One of my favorite locations on my recent journey to the Middle East was the region of Galilee. This area is a beautiful, hilly countryside highlighted by the Sea of Galilee (also known as the Sea of Tiberius). Many of the stories we read about in the Gospels took place around this large body of water. Incidentally, the Sea of Galilee is one of the few places I visited where there is no doubt with regards to authenticity: the Sea I was on, was the same one Jesus walked on.

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I have returned from my journey to the Middle East. It is great to be near my lovely wife and amazing children. It is also nice to have unlimited Internet, Dr. Pepper, and home-cooked food. As I sit back and think about the many memories I now have, I am humbled. That was such a great opportunity and I encourage this sort of trip to anyone. I cannot wait to go back. In the next few days, we begin celebrating Holy Week, kicking off with Palm Sunday. While I was in Jerusalem, we made a walk down from the top of the Mount of Olives towards the Garden of Gethsemane. This long, winding cobblestone road was laid out at a steep incline. The guide told me that this was the path Jesus took for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

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Hello!

I am having a terrible time finding reliable (and cheap) Internet access, but I have found some here in Bethlehem. I clearly have way too much information and the pace is so rapid, that I will be unable to post updates as I thought. But I will eventually… This is an incredible experience and I appreciate your prayers. Talk to you soon… (Here is a picture I took of the great city of Petra.)

-z