Galilee

We just spent the last few weeks in Galilee staying on a kibbutz called Ein Gev.

We swam and field tripped galore! Here are some of the places we visited:

Nazareth

Mary's church is on the left - the courtyard was lined with murals of Mary from every country! 

Gamla (aka "A City Set On a Hill")

...did I mention it was in the Golan Heights?...

Mt. of Transfiguration

Boat ride across the 'sea'...

"master the tempest is raging..."

Church at Nain where Elisha raised the widow's son from the dead - here we had a beautiful devotional by Brother Huntsman about miracles and losing loved ones...def a highlight of the trip!

Hike to the falls

...us fearless hikers us!

Megiddo

...otherwise known as the place where Armageddon is going down!

Mt. Carmel

Bahai Gardens in Haifa

Tel Dan

(Shout out to Papa Dan Ellertson!)

Nimrod Castle

The coast city of Akko

The ancient port city of Ceserea

This is where the apostle Paul was tried in Herod's court and essentially the kick off point for the spread of Christianity to the Western world.

Meeting house for the Tiberias Branch with a beautiful overlook of the water. We put together a little musical number last minute for sacrament meeting "Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd" - this branch had an extra special feeling...Elder Holland refers to it as "Jesus' home ward"

So far away from home...

The End

America Rocks!

America Rocks!! (Hope of America anyone?)

This is long over due but I thought some might still be interested to see how the JC celebrates the 4th!

Saw this in some car in East Jerusalem! Wahoo!

The kitchen staff prepared the most American meal possible: fried chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes and apple pie (which I missed out on unfortunately)

These cute Ludlow brothers are such a help to Marissa and her poor broken ankle!

Happy late 4th Everyone!

Bethlehem

How far is it to Bethlehem?

....not very far!

Church of the Nativity

Where the manger "was"

A replica of THE manger!!...wait...

Tomb of the Shepherds

The hillside overlooking Bethlehem where we sang Christmas hymns

This is the new fence they put up that adds to the wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem/West Bank. A very sad thing - Brother Huntsman told us they just put it up a few months ago and before that, shepherds would still walk with their sheep to the village on the other side to do business.

Bethlehem on our left

How far is it to Bethlehem?
Not very far
Shall we find the stable room lit by a star?
Will we find the little child? Is He within?
If we lift the wooden latch may we go in?

May we stroke the creatures there oxen and sheep?
May we peep like them and see Jesus asleep?
If we touch His tiny hand, will He awake?
Will He know we've come so far just for His sake?

Great kings have precious gifts and we have naught.
Little smiles and little tears are all we've brought.
For all weary children Mary must weep.
Here on this bed of straw, sleep children sleep.

Petra

Meet my camel Zuzu!

I rode her from the main plaza back to the Treasury at the entrance and we bonded!

She was so sweet and cute and I loved her!

This was Zuzu's guide - an Arabian Jack Sparrow right?

Overview of the day: couldn't find my camera in the morning so rather than get briefed and loaded up with water, I ran around frantically looking for it. I was borderline heat stroke the whole day...

Walked through the Siq which opened up to the Treasury (where Indiana Jones was filmed!) and hiked up to the Monastery (before coming I thought they were the same place...they look really similar)

The look out had an incredible view of the Dead Sea/Jordan Rift Valley and you could see the route that Lehi and his family probably went when leaving Jerusalem.

Even though I was dehydrated the whole day -- I still had a blast!