Never Forget: Shabbot Shalom!

So Shabbat started at sundown Friday and Saturday is the official Sabbath (until sundown). On Saturday, we had what I call our "Jesus Tour" because we went to Galilee. We started out in Nazareth at the Church of the Anunication, then continued to Tabagha (loaves and fishes), a meal in which I ate a fish with its head still on that looked at me the whole time, St Peter's Primacy (most beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee ever), dipped our feet in the Sea of Galilee, visited Capernaum, the site of the Sermon on the Mount, then took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (my favorite traveling activity maybe of all time). We drove back via the coastal road and saw just how close Jordan is. (During our time on Galilee, Syria was RIGHT. THERE. It's shocking to think how different life in this tiny country, surrounded by enemies, must be than our life in America.)

That night, we had gone to bed to write and read a while and we heard what sounded like singing outside our window. As we listened, we realized it wasn't singing, but rather a protest. We opened our window and watched a protest of 100 or so people go to the Prime Minister's house, which is beside our hotel. Pretty cool!

Ruins of synagogue in Capernaum

On the boat on the Sea of Galilee

In the Sea of Galilee

Church of the Anunication

Feet in the Jordan River (lots of feet pics. sorry)

St Peter's Primacy ... LOOOVED

Church of the Anunuciation

At Capernaum. One of my favorite statues-- it's Peter

Sea of Galilee from the boat

Church of St Joseph

My roommate, Tiffany

In the Jordan River

Tabagha

Sorry for another selfie ;)

My lunch that suspiciously resembled a Bible story

Our boat!

Driving back

Jordan River

This is a picture of violence and hatred and politics getting mixed up in religion. This absolutely gorgeous church at Tabagha was one of my favorite sites last time we came. Today, the courtyard we took family pictures in was inaccessible. The second story is gone. Three weeks ago, it was torched by Jewish extremists. In fact, it just opened back to the public two days ago. Whether it's a church in the old segregated South, a synagogue in Nazi Germany, a mosque in Saudi Arabia, or a Bible study full of people in Charleston, SC, hatred is present and it's real and religion and religious people are frequent targets.