Gamla, Caesarea Philippi, and Bethsaida

Today we started out with a devotion out of Exodus 19. After that we went to Gamla and saw the eagles that were talked about in this passage. We also learned there was a rebellion stronghold there like at Masada. After this we went to Qutzrin, a town which has been partially reconstructed. We went into a house and saw what it would have looked like. Ronny taught us about the structure of the house and Mr. Schenck taught us about the people who lowered the paralytic man in through the roof. After that we looked around the town for a bit on our own, and then met at the synagogue and then left.

Next we visited an Israeli bunker, which also has a great coffee shop and a great view of the border with Syria. Ronny taught about the use of the bunker and of the tensions in the land. We had time to explore the still-usable bunker or go to the coffee shop.

After this we went to a long trip of the day. First we hiked to the falls of Banais. These were beautiful waterfalls than ran into a giant stream. After this our fearless leader (Mr. Schenck, not Ronny) got a little lost but then got us on the right path again. We had a nice hike to a spot where we had a nice lunch.

After lunch we continued on a path the Caesarea Philippi. This was a massive temple complex known for its badness. Think, as Mr. Schenck said, “Las Vegas of the ancient world.” There we studied from Matthew 16, where Jesus asked Peter who he was. From there we continued on to Mount Hermon, the traditional and likely site for the Transfiguration. There we studied about the Transfiguration from Mark 17.

After we came down, we went to Tel Dan, one of the largest tels in Israel. There Ronny taught to us about the different parts of the city and Mr. Schenck taught out of Judges and 1 Kings about the sins of the people and about Jeroboam’s place of worship. We got to look around for a little bit and then left.

We went to Bethsaida, and there got to lead ourselves through the ruins of this ancient city. Luckily there were signs to help us throughout the ruins. After this we got on our swimsuits and headed over to the Jordan River. After a short walk we came to an area where we could go in. We started out with an opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan by Mr. Westa and Mr. Tolsma. After this was over all that wanted tom, hopped in the river and went for a swim. After this we went back to where we were staying and some went to swim in the Sea of Galilee.