This Rover

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July. We did! People are always so nice to worry about me and the fireworks, but as you can see by this video that my brother took on the boat a couple of year ago, I’m as cool as a cucumber!

Well, I still need to tell you about my brother’s last couple of days in Israel. The group left Jerusalem and headed to Tel Aviv for a night on the shores of the Mediterranean.

As they left Jerusalem, their guide, Ran, asked their driver, Salang, to swing by the new American Embassy, which just moved to Jerusalem. The group gave Ran an American flag hat, and he was proud to be an honorary American for a day!

To return the favor, Ran and Salang had prepared a “Taste of America” surprise for them at lunch. After spending the last two weeks lunching on shwarma and falafel while traveling in the footsteps of the King of Kings, they stopped for lunch at a different kind of shrine: one for the “small k” king – Elvis!

An Israeli gentleman started this diner about forty years ago with a small collection of Elvis memorabilia. It has grown to the point that now people from all over the world send him things! He even sells an Elvis wine, called “It’s Now or Never”. I guess that means you’d better drink it quick!

My brother says that the name of that song reminds him of an old Amy Grant song called “The Now and the Not Yet”. I’m glad they didn’t have a wine called “Heartbreak Hotel” – that would make me a little sad!

My brother said he wasn’t sure which was the bigger miracle: that he could get a cheeseburger in Israel, or that they had Dr Pepper!

Well, here they are in Joppa, looking north toward Tel Aviv. This church remembers where St Peter was when he had the dream about all the animals coming down from Heaven in a sheet. I guess that’s where the cheeseburger part comes in!

Peter was staying at the house of Simon the Tanner when that deliciously loaded sheet came down, and here it is.

The group walked around the old town and then got some gelato.

I would love to have met this kitty cat!

Here is Joppa’s version of The Wharf, where my brother’s and my boat is in Washington, DC.

My brother took this picture looking west toward home. He said that he had had the most amazing time, but that he was still very glad that he was going to get to see me in a little over a day. That’s so sweet!

Actually, I felt the same way. I had a great time at the Yenzers’ house and they took such good care of me. But when I saw my brother, I gave Elvis a run for his money. I guess you could say I was “All Shook Up”. In a good way!

Love, Winston.

First of all, happy Fathers’ Day to all of you dads! Most all of my dog friends still live with their dads and moms, but it’s just my brother and me. We miss our dad, but we still have a great time together. My brother went around to all the cemeteries yesterday – he was playing catch-up for Memorial Day because he was in Israel then.

Speaking of which, I think there are still two days to tell you about on his Israel trip! Here is their next to the last day in Jerusalem. They started at a park called the Garden Tomb, which some people think might be the spot of the cross and tomb. They also went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is where most people think those places are.

The Garden Tomb was discovered by a British fellow back in the 1800s. There is a big rock that kind of looks like a skull – it’s over on the far right side of this picture. Can you see it?

In the Bible, they say that the cross was at The Place of the Skull, so they started digging around and found other things. Here’s a tomb that’s nearby.

And here’s a wine press, like the one they saw at Nazareth Village. Wow, they sure had a lot of wine back then!

My brother said that place was very pretty. Here’s a picture of his friends Suzanne and Ben after they had been inside the tomb.

The group then went back into Old Jerusalem and saw the birthplace of Mary.

I told him, “Wow, I really like what they’ve done with the place!” but he said that this was a church that they built on top of the house. Here’s a picture of the house, which I think is still pretty, in its own way.

Nearby is the Pool of Bethesda. It sure would be deep if they filled it up! I’ll bet my brother could do a big cannonball there!

Next to the swimming pool is a pretty French church.

The group then walked on the Via Dolorosa. Have you heard of it? The name means “the way of sorrows” but it’s easier for me to remember it as Sad Street. It’s where Jesus carried His cross up to Golgotha. I had heard of filling stations and television stations, but Sad Street has 14 Stations of the Cross, and those are places where Jesus fell down, where His Mom came over to comfort Him, and twelve other places. This is a church that they built at one of the first stations.

My brother got to say a few words at each spot, although he said that their guide, Ran, did a much better job!

At the end of Sad Street is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is so big that it covers both where the cross and the tomb were. That’s probably even bigger than the Astrodome! This little place is actually on the roof the Church, and some monks from Ethiopia live there.

Now, wait until you see what happened next:

Those guys were wild! My brother said that the standoff went on for quite a while, so they all decided to go inside the Church. Even though it is so big, there are lots of pretty little chapels inside.

Then, they started seeing bigger parts of it!

Here is a mosaic of the story of Abraham and Isaac, where the angel said, “Wait! Look over there! There’s a ram caught in a thicket!”

Right next to it is a mosaic of Jesus. Wow, I never thought about how similar the two stories are!

Now, here’s what my brother calls the pièce de résistance! This beautiful place is where the cross actually was! I think they’ve redecorated since then. If you look down at the bottom left of the picture, you can see someone kneeling down. My brother said he got to put his hand right in the very spot!

I told you this Church was big! Here is another part of it, and the little house is built over Jesus’ tomb. The people are in line to get to go inside.

Here is another church inside the Church. It kind of reminds me of those Russian dolls, only much bigger!

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the end of Sad Street. I guess that’s also true in another way because, after Easter, you could change the name from Sad Street to Happy Avenue! If so, then here’s a picture of the group walking on Colorful Court in Old Jerusalem.

After lunch, some of the group went to a place called the Upper Room. I didn’t know this, but it’s actually the site of two very famous things. It’s where the disciples had the Last Supper with Jesus and it’s also where they were on Pentecost when the tongues of fire came down on them. Incoming!

I bet they got a good rate on the room because of the extended stay, although with the whole flaming tongues thing, they might have lost their deposit!

This pretty church has a funny name in English – it’s “Rooster Singing”! The Latin name is “Gallicantu”, which does sound a little better. Anyway, it is the place where Peter denied Jesus three times. Coincidentally, there are three churches, built one on top of the other. The one above is the top one. If you thought those angels around the stained glass were saxophones, don’t feel bad, because I did, too! I bet they could give the roosters a run for their money!

My brother didn’t get a picture of the middle church, but the one below is the bottom one and it’s almost like a cave. There were 27 Korean deacons singing there, and they are all going to become priests in the next couple of weeks. Wow, they sure sound a lot better than some rooster!

Well, I have one more day of the trip to tell you about. I’ll see you then!

Love, Winston

Good morning! Last Monday, my brother and his friends went to two very different places. One was very informative and one was very sad. Let’s start with the informative and happy one.

Silly me, I thought this building was a great big version of those ovens that they cook things in. I was just waiting for the water to cool it down so my brother could have something to eat! Actually, it is a building at the Museum of Israel that houses an exhibit on the Red Sea Scrolls. My brother had seen the site at Qumran on Saturday, and they have all kinds of artifacts here.

First they looked at a model of how Jerusalem looked in Jesus’ time. It sure was a lot smaller!

As they were going into that big tagine building, they got to see a lot of information about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Now, doesn’t this look like something that James Bond’s villains might use? Don’t worry, it’s actually a really big scroll. On it is a copy of the scroll of Isaiah. Did you know that it is almost word for the word the same as what is in the Bible? Wow!

Still, if you’re there and hear sirens go off, I’d call James Bond. Or maybe the Avengers. If Captain America has a friend named Captain Israel, even better!

Now, here we are at the sad place. It is called Yad Vashem and it is a memorial about the Hollow Cost. I’m sure you have heard about it. It’s very sad. I think the name comes from that Bible verse that asks, “What does it profit someone to gain the whole world and lose their soul?” I may have that wrong, although it still works.

This tree was planted to honor Oskar Schindler. I don’t know if he built the Schindler Lifts but he helped a lot of Jewish people escape from the concentrated camps.

My brother was not allowed to take pictures inside the building but he said it was very moving. There were many exhibits, artifacts, and films. This picture was taken when he came out of the building.

Also on the grounds was the Children’s Memorial at Yad Vashem. It remembers all the children who died: over one and a half million! I don’t think I even have that many hairs! That’s very sad. My brother said that the Children’s Memorial was in a building that was completely dark, except for one candle that was reflected by countless mirrors. That’s amazing!

After lunch, the group went back into Old Jerusalem. My brother said it would be very easy to get lost if you didn’t know where you were going!

They went to a Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter. They could climb some stairs and look down into the building.

Then, they climbed some more stairs and came to this fancy staircase. It kind of reminds me of New Orleans! Laissez les bon temps roullez!

After they climbed the fancy staircase, they had this great view of Jerusalem!

Well, I think they have two more days of sightseeing. I’ll keep you posted!

Love, Winston

Happy Pentecost, everybody! Last Sunday, my brother and his friends got to spend Pentecost in Jerusalem. It’s fifty days after Easter and, to make it even better, it is also a Jewish holiday called Shavuot, which is 50 days after Passover. Fun!

My brother walked over to the Mount of Olives and went to the Garden of Gethsemane, which is where Jesus went to pray before he was arrested. My brother said it was a beautiful little garden and that it smelled very nice! I was glad to know that, so that even if it was a dark night when Jesus was there, He still got to smell some really nice things!

There is a big Church at the Garden of Gethsemane. There’s also a big stone in front of the altar that could be the place where Jesus prayed. My brother said that the little iron fence around it looks like the crown of thorns.

The windows in the Church are actually made of alabaster. They sure are pretty with the light coming through them!

Up the hill from the Garden of Gethsemane are several cemeteries. I didn’t even know this many people had ever died! My brother said that people still like to buy plots there even though it’s now very pricy real estate!

Further up the hill is a Church called Dominus Flevit, which means “the Lord wept”. I think Jesus cried another time when His friend Lazarus died, but this time was when He was sad that Jerusalem did not want to be like little chicks that He could protect under His wing. It makes me sad, too!

Down the hill is an Eastern Orthodox Marian Chapel. It was way down in the ground, although my brother said that when it was built it was on top of the ground. Over all the years, the level of the earth has risen. I thought that was odd at first, but then I remembered that I have a couple of toys in the backyard, and if I don’t move them around, they can get stuck in the ground. And that’s only after a few months!

My brother went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for evening service. His friends Suzanne, Pris, Nancy, and Robert went with him. He said that it was amazing! It wasn’t like a service back home: first, the priest came over to the slab where Jesus laid and then they moved over to the tomb. Everyone was holding candles.

Then, they went to a chapel for some prayers and then to another chapel where they had Eucharistic Adoration. My brother said that he wasn’t sure if they might have accidentally crashed someone else’s party, but he was sure glad they went!

On the way back to the hotel, they went by a spice store. Look at that pyramid, all made of spices. I hope nobody sneezed!

The spices were nice, but this is my favorite picture. Meat!

I celebrated Pentecost by standing guard at the pool. It was very nice. Fifty days after Easter, fifty days after Passover, and 100 percent fun!

Love, Winston

Good morning! My brother just sent me pictures of what they did last Saturday in Israel. Wow, it was a big day!

They started at Masada. You’ve probably heard about it as the place where some Jewish people stayed for years until the Roman soldiers found a way to get to the top of the mountain. I did not know that, before that, it was one of King Herod’s palaces. We talked about him earlier. He was a good architect but not a very nice king!

Some of my brother’s group actually climbed all the way to the top. I thought: well, they’re smarter than the Roman soldiers, but I guess it helped that they didn’t have people on top throwing things at them!

My brother and some other of his friends took the cable car. It’s quite a view! You can even see the Dead Sea in the distance.

In its heyday, the top of the mountain was quite a place. King Herod spared no expense. Here is what is called a Columbarium. My brother always thought that that was a place where they buried people, but it actually gets its name from the Latin word for “dove”, and this is where they kept all the doves, in little niches. I think they did more than just eat them.

This sure is a dry place! I would probably get really hot with my fur coat! This side looks down on where the Roman soldiers began making a huge ramp to get up to the top and use a battering ram. I’ve heard of a greased pig, so that may be something similar, with batter instead of oil. Anyway, the ram did the trick and, sadly, the Romans were able to bust through.

Now, you may wonder how the Jewish people got water to the top of the mountain. I know I sure did! Ran, the guide, with the help of Ben, showed how the aqueducts channeled water during the rainy season, which only lasted a couple of weeks. Very clever!

Oh, and a shout-out to the donkeys, who helped get the water the rest of the way up! Then, once it was on top, the Masada brethren built a huge cistern, which could last them for two or three years. That’s a lot of water! Here’s the group inside the cistern.

Brethren and cistern. Too funny!

King Herod had built several terraces on the side of the mountain. My brother’s group decided to not try to climb down to them.

The Masada folks had so much water that they even built a spa. They had a steam room and a cold plunge. I know that that’s my brother’s favorite part of working out!

After the group came back down the mountain, they went to En Gedi, which is a nice spring and waterfall. This is where David found King Saul asleep in a cave. David also stayed in some of the caves, himself. I think he also wrote a few songs about the place. It sure looks refreshing!

After lunch, the group went to Qumran. It’s a place of more caves, and some water, too. A few years ago, a shepherd boy was tending his flock. One of the sheep went into a cave and the shepherd threw a rock to try to get it to come out. When he did, he heard the sound of breaking pottery. When he went inside, he found a big pot that contained some scrolls – those are the things we talked about earlier that people used to read before they had telephones or books.

As it ends up, there were hundreds of scrolls stored in the caves, and they went back hundreds of years. It really helped people understand that the Bible writers knew what they were talking about!

Those steps above lead down to some Mikvas. I think we talked about them yesterday. A group of monks that wrote the scrolls used to take the name of God so seriously that they used to take a bath before they wrote the name of God on a scroll. If you’ve read the Bible, you know that could be a lot of baths!

Here’s a picture of the Qumran caves.

The next stop was the Dead Sea. It is the lowest place on earth! My brother said the air was really hot! The Dead Sea is between 6 and 10 times saltier than the ocean, and that means that people can float on it without even trying. In fact, my brother said that he had to try hard to keep his feet underwater!

My brother really likes that song “Friends in Low Places”. Well, I guess this is the right place!

Our friend Jim tells a story about the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Both of them are fed by the Jordan River. The Sea of Galilee takes water in from the Jordan River and then the River leaves it on the other side. The Sea of Galilee is very pretty, as we saw in some pictures earlier in the trip, and a lot of fish like to live there, too. But the Dead Sea is kind of selfish. It takes in the water of the River Jordan but then doesn’t let any of it go. The sun has to work overtime evaporating the water, which makes the remaining water saltier and saltier, until nothing can live there. In fact, my brother didn’t take his phone down to the Dead Sea because the water could corrode it. So, here’s a little movie, shot from a distance.

I think I’m going to try to be more like the Sea of Galilee!

Love, Winston

Good morning! Last Friday, my brother and his friends waded in a water tunnel in Jerusalem and sang Christmas carols in Bethlehem! It was like Christmas in June! I was going to ask him if they got to go to the North Pole, too, but then I thought that without Christmas, the world might not even have a North Pole. Wow, this is a very special place!

First, everyone went down a whole lot of stairs to get to Hezekiah’s Tunnel. He was a king who built a very long underground tunnel to smuggle water into Jerusalem. My brother said that when they first got in the water, it almost came up to his waist, but then it stayed at about his calves or so. He said it was really fun. It was all dark except for his friends’ headlamps and phone lights. The tunnel is carved out of rock, and sometimes he had to turn sideways to get through. I hope he hasn’t been eating too much falafel! My brother wore our GoPro camera but he wears it about as well as I do! Maybe we can both take a class on how to take better movies!

Once they were back outside, they looked at some archeological diggings in the City of David. My ears always perk up when I hear about digging! Also, I thought Bethlehem was the City of David, but I guess when the angel told the shepherds that the Baby Jesus was born there, he was referring to Bethlehem as part of the metropolitan area, kind of like when my brother and I go out to the Bass Professional Shop in Broken Arrow.

The group then walked back up to Jerusalem in another tunnel. This one was the old drain for the city. When they got there, their guide Ran showed them how the old temple was destroyed by the Roman soldiers.

They pushed all these huge stones off the top of the wall until nothing was left on top. That made me sad, but I also thought: wow, those soldiers must have spent all their spare time working out!

These little places are right outside the city wall. They had fresh water baths, called Mikvas. I think it was kind of like baptism, except they did it more than once. I guess the half-life of the water wasn’t as good before Jesus’ time.

My brother said that their lunch in Bethlehem was his favorite so far. it reminded him of grilling out back home!

This sweet little fountain is for the shepherds and the sheep who were out in the fields on Christmas Eve.

I guess the rules in Bethlehem are that you have to have a guide who lives there, so the group was met by Martin and he showed them around. Here is what a shepherd’s cave looks like.

Do you what this is? It’s a manger, just like where the Baby Jesus slept! I was so relieved that it wasn’t the next step after mange – like mange, manger, mangest!

The group then went inside a little Chapel of the Shepherds of the Field. Wait until you see what happened next!

Christmas carols! Our friend Jim led everyone who was in the Chapel in a rousing rendition of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”. Here’s something else I just learned: I thought there were some angels named Harold who were really singing to the shepherds. It sure makes a difference when you see the spelling of things!

Here is a mural in the Chapel. If I was in Bethlehem in that time, I would sure have liked to have been where that dog is in the picture!

The group noticed that there was a lady in the Chapel that really liked to sing, so Jim asked her to lead the group in singing “Silent Night”. She was from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Next, they went to the Church of the Nativity. Do you see that little door? That’s how everybody gets into the Church! Everyone bows down as a sign of humility.

The door looks just about my size, so I would need to do something else to be humble. Maybe I could shimmy in on my back!

The inside of the Church is very pretty.

Now, everyone got to go down the steps to a cave where the Baby Jesus was born.

Here’s our friend Mark bowing down at the very spot.

My brother got to touch the place, too!

Do you remember the manger in the shepherds cave? Well, here is the one in the Nativity place.

This area is called St Joseph’s Chapel. It’s where he learned in a dream that he needed to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt because King Herod was getting ready to do bad things to the babies in Israel. And he got right up and took them as quickly as he could! I really like that guy!

Now, in another room of this cave was a place where, several years later, St Jerome lived for 34 years, translating the Bible into Latin. That’s a long time, even in people years!

Well, I can’t wait to see what new adventures the group will have next! I’ll let you know as soon as I know!

Love, Winston

Hello, everybody! My brother has sent me some pictures about a very exciting time they had last Thursday!

They said goodbye to the Pilgerhaus on the Sea of Galilee and started down to Jericho. On the way, they stopped at this very nice park with a spring that came right out of a cave!

Everyone got to sit and put their feet in the cool water while their guide, Ran, told them the story of the place.

They climbed up the hill above the cave and learned about a man named Yehoshua Rankin, who bought a whole lot of land so that the people of Israel could have a new country. That was nice of him!

There was a stone with a quote from him, and my brother and our buddy Jim thought that you could almost hear Jesus saying something very similar:

“My divine mission in life was revealed to me more than sixty years ago: to redeem the land our people yearned for. I was unwaveringly devoted to this goal of mine. I gave my heart and soul for the redemption of extensive barren areas. I did it all on a grand scale and did not settle for less.”

The little stream runs down to a kiddie pool and, as you can see, there were lots of kids playing in it!

The next stop was Jericho, and it sure looked a lot different!

You probably know about Jericho. It’s where Joshua and his army marched around the city for seven days, then blew their trumpets, and the walls came tumbling down. By the look of things, I’d say they did a good job! I think my friends and I could have done the job in four days by barking, but I guess the Lord had other plans.

Their next stop was Jerusalem, where they get to stay for six days. How exciting! Here is their first view of the city. Their guide, Ran, played a very nice song as they made their entrance into town.

My brother thought that Reba McEntire was singing the song, and I agree that it does kind of sound like her, but I think it is some lady from Israel.

Here’s the old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

After dinner, my brother and some of the group went to the Western Wall. He said it was quite an experience! You’ve probably heard about it, too. It’s where the people come to pray. A lot of the Jewish people there were dressed in their good clothes. My brother even took some little pieces of paper with prayers that our friends had asked him to stick in the wall.

All the men had to cover their heads to go to the Wall. Luckily, my brother usually has his camouflage baseball hat, but the Western Wall folks even had little hats that people could wear if they needed them. I thought that was very thoughtful!

My brother said it was quite a time, almost like if a prayer meeting and a dance party got together!

Now, when the group started heading back to the hotel was when it got really interesting! There were some Israeli and Arab boys being silly and mean to one another. They ran around a corner and, the next thing my brother knew, there were police running after them. Then, before you know it, everyone in my brother’s group was coughing really badly. I guess the Israeli police take these things very seriously and had opened up a can of tear gas or something. My brother said it was quite an adventure, and they didn’t even have to pay extra for it!

Love, Winston

Hello, everyone! My brother sent me these nice pictures, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you! This church is built on the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. That’s one of my favorites! It’s where Jesus says that you’ll be very happy when you try to make everything more peaceful, when you you just sit at someone’s feet and listen when they’re sad, when you don’t bark, even when you want to, and all kinds of other nice things.

Here’s the funny thing. All my friends – fellow dogs and other animals – know all of this like the back of our paws. But even my brother says that it’s hard for him to follow those teachings some times. That never made sense to me, like he was trying to explain colors when describing music. But then our buddy Jim (he’s in the blue shirt in the picture above) told us that that there’s a story in the Jewish tradition that says that all of us animals used to be able to talk, but when we saw Adam and Eve disobey God and eat the apple, we were so dumbstruck that we never spoke again! All of a sudden, I understood. I’m just glad that the Lord lets me type on the computer, although having opposable thumbs might speed up the process a little. You might keep me in your prayers.

Anyway, thats the Chapel at the Sermon on the Mount. My brother say that there were people from all over the world there! And here’s the place where the people may have gotten to hear Jesus’ words.

And now, here’s something completely different! This is the Cliffs of Arbel. If you look over on the left side of the picture, you’ll see some of my brother’s friends on the ledge. I’m just glad that no ducks flew over because, if they’re like me, they might have jumped up after them!

The Cliffs were a defense line for people trying to take over the land. They built little elevators so that the soldiers could go down the cliff and fight off the invaders. Here’s some of our friends, showing how that worked. I think I would just rather bark!

Here they are at the top of the cliffs, looking out over the Sea of Galilee. Wow, I wish I could have been there!

If you’re like me, you’ve probably figured out that Israel is pretty hot and dry. Well, the Lord has provided some nice shady spots every now and then. I know that, in the hot months, my brother will go out of his way to park our F150 in a shaded spot. I think I would just go right under that tree!

Do you remember all the Synagogues we’ve been talking about? Well, here’s one right on the Cliffs of Arbel!

When my brother and the group got back down to the the town of Tiberias, they saw these three stones, which represented three people who had stood firm in the face of adversity.

Now, here’s lunch on the Sea of Galilee. St Peter’s fish and French fries. A match made in Heaven!

I don’t have pictures for the rest of the day, but it was probably the best time they had! Has that ever happened to you? In their case, they went to the Jordan River and everyone that wanted to got to go into the river and reaffirm their baptism. I would love to get into the river and, as a Retriever, I would take a flying leap from the bank and – Splash! I know that might sound disrespectful, but I think the Lord knows what I mean. Anyway, my brother said that the best part was that there was a family from Colombia sitting over by them and they were just waiting for someone to come along so that their son could be baptized. So, our friend Jim did! I wish I could have been there! My brother said that he would have driven our truck if he could, but there weren’t enough gas stations along the way. Well, at the rate our friends at QuikTrip are going, maybe we can get there by next year!

Meanwhile, back in Tulsa, the Yenzers are getting a new fence. Abe and Beckham don’t seem to be that interested, but I’m keeping watch!

Love, Winston

My brother keeps telling me that Israel is a land of surprises, and I can see why! Here is a rushing brook up in the very northern part. I didn’t know they had so much water! Wouldn’t it be fun to just jump in and ride down!

Now, here’s another surprise. Do you remember when Jesus asked the Disciples who people think He is? They gave all sorts of answers, and then Simon said, “You are the Christ”. Jesus told him, you’re right, and from now on your name is Peter – which means Rock – and I’ll build my church on you. Well, all that took place right here! It might not look quite like it did, but in its heyday this place had all kind of temples to Greek gods. My brother said that the ruins themselves are quite impressive! Isn’t it interesting that Jesus took the Disciples to a place with all kinds of things competing for their attention, and then Peter made it crystal clear. I really like that guy!

After lunch, the group went up in the Golan Heights to look out over Syria. Our friend Jim took a tumble coming out of a bunker, but Ellie, Mary, Amy, and Ben took good care of him. Oh, one thing: my brother told me that what looks like a soldier with a rifle is really a cut-out. Well, you could have fooled me!

Anyway, they were able to look out over Syria from there. Back when the Apostle Paul was called Saul, he was treating the new Christians badly. Then, he was traveling to Damascus in Syria, right up from where my brother took this picture on the border of Israel and Syria. There was a blinding flash of light and he was knocked off his horse. The Lord put fish scales on his eyes, and his companions led him to a house. When the scales fell off his eyes, he became known as Paul and from then on put in a good word for the Lord whenever he could. I really like that guy, too!

I thought it would have been neat if that happened again while my brother was there, but he told me that he was actually very glad that he did not see a blinding flash of light while he was on the border of Israel and Syria. I have no idea what he’s talking about sometimes!

The group ended their day back on the Sea of Galilee. Here’s a boat that the folks there discovered a few years ago in the mud. It is about 2,000 years old. I’m not sure my brother could hook up a trolling motor to it now, but it sure is nice to think that it is a boat that Jesus might have been in!

Well, I hope you all have a good evening, and let me know if you see any blinding flashes of light!

Love, Winston

Hello! My brother sent me some pictures about their visit to Cana and Nazareth. This is a Church in Cana, built where Jesus turned the water into wine. I don’t know if it’s His first miracle, but it’s the first one talked about in the Bible, so it must be important!

Jesus and His Mother and Disciples were invited to a wedding there and the wedding party ran out of wine. I know my brother ran out of brisket at a party once, but I think this would have been even more embarrassing! His Mother Mary was the first to notice, and she told the waiters, to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Always good advice! Jesus told them to fill up six big jars with water and they turned into the best tasting wine the wine steward had ever had. What a nice wedding present!

The group then visited Nazareth Village. It looks like Nazareth in Jesus’ time. Here’s a donkey in front of an olive tree. I’d like to meet him!

Speaking of wine, this is their guide, Joseph, telling them about a wine press. The people would step on grapes where he is standing and then the juice would drain into the big hole. I’m beginning to see why the people appreciated Jesus’ wine so much!

The people of Nazareth didn’t use their feet to make olive oil. Even though the stone is really heavy, my brother said that it is counterweighted so that it seems fairly light. If I ever get to go to Nazareth, I’ll volunteer to hook my harness up to it and give it a whirl – at least until I get dizzy!

The group had lunch after they went to the Village. Most of their lunches have been a choice of chicken Shawarma and Falafel sandwiches. It think those must be like our hamburgers and pulled pork sandwiches in terms of popularity.

Did you know that there’s a difference between enunciation and annunciation? Sometimes my brother doesn’t enunciate so well and I get the two confused. This is the Church of the Annunciation. I thought it was where Jesus became such a good public speaker, but it’s even more important than that: it’s where his Mother Mary agreed to take on the biggest honor and responsibility of being His Mother!

These are the entry doors, and they tell the whole story of Jesus’ life in pictures.

When you enter inside, it already looks like a big space, but keep the balcony in the top of the picture in your mind: we’re going to learn more about it in a minute. The place where you see the people is Mary’s room when she was a girl.

Here’s a picture of Mary’s room. I think they may have moved some of the furniture around since then. This is where she said “Yes!’ to God. One thing I’ve already learned is that if God asks you to do something, it’s always best to agree, even if it seems like it will be hard. He will help you and it’s always a great joy!

Do you remember when I mentioned the balcony? Well, now my brother and the group are up on that level. Wow, I had no idea that so much was built over Mary’s room! It looks like it goes all the way up to Heaven! It kind of looks like a megaphone to me, which I guess is good if God wants to annunciate some really good news!

My brother and the group then went up to the Mount of Transfiguration. This is where Jesus took three of his closest friends – Peter, James, and John. First, His clothes became brighter than white. Then, Moses and Elijah came down and talked to him. You remember them, don’t you? Moses was given the law of the Ten Commandments and Elijah was a prophet. Then, a big cloud covered the mountain and the voice of God told them He was well pleased with His Son. I might have barked, but the Disciples hid their faces until Jesus told them to get up, and it was once again a sunny day – maybe like this one in the picture.

They’ve built a big church on the Mountain to remember the event. My brother said there were people there from all over the world.

Here’s a nice view from the top. Very pretty!

Well, I’ll tell you more about their trip as soon as my brother sends more pictures!

Love, Winston