Post Jesus Trail

Hello again!

Joe and I are back on the web after our 5 day trek/pilgrimage from Nazareth to Caperneum along the "Jesus Trail."  We had a fantastic adventure with more memories and experiences than we could recount in just a few words here.  Below is a picture of where we began- we stayed at the cozy Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth and were served a huge and wonderful breakfast before we began our voyage :)

G'bye Fauzi Azar Inn; Ready to hit the trails

Some highlights from the rest of the trek included hiking through Cana (where we avoided the heat of the day at the church of the first miracle; Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana), camping along the hillside between Cana and a town called Lavi on the evening of the end of Ramadan (LOTS of fireworks and prayers over loudspeakers all night long!), staying at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel (showers, air conditioning and some amazing buffet meals to refuel),

Buffet dinner at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel- yum!

hiking over the Horns of Hattin to see a fantastic view of the Sea of Galilee, visiting the Druze shrine of Nebi Shu-eib, trekking up Mount Arbol and the greater challenge of descending Mount Arbol (steep!..we were so glad for the metal handholds that were placed in the rock sides to help us along!), seeing the amazing 2000+ year old cliff dwellings left in the sides of the mountains, eating St. Peter's Fish (Talapia) at a restaurant on the Sea of Galilee, and camping out beach side on the Galilee.  Every day the heat was a challenge, as were some some nasty blisters for Carol, but the blessings were abundant and we especially enjoyed the chance to be on our own, get out of the cities a bit, and most of all, enjoy the experience of walking in the lands Jesus walked in. Following the trail markers made the whole adventure a bit like a treasure-hunt, at times being impossible to get lost, and in other places impossible to find the trail, or possibly finding too many trails! We had an exceptionally interesting experience around Golani Junction where we spent several hours covering perhaps 4 km of actual distance along the route due to construction of new overpasses and disagreement between the maps and the markers along the way.

Over looking the Sea of Galilee (aka Kinneret)

 We had many hours on the trail to think, pray and reflect on the stories we've read of Jesus's activities in these places.. feeding the 5,000, the sermon on the mount, calling his disciples, teaching in synagogues, calming the wind and the waves, walking on water, his conversation with Peter and John when he reappears to them after the resurrection.. there were moments walking this "Jesus Trail" that felt so ordinary (like any other pace in the world) and other moments where this place felt so unique and special as we recalled Jesus being here.  I think that is one of the most amazing thing about Jesus-- he is both ordinary and totally extraordinary at the same time.  He was totally, fully human just like we are with aches and challenges, and yet also fully divine with complete holiness and perfection.  We both feel like we got to know the person of Jesus a bit more through this adventure and are incredibly thankful to serve a God that is both set apart, perfect and all-powerful, yet at the same time knows weakness, is personal, compassionate and can sympathize with our struggles as humans.  What a unique and wonderful God!

Made it down Mount Arbol, whew! Joe is not wearing long
sleeves to stay warm, but to try and hide from the sun.

Hebrews 4:15-16 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

As always, thanks for reading along with our travels. We have been very blessed by your comments and encouragement.

Lots of Love,  Carol & Joe

Tilapia on the Sea of Galilee...no Denarius inside, shucks ;)