Wednesday, June 6 2007

by Melissa Boyer Markham
Yawn. This morning came early. Fortunately, we had some exciting reunions at breakfast that woke us up pretty quickly. Sammie met both Spencer and Marian for the first time. Marian greeted Uncle Sammie with a wide-eyed stare, big toothless grin, and some drool. Spencer and Sammie were a little more cool, but I’m sure they felt just as much excitement as Marian. Joe greeted Sammie with “Whoa jet lag! Jet lag with a shower!”
Due to the 4 a.m. arrival of most of the group, and the confusion of getting all of our luggage on the bus (last one on was Joe’s. The bus driver didn’t believe a suitcase from Ethiopian Airlines belonged in our group.), we got a late start. Consequently, we were rushed through all of the sites that day. It turned out to be a good thing. If we had had five minutes to stop and rest, we would have all been immediately comatose.
We left the hotel and drove through Tel Aviv to Joppa. Our first official stop on the tour was at the home of Simon the Tanner. Peter was staying here when he had the vision of the unclean beasts that lead him to open the preaching of the gospel to the gentiles and not just the House of Israel. We sat on the stone steps in front of the house, shaded by the stone walls and trees, and read the account together from the scriptures.
The second stop was Caesarea Maritima. This was an ancient city built by Herod especially noted for its theater and breakwater. We sat in the beautiful Roman-type theater and read about Paul being imprisoned there. After the reading, we walked out on some ruins and looked over the Mediterranean Sea. The ruins were marble with Greek-style pillars. With the blue sea in the background, it was especially picturesque. Jennie summed up the place very well when she said, “This place is phenomenal!”
Our next stop let us off the bus for a brief walk on the beach in front of the breakwater. It was as we rolled up our pants to wade that we realized Anna had not shaved her legs for a month, ever since she left for Uganda. We oohed and aahed (and ewed and yucked) over her legs and discovered a nasty, oozing, infected burn from the exhaust of a scooter she rode on in Uganda. The burn had started to heal, but she opened it again while bungee jumping that evening. Sammie commented that it was her timing that was crazy, burning her leg on a motorcycle, and THEN going bungee jumping.
Lunch was taken at a roadside restaurant and consisted of either falafel or a chicken sandwich. Martha had a rude surprise when she tried the pickled cauliflower. Other than that, and a couple of more mishaps with spicy food, everyone enjoyed lunch and our first official encounter with Israeli food was a success.
Our next city, Haifa, may have happened before or after lunch. If I have mixed up the order, I blame it on sleep deprivation. We wound through the streets of beautiful Haifa. It looks like a resort town with white stone apartment and condo buildings, palms, and flowering trees. Beyond Haifa is Mt. Carmel. We sat in the shade at the top and listened to the account of Elijah and the priests of Baal. Needless to say (and as Carrie pointed out, whenever anyone begins a statement with that phrase, they still say it anyway, even though they have just pronounced it needless), reading the bible stories at the site where they happened is wonderful. Bud Pace reads as we follow along in our bibles. He adds the right mixture of his own commentary, commentary from church leaders, insights about the story and place, anecdotes from his own life, and humor. We feel the Spirit wherever we go. The Paces are wonderful guides.
After a group picture at the top of Mt. Carmel, we loaded the buses again for a ride into Nazareth.
During this whole day, the Boyers dominated the back of the bus. We may have been a little rowdy for others who wanted to sleep. With Sammie, Joe, and Lowli to keep us laughing, and Marian to keep us entertained, we were a “modicum” of quiet.
We spent most of our time in Nazareth at Nazareth Village. It’s a new establishment that had not been created when I was here 13 years ago, nor even the last time the Paces were here. It was created by a Christian group as a representation of Nazareth at the time of Christ. We walked through what looked like a small Nazarene farm with actors walking a donkey, herding sheep, etc. Our guide, a Christian girl from Nazareth, explained features of the land and gave insight into some of the parables of the Savior. She also pointed out how to terrace the land, how an ancient well works, the floor plan of the master’s home, and the importance of light. During the day, someone mentioned that the Holy Land is like the 5th Gospel. In Nazareth Village, in particular, we could picture Nazareth as it would have been in Jesus’s day. And we could see the common, ordinary objects he used in his parables and teachings.
After leaving Nazareth Village, the sleepy tourists snoozed on the bus while we drove to Ein Gev, our Kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. About 5 seconds after our bus parked, Anna’s best friend Lisa Tate walked by. She is in the Holy Land on a study abroad and had spent the last 8 days in Galilee. Anna jumped off the bus and had a happy, noisy reunion with Lisa. The noise of the reunion only increased in volume as more of Anna’s friends came to greet her. Pretty soon, the entire Kibbutz, and possibly the entire Middle East was aware that Anna Boyer had arrived at Ein Gev and was excited to see her friends.
Dinner at the Kibbutz consisted of chicken, beef, fish, and lots of yummy bread and salads. The sun set over the sea of Galilee as we ate. After dinner and a few stories, we changed into our swimming suits and went for a night swim in the Sea of Galilee. The shore is really rocky, so it’s hard to get out into the water. But once we waded past the rocks, we enjoyed the warm water, starry sky, and chicken fights. Adam and Martha emerged as the reigning champions of chicken fighting. But victory was won at a dear price. Martha laughed so hard after pulling me off of Sammie’s shoulders, she wet her pants while sitting on Adam’s shoulders. Some things never change.
After a warm night swim, most of us headed back to our rooms, anticipating the first full night of sleep in a real bed since Sunday night. Anna and Spencer had other plans. I’ll let them fill in the details, but the next morning at breakfast, Anna had a beautiful ring on her finger…