Time for a comercial break.  For another blog on our trip go to agirlincultureshock.wordpress.com.  This is being done by my Granddaughter, Amber, who is experiencing her first trip to Israel

September 20

Today was another hot day as we headed back to the desert.  Jerusalem temperature has been really nice and I hated to head on down to where we cooked for the day.  We started off with Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

And then onto the wonderful experience of Massada

We stopped at En Gedi and hiked up to the first waterfall which was a new experience for me.  Amber - take the phone out of your pocket first!!!

 Our last stop was the Dead Sea

September 19

Another early start as we headed to the Mt of Olives

 Laura decided she needed a new scarf - we thought it gave her some lamb's ears

We then traveled down the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.

We then headed to the Upper Room

For lunch we stopped at a restaurant in Bethlehem where we were entertained by 2 Bedouins (Amber & Mike) and preached to by Imam Tony,  Don't tell Mike's wife that he as taken an undercover wife.  As a Muslim he is allowed to take a second wife without the permission of the first one, but he said if he ever did, his wife would kill him!!

After lunch we headed to Shepard's Field where we sang a number of Christmas songs,

and then onto the Church of the Nativity.  They are undergoing a massive reconstruction and the place was full of scaffolding

.

September 18

This morning we started off at Yardenit  Baptismal site with 5 people getting baptized or doing a reaffirmation of their Baptism.

Then onto Bet She'an and some of the best Roman ruins I have seen.  It always amazes me at the additional stuff they have uncovered and, also, how they are trying to make the sites more handicapped friendly.

Our next stop was at the new Baptismal site which is considered more authentic as to the place that John the Baptist preached and baptized Jesus.

Our final stop of the day was the Valley of the Shadow in Wadi Qelt where we had a reading of the 23rd Psalm.  This overlooks the St George Monestery

As we arrived in Jerusalem we stopped at the promenade for the Order of Melchizedek which represents the welcoming he gave to Abraham in Genesis 14

September 17

This morning we headed out to Cana and had a sample of Canan Wedding Wine.  It isn't any better than it was in 1997.  Cynthia did the reading of the wedding in Cana at the church.  The wine tasting was across the street.

 Since Cana is so close to Nazareth, this was our next stop. followed up with a trip to the Nazareth Village

Meggido and the nice hike up to the top of the tell and into the water shaft that Ahab built was next.

We ended the day with Mt Carmel where Elijah killed off the priests of Baal with a reading by Michigan.