Israel Study Tour - Joshua Wilderness Institute

April 22 - May 4, 2014

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Something new and exciting

Hey friends and family! Sydney the kiwi is here right now overlooking the Sea of Galilee-where Jesus walked on water and performed so many of His miracles around this body of water. I do not know how we have already walked through more than half of the trip but I am so thankful for this land but most importantly for the God of this land and how He is transforming me whether I am here in Israel, back at Joshua or back home. Today we started off the day with a surprise that brought joy to our hearts and smiles on our faces. We boarded a pretty large boat (big enough to fit around 60-70 people) and ventured on to this very sea. It was really special for me because the staff played some worship music where we were able to reflect. It was special for me singing the song Oceans which is a beautiful song that captures the story of Peter walking on the Sea of Galilee and how Jesus calls us to walk on the ‘waters’ that we face in life. Scott gave a short testimony which was really encouraging, all about us returning to familiar places after Joshua but how God makes even the most familiar places (like the Sea of Galilee for Peter) something new and exciting (Peter walking on water). We then had FUN and danced on the boat which is an awesome Joshua tradition if you ask me! Ronen (our tour guide) even taught us some Hebrew.

We then headed to Beth Shean which was a fortress on top of an old Roman city. Ronen told a story from the perspective of a young Jewish man named Nehemiah who actually moved to this giant city and showed us how big of a change it would have been for Nehemiah moving from a small town next to the Sea of Galilee all the way to a big Roman city.

Beth Shean

Located 17 miles (27 km) south of the Sea of Galilee, Beth Shean is situated at the strategic junction of the Harod and Jordan Valleys. The fertility of the land and the abundance of water led the Jewish sages to say, “If the Garden of Eden is in the land of Israel, then its gate is Beth Shean.” It is no surprise then that the site has been almost continuously settled from the Chalcolithic period to the present.

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Thankfully we have an awesome staff team who knew we were getting tired today so they let us have a rest/reflective/fun time at this body of water which is located right in front of Mount Gilboa. The water was crystal blue and there were little coves and tiny caves in the beautiful rock walls. The palm trees surrounded the refreshing pools and little fish nibbled at your feet (literally!). It was a wonderful time of reflection and talking to those around us about what we are learning. Dewey spoke to us about the story of Saul and how no one will remember how we begin, only how we will end. We need to finish strong. In life, in Joshua, and daily.

Ein Harod

At the foot of Mount Gilboa is Ein (the spring of) Harod. Judges 7 describes Gideon’s actions in thinning his army out. He brought the men to the spring and sorted them on the basis of how they drank from the water. Today the swimming pool sits just in front of the cave where the spring emerges.

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When we returned to the kibbutz Dave Ferreira gave a short devotional about living a fair life but interweaving fairness with compassion. We then had a few hours to further reflect and process before we went out to dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant right on the shore. We had the option of eating a WHOLE fish (unfortunately the eyes were removed) and I chose to and it was so yummy! The full experience that’s for sure!

 

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