Catching Up!

September 17, 2008

As Sandy Taylor has shared with our community, our group headed out to Nazareth and Galilee, and we were away from St. George's College for 4 days and 3 nights. While exploring the area we stayed at the convent of the Sisters of Nazareth which does not have computer network access, and the only phone that calls out requires a special phone card service.

So, Virginia Wagner and I were not able to blog at all, and I'm very sorry for that. I'm going to catch you up once I myself have caught up on some sleep tonight back in Jerusalem. Then I am going to write a reeeallly long blog based on the detailed notes that I have been keeping every day so that I can keep track of all the sites we are seeing, things we are doing and information we are receiving.

I have spent a couple of hours catching up on email this evening and enjoying how much cooler it is in Jerusalem than in the sub sea level desert of the Galilee and Jordan area.

Travel Tip: do not take chocolate as a trail snack into Galilee unless you intend to apply it cosmetically.

One thing I want to share with you now though while the image is fresh in my mind: when we were exploring the first century Roman ruins of Sipporas, Virginia had purchased an umbrella at the gift shop before we started out to use as a screen against the strong sun that day. We got about 30 yards along the old Roman road when I heard a little shriek behind me.

I turned around to see that a gust of hot wind had abruptly turned her new umbrella inside out such that it was no longer being very effective against the sun or anything else. Jim managed to help her get it the right side out again, but several of the frail metal struts were bent sharply downward on one side. Facing these toward the front, Virginia trooped onward, her stride highlighting the large paper price tag still attached to the umbrella and flapping like a tiny spunky tail behind her.

I don't think the umbrella is something they will be bringing home as a souvenir, but that's just a guess.

More in a few hours. I'll dream of you in my sleep!

Peace,
Pastor Rachel+