The place where it all began

Today we started at the place where it all began!

But first... On the first day of our time in Israel we heard about David, the little shepherd boy, fighting and defeating the giant Goliath. Although David was emboldened by his firm belief and trust that God was with him, he was also enticed by the potential of money & women he might expect from defeating Goliath.

Fast forward to today and we read about David as a successful king; a man after God’s own heart. He had gained the respect of his men. However, on a day when he should have joined his men on the battle field, he makes a very unusual and bad decision, choosing to stay home from the battle.

Once again he is enticed by lust for a woman, Bathsheba, the wife of one of his loyal soldiers. David falls deeper and deeper into his sin, sleeping with Bathsheba, getting her pregnant, trying to cover up his sin, and finally ends up having her husband killed on the battle field.

David is then confronted by a close friend about his sin and David is mortified to find himself in the situation he’s in and he turns to the Lord with a deeply repentant heart, seeking forgiveness.

We realized, each of us could insert our names where David’s name is written in this story. Each of us is one bad decision away from falling back into our sinful ways. However, each of us who are seeking God’s heart will also receive his forgiveness and once again be found useful in His hands.

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We survived Hezekiah’s Tunnel!!
An incredible engineering wonder and show of wisdom in defending his city. To protect his water source Hezekiah had built a 1,700 foot long tunnel to transport water underground from their only spring. This tunnel is about 2 feet wide and from 4-15’ tall in places.

When we first entered the tunnel, the water was up to our thighs and the rest of the way the water was about calf deep and VERY refreshing. It took 20-25 minutes to walk Hezekiah's tunnel or the dry Canaanite tunnel. We walked single file through the wet tunnel in the dark, with only our flashlights to light the way. It was great to see our group working together as we shouted out warnings of approaching low ceilings and holes in the floor and came out under an arch of our friends’ arms cheering us for making it through Hezekiah’s tunnel!

We are all thankful for our individual experiences here in Israel in the holy lands, and we are also very thankful for our excellent guides, driver, and the exceptional teaching we have been receiving. I believe we are also thankful for our wonderful group whom God gathered to come to Israel together.

Praise The Lord!