The Big Middle East Adventure: Part Two

i'm back guys. i've got the first day of school under my belt and now i'm going to blog part two of my big adventure.

ready?

day four: tel aviv, jaffa, mount carmel.

after the crazy train adventure, we flew to tel aviv, and let me tell you, it was heaven compared to egypt. the streets were clean and the people were not as aggressive. we had the best breakfast full of fruit and veggies (we couldn't eat any veggies in egypt, and no fruit you couldn't peel. so what did we eat? carbs. bread, rice, and pasta. for breakfast on the train we had 4 different kinds of bread. 4. so yeah, we were pretty excited to get to israel). our first stop was jaffa- an ancient port where jonah was expected to be before he was swallowed up. also it was the location of simon's home.

then we went to mount carmel, where elijah received the keys of heaven. it had the most beautiful view!

day five: christmas! jordan river, galilee branch, megiddo, nazareth

we started the day by going to the jordan river, where christ was baptized. so it wasn't exactly the spot where the baptism took place, but i didn't mind. :) we then went to the galilee branch and had a wonderful christmas program. they aren't allowed to have wards in israel, but luckily they let us have a small house that allows the 15 or so members meet each saturday (most of them are hispanic, crazy). we had the most ah-mazing view of the sea of galilee from the window.

after that, we went to megiddo, where the supposed battle of armageddon took place. next, we went to nazareth. it was quite the experience. it was very crowded and busy, so it was hard to focus on what happened here. christ taught a lot here when he was young, and this is also where mary was told by the angel gabriel that she would be having the christ-child. now that was cool. check it out below. too bad they built a huge church on top of it.

day six: caesarea philipi, mount of beatitudes, capernum, boat ride on the sea of galilee.

the day started out with caesarea phillipi- where god told peter he would build his church. there is no church yet, but there will be :)

after that, we went to the mount of beatitudes- where christ gave the sermon on the mount. that place was so beautiful. it was like this little sanctuary. 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

next, we went to capernum. we saw peter's home, where christ lived with him. in fact, christ considered himself from here. 

now, let me tell you about this cat:

while we were sitting in capernum talking, this little guy came over and pretty much started yelling at us. seriously, i have never heard a meow like that. he was angry! meeeeaaahhhooooowww!!!! he wanted food and he knew where to find it. julina had some cheese and bread in her backpack and he made a beeline to her. meeeeeooowww! oh my goodness, i couldn't stop laughing. our israeli tour guide was not pleased. 'i guess i cannot compete with the cat'. well, she couldn't. 

that night, we took a beautiful boat ride on the sea of galilee. we read how christ walked on water while we were sailing around, watching the sunset. 

wow guys. this is going to take longer than i thought. i still have five days left! i may have to make this a four part thing. don't be mad. please. i'll leave you with a song from one of my top five favorite artists, then you'll feel better, promise. 

casimir pulaski day- sufjan stevens.

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