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Dec. 28th: Dr. Lambertson was gracious enough to drive the group down to BOS. The group departed to New York on time (actually arrived 8 minutes early
!) and will depart from New York in about one hour. Mr. Libby is travelling separately and is hoping to leave BOS on the 3:30 flight which is currently delayed. Keep us all in prayer
as we voyage to the Holy Land!!
Dec. 29th: All are safe and sound in Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives Hotel. The view is amazing. The group visited the lithostratos, the church of the holy sepulcher, and walked a great deal of the old city. Tomorrow looks like showers so we'll go to the Dead Sea, Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Masada. Dec. 30th: Awoke to Muslim prayers broadcasting from the local minnaret - we are no longer in Maine! Our room at the Mount of Olives Hotel is dry, warm, and clean with rather interesting tiger blankets. In a little while we'll discover if the showers run hot water. Dec. 30th: Showers were hot - made for hobbits with a showerhead about 5 feet high - but hot water. We explored Masada, Ein Gedi, and then it started to rain around lunch time, but by the time we were done with lunch and the Qumran movie it had cleared so we had a great walk around the Essene ruins. Then most of the group floated in the Dead Sea - what a great time to see the newbies trying to maneuver in this highly unusual element:) Then a lecture with Mr. Libby on the geography of Israel and the Dead Sea region, some supper, some fellowship, and now bed. Tomorrow is going to be mostly in Jerusalem. Pray for great weather! Dec. 31st: Today we visited the City of David park where some of the most recent and amazing discoveries have been made. It included a 3-D movie of the history of the site, which was incredibly well done. We also had the opportunity to go to the Southern Wall Excavations, the Western Wall, and the Underground Western Wall Tunnels. What an amazing experience to pray, meditate, and learn, at sites which are so bathed in prayer and veneration. Since the Jewish calendar doesn't celebrate New Years on Jan 1st, we are probably all going to go to bed at a reasonable hour and prepare for tomorrow's visit to Bethlehem, the Herodian, the Wadi Qelt, and Jericho. There are a great number of celebrations taking place from what we've heard, but nothing large scale enough to draw us out of bed after a long day of walking and learning. Jan. 1st: Happy New Year! Today we visited Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. It seemed that the city was bustling with activity, certainly more than we're used to on a non-holiday. We saw the normal highlights of the church, but were also able to watch as lights were cleaned and prepared for Orthodox Christmas Eve on Jan. 5th. We look forward to attending that service in a few days. For the first time, the group was also able to see the recently discovered tomb of Herod the Great at the Herodian - icing on the cake for a site featuring a literally man-made mountain fortress. Jericho offered a beautiful day - would have worn shorts if I'd brought them on the bus - and a thriving fruit market. Enjoyed one of the best pomegranites I've had in years! We drove to the Wadi Qelt overlook to contemplate the treacherous route from Jerusalem to Jericho, as well as remember the temptation of our Lord. Tomorrow morning we'll leave the Mount of Olives Hotel behind and enjoy a leisurely drive along the coast to visit Caesarea Maritima and Mt. Carmel. Thank you for praying for great weather! Jan. 3rd: by Bill Carson: Today was a wonderful way to begin the new week. We started off the day by taking a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. We started out shortly after 8:00 a.m., so the sun had not yet burned through the atmosphere, but it was a nice morning that kept getting better. The boat was stopped half way across the Sea for a devotional by Josh Libby and a Christian concert by Daniel Carmel. It was a very moving time. It was remarkable to sit on the boat and look all around and see land everywhere. It really is a small Sea. After the concert we completed the trip across the Galilee where we saw the remains of a fishing boat which dates back to the time of Jesus. From there we went to the Mount of Beautitudes, where Jesus gave us some of His most profound teaching. After a devotional there we had a fish lunch. Then we went to Tabghe, the traditional sight for Peter's encounter with Jesus on the beach after the resurrection. A visit was then made to Capernaum, Peter's home. A stop was made at Kursi, one of the suggested sights for Jesus casting out a demon. On the way back to the hotel, we made a quick stop at the Jordan River. We kept busy but it was a remarkable day. Jan. 5th: by Rae Jean Webber: Scott joined the mighty men at Mayam Harod - traditional location for Gideon's selection of mighty men. by Marc Casavant: What I found striking was the amount of intact structures at Beth Shean - the street, the bath houses, the theater, and just the periods of time represented when we went up on the tell. Just to see all that in one site was amazing. by Pat Carson: I was amazed by the huge difference in style between the Egyptian and the Roman remains. Tomorrow is another Jerusalem day - the last day of our study trip. Jan. 6th: Today was an amazing morning - we were allowed access to the Temple Mount and there wasn't a cloud in the sky - was reminded of the passage where Elijah sends a servant to search for a cloud and he finally returns with the answer that he found one the size of a fist. We couldn't even find one that small - a tremendous blessing. Then we prayed and sang hymns at the Garden of Gethsemene. We of course visited the Israeli Museum - it is a school trip after all - but then added the Holocaust Museum since we had extra time. This was an incredibly difficult museum to walk through - it was far more extensive than we had thought, with thousands of quotes, pictures, and even video clips of survivors. Probably not the most positive way to end our experience, but an amazing memory to take back with us as we continue to prepare for the various ministries that God has called us to. Violence reminds us of the end results of unchecked sins. Mr. Libby left the group and is awaiting a flight at Tel Aviv airport while the remainder of the group spends their last night in Bethlehem before a morning flight. Jan. 8th: Most of the group arrived home last night safe and sound. The rest took an extra day (stand-by is never guaranteed) and are now home as well. Now we have the fun work of editing together pictures, a group photo, and preparing for the new semester. Thank you to all who faithfully followed this blog, our facebook entries, and prayed us through an amazing experience in the Holy Land!
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