Evan and I are connected with a family that takes a group of high school seniors from all over the US on a trip to Israel. At the end of last summer, we were invited to go as "chaperones" for this trip. (I use that term very loosely because from what I've seen so far, these young adults are just top notch and need very little chaperoning.) So for us, this is just a trip of a lifetime. We've been preparing our hearts and minds for months, so to finally be here is surreal. Soooo...I am resurrecting the long-lost blog to document our days in this very special, holy place.
We arrived in Tel-Aviv yesterday just before sunset. This is the view of the Mediterranean Sea from our first night's hotel window.
Sunday morning began with worship at a Lutheran church in Jaffa. I did not take my camera inside, but this quaint church was absolutely beautiful with it's stained glassed windows and pipe organ. The service was Christ-centered and such refreshing time for me personally. After the service we headed out into Jaffa. In scripture, you see Jaffa as 'Joppa'--where Simon the Tanner lived (Acts 9:36-43) and probably the more familiar story of Jonah boarding the ship to head to Tarshish instead of Ninivah.
A picture of our group at Jaffa, with Tel-Aviv in the background.
After lunch in Jaffa, we headed to Caesarea Maritima--the fortified city built by Herod the Great. There was so much to look at here! The theater, hippodrome, aqueducts...to think about Paul being imprisoned here and then shipped off to Rome. The time here was not long enough.
From Caesarea, we moved on to Haifa, making a stop at the Baha'i gardens that overlook the city.
It's hard to put into words the thoughts that are going through my mind as we walk in these ancient places. I think about Jonah, who hated the wicked people of Nineveh and wanted to see God's judgement come to them, instead of sharing God's message. Jonah, whom God gave a second chance, but still couldn't grasp that God would offer grace to the Ninevites. I think about Herod and all of his wealth and power, but so afraid Jesus would take his kingdom away that he had all the baby boys killed. And Jesus, so loving that he would have saved even Herod. I think about these Baha'i Gardens and as beautiful as they are, how they represent a world that doesn't know Jesus and the peace He offers.
As I close this day, most of all I think about how thankful I am for Jesus and the life He's given me.
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. --Philippians 3:8-9
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