Israel Week 1

We had dinner with the Futerman's last Tuesday night at a Lebanese restaurant in Rehovat. Friday night we broke bread with their Assembly in Jaffa. About 35 people, many non-believers, came out for the service, which was followed by dinner and a short gospel message. It was great to see the work there! Saturday we went to Neve Shalom to hear Tony speak at a Youth Conference regarding the publishing of his new book "Science and Faith: Is there a conflict?". It was nice to meet many other believers and to spend more time with the Futerman's.

Masada is a large plateau, standing 900 km tall next to the Dead Sea (which is 400 meters below sea level). We took a cable car ride up to the plateau and then ventured around what used to be Herod's fortress. Herod used this as his place of retreat from rebellious people. Pictures: 1. Andy at the top of Masada with other plateaus in view behind. 2. Jess venturing down to the lower level via steps on the side of the plateau 900 meters up! Her hands didn't leave the rails at all!

En Gedi holds beautiful springs nestled back between the mountains. It is here that the Bible says David hid from Saul in caves. Pictures: 1. A view of David's waterfall. 2. The view looking back at the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan. On the right hand side, you will notice two trails and a sign. The sign is picture 3 and little did I know I would be hiking up the side of that mountain. The smile in picture 2 proves that I was completely unaware of what was to come... Picture 4 shows my mood after reaching the top. It was quite the scary climb as the Israelis are not worried about safety. There were very few rails as you walked along 12 inch paths right next to a 400 meter drop!

Andy on the other hand was quite happy at the top. Here he is deciding which path to take next with the Dead Sea and the Jordan mountains in the background. Picture 2 - The view of En Gedi from the parking lot. I must admit that we only climbed as high as the grassy portions - but the picture doesn't do justice as to how high up we really were.

We paused for a picture in front of this sign, but did not go in for Dead Sea Spa Treatments - which cost a fortune! Instead we ventured into the public swimming area to put our feet into the Dead Sea. The super salty water left our clothes in a cardboard state. Our skin immediately dried out and we had remnants of salt (and I mean piles of salt) all over our arms and legs. The salt covered rocks and stones (which made it very difficult to venture out into the water) making it look like taffy.

Outside the walls of Jeruslam, next to the Mt of Olives, is what they believe to be the Garden of Gethsemane. The olive trees pictured below to the left are over 2000 years old. The garden was surrounded by gates and a pathway as seen below in picture 2.

Within the Old City walls, we took a tour from a local guide. He showed us all 4 quarters, claiming that the Muslim and Christian quarters have merged to become one - the Arabic quarter. His reasoning was that their beliefs are so similar??? The Armenian quarter is closed off by walls (within the city walls) and we were only allowed to see their courtyard. The Jewish quarter was ultimately the most peaceful and welcoming. From this quarter we enjoyed delightful views of the Mount of Olives and lunch on crowded streets. Below is a view of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) where people waited hours to touch the wall and say their prayers. Tourists and locals alike find great significance in the only portion of the 2nd temple (built in 66AD) to remain. The second picture is taken just inside the Jaffa gate in front of Herod's tower/castle, surrounded by a moat.

Today, we will visit the Mediterranean beaches in Tel Aviv. The weather has been beautiful - mid 70's each day.