Galilee

November 26th until December 6th we spent in Galilee. I never realized what a beautiful place that could be!  We stayed at a beach front resort called Ein Gev. Across the lake you could see the beautiful city lights of Tiberias. We got to watch the sunset every night which was absolutely breathtaking (I have no shortage of pictures on that!). 

  My favorite field trip of the week was also our first one. We got up at the crack of dawn, ate breakfast at the wonderful buffet we had there, and then took a boat across the sea. The weather was slightly overcast and there was a fog on the lake. We sailed across thinking of the apostles fishing, of Jesus walking on the water, and of the countless other miracles that happened on the shores of Galilee. 

The crew that manned the boat was hilarious: they started the journey by raising the American flag in our honor and playing the national anthem! I can't wait to get home to the country that I love so much! They also serenaded us with every christian rock song they had available, and we received it was such enthusiam!

 We went to the Mount of Beatitudes and had lots of time for personal reflection. As I walked around the grounds of the church we were at (built by Mussolini!) I loved thinking about the incredible sermon given by the Savior in that place. We ate our sack lunches there, provided by Ein Gev, which had THE BEST pb&j sandwich I have ever had. That was definitely a morning I'd never forget.

We went to the traditional spot where Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, now the church of St. Peter's Primacy. We got to go inside the church and then wade in the sea; you can't really tell from the picture, but the Sea of Galilee is so beautiful!

After church on the Sabbath (Saturday in Israel), we got to go to the River Jordan at Yardenit. It was a much more scenic view of the Jordan River than our previous experience when we went to see it in Jordan. There were big catfish in the water and some my peers were trying to grab them; I did my best to steer clear!

They had the story of Jesus' baptism all over the place there, all written in different languages.

Galilee was an incredible trip! We still had class on the not-field-trip days, but we also got to go to the beach, nap in hammocks, have bonfires, and enjoy each other's company! I'll never forget the wonderful 10 days I spent in Galilee!

We came back to the center to enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving meal prepared for us at the Jerusalem Center. It was a great way to finish off the week!