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Welcome

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I am so honored by your visit today. My name is Kristi and I am married to my college sweetheart(I refer to him here as "Mr. Incredible"), momma to my 2 beautiful girls who are growing much too quickly, a high school computer teacher, photographer, and a gardener (at times~right now I'm growing weeds). I love to laugh, drink strong Starbucks coffee, take pictures, and be anywhere my family is. Jesus is my Savior and I try so hard to be the wife and momma that He has called me to be. I often fail but He lovingly picks me up, dusts me off, and encourages me that with Him all things are possible. Feel free to join me on this journey of faith, stop in and say hello, look around, and leave a comment~I love comments. Why "Kiki's Corner?" My nephews call me Aunt Kiki and I love that too.

Journey to Israel Day 5: Beit She'an, Ein Harod, and the Dead Sea

Today, our group travelled to Beit She'an, a Roman Decapolis city.  They have recovered a tremendous amount of the city in the archaelogical digs.  It was interesting to see the massive columns, beautiful mosaic tiles, the massive theater, spas with elaborate heating systems, and the public restrooms.
Theater:
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Heating system for the sauna:
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My family among the ancient columns:
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Public Latriene:  (I cannot even begin to imagine doing this for reals!)
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From there we travelled to Gideon Springs.  It is the only fresh water stream in the north. 
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Do you remember the story from Judges 7 where the men drank from the spring? The 300 men who cupped the water were the ones God chose to defeat the Amelkalites who had as many camels as the grains of sand.  God used only 300 men to defeat them to show His might and His power. 
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God still uses humble, alert servants for His glory and for His great purposes today.

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We boarded the bus and prepared for a long drive to the Dead Sea.  I couldn't help but marvel at all of the beautiful vegetation I saw through the bus windows.  We saw mango orchards, date palms, banana trees, strawberries, cotton fields, wheat, and so much more.  Such fertile soil....oh that my heart and soul would always be this way!


The more we travelled, the less fertile the land became.  Finally, we saw the enormous Dead Sea.  It is the lowest point of the earth and its name means salt sea.  There is no life in the sea oh but there are lots of minerals.  Here we began to see camels in the wild.  And we made a stop at the Ahava Factory.  Delight!  I love to use Ahava hand lotion.  I try to make one tube last as long as possible.  It is good stuff!

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It wasn't long before we arrived at the beautiful Daniel directly across the street from the Dead Sea.  A few minutes later my family quickly changed into our swim suits for the much anticipated float in the Dead Sea.  I grabbed a packet of the nutrient packed black mud I had purchased at Ahava and was ready to go!  I lathered that black mud all over myself (except for my face)  and offered to share with my family or anyone else in the group.  No one wanted to try it but they all wanted to take my picture. Oiy! I was the only African American looking person in the group!

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It was a cold and windy day, but we were not going to let that stop us from floating in the Dead Sea.  It was so easy to float, really it was hard to do anything else.  I was one of the few who could put her feet underwater and look like I was standing up.  The water was amazing!  My man discovered that he could reach down and scoop up coarse sea salt from the bottom.  Naturally, we all grabbed some and started exfoliating.  It was a wonderful salt scrub spa treatment, right there in the Dead Sea!

We stayed in the water until our teeth began chattering.  Our skin felt like silk and our lips were salty when we licked them.  There is still a fresh glow about our skin and an instant hydration.  Our waiter at dinner told me I looked 19.  Ha!

Journey to Israel Day 4: Corazim, Tel Hazor, Tel Dan, Caesarea Phillipi

I woke up this morning very sore from my fall the evening before but with a strong determination that it would not keep me from experiencing a single thing in Israel.  Armed with Advil, water (real drinkable water), and Oregano (for the soreness and bruising), I was ready for the day.

Our first stop was Corazim/Corazin/Chorazin one of the three cities that Jesus cursed because they refused to accept Him (Matthew 11:20) even after all that they had seen Him do.  We walked among the ruins of the city and saw dwelling houses, ritual baths where the priests would have cleansed themselves, and the Synagogue which contained a Moses Seat where the teachers of the law and the Pharisees would have sat (Matthew 23). 

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Mom and I:
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My favorite part of this place was when my dad asked me to go with him to a traditional home site.  Not wanting to miss any of what he was telling me, I moved my camera over to video mode.  Here is what he explained to me:



Amazing, isn't it?!  Thanks, Dad!!!

From Corazin, we travelled to Tel Hazor.  This was an important military fortress site that Joshua reclaimed by burning the place down.  Our guide dug down a little bit in the dirt and actually showed us some ash/soot in the archaeological remains. 

From Tel Hazor we travelled north to Tel Dan.  It is located at the foot of Mt. Hermon and the Golan Heights.  While walking we came across young Israeli soldiers.  In Israel, once a teenager turns eighteen, they are enlisted in the army; young men serve for three years, and the young ladies serve for two years.  These young soldiers looked like they were all 18 years old.  And the young men seemed delighted by all of our attention and were more than happy to take a picture with our girls. 

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In Tel Dan we saw a temple that was clearly made by man.  It contained a false alter and a place where the golden calf would have been placed.  How do I know it was a false altar?  In I Kings 12:25-31, King Jeroboam wanted to prevent the people of Dan from going to the real Temple in Jerusalem.  He knew if the people left, they would once again give their allegiance to God.  So, he constructed his own temple complete with an altar and a place for the golden calf.  The altar was made from smooth stone, not at all what God had planned for the real Temple altar, and it had steps.  Today, the place of the false altar is desolate; nothing appears to grow in this place, except for some ancient trees, because this was not what God had planned for His people.

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Later on we saw ruins of the the world's oldest and largest arch.  It is believed that Abraham would have passed by here on his way to find Lot.


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Our last stop for the day was Caesarea Phillipi (Banias Spring) a very evil place where people worshipped Pan who was half human, half goat, had horns, and played the flute to transport people to Hades.  The name Pan means "panic."  During these times, the people believed that all humans would go to Hades and only the gods, like Pan, would go to Heaven.  At first glance, Caesarea Phillip looks like a very beautiful place. 
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But, then we reached the grotto.

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It is in this grotto that the people would make their sacrifices to Pan.  Virgin daughters and animals were sacrificed in this place.  The people would throw their sacrifices into the steep grotto, the bodies would go under ground and come out in the water.  They believed that if no blood was seen in the water, then the offering was acceptable to Pan.  Needless to say, I didn't like this place at all!

My dad reminded us that this was also the place that Jesus brought His disciples and this was where He asked them, "Who do men say that I am?" (Matthew 16:13-18). It would have taken Jesus and His disciples 2 long days to journey from Capernaum to Caesarea Phillipi but they walked there for a very specific purpose.  He asked them the question in this place...this notoriously evil place.  Our Saviour, the One True Sacrifice, our way (the Only Way) to Heaven.  Can't you just see Simon Peter reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."  In this evil place....Grace and Mercy like the world had never known walked here for a very specific purpose...for you and for me!

Journey to Israel Day 3 (Part 2 of 2): Mt. of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Jordan River

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to Israel!  Where did I leave off?  After our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and visiting the Jesus boat, we headed up to the beautiful Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount at the natural amphitheater. 

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Mom with Rachel and Hannah:
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The Mt. of Beatitudes is so beautiful. We saw parrots and a lot of gorgeous flowers and palm trees. It was very peaceful. From the Mt., you can easily see the Sea of Galilee. After a little while, we boarded the bus and drove down to Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of the fish and the loaves. We saw the Church of the Rock which is where Peter's reconciliation took place after he denied Christ 3 times.

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Tabgha is also where the disciples were fishing on the Sea of Galilee but were not catching anything until Jesus told them to cast their nets to the other side. They obeyed the Lord and caught 153 fish to be exact. I did not know this, but our guide explained that the number in Hebrew means, "I Am!" I have chills as I type that. Because, He most definitely is the Great I Am!

Mom, the girls, Nonnie and I (my daughters with their momma and both grandmothers) put our feet in the Sea of Galilee together. Three generations together with our feet in the Sea of Galilee!  Amazing!! Naturally, I had to bring home one of the small rocks we were standing on:
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I took this next photo of my beautiful mother here too because this is one of her favorite places...and I totally understand why!
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From Tabgha, we travelled to Capernaum-the home base of Jesus' ministry. In Capernaum, Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law, cast out demons, and healed so many. We stood among the columns in the tabernacle and sang, "Surely the Presence" and oh how we felt His presence there.

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Here we saw an ancient olive press...and we were enlightened that Jesus is our olive press.

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I could have stayed in Capernaum all day long but we still had one more place to visit before dinner. We had the great blessing of going to the Jordan River for baptisms.

My Dad, who is a pastor, offered to baptize anyone in our group that wanted to participate. My husband and our girls were baptized and I had the great joy of taking their pictures. I think 18 were baptized from our group that day. Yes, those baptized were already believers and had already been baptized, but how incredible to be baptized in the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized our Savior. It was an incredible way to end the day.

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A special, special day for all of us! 

See how green the Jordan River looks?  It is not, it really is crystal clear.  I know first hand because me being the wonderful, graceful creature that I am (please hear the sarcasm in my voice), wanting to retrieve some of the crystal clear water from the Jordan River, fell down the slippery rock steps and nearly fell in the river myself.  The bad part, is that I was by myself and the wind was completely knocked out of me.  It was only a matter of seconds before help arrived and thankfully, Aunt Margie encouraged me to breath out of my nose which really seemed to help.

I was instantly sore, scraped and bruised, and I may have broken my tailbone, but thankfully I was alright.  Poppie graciously filled up my water bottle for me with Jordan River and my dad did too but we didn't know it at the time.  When we got back to the hotel, Dad brought us a water bottle.  In the middle of the night, my man got thirsty and took a huge drink from the water bottle only to discover it was Jordan River water too!  Ha!!!!  It really is crystal clear water.  I know because I proudly have both bottles in my kitchen.

Journey to Israel Day 3 (Part 1 of 2): Sea of Galilee


Our day began on the Sea of Galilee!  The real deal Sea of Galilee...and I was so shocked by the vast size of it.  For some reason, I've pictured a little lake in my mind since I was a child.  The Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret as it is often called, is 13 miles by 7 miles long and can be as deep as 200 feet.

I opened the sliding patio door of our hotel room early to see the beautiful sun rise over the Sea of Galilee.  It became the perfect place for me to have my morning devotion with the Lord...just He and I overlooking the sun rising~it was perfect!

After breakfast our group boarded the bus for a five minute ride to the dock where we boarded a wooden boat to sail across the Sea of Galilee.  Delight!  The day was perfect, a true gift from the Lord, the water was so calm.  The captain proudly flew the USA flag for us and even attempted fishing just like Jesus and His disciples would have done.  He cast his net on the left side of the boat and did not catch a single fish and he asked us what to do.  Naturally, we all exclaimed, "Cast it on the other side!" 

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I think we all unknowingly held our breaths at the same time to see if he would catch a fish.  Sadly, he didn't but what a thrill to see how it would have been done in Bible times.  Our guide explained that the Sea of Galilee really acts like a sea.  Storms can quickly approach.  I kept picturing in my mind Jesus being asleep in the boat when the disciples were startled by the storm.  Listen as my dad tells this story straight from God's Word:



I wish my video skills were a better but I am so thankful that I switched my big girl camera over to video mode so that I can have this treasure.

Our group so enjoyed being on the Sea of Galilee!  Our guide brought along some pita bread and Rachel and Poppie had fun feeding the birds.  I love this picture of the two of them laughing together:

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I love this picture of my parents:

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And all of us together:
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(My brother, Hannah, my man, Rachel, me, Mom, Dad, Nonnie and Poppie (Mr. Incredible's parents))

From the boat, we could see Capernaum, the place that was at the heart of Jesus' ministry, His home-base.  Our guide explained that looking out over the Sea of Galille we were actually seeing with our earthly eyes where 80% of Jesus's ministry took place.  Wow!

After a little while our boat docked at the Kibbutz Ginosaur where we were able to visit the "Jesus boat" located at the Yigal Allon Museum.  You can read more about the museum here.  The boat is believed to be 2000 years old.  We also saw pottery and nails that were found near the boat.  It was quite amazing to see. 

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(Hannah took the picture above)


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A man blowing a shofar (a traditional ram's horn-what Joshua used when they blew their horns to bring down the walls of Jericho) caught Hannah's attention.  It wasn't long before he had an apprentice.  She blew the shofar the very first time she tried.  Naturally, we had to purchase the shofar and she keeps it proudly in her room. 

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I have so many more details about our day to share, but I am afraid it might be taking too long to load the pictures on my site, so please come back tomorrow for information about our journey to the Mt. of Beatitudes and Tabgha.  Two more incredible places we were blessed to see!

Israel Day2 (Part 2 of 2): Tel Megiddo and Nazareth

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After dining on Pita bread filled with Falafels ( they remind me of hush puppies with a way different taste) for lunch, we drove from Mt. Carmel (God' Vineyard) to Tel Megiddo.  Tel Megiddo is the chariot city of King Solomon and it is an evil place. 

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We walked among the ruins of Tel Megiddo and then our hearts sank as we noticed clearly an altar:

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(Can you see it in the above picture?  It is circular and right there in the middle)


This was the place where sacrifices to baal were made. The people even sacrificed their precious children on this altar. The Bible talks about how the people would offer their children to baal and then go and worship God in the Temple. It was an awful site to see. My first reaction was to not capture a picture, but I thought again. It is a visible reminder of just how far we can stray from the Lord and from His ways. And how, even today, we can live like and act like the world wants us to and then a few minutes later go and worship the Lord in church.  What a reminder, that we are to live in this world but not of it!

Interestingly, you can see Mt. Carmel and Nazareth from Tel Megiddo. Jesus would have been able to view Tel Megiddo from Mt. Carmel and Nazareth. Wow!

Our guide showed us an incredible ancient water tunnel in Tel Megiddo. Most of us walked down the 183 steps to the underground well that was hand dug by men for their water source.

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From Tel Megiddo, we travelled to Nazareth...oh what a much better place to visit! We entered the Church of the Annunciation which is believed to be the home of Mary and Joseph:

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I fell in love with the beautiful ceiling of this church:

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While some of the group took a break to the "Temple of Relief" (the restroom) my family and I took a few pictures together outside of the beautiful church:
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From the church, we walked through the Nazareth marketplace and on to a very special place.  Here are Rachel (Major-as in Drum Major) and Poppie walking hand in hand:
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We arrived at the Synagogue Church in Nazareth.  This was where Jesus would have gone to church as a little boy and then later teaching here as an adult:
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These are the original tiles His precious feet would have walked on.  I get chills just looking at them again!  I could have stayed here all day long.  I felt privileged to walk on them and to kneel down and place my hands on the tiles but I really wanted to just fall down with my face to the ground, just me and my Saviour.  Our group sang praises to Him together and the tears flowed.  Not all tourists, pilgrims to Israel, have the same blessing of visiting this place.  I am so thankful that our guide made special arrangements for us to be here.  I wouldn't have missed this Holy place for the world!
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Please, join me tomorrow for Day 3.  We are on the Sea of Galilee!!!