Israel - Day 3

Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

Wow! I need to come up with some new words.  This day was amazing!  Every aspect of the day was eye-opening and powerfully emotional.  We started out day at the Dental Clinic in Biet She'an, trying to minister to those that minister to the needy here in Israel.  We had a fun morning, painting the building, the fence, and each other.  We also left our mark on the neighboring school since the kids playing soccer at recess kicked the ball up against the fence several times, getting fresh paint on the ball.

The foreman for the job was a little man named Josi. He didn't speak any English, but he was very expressive in letting me know how he wanted me to paint.  I got the impression that Josi was not too impressed with the quality of laborers that we had brought him for the job.  But it didn't take me too long to win him over.

After the Dental Clinic we went to the ruins at Biet She'an.  It is one of the most extensive archeological digs in the area.  It was an amazing place with an ampatheatre, a bathhouse, with a tile mosaic floor and a sauna and water heating system that rivaled anything that modern technology can produce.  I could have spent all day there, but we had several other stops to make.

Our next stop was a Baptism in the Jordan River. It was a really neat experience to take a symbolic dip in the river where Jesus was baptized along with the other members of our group. It was not Scriptural baptism, that has already been taken care of in my life, but it was a public declaration of my faith in Christ and my dedication to living a life of obedience to Him. It was a blessing.

Later in the day, I had the opportunity to share a devotion on the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It was really special to me to be able to teach on the Sermon on the Mount at almost the exact spot that Jesus had first spoken these words that are so familiar to us.

We finished our day with dinner together and our bus driver, Abi, prayed the prayer of dedication, welcoming Shabot, in the way that observant Jewish families were doing all over the country. Our guide, Tali, is a Messianic Jew, but I have not heard if Avi is also a believer, but the singing of the prayer and all that went with it was a very special addition to our time together.

Well, my time is almost up so I must fly. More tomorrow.