Garden Tomb

Near the end of our Israel trip we got a chance to see what they call the "Garden Tomb."
Some think this is where Jesus was buried. It certainly does have the right feel, devotionally.
It really gives you a sense of what Jesus' temporary resting place would have been like. For that reason alone, it was worth visiting.

Taste of Home

I know, I know, boring pictures from a North American perspective. But I was eating Middle Eastern and Korean food almost exclusively for my five weeks out here, so my two visits to McDonalds were heaven. And I got the unique Israeli experience of seeing a group of young Israeli soldiers, each armed to the teeth, march casually up to the counter and order their big Macs!

Dead Sea and Jericho

Another weekend, another long distance trip. One of the most interesting stops on this trip was, of course, the Dead Sea. The famous salt content of that sea makes it quite an experience. You can't even tred water there, your feet just pop right up to the surface. We never put our heads under the water, but our lips get coated with salt just the same. The rocks out there are caked with salt!

We also got a chance to see Jericho. You can't see any fallen walls there are anything so the most interesting aspect of this place is how ancient the city is. It claims to be the oldest city in history.

and you can see the different layers in the diggings. There we also got to see the spring that Elisha was said to have healed. This is no mere tourist attraction. It is, in fact, still the main source of water for the modern city of Jericho.

For this trip we also got to see the palace and fortress of Masada. This is where the Jews made their last stand against the Romans, after Jerusalem and the Temple was destroyed. A very big deal for the Israelis. There is an amazing set of ruins there and you can still see the massive earth ramp the Romans had to build to breach the city walls. They tried to use the stones seen here to stop the work, but in the end the fighters and their families commited suicide rather than be defeated.

In the end, not a lot of Bible stuff this trip but some excellent experiences and history lessons.

Sea of Galilee

Well we've been to the sea where Jesus walked. All three of our families went up there and had a really good time. We went to a restaurant where they specialize in the fish Jesus probably served his disciples after his resurrection. We got to swim in the sea itself and in a nearby pool. We even dug up a few clams and ate them when we got home! I know Joseph looks a little grumpy but he actually really enjoyed himself there. Yet another good experience.

Hezekiah's Tunnel

This is the tunnel built by King Hezekiah to allow the Kingdom of Judah to have water during the Assyrian's seige. Today walking through it is about a 40 min. hike sometimes up to your knees in water. Don't let the pictures fool you, it's pitch black in there. The kid behind me kept yelling at me to turn off my flashlight so it could be more "scary,"but as you can see by some of these pictures that could have resulted in a concussion for me! It wasn't always this cramped but it's clear this tunnel wasn't built for Dutchmen!

National Parks

Ami's brother has taken us to a number of national parks. In the top picture, we're at Beersheba, where Abraham dug a well. There there is an altar with horns similar to the one described in Old Testament.

The second is a local temple in the town of Arad that was a model of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, complete with a Holy of Holies. Such temples were condemned in the Old Testament because sacrifices were only able to be offered in Jerusalem. In these local temples there were often used to sarifice to more than one God, hedging their bets. It was destroyed in King Josiah's time and reconstructed later. Regardless, it reveals the structure of Solomon's temple so it was extremely interesting.

The last is a cave where thousands of holes carved into the sides. Each of these holes served as a "cage" for a pidgeon. They used them for food and sacrfices. These things are huge, almost as big and with a similar structure to a modern chicken barn.

Joseph and the Cuzzes

I realise we've recently veered off the main purpose of this blog, that of showing off pictures of Joseph. The problem is, Joseph can rarely come with us on our excursions as the pavement stones are a little rough on the stroller. To placate those who are going through Joseph withdrawl we present these pictures of him playing with his cousins. He is really enjoying being with his cousins whenever we go on our little trips, but without fail has a little fit when we return as punishment for leaving him! (By the way, the watermelon Joseph is eating is truly amazing. We eat it at least twice a day and it's better than any drink.)