I feel I must mention it. The elephant in every room - coronavirus. It's out there, and it is going to spread. There is little I can do about that, but I am trusting God, listening to the people who have done the research, and taking some extra precautions when it comes to the "germy" surfaces I encounter.
I hope that you are doing the same.
You know what else I am doing? Blogging! It is safe to blog, and safe to read blogs, at least with regard to catching a germ! So here we go with Day 2 of the Israel trip...
Friday, January 24th was our most interesting weather-day in Israel. The predicted high was 7°C (44°F), so I wore the heaviest cotton sweater I brought. I am (after all) naturally well-insulated, and look at that sunshine as we got off the bus to see where the shepherds may have encountered angels bringing the Good News of great joy!
I did not see our guide grab his umbrella, and the sky over us was lovely as we took in the views,
and walked down a sketchy-looking, slippery (wet from previous rain? or morning dew?), metal walkway with steps and thin railings...
At the bottom, there were a couple more low obstacles to jump, but then, Look!
These were fields where shepherds took their sheep to graze...and the views were great!
Except in selfie mode. There must me something wrong with my camera phone, because I cannot be this bad at selfies...can I? (Trying to look natural?...lol!)
Anyhoo, while we were admiring the view, we were noticing little drops of rain...and they got bigger. But then it was time to go into this little chapel,
with lovely paintings all around. This will make for great photos...
...if my phone stops jumping out of my hands!
It was raining pretty good when we headed for a cave that shepherds may also have sheltered in.
Sitting in the cold and damp, watching the rain and contemplating the walk back to the bus, I could hear my mother in the back of my memory, saying, "I told you to bring your jacket," as parents do.
To be clear, I don't remember my mom nagging me like that when I was a kid, and she was blissfully unaware that I had not brought a jacket on this trip, as far as I know. I got wet, I settled my damp self into the bus, and we headed to Herodium...where I got that great Facebook profile pic in the wind!
There is also this picture, which a friend took after I had walked back down the mountain in the freezing rain...sans coat...lol!
We saw a lot of reconstruction here, which I assume looks much different than Herod's construction, leveling one mountain to build this one up for the site of his palace.
Our group was keen to climb and see what we could see, but our guide saw the clouds and advised the half-way up point, rather than heading for the top. Smart guide.
Next was lunch, with those long tables of yumminess!
Then some shopping at a store where they create beautiful (and expensive) things out of olive wood. We did buy a small cross, and a couple of camels for the granddaughters, but I was much more struck by the piles of sawdust,
and rough, unfinished pieces that are piled up and put to the side, waiting for their finishing touches.
These photos make me think about God the maker. God, who made everything out of nothing, the master craftsman. When I knit, I end up with a masterpiece in yarn that I am usually proud of. So, if I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), is he proud of me? I believe that he mostly is, and sometimes he probably thinks, "Why didn't you bring your jacket?"
Our last stop was the Garden of Gethsemane, which was difficult to photograph.
There were a lot of people, and not much space to back up and get a good shot, even while we were walking around, toward the Church of All Nations...
...and this tree, over 2000 years old, which was here with Jesus on that fateful night.
Visiting the shepherd's fields and the Garden of Gethsemane on the same day brings me right to Jesus...born to die for our sins, and save our souls, even though we we do not always listen to his good counsel. We are rough and unfinished. God is so good, and he loves and cares for us.
Illness can be scary, and new viruses bring unknown changes to our everyday routines, which makes me feel so out of control. But God is still good, and I trust that he is in control, so I just keep doing the things I know to do. You know that means knitting!
Do what you need to do friends. Be safe and help to keep others safe. Remember that you can knit and praise God with no personal contact at all. I will be doing a lot of both!
Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!
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