Hello from Nazareth!

On Saturday our day started with a 7:00 am breakfast so that we could beat the traffic rush as we once again headed out to the region by the Sea of Galilee to explore more historical and biblical sites.  Our first stop was to Cesarea Phillipi.  There we learned how in the Bible this place was controlled by the Romans and was known for having many different gods that the people worshiped.  This is also the approximate place where Jesus told Peter that he would build his church, “on this rock.”  As we walked around and explored the area, our group was once again reminded how it is easy to sometimes read the Bible as just “stories,” but yet it is full of real events and being in those places brings that reality to life.

After Cesarea Phillipi we traveled on to see the beautiful Banias waterfall.  From there we went on to the  Fortress of Nimrod which was a huge castle at the top of a mountain.  It was built in honor of Nimrod whose name is in the Bible, and is known as a brave hunter.  The castle has been occupied by many different groups of people all throughout history.  We all really enjoyed exploring the ruins and the beautiful views it had to offer.

Lunch consisted of shawarma, a very common Israeli meal.  After that we headed to a lookout where we could view an empty village where 30,000 Syrians were forced from their home due to war in the 1970s.  It was very sad to imagine all those people being forced to leave, greatly confusing their legal identity.  We were so far north in Israel that we could see the borders of both Lebanon and Syria.  Another reminder of the war was a mosque on the side of the road that had gun shots all over it and political graffiti.  The day ended with a trip to the Gamla Nature Reserve.  One part about the day that we found very interesting was how many places we went were fenced off with sings that read, “Caution Mine Field.”  Our group stayed safe and we are slowly getting over the culture shock and adjusting to life here.

We are having a wonderful time and are excited to start serving at Nazareth Village all next week.  Please continue to pray for our group that we may serve God to the best of our ability while we are here, and also for continued safety.

Alyssa Ott