Today we visited the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (St. Matthew 5,6, and 7). Together we read through Matthew 5 and compared it to the things Jesus taught in 3 Nephi chapter 12. After we read and talked we sat for a moment in silene, to reflect upon the things we had seen and felt. I didn’t really want to leave that place but we had other places to see.
We are now looking at the Jordan River. It is not very wide but looks very pretty.
Now we are driving through a mine field. When Syria had control of the Golam Heights they planted mines and did not map them. It is against International law not to map mine fields.
I just discovered that the film in my camera was not advancing so I lost a full role of pictures.
We stopped in Qazrin for a quick break and then off for some of St. Peter’s fish.
When I first saw the fish, I was quite surprised. We were told that it was some of the best fish in the world, but some of the people insisted that it didn’t matter how good the fish was, they just didn’t like fish. Dave told the people that didn’t like it, he would buy them something else. Well, I don’t think that anyone who got the fish was disappointed. It looked like fish, including fins, gills, and its head. Despite the strange fully formed appearance of the fish, it sure tasted great!
After supper, we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. The Galilee area is beautiful and the cool breeze made the ride an even more wonderful experience. We stopped and read some scriptures in St. Matthew 14. I really enjoyed the peaceful feeling. Looking out over the Sea of Galilee, you knew without a doubt that Jesus really was there and that he did walk on the water, and that this was the place that it happened. I imagined Peter stepping out onto the water, and Jesus stretching out his hand and catching him. I will always remember that day.
The next place we visited was a kibbutz to see what the life was like there. A kibbutz is a small colony of people that live without income, but have everything they need provided for them. It seemed a lot like the Hutterites there, but they had some major differences which might make life there more enjoyable.
The most amazing thing happened there. I was feeling kind-of down and out, and we walked into the kibbutz gymnasium. When it came down to a game of 5-5 I was sure to get on the old guys team (Phill Tollestrup, Jack Hicken, Dave Clark, and Bruce) because I’ve learned that the young team will hardly ever win, especially when it’s half court. I had a really good time playing with those guys. The rest of our group cheered us on from the stands. It really cheered me up. Even Phill Tollestrup told me he was pretty impressed. He said I could have easily played for his team in Magrath.
Later that night, some of the kids went swimming in the Sea of Galilee. Jesse slipped on the rocks and got his shirt a little wet and slimy, but he was ok and we all laughed, but felt bad for him. The water was pretty cold at first, but we all got used to it very quickly.
I love it here in the Galilee area. We had a little bit of rain here, but it was so soft and didn’t last very long. It’s too bad we are leaving so soon, but that’s the way it has to be.