Day 7

Today was the Sea of Galilee excursion. What a wonderful excursion for a Sunday. Great weather again today, but I understand it usually doesn’t rain much this time of year so we didn’t really have to worry about bad weather while sightseeing.

We started off the day with a road trip to the Sea of Galilee. It’s not far from Nazareth. I think it’s about 30 miles. But, it is downhill. The Sea is the largest freshwater body of water below sea level. It is about 400 ft. below sea level, 7 miles wide and 13 miles long, shaped similar to the continent of Africa. We passed through several small villages on our way. I can’t remember the names of each one but one was where Jonah was living when he was called to go to Nineveh. There were many small orchards and gardens all along the way. Even though below sea level this is a very green and fertile area, unlike the last body of water we visited below sea level. We passed through a small resort area at the site of what used to be Magala, the city where Mary Magdalene lived. It is right on the coast of the Sea. We were on the western side of the Sea and turned north to our first stop, which was at the Mount of the Beatitudes, where of course, there is a Catholic church. This one was built by Mussolini in honor of his mother, who was Catholic. The church grounds are very beautiful and provided great photo opportunities. Next to the church is a steep, rocky, dirt road leading down the hill to the ocean. This hill is now farmed but is thought to be a possible site of the Sermon on the Mount. We walked down the road to the bottom of the hill. About halfway down the hill is a natural amphitheater where tradition says that Jesus taught. We stopped and had a short devotional time there. At the bottom of the hill we entered another Catholic Church enclosure and walked to a small outdoor amphitheater where we sang songs and had a short devotional. It was very peaceful there. Lots of birds singing and sounds of other groups around the area singing and talking. Soon after we finished another group took our place. There are so many tourists in all of these places its unbelievable. At this location we were able to walk on the beach and wade in the Sea of Galilee. We didn’t go very far in because there were a lot of rocks in the water and not any sand. The water was nice and cool.

We stayed for a few minutes and then made our way back to the bus where, continuing north, we were taken to the old city of Capernaum. Again, a couple of churches built at the site but there was a great deal of the old city ruins visible. It is said that Peter’s mother-in-law’s house is part of the ruins. There was a 4th century synagogue there with quite a bit of the walls and columns still standing. It was built exactly on the foundation of an older synagogue believed to have been standing at the time of Jesus. This city is quite important to Christian believers as it is where Jesus spent quite a bit of his three-year ministry time while in Galilee.

It was beginning to get quite hot by now and it was great to get back on the cool, air-conditioned bus for a short ride along the shore to the dock where we were to ride a boat across the Sea of Galilee, from west to east. The boats that are used are called “Jesus Boats.” These are modified fishing boats which have been outfitted to carry passengers. A cross-like ‘mast’ has been added to the center of the craft. After we got on the boat the captain of the boat had one of our young team members, Joi, help him hoist the American flag on the flagpole and then they played a tape of the National Anthem. Of course, we all had to stand and sing. Then we started out across the Sea. While we were motoring across the captain played some cd’s of Christian music. Just standing at the side of the boat and looking out across the Sea of Galilee and the surrounding hillsides was quite emotional to us. Right in the middle of the sea the captain turned off the engines and we just drifted quietly for a few minutes. Lindell then spoke to us some and we prayed. After his devotional time we continued on across to the other shore.

Arriving at the shore we met Talib, who had driven around to await us. But before boarding the bus we entered into the restaurant at the lakeside where we ate lunch. The specialty of the house was St. Peter’s fish...cleaned but cooked whole with the head, tail, and fins on and served with French fries. For those who didn’t want fish, the only other offerings were pasta and pizza. I believe all those under 21 ate pizza and Sam and I chose pasta. When the pasta arrived it was just a large bowl of spaghetti noodles with a tomato sauce. But, mid-eastern style, we also had pitas with hummus and a spicy red sauce, resembling mild picante.

As soon as lunch was over we boarded the bus and drove down the road to the southern end of the Sea where the Jordan River flows out of the sea. Just past this mouth of the river is a site called Yardenit. This is one of the areas where baptisms are done and has been nicely done up. Of course, it is a little commercial with a gift shop and snack bar. But, for a fee they provide a clean towel, a white baptismal gown to wear over your swimsuit, and a certificate of baptism. You provide your own minister. Lindell was ours. There were several in our group who were either baptized for the first time or re-baptized as a symbol of rededication. The water was cold but sure felt good after such a hot day. (At one point Talib said it was 37 C.)

After the baptism we continued on around the southern end of the Sea and then back up into the hills on our return to the hotel for supper. A free evening today for us to enjoy. Dad (Clyde), Sam and I walked down the street a little ways for an ice cream cone. Most everything closes early here so we were lucky to find this little store open this close to the hotel. As I’m sitting here writing this I am hearing the Muslim call to prayer coming from the minaret close by. Nazareth is 70 percent Muslim and 30 percent Christian. It’s time to get everything packed as we’ll be leaving early in the morning for our visit to Jordan.