Done already?

Wow, so the two weeks at JUC have passed very quickly. Since my last post we have been up in the region of the Galilee. We spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Galilee region before returning to Jerusalem last night in time for the Shabbot (Sabbath) meal.

Beginning on Tuesday we battled rain every step of the way. We had almost constant rain the whole 4 days we were in the Galilee, with breaks in the clouds just long enough to get some great pictures, or to tour a site without getting too soaked. Thank goodness for my waterproof shoes and coat. They were amazing!!

So on Tuesday we set off and went to Beth-She'an, an important trade city back in the day. We also went to Megiddo, another important trade city, and then we went up to Mount Carmel and read the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. It was so cool. If you keep reading the story, you find that Elijah goes down to Mt. Sinai and finds God in the quiet whisper after the earthquake, wind, and fire. So while we were reading this story, a big storm was blowing in, and all of a sudden, the rain came pouring down on us. It was awesome! We all got soaked running down the muddy path to get back to the bus, but it was totally worth it. I will think of that every time I read the story of Elijah. God's works are so amazing. After the torrential rain had passed, we headed over to the Nazareth Ridge. There we went to what is known as the "jumping cliff." This is supposedly the site where Jesus was taken by the people of Nazareth to be thrown of the cliff. Some say that Jesus jumped off instead and was carried away on the wind, thus the name "jumping cliff." Below is a view of the Jezreel Valley from the "jumping cliff."

Then we headed to En-Gev, a Holiday Resort on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. It was an amazing place to stay. When we pulled up the sun was beginning to set and this was the view we were greeted with on the shores of the Galilee. So amazing!

The next three days passed in sort of a blur we drove around a lot and saw so many things. We went to Hazor, Capernum, Ceasarea Philippi, Dan, Kursi, Qasrin, Bethsaida, Mt. Hermon, different outlooks on the Golan heights, we rode on a boat across the Sea of Galilee, and ended our time in the Galilee by heading to the Mediterranean Sea to visit Ceasarea.

Most of you probably recognize most of the places I visited, and that's okay. A lot of them were important trade cities. Pretty much the focus of the Galilee was the accessibility for trade. So I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Galilee and look forward to returning to it in a few weeks. This time we will be staying on a Kibbutz and hiking the Jesus Trail. It should be fun.

For the mean time though, I leave for Antalya, Turkey early tomorrow morning for my free travel. I'm looking forward to a few relaxing days on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. Then we will be returning to Jerusalem for a week, and then up to the Galilee again. Only about 6 weeks left. Time is passing quickly.

Much love,

Allison