We had a great beginning of the week. We had wanted to go to the
zoo but couldn’t get it worked out, so we went to the really cool Sorek cave
instead. They have some of the coolest stalactites and stalagmites and columns and
other wild formations of any cave I have ever seen. It really feels like you
are walking in a different world.
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| Inside the Sorek Cave |
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| Looking down on the Sorek Valley where Samson's stories played out |
Then we went down to that very valley and went grocery
shopping. Great place, great selection, great prices. It was a good day.
We spent that night making sure that everyone had everything they
needed for school. Everyone seemed excited and a little nervous.
The first day of school went well. We got everyone up, had a great
breakfast, and an outstanding scripture study. Everyone got ready quickly and
we were ahead of schedule. I tried to enjoy it, knowing it was probably the
last time that would happen. They caught the taxi with no problem, and from
what we heard, everyone got where they needed to go without problem. Everyone
but Sabrina seemed to have a great day at school. Sabrina felt like her teacher
was a bit strict and harsh (I thought the same thing after meeting her at the
orientation). But she largely felt good about it.
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| The kids on the long haul up 7 flights as they go to school |
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| The kids getting in the taxi on their way to school |
Meanwhile we got together
with all the new folks here (Tana Hunter, the nursing teacher, and Phil and
Jennifer Allred, the other couple here to teach Old Testament and New Testament),
and the Heiners, and we all went shopping and had lunch. We had a very pleasant
time, and I was again impressed with what wonderful people we are here with. Later
that night we all got together at the Heiners, who made dinner for all of us
and put together a very nice Family Home Evening. The camaraderie is high.
Early the next day, even before the kids left for school, I left
with David Whitchurch and Phil Allred for the Galilee so that we could get Phil
ready to do field trips there. We had a great time together. The first day we
did Akko (a crusader site), Nazareth, Mt Arbel (an incredible overlook for the
Sea of Galilee), and passed by a few other sites.
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| The Church of the Annunciation at Nazareth |
We went to the new
excavations of a First Century synagogue at Magdala. Because I am an
archaeologist the team working there stopped their work and came over and
showed us around what they have been excavating and told us all sorts of great
stuff about it. This is a really great site because it is hard to imagine that
the Savior would not have gone to a synagogue right next to the waters of
Galilee. We learned a lot and had a nice time together.
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| The synagogue at Magdala |
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| Fresco from the Synagogue at Magdala |
We checked into our
rooms at Ein Gev, the wonderful little place right on the shores of Galilee
that I love so much. I calculate I have lived almost two months of my life
there so far, and I love it!
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| The Sea of Galilee |
We went to bed fairly early, got up early the next
morning and headed off to Hatzor, Tel Dan, Caesarea Phillipi (going to some
parts of that we haven’t gone to before), Har Bin Tal, and Hippos.
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| A watchtower at Hatzor from which a watchman would have seen the Assyrian army coming to scatter Israel |
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| The high place at Tel Dan where Jereboam built a golden calf |
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| the walls of Tel Dan |
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| The falls at Caesarea Phillip (also known as Banias) |
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| The headwaters of the Jordan at Tel Dan |
We had lunch
in a little Druze village where people spoke little English, and I felt very
happy that I was able to help us get around with my broken Hebrew. We again
went to bed tired and got up early.
On the way home we went to Capernaum, Sepphoris, Mount Tabor, and
Bet Sha’an. All of these are impressive and important sites, and we had a good
and informative time there. I really enjoyed it.
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| A mosaic at Sepphoris, known as the Mona Lisa of the Galilee |
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| Mt. Tabor |
I did get home in time to have dinner with my family. I
hated being gone during such a crucial time for school. I had made time each
day talk with them about how their classes were going, etc. Sabrina seems to
have gotten to the point where she feels pretty good about her teacher. On the
whole I feel like things are going pretty well for them. This evening I played
soccer with Sabrina and some games with Jacob.
While I was gone, Julianne has been getting all the ladies
together and doing all sorts of fun stuff. She seems to be really enjoying
herself and to be really helpful for the new ladies here. We have been really
enjoying our time with all of them.
Finally I had a day with no meetings and no trips. I
finished my syllabus, worked on stuff for my field trip committee, worked on
the power point for my first evening with the students, and got a few articles
proof read. It was a great, productive day! The kids got home early since they
only go for half a day on Fridays (this is because most of Israel shuts down
half way through Friday so that everyone can be ready for Sabbath at sundown).
So, in the later afternoon I quit working and played with my kids. I ended up
largely playing with Sabrina. She was a nurse who saved my life, and then we
played star wars and saved a few planets.
Sabbath (Saturday) has been great. This morning Julianne,
Tashara and I all gave talks in Sacrament Meeting. I felt like they all went
pretty well. We only had Sacrament Meeting today, and then the members got
together for a little pot-luck lunch. It was a great time. We had so much fun
visiting with people, catching up with the few old members and getting to know
some new ones. A new little family moved in just this week. They have three
girls, ages 8, 5, and 3. The eight year old is in Jacob’s class at school, and
it is wonderful that they can all make some friends together. All in all I
think we all had a marvelous time getting to know each other better. Then we
had some great family time together also.
During this next week the students will arrive, and things
will kick into high gear. How busy it all can get. Every now and then I have to
pinch myself, and remember how rare it is to really get to be where we are and
do what we are doing. I hope my kids can enjoy these memories for the rest of
their lives. How blessed we are!
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