Missy had me this year for Birthday and Christmas and she wanted to have a family and friend party for my birthday. It was so much fun, the food was delicious, the company was wonderful and it was a perfect day. Thank you!!! Thank you!!!
She made a darling dessert - very delicious and very fun!!!
Every night on the hour they have a Sound, Light and Water show which was just wonderful to watch and listen to. These weren't going when you were there, Allison. The Lunds said it started last year. Not very biblical but fun to stand on the dock where we boarded the cruise ship and be entertained!!!
We then stopped to see Mt Tabor and hear the story of Deborah and Barak who defeated Sisera at Mt Tabor.
Then a brutal climb- (maybe it wouldn't be for all of you but for Dad and I it was!!) up Arbel Nature Reserve to have a magnificent view of the Sea of Galilee and Magdala where Mary Magdala was born.
We then returned to our hotel to have dinner and rest before we went for a night cruise on the Sea of Galilee and heard the stories of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. It was in many of the stories of Jesus. I've heard people say that things were only a short distance (walk) away. I don't believe it any more. Where we came into Israel from Jordan we crossed the Jordan River where Jesus was probably baptized by John the Baptist and then went 80 miles north to the Sea of Galilee to our hotel. Now they may have gone more directly than we did but you can't cut a lot of miles off the trip. They walked MANY miles.
We packed much into each day - that's why it's hard to pick a favorite thing , there are so many wonderful sites and sights and things we heard and did!!!
I had no idea what a synagogue would look like but I'm not sure this was anything like what I would picture.
1.The table with the scrolls which was at the opposite end to the door.
2. The ceiling
3. Where we are sitting is exactly like the place where the people are sitting opposite us in the picture. A large building with stairstep seats on either side and at the front. Columns on either side. A few steps up in one corner to a room where old scrolls are kept. Apparently,
they never destroyed old scrolls so they needed a place to keep them which helps them identify old synagogues. 
The fellow in the center of the synagogue was our Nazareth guide.
Dad also took pictures - one of him by an old olive tree -
The woodworker at Nazareth and the woman weaving.
(Now that I think of it, I was taking the pictures as Dad couldn't take one of himself, I realize!! My camera battery had died so he let me use his to take the pictures.)
We left Gideon's Cave and went on to Mount Carmel where Elijah had his historic confrontation with the priests of Baal. Then on to a reconstruction of what Nazereth might have been like in Jesus time. Many displays of ancient lamps, nails, pottery, tools, Roman soldiers, etc. There was an enclosure with sheep and a shepherd, an olive press and some buildings that would have been what was around for living quarters in Jesus time. There was a woman weaving and a man working with wood. And a cross that might have been the same as the one Jesus had to carry.
When we finished at Petra we had a long bus ride north to Israel and then passed the Dead Sea and on up to the Sea of Galilee. We stayed in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee and our first stop the next day was what is called Herod's
Spring that bubbles from Gideons Cave at Mount Gilboa where Gideon picked his 300 soldiers from the ones that lapped their water as opposed to those who put their faces in the water. The 300 defeated the thousands of Midianites. (Judges 7) This is a beautiful parklike spot that Brother Lund calls an A+ site. That means they are almost 100 % sure that this is the place where this particular story happened. There are many sites that are designated places for the events that are supposed to have happened there but noone knows for sure if they really are. But some are A+ like this one.
These pictures are actually from the night before and morning of the day we went to Petra. We stayed at Wadi Mousse (the valley of Moses) the night before. The first pictures are of the rock Moses hit with his rod and water gushed forth. (Numbers 20:10)
The next picture is of what they think is Mount Hor where Aaron was stripped of his
priesthood garments. And the other picture is what the houses around here look like. Kind of simple housing - the odd one is painted pink???
Brother John L Lund, who was our guide, says that this area is probably where Paul came after his journey in the wilderness, this is ancient Arabia.
There is no grass anywhere!!! It is very dry and desert looking.
