We started today with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes. The Catholic Nuns that take care of the place have done an amazing job of making a beautiful spot to reflect on the Sermon on the Mount from Mathew 5. David Mainse led us in a devotional on the beatitudes from the same place that Jesus first spoke those words.
After that we went on to Caesarea Phillipi at the foot of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in Israel. We saw some ruins of ancient temples to many gods including Pan and Zeus.This is the setting of Mathew 16 where Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah. We drove right beside the border with Lebanon on the Northern tip of Israel. Right beside the road was a fence with signs warning of mines.
We then went on to see a beautiful nature reserve at Hulata. We were treated to a 4D movie on bird migrations which brought you right into the action including getting sprayed with water and moving seats. This is a resting spot for 500,000,000 birds every spring and fall on their migrations. Israel is on the route where the largest number of birds in the world make their semi-annual migrations.
The last stop of the day was a diamond factory in Tibereas. 60 - 70 % of the world's diamonds pass through Israel for cutting and polishing.
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