Part 4: Israel 2019 – The Golan Heights and more…

This day was about seeing some of the incredible raw beauty in the area of the Golan, hearing from some Israelis, and prayer.

We started the day on a long bus ride, leaving the Sea of Galilee and climbing high up to the area of the Golan Heights. First we visited the look out point at Misgav Am. The views were breathtaking as we heard from a leader about some of the history of this Kibbutz located literally on the border of Southern Lebanon. Our group took time to pray here too… for the people on the other side of the border, as well as for the people of the kibbutz and the soldiers stationed there. We really wanted to bless them, so I think we may have just about “bought out” their small store.

Next we visited Caesarea Phillipi near the foot of Mt. Hermon. It’s a beautiful park now with springs and more (including fig trees as in the photo above), but it has a dark and pagan history. If you want to learn more, you might find this article interesting, it includes some of the things that were shared by our Pastors and guides that day.

Our last stop for the day was The Valley of Tears Memorial, on the border of Syria (so close we could see buildings in the distance) and the site of one of the largest tank battles in history. It commemorates those who fought and lost their lives in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Rani Levy passionately shared the story of what turned out to be a miraculous battle and victory with us, as well as the importance of the Golan Heights to Israel. It was very clear how much he loves his country. If you want to learn more, check out this book: The Heights of Courage.

We traveled back down the mountains to the Sea of Galilee for our last night at the hotel there, with much to reflect on and pray about. I couldn’t help but notice the places where the land has been reclaimed and is once again fruitful. Just before laying down that night, I took one last photo, it’s Tiberias from the balcony of my room. I wish the photo would show how lovely it really was — the lights of the city were twinkling and shining brightly.

Jerusalem was coming next, and I was excited to go there. But still, leaving the Galilee was a bit heart-wrenching. It’s my desire to go back and spend time at Migdal Arbel, in His time.