Today we head to all the major places of Christ's passion and resurrection. I am pretty excited adn can't wait. Though in Jerusalem things don't really look how you expect them too. there are lots of people and everything important has achurch or mosque built on top of it. But still I am expecting it to be a special day. yesterday we saw and walked throught the spot that David fought goliath...they feel 110% sure of this spot. It was really neat. We all picked up stones from the creek bed that David found his 5 smooth stones. My trip is almost over. I can not express my readiness and excitement to be home. yet at teh same time i will miss having such easy access to such sacred adn holy spots. It is easy to feel God when surrounded by such history. the stories come alive in ways you have never known them too before. I already regret not being able to retain more and not knowing my Bible better. We spent time with a Jewish man who expressed that Jews beleive all who come to Israel the Holy Land are called by God to come here. they beleive that whatever the reasons were you came God used that to get you here just to spent time with you in this Holy place. hearing that brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me god has been and will always be trying to get close to me and to help me experience him. God goes to such great lengths to be with us. How often I neglect to be open to his closeness and how much I am glad i was open to this. It is like being on a spiritual retreat and knowing the feelings will not stay the same when you leave, but you must leave because you need to share it adn give it away to other people. i pray i use these experiences wisely and that I encourage others to see God more clearly...even though at this time my head is swimming with fussiness from all i have taken in. I am even more convinced that God is more complex than we can imagine...the only easy answer is that God loves us all no doubt...and it seems much else is a matter of speculation.

1. Our group on the Mt of Olives overlooking the old city of Jerusalem...you see the gold Dome of the Rock.

2. Woman praying at the Western Wall...or the Wailing wall.

3. Picture of door inside the Church of the Nativity.

Doing well on the trip. It is almost over...not sure where we are going today. Can't wait to be home and process all of this. I hope i can remember it all. Let me know if anyone will EVER be interested in seeing all the hundreds of pictures i have taken...probably not :)

1. Me lighting candles for my grandfather adn granny at St. George church is Medeba.

2. me floating in the Dead Sea

3. Me and Bryan and Emily riding camels in Petra

4. Me touching the stone on which they say Jesus was born in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

we are now in Jerusalem and hopefully I can post more while I am here. going to bethlehem was amazing and a little scary tonight. I will say though that now being a mother and reading inside the cave where they beleive she and Joseph came one very busy and crowded night that after giving birth to Christ and having the angels come adn proclaim him the Messiah that she pondered these things in her heart...it was VERY moving. I can remember holding my babies in the hospital and pondering the mystery of how precious they are to me. the best word to describe this site of the natvity is mystery.

I am having an amzing time. So far my favorites have been Tabgha, Jordan and Bethlehem. But we have just now arrived in jerusalem so we will see :)

Tonight I am in Petra Jordan and will be going to the ancient city of Petra tomorrow morning. We are getting to ride horses into the city which is carved completely out of a wall of sandstone. So i am excited about that. We will in the day at the Red Sea and hope to swim in that as well. Today we went to Mt Nebo where Moses saw the promised land and then died and was buried below in the valley. I am enjoying the trip and all the people with me. I do so miss my family and babies. But I will be home in a week from tomorrow. YEAH!!!

Okay so I can't post pictures cause it won't work at this hotel. And I spell terrible anyway but worse on an arabic keyboard.

Yesterday I swam in the Jordan rivier as it turned to dark. We had a remember your baptism service in the water too. It was so cool. The river is really small about the size of the Cahaba River in Helena, Alabama. It normally is shallow but we found a deep spot and I dove right in clothes and all. It was great. Today I am in the country of Jordan (for the next two days) and we are visiting some Old Testament sites. Like where David sent Uriaha to be on the front lines of the battle so that he could marry Bathsheba. Tomorrow we are going to Nebo where I think Moses died, then down to Petra which is known for its beautiful sandstone. Jordan is different feeling that Israel. It is 98% muslim. GREAT food. I have not enjoyed the Kosher Israeli food, but like the Arabic food. It is a very different place though. it is so hot here and NO ONE wears shorts...except us.

I'll sned pictures when i can...I am heading to dinner and to listen to some Arabic music.

BYE

Todays pictures:

1. Tabgha-place where Jesus reinstates Peter after Peter's denial and Christ's resurrection by asking him over a charcoal breakfast on the beach at the Sea of Galilee "Do you Love me?" This was the most moving spiritually for me. It was very quiet and early morning when we were there. This has been a favorite so far. I got some sand and stone from the beach...though it is VERY rocky.

2. Me on top of Tel Hazor. This was a LARGE Cananite fortress and city that is on top of a mountain/hill. This was one of the places that Joshua conquers into to bring the Israelites into the Promise Land. VERY OLD SITE.

3. This is an even older site. It is under escavation right now so not much to look at but this is a Gate that is quite possibly one Abraham walked through on his way from Ur.

I got great sleep last night and no stomach problems today...so I am doing much better. My little boy Sawyer is sick with a fever and diarhea though so please prayer for him and all those caring for both my children. I miss them so much.

Todays pictures are as follows:

1. Me in a boat on the Sea (lake because it is fresh water) of Galilee. We road from Genesar where we are staying to Capernaum this morning. Everything is very close within like 5 to 10 miles around the Sea of Galilee. From the sea you can see the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus asked Peter do you love me 3 times after his resurrection, the feeding of the 5000 and then the 4000, the city of the hill that is Jesus example of letting you Light shine. I plan to swim in the sea before we leave.

2. Picture of the Synague in Capernaum the Jesus taught in. This was need to see where Jesus was known to have read the scriptures and taught. Capernaum is where around the age of 30 Jesus left Nazareth and made this his new home base. He called his disiples from the surrounding cities within about 4 miles.

3. This is Geresean or Kursi best known for where Jesus drives out the demon from the man who was naked and could not be bound in chains. The demons...Legion...runs into a herd of pigs of 2000 and they run down a cliff into the sea of Galilee. This is a picture of that cliff. After being healed Jesus tells the man to go to the Gentile lands of the Diaspora across the sea and tell of what Jesus did for him. Shortly after in the Gospels telling you read about Jesus feeding the 4000 in the Diaspora. Possibly this man was the first Gentile Evangelist.

4. Picture of the Jordan river feeding into the Sea of Galilee. It is lush around the Jordan. The picture is hazing because of the dust and lack of rain for 7 months.

Because of the dust my nose is bleeding and because of the food or water my stomack is turning, and because of the time change I am not sleeping much. But things are well. I look forward to American food. Today I have eaten two hard boiled eggs, lots of Pita bread, sopme hummus and two bites of cucumber. We are about to have dinner, but i don't much feel like eating. Tomorrow we head first off to the Mt. of Beatitudes.

Oh and don't let anyone tell you gifts here are cheap or that food is either...they are wrong :) So far we have not been able to bargin and lunch is more than in Homewood/Vestavia.

First picture of me standing on top of Har Meddigo...fortress where most battles fought in the world. It is where we get the word Armegedon. 25 layers have been discovered. Solomon and Ahab fortified this city. It looks onto the Jezreel Valley.

2nd Me at Caeserea...Herod the Great made a luxurious palace here. I am putting my feet into the Meditterean.

3rd Picture in Nazareth at the Church of the Annouciation...where the angel told MAry about Jesus. This is what homes looked like in 1st century. They are caves. Animals slept there with the people.

4th the View of the Church in Nazareth and city from our quaint hotel the first night.

I am now off to ride a boat on the sea of Galilee...half of us have a stomach bug. Pray immodium works :)

So far it is great but I miss my family.

Spending my first night in Nazareth. It is a very large city now, but In Jesus' day it was quite small. The city has this haze over it because they need some rain to settle down the desert sands. Nazareth is in a bowl shaped valley with mountain ridges all surrounding it and as I look out our balcony you see millions of lights littering the hillside. Several are green which I have learned is to ward off evil spirits for muslims. Our hotel is quiet and just like out of a movie. We have a beutiful interior garden with trees and tables and lights. Everything is open air and you hear constant car horns and firecrackers. It is a Jewish holiday...celebrating the Torah or Law. they set off firecrackers...but they have no lights. So it sounds a lot like gunfire, but they say it is not. Everything so far feels quite safe and quite foriegn. Well wish me luck sleeping. Tomorrow we are off to old Nazareth and then Sea of Galilee.
Shalom.