From Tel Aviv to the Negev

Free day and field trip 

September 16-17th

          Sundays are free days and this particular Sunday we decided to join a big group going to Tel Aviv. The bus ride was a great opportunity to get to know more about our classmates. I really enjoyed it. It takes a little over an hour by bus to get to Tel Aviv. Driving through the country is always fun! We arrived in Tel Aviv and the bus dropped us off right next to the beach. The smell of the Mediterranean sea and the cloudless sky made for an amazing day at the beach. I had all intentions of going into the city and finding a cool museum or shops, but i ended up staying at the beach all day playing mom and watching stuff. I wasn't mad about it though! there are worse places to be stuck. We finally decided to leave the beach and find some food. We found and amazing Shawarma place. I ate way more than i should have but i am a sucker for good food. I wish i had a picture of the plate... Instead i have a picture of me at the beach though! One of the few pictures captured that day. It was nice to just take a day to relax and not worry so much about school and the stress of living in a new country. 

          The next day (Monday the 17th) we set out early on a field trip to the Negev. First stop was Tel Beer Sheva. This site is commonly referred to as Abraham's Well for the giant well found just outside the ancient city walls. There is also an altar built there that gave greater insight to the scripture found in Genesis 26:25 "And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well" 

          We talked for a while at this site about the significance of the Altar, Tent, and Well. If you haven't read or listened to the talk already you should look up "Altar, Tent, Well" by A. Theodore Tuttle. In It he tells of the three priorities in life. The altar represents our personal worship, the tent is our home and family and the well is our work or relationships with fellowmen. 

On a side note: right next to me when I took this picture was a tamarisk tree that is said to be a few hundred years old. It was huge! 

          After we walked around the city ruins and climbed up the tower to an overlook we headed to Tel Arad where we looked at  potsherds and their history and explored a temple site. The design of temples today and temples of ancient times remain very similar and it is amazing to study about all the similarities. 

          We also went to Avdat which was a way station on the spice route of old, built by the Navatians. Our last stop was an amazing overlook where we could see into the Valley of Sin. When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt through this valley. Even though it is a desolate valley, they were led to more fertile parts of the wilderness. This is like our own lives, as difficult as times may be and as dreary as the wilderness may seem The Lord is Leading us to the more fertile parts whether we realize it or not. I have often thought of why God choose such harsh environments like this desert for his children to live and to grow and I came to the conclusion that it had to be that way. If they were placed in a wilderness that flourished and was filled with life then they would never know hardship and never learn how important it is to rely on God. We are all put here in our own wilderness and must learn to rely on God to lead us to the promised land.