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Hi, Folks

Fr. Earle is reporting this afternoon. We’re all at the airport in Tel Aviv as I write this. We arrived quite early, so we’re waiting to go through security. Because it’s the Sabbath, Israeli laws prohibit the opening of most stores, though those at the airport are an exception.

Our check out this morning was at 10:00, so everyone had a chance to sleep in. This meant, of course, that all our youth stayed up late.

We had three stops today. The first was fairly brief – it was Mount Carmel, which is in the north near the port city of Haifa. It was on this mountain that the famous religious contest took place between Elijah and the prophets of Baal in about 800 B.C. Read all about it in 1 Kings 18. There are great views of the valleys below from this site.

Our longest visit was about 30 or 40 miles south at Caesarea Maritima. The primary ruins are from the Roman period, about 100 B.C. There is a huge theater and also a massive hippodrome – where there would have been chariot races and gladiator battles. We also had a little time to splash around in the Mediterranean Sea.

Perhaps 30 or 40 miles farther south is Tel Aviv and the “suburb” of the ancient city of Jaffa. It was from Jaffa that the Old Testament prophet Jonah ventured out to sea to avoid God’s call to go to Nineveh. This also is the place where Simon the Tanner was hosting St. Peter (see Acts 10) when Cornelius the Centurion sent servants to call. Cornelius becomes the first non-Jew to be baptized a Christian.

We also ate lunch at a little “deli” along the streets in Jaffa – chicken shawarma for most of us.

Thanks to all of you so very much for your prayers. If all goes well, we will touch down tomorrow morning in Buffalo at about 9:45.

Again, blessings to all of you, and thanks so much for your prayers and support.

Fr. Earle and the pilgrims

This is the huge theater in the Roman ruins at Caesarea Maritima. The space is still used for concerts,
and the stage was being set up for one.

Our pilgrims play cards on one of the porches at the Charity Sisters of Nazareth,
where we spent the past three nights.