Special Places by the Sea

We started our day off by visiting the Mount of Battitudes. Here, there is a natural amphitheater found in the earth. This is where Jesus spoke to the five thousand. We left there and went to sail on the Sea of Galilee. It was so neat to know that my Savior walked on this body of water. The Galilee was not very big and surrounded by mountains it was easy to see why storms could blow in without warning. One of the crew members threw a net into the sea to demonstrate the way fishing was done two thousand years ago. They played music on the ship, they played the American national anthem, but when they played Israel’s national anthem they stopped the boat. We could not understand what the words were because it was spoken in Hebrew but it still sent shivers down your spine. We headed back to land and visited the museum that healed the Jesus Boat. A boat that they believe was from Jesus’ time. It was uncovered not too long ago when there was a drought and some little boys discovered parts of wood sticking up out of the mud along with some nails. After lunch we went to the town of Capernaum, the town of Jesus. This is where Jesus spent a lot of time preaching and healing. This is where Mary and Martha lived. It is also the place where Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet right before He made the journey to Jerusalem for His crucifixion. Unfortunately, the Catholics built a church, just inches above the walls of this special home. For supper, we stopped at the only horse ranch in Israel, a special treat from our tour guide (She knew I loved horses). The following day we went to visit the Gideon Spring where Gideon sent his army down to the water to drink. Going from ten thousand soldiers to three hundred, he surrounded the Philistines blowing horns and breaking pots. The Philistines woke up from their sleep and killed one another while the Israelites watched, never raising a sword, another miracle by God. After a few pictures we headed for Bet Shean!