The team all made it here and we are on the bus heading out on our first day. Slightly loud night at the hostel with a big group of students from somewhere who were all pretty playing games till 12am. We took a long walk to the Old port of Tel Aviv last night to give the team a chance to see the the “City that never Sleeps” so they would have a wide picture of Israel and a great comparison to the Holy sites we will see today.Funny story last night my roommate Charlie got up at 2:00am and took a shower and then asked me why I wasn’t up because it was breakfast time. I just laughed at him and told him to change his clock and go back to bed.
We went to 4 sites today. At each site we heard from our guide about the cultural and historic significance of each location and the Kevin taught on the Biblical significance. We also gave the team time to journal and explore. On the drive each morning we will have a devotional and a different Psalm to study to prepare us for our day.
Caesarea Maritima: was built by Herod the Great and named in honor of Caesar Augustus. It was a marvel of ancient construction much of which is still visible today. It is the site of several Biblical stories including the conversion of Cornelius and the Apostle Paul passed through many times. This is a pretty amazing site and a great place to start our tour. I tried to get someone to let me ride on their back around the Hippodrome but no one seemed interested. 
Mt.Carmel: actually a whole mountain range. One of the most beautiful sites in Israel and the location of much rainfall. This is the place where Elijah challenges the Priests of Baal (1 Kings 18) The view from up top is incredible as you can see a huge part of the Kidron Valley as well as the Mediterranean Coast in the other direction. The Kidron Valley is considered the Bread Basket of Israel and is an amazing agricultural achievement.
Megiddo: one of the most ancient cities in the entire region. Quite a few things happened here and the plain below is the site mentioned in the book of Revelation as the location of the final Battle between good and Evil. This “tell” or hill has about 25 different layers of civilization that was built here over the years. Archeologists have dug down pretty far and recreated some amazing parts of the city from Solomon’s days.
Nazareth: Jesus hometown is unfortunately just a city we will drive through and not stop. This is where Mary and Joseph heard from the angel about Jesus birth and it is where Jesus grew up and preached his first sermon.
Pretty great day of touring and learning. As always Kevin Klay comes into his own in this place and does a phenomenal job of teaching and making the Bible come alive. We are lucky at HPPC to have him on our team.
This afternoon we swam in the Sea of Galilee and a lot of naps were taken too. The team is doing well although they are really tired tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow. On a side note we are sitting in the lounge at the hotel now and there is some pretty amazing Karaoke going on. My goal at some point in the next 4 days is to see if I can get some parents up singing and dancing.
I’m already seeing great rewards and payoffs from doing this trip with families. To have the parents experience these sites and hear the same teaching as their children is going to pay off huge for their faith interaction. To have the Bible come alive and for them to see the sites and to have the words jump off the pages is big but to have that happen to their entire family. Amazing.
