Monday 5/28

Quite the tiring day today.  We hiked a little over 3 miles which was not terribly long but it was in 95+ weather and mostly straight up for about 1/2 of it.  I'm quickly discovering that while I'm in shape for the distance, I'm not in shape for the heat.  Hopefully I'll acclimate soon!

I may not load to many pictures because they load so slowly here.

We started the day by visiting the hillside in Zorah, overlooking the areas where Samson grew up.  From there we visited the Elah Valley area where the battle between the Israelites and Philistines which culminated in David defeating Goliath.  We then visited Beth Shemeh which was the first city where the ark of the covenant resided once the Philistines returned it.  It is still hard for me to get my mind around the idea that these things took place here.  Part of it may be that there is very little standing to commemorate this history and it is through the descriptions in the Bible that they are able to put this all together.

We finished up our hiking day with a visit to a cave system where it is believed (King) David hid out from Saul.

The last place for the day was closed when we got there.  That may have been a mixed blessing since I needed a break from the heat and it allowed me to visit the church of the nativity back in Bethlehem.

These pillars (marble) were from the church in 330 but when it was destroyed in 529 and rebuilt in 565 they were able to reuse these.  They have pictures painted on them from the time of the crusades.





I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow but the battery is about to die.  This is some of the mosaic floor from the church in 330 AD.








And of course the marker where the believed location of Jesus' birth.  It is a small area about 3 ft wide and 3 ft deep.  The star in the middle marks the spot and has 14 points because Jesus was the 14th generation after King David.






 

We are here!

Maybe not the height of fashion - but comfy

After 2 plane changes and 16 hours of travelling I have arrived!  I met up with the rest of the group at the airport here and we immediately changed into hiking clothes and headed out of Tel Aviv










We traveled to the site of the city Gezer about 1/2 way between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  Like most ancient areas cities were built and then later destroyed by conquerors only to be rebuild on top of the old city later.  They have excavated this site down to the city that existed at the time of King Solomon.

The gate area is near the front close to where John is standing in the left side of the picture.











This view is from what would have been inside the city looking out the gate.  The trench area running up the middle would have been the sewer line (not covered then either).

This is the gate entrance to the city and it is almost certain Solomon passed through this gate if not sat at the gate to conduct business.  Most business was conducted at the gate so that foreigners or other strangers did not need to be let into the city itself in case they were enemies 





And this is from the outside looking in the gate.  Notice how well the large stones all fit together.  This dates from the Iron Age about 1000 BC.

 The gates had a series of sections so that if someone broke down the first gate they ended up in a small area with another door to breach.  But while they would try to break in there, the defenders could attack from above that room.

This shows one of the next sections.  Solomon was the one to develop this style of gate which is one of the ways they date and attribute this to him.

This is a manger.  Not exactly what Christians have come to think of in terms of a manger.

These are referred to as 'standing stones'.  They were erected to commemorate a great act of God for His people or sometimes to note a treaty between nations.  It is not certain why these might have been erected.

Dianna and I

John used them as an example of how stones cannot tell a story, but we should be standing stones in our lives and tell others through word and action on the great things that God does for us.

A flower on the hike

I am not certain if I'll upload as many pictures each day.  They are taking about 5 minutes each and we are supposed to visit 4 sites tomorrow instead of just the one from today.

Keep us in your thoughts and I'll let you know what we do day by day.

Almost Time to Leave

This first post is really just a place holder so I can let folks know where to find what will hopefully be daily posts.  If I have internet connection I will post information and pictures throughout the trip.

I leave Saturday but won't meet up with the rest of the group until I land in Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon (their time).  I have instructions on what to do if either they or I miss a connection: one of the many things I've been praying does not happen.  I've spent the last month reading the bible, reading about Jewish life at the time of Christ, and trying to walk at least 3 miles a day.  Our group has also been praying for a successful trip so that we may be renewed in faith after spending 2 weeks walking and studying in Jesus' footsteps.

John (our guide and teacher) has been intentionally vague about the details but considering the location and the subject it can only be exciting!