Highlights of the Last Several Busy Days

Ok! Ok! Ok! I get it. :-) Sorry for the slacking of the posts! We have been very busy, running from morning to evening, as well as trying to keep up with the other things we need to do as far as communication goes! So, I shall attempt to give you a brief run down of the highlights of some of our stops. I will then give you a full blown post of the stellar stops! Does that sound fair? I'm doing this at midnight - You know, just because I care! :-)

First of all, hello from Cheryl and I! We are doing so very well, besides missing our church family and loved ones!

One of the highlights was the stop at Mt. Carmel, the place where the beloved prophet minstered before the Lord and slew the prophets of Baal. It is believed that this was likely the very place where

he had the contest, and then down below, the green strip winding through the field, was the brook where he slew them!

On Sunday, we went to the Jordan River on the north end where some, particularly the Catholics contend that John the Baptist was baptizing. I vociferously defend that it was the South end where it was. Nevertheless, it was awesome to go into the Jordan River for the first time! Sorry for the high hike of the shorts - I really wasn't in the mood to get wet because it was to be a relaxing day! 

Perhaps the best or second best day so far has been the trip to Qumran, the place where the Essenes transcribed and hid the scrolls. What a bunch of zealous people
 they were for the Lord! I shall dedicate a whole blog page to this. However, Cheryl accompanied Wayne and I through a treacherous hike up to the top of the mountain and into one of the caves where the scrolls were hidden and even higher. The first photo is where the scrolls were found, and to be very honest, our hearts were deeply strirred to be there at the very spot. The second pisture is the view from up high, back down through the valley, and then you can see the large welcome center and office on the left. WOW! 

We went to En-gedi, the place where David fled to and hid from Saul! David, what a man after God's own heart! I have so grown to appreciate him so deeply! The photo you see, if you look at the stream coming from the left side, just above it is the cave where he supposedly cut the bottom of his skirt off of Saul's garment. It was
too late in the day and they wouldn't let us hike up to it anymore that afternoon. The wild goats, spoken of in this very account of the Word of God, are still there today!

The Dead Sea experience was very thrilling for all of us! I'll try to be very modest here, along with a chuckler for all of us! I think you can interpret! ;-)

Caesarea was an amazing city and entertainment center built by Herod to impress his fellow ruler, Caesar! It is an absolute wonder, how he built it in the most amzing place, on the Mediteranean Sea, and with such majesty. Many tremendous things happened here, that I shall blog of later on its own, but see the arena where races, gladiator fights, hunting games, and other myriads of entertainment forms happened! 

And then to stand on the mountain where Goliath stood and shouted out across the vally to defy the armies of the God of Israel, to be in the brook where David chose his five smooth stones, see the mountain where Israel had gathered, and the valley where the Spirit of God empowered David to utterly destroy the giant! Very emotional movings in the heart! 

And then today was a rough day, but to be at the place where Jacob laid and then saw the vision of the ladder to heaven, wrestle with the angel, and the receive the touch of heaven; the baptism of the Holy Ghost to empower him for the rest of his life ! Oh Jesus! You know, we still need it so much today!



My dear friends, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends! We serve such a living God! It is so worth serving him. Why should I live for anything of my own, when he is SOOOOOO everything! Let's do it together! In Him and for the Kingdom and love to all - in Him, Lael