Israel - 10 April 06

Didn’t write yesterday, it was a long day. Nazareth and Haifa were our destinations yesterday. We went to sleep right after Crash last night. It was a social masterpiece.
Alright, we drove to Nazareth. We found a good parking spot and walked up to the Church of the Annunciation. We ran into a Palm Sunday parade and many Arab Christians which was something great to see. We walked around the church and took some pictures. On a tip Guy received we went to a restaurant for great hummus and kebab. We also had 15 plates of salads with good pita bread and falafel. We had to leave Nazareth after the meal to make it to the Baha'i Gardens in time for our tour. It took a long time to find the right entrance but it was worth it. The gardens were so beautiful. What a view of the Mediterranean too. The gardens are symmetrical in design. I took a lot of pictures. The drive back to Tel Aviv was also pretty, down the coast we went as the sun set on the Med.

Guy took me to his gym last night. We shot some hoops and lifted before we got in a hot tub. Guy had to work some today, but that is fine. I have had some time to read emails this morning. I don’t know what we will do this afternoon. We might go to the beach again. I have loved my time here, but I get more excited to go home as everyday passes. I can’t believe I am going home to Colorado. In one week I will be at Heathrow waiting to take off to Chicago and then to sweet, delicious Colorado.

A horrible stereotype exists in parts of the West. There are some ignorant Westerners that assume an Arab must be a terrorist of some sort, or at least that they are not tolerant of Christianity in any way, shape, or form. I have never believed this to be true, but when I saw a Palm Sunday parade with no Westerner or white in it I choked up and wished that every Westerner that ever had the previously described stereotype could have seen what I did that day. In the heart of the Middle East, in a land of turmoil, in Nazareth on Palm Sunday and amid a flood of believers I felt God, and the beauty of our worship, and saw Jesus making all things new.