Day #7

Good news is, tomorrow and the rest of our time in Israel is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous. The bad news is, today was still cold and rainy. But, that didn't stop us from having a really great day. Mostly we learned a lot about the history of Israel the Nation. Our tour guide offered an interesting talk on the various border negations since 1958. Since we are staying in the region, most of our focus was on the struggle with Syria over the Golan Heights. It was fascinating driving past field after field of bunkers and military installations from when the Syrians held control. Even today many of the fields are fenced off with ominous signs warning of hidden land mines.

Lunch today was another in-home meal with a local family. In this case it was Druze family. The Druze religion began 1,000 years ago in Egypt. They are a monotheistic religion drawing from the the traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Among their distinctive beliefs is incarnation. Unlike Christians, the Druze believe that the physical body has no intrinsic value. So much so, that the Druze do not believe in cemeteries (if I understood correctly). Rather, they believe a person sheds their physical body when they die and immediately in reincarnated into the physical body of another Druze baby. There were LOTS of questions I wanted to ask but not only is this religion very private, the language barrier was formidable. Nonetheless, we had a wonderful meal as we sat on the floor and listened to her tell all about her family.

On the way home we stopped for a wine-tasting visit at the famous Golan Heights Winery. Then we shopped at a local grocery store to get some snacks for dinner since many of us were tired of eating out.

Each night we've been gathering for devotions. We pray together for everyone back home, reflect on the things we've been learning and seeing, sing a hymn or two, and read Scripture. It's hard to believe tonight we pass the half-way mark of our trip. Tomorrow we explore more of Galilee, where Jesus spent the bulk of his ministry, before making our way down to Jerusalem for the next five evenings.

Pic descriptions:
1. Looking over toward the border of Syria and the site of a famous Israeli tank battle during the Yom Kippur war.
2. Our Druze host and our tour guide, Gideon Har-Hermon.
3. Our wonderful spread for lunch!
4. Seated on the floor.
5. Bill and Mary Jane Miles present our host with a splash of Texas while she holds up the traditional Druze flag.