Israel: Day 1, Caves and Bet Guvrin and Caves and the Sea

Caves of Adullam (This was one of my favorite places.)

Made of limestone-type rock. Narrow tunnels. Upward and downward turns. Open into caverns. Mostly crouching size. Used by people in hiding. Mainly from soldiers (because the couldnt crawl through in their armor). David hiding from Saul. (Biblical reference: Psalm 57.)

"April 4: Crawling through the tunnels. Reaching the end. Stepping out of the opening and standing up. Looking to the sky, feeling the breeze. My eyes adjust. I appreciate the sunlight. I had been in the caves for minutes. But they had been in them for days... weeks... months... David and his men had been in and out of them for years..."

Bet Guvrin (Hebrew): House of Power

(Micaela)

Collumbarium
(a postal pigeon storehouse)

We thought we were walking through a small deserted city. (Surprise!) We were, in fact, walking over a large underground city. 

Sunlight

"Work rooms" (for farm animals, olive presses, etc.)

Bell Caves (a quarry)
Sidenote: Acoustics were incredible

 The Dead Sea

from the room window

Israel: Day 1, Azekah and the Creek

Hike to Azekah

(Matt Lindly), Shiloh, Jessica, Jordan

The Valley of Elah behind is now a farm land. 

For the centuries before, it was a battlefield.

The Creek

Israel is dry. There is not much rain. There is not much water. 

Some places that do contain water evaporate seasonally and are left empty.

Like this creek where David collected the stones to sling at Goliath. 

(Biblical reference: 1 Samuel 17.)

Israel: Day 1, Bet Shamesh

Bet Shamesh (Hebrew): House of the Sun

Logan and Joey (the Medic)

Little foxes caught on fire running through this field... (Biblical reference: Judges 15:3-4.)

We determined that Samson made big ("dumb") mistakes because he had earlier made little ("dumb") mistakes. The small compromises he made earlier led him to the big compromises later (and thus, the big consequences).

"Oh how easily we stray away..."

Cistern (with Kelsey)

Israel: Day 1, Kiriat Jearim

There is a college campus here (Masters/ Ibex) that recreated locations that would have been common in Israel during the B.C. (There was a tomb and an olive press and a vineyard and such things.)

At every location we visited, our group (of 70 or so) would gather and be told the historical reference of what we were looking at. (Or rather, we were reminded. Because as Joshua students, we had already studied the historical context of these locations. Visiting Israel was a "field trip". This was hands on learning.)

Rich, the Director of Joshua, is in the center.

Shiloh

from inside the tomb
(Tim, Jenae, Alli)

On the hill in the background was a small house. In this house was the Ark of the Covenant, which represented and "held" the presence of GOD. The Ark stayed in that house for twenty years. (Biblical reference: 1 Samuel 4-7.) It's a pretty neat story. I hadnt heard it before. Check it out.

Rich. Wine Press.

"All the Single Ladies!" Culturally, the young ladies of a town would come to the wine press and stomp the grapes, while all the young men would look on and take note of who was eligible.

with Kelsey

Israel: Day 1, On the Bus

Do you speak any Hebrew? Well, let's start with this one: "SHALOM!" 

--Ronan (the tour guide)

"April 4:
Woke up this morning early.
(Factoring time zone change.)
It was raining.
I slept very well last night.
I tried new things at breakfast.
We had our first stop.
Now on the bus.
Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts.
Eyes and hands open."