We moved down from Mount Carmel into the Jezreel Valley. There were many fields rich with agriculture. Oozi, our bus driver who did not know any English, took us to Megiddo. The city was ancient ruins having twenty-five layers of civilization, but archeologists removed the top nine layers in most areas. On the sixteenth layer was Solomon’s city. We walked down streets and saw steps that Solomon himself walked. We saw a Karat tree. This tree inspired the diamond karat weight because its seeds weigh exactly one karat. In Megiddo we moved to the cliff and once again, cast our eyes over the Jezreel Valley from a different view. The people were so small, cars were driving down the roads, farmers were busy in the fields, and planes were taking off from the military airport. It was so much to take in. Our tour guide, Mrs. Susan Marcus, took us to a water cistern that was accessible from inside the city.  When Solomon was king there was peace all over the land, thus, it was safe fo the women to walk around the outside of the city to get water.  The water cistern in Megiddo at that time was only accessible from outside the city walls. When Jeraboam was king, the peace ended. Jeraboam devised a way to get to the water from inside the city. In just two years, he had dug through 60 meters of solid rock to get to the same well. We walked through this tunnel and it was large and the walls were very smooth. Its remarkable that people back then could have such ability.

Day 3: God's Beautiful Country

We started the day early. Packed our bags and set them outside the door of our hotel room, out in the middle of the open! Anybody could have walked off with them. The bell boy picked them up and took them to the lobby, we identified our bags and they were loaded on the bus. But that’s how they did it in Israel, the crime rate was very low, thus, that’s how we handled our luggage throughout the trip. We went to an ancient coliseum built by Herod the Great. Pastor Griffith demonstrated the acoustics by singing a solo on the stage and everyone in the stadium could hear him. We moved on to the Hippodrome where proof on Pontius Piolate was discovered. The Hippodrome was an ancient horse racetrack; it was one furlong in distance with a sharp turn at one end. The people back then liked blood and guts and the turn was an excellent place for racing accidents to occur. Anyways, we walked up the track, the Mediterranean Sea to our left; a tsunami had washed away the grandstands along the sea. We stopped for lunch. Falafel was a common food in Israel and it was good. We made our ascent to Mount Carmel, where Elisha challenged the profits of Baal. Our eyes fell onto the Jezreel Valley, or better known as the Valley of Armageddon. Twenty-five miles long and seven miles wide; it is the world’s “most perfect battle field.” More battles had been fought in this valley than any other place on earth. Very humbling and moving, knowing what will happen on that land someday soon.

Day 2: We are in Israel!

We arrived in Israel at 6 am and began our tour right away. We stopped at Aroma Café, a popular restaurant in Israel. I got a date pastry and the best cappuccino ever! We ate outside right beside the Mediterranean Sea, but our tour guide, Susan Marcus, sat inside the café with her coat on. She said that today was quite chilly for Israel. After the refreshments, we headed to a little hill that overlooked Joppa and Tel Aviv, perhaps the place where Jonah sat waiting for God to destroy Nineveh. I kept repeating to myself, “I’m in Israel.” It was so much to take in.

Our hotel room was ready by then. It was a very nice room that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. We had the rest of the day to rest. There was a sidewalk that ran along the sea and people walking, jogging, and biking all the time. Mrs. Diamond and I went down to the sea to lie in the sun. The sand was so fine and the water was too cold to go swimming in. There were people playing beach volleyball with their feet, really neat. Mrs. Hoffman – nicknamed Roomie – and I wanted to go to the Tuesday market just a couple of blocks from the hotel. We exchanged some dollars for shekels and got a taxi – taxis only accepted shekels. It was to be my first taxi ride. We arrived to the flea market and saw much of Israel’s culture. Candy, spices, olives, and fish, just to name a few, were out in the open, free for the flies to land on. People did not have personal bubbles. Roomie and I got to pick what fruits we wanted in a smoothie, but because we spent the rest of our shekels on a smoothie, we had to walk back to the hotel. If I remember, it was about 15 blocks. Roomie had arthritis in her hips and it hurt her to walk far distances. However, she did it and it was great bonding time. She wasn't so bad for a roommate. We went to bed early, trying to adjust to the 6 hour time difference.  

Israel 2011

    The Diamonds sitting in the terminal.

Our airplane, El Al

I am doing a blog on Israel for extra credit in English class at HACC and, Lord willing, it will be something I can go back to, to help me remember my amazing trip to Israel, 2011. Enjoy...

Day one: meeting my tour group family.

   We began our journey to the Holy Lands on Monday, March 28, 2011. I rode to the Newark, New Jersey airport with Mr. and Mrs. Diamond, an elderly couple that went to church with me. I didn’t know the Diamonds very well, but I knew that this was their second trip to Israel. I thought it was a little strange that they would spend that much money and go again, but they seemed financially stable. Mr. Diamond was retired and Mrs. Diamond worked at Indiantown Gap. During the 3 hour drive to the airport from Lebanon, they told me of the many countries they had been to and how Israel was their favorite. It still hadn’t hit me yet; I’m going to Israel. I’m going to walk where my Savior walked! The thought was overwhelming. It was my first time flying since I was a baby and I was a little nervous, naturally.

   When we arrived at the airport, our trio met up with Dr. and Mrs. Griffith, the sponsors of the trip – this was their 9 trip to Israel – and their son Pastor Griffith and his lovely wife. Then there was Mrs. Hoffman, Dr. Griffith’s sister. She was 69 years old and she was to be my roommate for the trip. I was told that we had a lot in common with racehorses, but I wasn’t too sure about spending 9 more days with someone 50 years older than me, but I wasn’t going to let it ruin this incredible opportunity. There were 2 other couples coming on the tour, The MacAvoys and the Hughes were both in their fifties I’d say. Then there was Terry, a middle aged man from New Jersey going to Israel to take pictures. He seemed very smart and very different and he made me uncomfortable with his towering height and his little beady eyes moving behind his glasses.

   That was the tour group, thirteen of us. The smallest Dr. Griffith had had. At one o'clock pm, we loaded on the El Al airplane and enjoyed the eleven hour flight to God’s chosen counrty.