moments

5/26/08
Galilee
Today was a bizarre day. Even though it was really full, it felt remarkably laid back. I thought yesterday was fantastic. I loved our communion service that happened after dinner. We spent time talking and praying and sharing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was really great to hear what other people were learning and have time to reflect myself. There were snapshots in my mind that I shared and it was really cool. I have those God moments - those little connections with my Savior - that have happened periodically throughout the trip. I had a handful of people come up to me afterward and thank me for sharing, which was a very reassuring thing. I'm really glad the things that have impacted me have impacted others as well.

We went to Zippori, a town that has a number of names associated with it. It would have been the main city in Galilee at the time of Jesus, and was a short walk from Nazareth. There was a home there that had a magnitude of mosaic art on the floor. It was amazing the detail of work using a bunch of colored stones.
We also stopped at the spring where Gideon's men were whittled down in numbers. It was kind of cool, but lost it's luster since a swimming pool had been built right next to it.
We picnicked at another spring that was nice. A little relaxation - we were able to swim in it before lunch.
After that we went to Beth-She-an, a major site with an amazing amount of excavations. I thought it was beautiful, and was really glad it was near the end of our trip. Even though it had little biblical significance, it was really interesting to see how a Roman City would have been at the time of Jesus. The expanse was impressive, as you can see in the picture - it was loaded with a giant bathhouse, theater and massive architecture. It was demolished by a huge earthquake in the 700's.
I have a quiz for my mom. Try to figure out where the tree is from. It's from a movie. I'll give you the answer on my next post.

Tonight has been about reconnecting with everyone. I talked with my wife, saw my boys over the web-cam, and now getting pics uploaded and the blog updated. Drop me a line if you can, I'm a little homesick!