Our Visit to Nazareth and Galilee

Sunday, April 27----From Tom:

Nazareth and Galilee:

Here is the lock on the bathroom door--a bent nail.
Also, no paper, soap or towels. Good luck!

Traveling in the Mideast is filled with both perils and miracles. We seemed to have both. As I said earlier, we needed to leave Jordan because our visas had expired. We were illegal aliens. So I wasn't sure how we would be received at the border. As it turned out we had to pay a fine of about $100. We could have just paid a fine of $300 when we departed from the airport in June. It would have been cheaper but we would have missed the adventure.

The "bus" is the back seat of the car. 

                                                                        We booked a trip with a bus service called Trust International. What a joke! There was no one at the terminal when we arrived and when they finally did arrive it was Ronna and I in the back seat of a car. They charged  us $230 for what cost us nothing to return. They take you to the Sheikh Hussein border crossing, about 1.5 hours north. The crossing near us doesn't handle visas--go figure! They then drop you at a taxi stand about 2 km from the crossing. The taxi takes you through 2 or 3 checkpoints for passports, visa fees and security check. Then you wait an hour until the bus driver decides to go. Then you sit in the bus for an hour while the guys with machine guns check the bus. Then you go through the Israeli security check. Remember ist was about a month ago that the Israeli guards shot and killed a Jordanian judge at the crossing. It's disputed as to whether he tripped into the guard or lunged for the guard's gun. It caused major demonstrations. We then went to find the other driver for Trust International, a guy named Abo.

Sheikh Hussein Crossing into Israel-we sat about an hour 

Abo asked if we were going to Nazareth. Well, of course, that's where we booked our trip but we said we really want to go to Tiberias ( the same distance, but on the Sea of Galilee). He said it would be $60 more, which we agreed.
My big concern is that even though we booked to Nazareth, somehow we got a hotel in Tiberias. I didn't realize that everything stops in Israel at 2 PM on Friday for Shabbat or Sabbath. Our bus was not scheduled to arrive in Nazareth until about 3 PM so while I tried all the car rental agencies in Israel, none were open after 2 PM. I was even googling the taxi companies, but couldn't connect. I also didn't know if our Jordanian phone would work in Israel. So I was heading into unknown territory.

Crossing the Jordan River into Israel

Abo, for his extra shekels, drove us to Tiberias which solved a big problem. As we arrived in Tiberias, I saw a Hertz car rental about 15 minutes before closing. So we got a car----for about $100/day. (They saw me coming). Then Abo demanded double what we had agreed. So I had the car agent translating as we got into an argument about what was agreed. (Remember, they have the machine guns). Anyway I won and we settled.

On the balcony of the chapel overlooking Galilee. Capernaum is behind us. 

Tiberias was settled about 20 AD by the Romans and it's right on the Sea of Galilee. Today it's a bustling tourist town. We settled in and just started driving along the beautiful shoreline. We went by the ancient village of Capernaum, where Jesus spent so much of his time ministering with Peter and Andrew. Above Capernaum is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. The church built there was closed but we appreciated walking on the open grasslands on the hillside, imagining Christ ministering here. The site has a wonderful panorama of the Sea of Galilee to the south.

Site of the Sermon on the Mount, above Capernaum

We then drove up to the Golan Heights. This is where the Syrian Army lobbed artillery shells into Israel until the Israeli Army captured it in the 1967 war. It also is the site of Bethsaida, which is the birthplace of Peter and where John, Andrew, James and Phillip lived. I didn't realize that so much of Jesus' ministry took place in this small area on the north shore of Galilee. It is a beautiful and very peaceful, verdant area surrounded by rolling hills.

On the east shore of Galilee we met with Gary and Alexis Nickel, son of Walter Nickel. They are humanitarian missionaries serving in the Jerusalem Center and guiding BYU students who come for a semester. It's interesting to have two childhood friends from Milwaukee connect on the Sea of Galilee.

The Muslim sabbath is Friday, the Jewish is Saturday and the Christian is Sunday. The LDS go along with the local custom and in Israel they worship on Saturday. The LDS purchased and renovated a small home overlooking Galilee. It is both a church and a residence for the Branch President/service couple assigned there.

Front of Galilee Chapel

President Frost, center, in Galilee Chapel

As we walked into the chapel, it was a stunning experience as the whole congregation has a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee during the service. They only have 18 members and the meeting is conducted in English and translated simultaneously into Hebrew, Spanish and Arabic as needed. The prayer was in Spanish and the Sacrament was in Hebrew. Testimonies were shared in all the languages except Arabic.

It was an emotional experience for Ronna and I to sing "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" while looking over the area and waters where He ministered. The testimonies were equally powerful. Many of the members have to take a cab for 30-45 minutes but have been faithful for many years. The Relief Society President, Sis. Spencer, had just had a stroke, but had served in the area for over 50 years and had received a highly valued service award from the Israeli government for her charitable work through the years. She is from Canada but moved and became an Israeli citizen. She never married but devoted full time to caring for others. Our Mother Teresa.

We took the afternoon and drove to the Valley of Armageddon, where it is prophesied that the last battle will be fought and Christ will appear to defeat the Anti-Christ. It looks like Cache Valley except the mountains are just low hills.

We drove to Nazareth and saw where Mary was visited at age 14 by the angel Gabriel, telling her that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is now a large church built over the humble cave-dwelling where Mary lived.

The cave/home in Nazareth where Mary is believed to have been visited by the Angel Gabriel announcing Jesus. 

View from Mt. Tabor where Jesus was transfigured and met with Moses and Elijah

We also visited Mt. Tabor, where Jesus was transfigured and he met with Moses and Elijah. It is a very prominent mountain in the center of a large flat valley. It is now a park and picnic area and large groups were gathered, unfortunately playing loud, head banging music. Not a spiritual setting anymore.

On Sunday, we met for lunch with the Galilee Branch President, Jay Frost and his wife. They then offered to take us to the border crossing. We had worried about how we were going to get home.

After the gruesome ritual of going back through the Israeli and Jordanian security we found ourselves in an empty parking lot. No cars, cabs or buses. I started to panic since our phone had also just run out of minutes and it was late in the afternoon. A man named, Suliman, saw Ronna and offered to take us to the next taxi stand, a few kilometers away but he just kept going and took us all the way. He even wanted to buy us dinner and have tea. He was so gracious and seemed thankful to have Americans travel with him. It really was an unexpected blessing to us.