Our first stop was the old city of Joppa directly south of Tel Aviv right on the Mediterranean. Joppa used to be a big port city but as it got crowded, folks moved just slightly north and founded Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is considered the new part of town and Joppa, the old. Being by the sea felt like home with the wind whipping around and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach just below us. We were glad we'd packed our raincoats at the top of our suitcases for as we stepped off the tour bus for the first time, the people of Israel were experiencing a "Blessing Rain." It's a blessing because they've had drought conditions for years and this is the first winter they are getting something close to normal precipitation.
Our first picture together in Israel.
Not too bad for spending all day in airplanes & airports!
Joppa
The Call of Jonah
The first Bible story of our pilgrimage was the story of Jonah running from God (from the book of Jonah). Listening to the story while seeing and hearing the coming storm kicking up the waves was incredible. In this video, you can see the waves breaking over the remains of the breakwater that defined the port of Joppa during Jonah's time. It's not too hard to imagine Jonah walking on the sand surreptitiously looking for a boat to carry him as far away as possible. It was also easy to imagine a big fish spewing Jonah onto the beach below!
Literacy is useful. Sadly, we are not tri-lingual so only the english does us any good. In the midst of so many ancient examples of the many different peoples who've lived here, it was fascinating to see a modern reminder that this diversity of people is still here.
No pictures, but dinner (at our hotel on the Mediterranean) was kosher and delicious. And now, some sleep in a bed and not an airplane is sounding equally refreshing.
- Leona
No comments:
Post a Comment