Blogs from Ein Gev, North District, Israel, Middle East

I write to you at 665 feet below sea level, on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee. A long-craved for cup of coffee in my hands, our team has landed at a lavish resort complete with a sandy beach, bike trail around the Sea, and...hammocks. A man could get used to this. After an early start from Jerusalem, our first port of call was...actually a port of call. Caesarea (Maritima) is on the Mediterranean coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Being the despot engineer that he was, Herod the Great commissioned an artificial harbour here, constructing between 22 and 9 BC. Once finished, the harbour was told to accommodate 300 ships. I had not previously made the connection between this port town and the events in Acts, wherein Paul would have arrived and departed ... read more

This is a quote from our Jewish tour guide. The struggle for the promised land makes life difficult for the people of Israel. An air of danger and insecurity is part of daily life. You need not look far to see checkpoints, barbwire, armed guards and security fences. Yet the people are willing to fight to the death to stay in the land they hold dear. On a deeper examination his quote can hold another meaning. Jesus also lived and died for Israel. After 4 months of travel this is the first escorted tour we have taken. We chose the Pilgrim tour company because we wanted to do more than sightsee. We wanted to see the bible come to life. We are being lead by “Mickey” (his nickname) a Christian Jew. His family immigrated from Russia ... read more