Ok. So ….I really am the worst blogger. I wanted to write out this long overview of my experience in Galilee but secretly… that was obviously code for..…procrastination.
good thing that I finally got to this because on Monday i'm going to Jordan!!!
Ok…wowza…onto the good stuff.
We saw SO many things and I kept good records in my notebook while we were gone, at least the best I could. We started out the first day visiting a few sites on the way up north. We visited Caesarea maritime, which was a Hellenized major port city in its time and probably the closest I’ll ever be to a place that kind of looks like Greece…so I’m told..i dunno…I’ve never been there. It’s on the coast of the Mediterranean. This was where Paul gave his defense before Agrippa. We stood on the ground of the exact room where that event occurred. I loved that. I also got to wade in the ocean a little bit.
Just hanging out on an ancient aqueduct, no big deal.
Caesarea- there were all these Classical Greek statues everywhere, and an actual inscription from Pilate...he was a tetrarch here.
That first day we also visited Nazareth, where Jesus grew up and where Mary received word that she was going to have Jesus. We visited a few churches. One of them had a well that Jesus and his family would surely have drunk from, and I drank some water from it…gross? Maybe…but tradition holds that I will not be infertile...so we’ll see. There was a communal cup, but I wasn't touching that with a 10-foot pole. Another church has pieces of art depicting the Annunciation from every country with a Catholic presence. It was so cool to see the different styles from each country…although…im not gonna lie….America’s left something to be desired...it was just weird. The funny thing about Nazareth is that it’s actually a Muslim town….there are Christian churches there…but…mostly…Muslim people. Interesting.
I LOVE stained glass windows....i just do.
We stayed for 10 days at a Kibbutz. Do you remember me telling you about those socialist Jewish communities? Well…they are very hospitable. We were right on the beach in little bungalows and every morning I woke up and would just walk on the shore of the sea….read, write in my journal, talk with friends…I loved it. (although, did you know that it’s actually technically a lake?) Every day we had planned field trips, but also loads of free time. So…mostly everyday I swam where Jesus walked.
yup...every night i saw this sunset on the Galilee. As soon as the sun was gone Tiberias, just across the sea all of a sudden appeared it was so cool.
We boated out into the sea and stopped in the middle and talked about Peter. It was awesome.
underground. This what at an active archaeological dig and it was way cool.
Nimrod's castle. This is my first castle ever.....i've never been to Europe....so this WAS AWESOME.
it was huge and intact...and so cool.
Hiking around in occupied Syria...no big deal.
Mount of Beatitudes
ok so this picture...is epic because it was right before....
...well....right before THIS:
gross, huh? It's just a really deep cut.....it'll probably scar.(awesome...because of the place/way i got it, oh yeah)
Haifa! This is a really cool city.
Mount of Transfiguration. The church on this mount was absolutely beautiful. Incredible mosaics and paintings...definitely one of my favorites.
The Jordan River- looks like the picture, right?
Ok…..well…. It’s list time again, this post is getting far too long.
-Tiberius, Mt. of Beatitudes, Tagbha, Kursi, Qazrin, Bethsaida, Korazin, mine fields, occupied Syria, Gamla, Lebanon, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Carmel, The Jordan River, Dan, Nimrod’s Castle, bonfires, Akko, Haifa, Megiddo, Nain, etc, etc, ETC. I cannot wait to get back to the States and make people listen to my stories so I don’t have to type them all out…it’s kind of exhausting. ;)
sorry, i'm obsessed. it was just really pretty.
my new desktop wallpaper.
ok.....now for serious stuff.
My dad asked in what ways I felt like I had grown from my Jerusalem experience.
And I feel like typing it out is kind of hard…
However I suppose that writing it in my Galilee summary is a good a place as any.
I’ll try.
Galilee was one of my favorite things I have done on this trip and in my life…. (so far…I guess neither are quite over)
All these things that I’ve seen and done, secular/religious, both edified and enlightened me in ways I wasn’t quite expecting or was prepared for. Our professors here of course gave us the itinerary of all the places we were going to and of course we talked and read about the significance of each site but it wasn’t until I was actually there did I feel it hit me like a brick wall. (in a good way, can bludgeoning brick walls be good? sure they can, don’t worry about it)
Not to say that the only reason that I had whatever epiphany and revelation I did was because of pure location. Physically, geographically, topographically, and whatever other adverbs you want to throw in there it doesn’t really matter where you are but rather the time taken to REALLY ponder and think. And I really believe that.
I didn’t come to Jerusalem with a burning question about myself, but I did with an open heart. I live in the Holy Land, the land where Christ was born, walked, taught, died, and rose to live again. Being here (in Jerusalem and in Galilee) I have felt more than ever the incredible and all encompassing love that God has for me, and every person I know and don’t know. He sent His Son to complete His ministry and atone for the sins of the world and it’s only through the Savior that we can be redeemed ourselves. I mess up, I falter, but I know at the end of the day that I can be forgiven and I am eternally thankful that I have been blessed with a knowledge of that.
Everything that I see has a history, maybe religious, maybe secular, but always a testament to me of the love of God and living here has taught me to see that. I tried to think of how I could separate my spiritual growth from my personal, introspective-psychological growth but I realized that’s impossible...It’s too much of who I am and how I live and it would be sad and wrong, I think to pretend it otherwise…
So yeah….Ok, here goes. My befores and afters: I’m a little bit of a list kind of girl…..so I hope you don’t think it’s a copout….
1. I’ve grown in faith. Admittedly, I was soul-searching for a little direction for the next couple years of my life. Like, what I wanted to do after college, where I should go, etc and I feel really positive about decisions I’ve made to realize the goals I have set for myself, and I feel more comfortable making decisions on things I was wary of. What I’m saying is that I prayed and got an answer, and I have a testimony that that can work for anybody, anytime, anywhere.
2. I’ve learned to listen…..to friends, to teachers, to people in general, to needs unspoken, to criticism, to prejudice, to two sides in a seemingly endless conflict.
3. I feel that I’m more of a people person….outgoing even. It’s really hard not to be when you live with 80 people AND your professors for close to 4 months. People are going to get on your nerves and you just have to swallow it. You’re going to have to put yourself out there whether you want to or not. Living here has really given me a joy and love for service too. I like to think I have helped in my friends/peers lives with issues they’ve had, with people their missing…I don’t want to be full of myself, hopefully I helped out, either way I loved doing it. I’ve also learned patience….loads of patience.
4. I feel more confident. I’ve had to spontaneously stand up and state my opinion, bear my testimony, sing, and dance (I didn’t dance actually…but it could’ve happened). I don’t know if you knew but…I HATE public speaking or just being the sole focus in general. It’s a little bit of a phobia…I start mumbling and I can’t stop touching my hair….anyways….it’s better now. ;) I still get nervous…things don’t just disappear but it’s less of an inhibition. I feel more confident about how I look. I’ve never had a negative self-image really but who is actually ever completely satisfied with what they look like? Obviously for me there’s loads of room for personal improvement and I’m still on that path…but it’s been kinda fun. I’ve lost weight, and I feel good. Except I need a haircut so bad..…and new jeans.
5. I feel more cultured. Well…..duh…yeah this one should be obvious. I’m better-rounded because I’ve lived in a place so different from anything I have ever experienced before. I can’t be political at all via the internet otherwise I’d give details. (interestingly, I can’t be political but pious….absolutely ;) …interesting rule)
6. I’ve learned lots of things! I know so much about the Middle East, about Judaism, Islam, Muslims, Israel, Palestine, you name it! Ancient history and modern, I actually have a real opinion.
7. I’m not very good at blogging….or journaling. I’m trying! But it’s hard….
There’s probably more, but believe it or not I’m participating in a talent show and I have to go practice. I know what you’re thinking…a talent show? What could you possibly be doing…well the answer is a skit, and it’s hilarious. Refer to numbers 3 and 4 if you want to know why.
stalker pic of the week. no make-up, sunburn, tired. There's a joke here at the center of taking stalker pictures...and people sometimes put them as the desktop backgrounds in the computer lab making it lots more awkward (and funny) this one got put up, thanks to Riley so I thought that i'd share.
Excited for NY/NJ/PA.....and Utah too, of course. August is gonna be a crazy month.
Thanks for reading....this one is kinda long. ;)
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