a plane and go on the trip of a lifetime to the Nation of Israel for 10 days! I will be travelling with a large group of people from my home church (Open Door Church). This trip has been in the talks for nearly 2 years and we finally are about to embark on this amazing adventure!

Now, there are a few reasons why I'm going on this trip and why I chose this trip (rather than any other missions trips my church hosts every year) and to tell you the truth none of the other missions trips my church has hosted really appealed to me, they weren't places I was interested in going to. (But if you are interested, I would suggest checking out the website for SPARK Worldwide, a non-profit organization founded by the wife of Open Door's pastor, Leanna Brewer. Here's the link: https://www.sparkworldwide.org/).
About a year and a half ago, my mom told me that Pastor Troy was planning a trip to Israel that would be open to anyone to wanted to go (he'd been to Israel a few times and I loved hearing the stories he told about visiting all the historic sights). It would be the experience of a lifetime, a trip to visit the Holy Land and witness it's wonders; to go to the old city of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River to name a few. And we'd be joined by Ron Cantor, the pastor of a Messianic church in Tel Aviv that we partner with, who would bring his own group. When I heard this news, something inside me kind of jolted to life, a feeling that wouldn't leave, and I knew that no matter what, I HAD to go on this trip. The feeling didn't settle down as time passed, I just got more and more excited to go to Israel and see these sights; places that I'd only read about in the Bible and would get to see in real life! And even more exciting (and the primary reason that sealed the deal for me) is that I realized that in some of the places we'd be going, I would actually be standing where Jesus stood, seeing what He saw, and walking where He walked! I knew I couldn't pass up this opportunity, so I started saving up, and let me tell you it hasn't be easy and I faced a lot of financial problems. But long story short, I did it! I was able to pay my trip off completely!
An additional place that I found out we'd be visiting is the Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust Museum honoring the Jews murdered by the Nazis during WWII. I'd heard Troy talk about his visit there once, that there's this recording that speaks the names of all six million murdered Jews, and that the recording is so long, if you played it beginning to end, it would take two years, TWO YEARS to listen to the entire thing! I became so intrigued by the Holocaust and it's mark on history that I couldn't wait to go to this Museum. I even decided to finally watch Steven Spielberg's Oscar winning film, Schindler's List in preparation for my visit and I must say I'm intrigued, amazed, saddened, and even down right horrified, but eager to learn more about this dark time in Jewish history.  
There are still a few things I could address, such as this trip not being an actual missions trip, but more of a tourist trip. Or the fact that I've heard a few people express their concern that it's not safe and there are terrorist threats. I know the risks and am willing take them, to be honest, I actually feel more safe about going to Israel then say, going to Dallas! But those are subjects for another day.
I can't wait to tell you about all of my adventures when I get back!
I'm Tirzah L Adcock, the Author of Authorsville, ready to embark on the incredible journey of a lifetime!