Day 9

We had another full day ahead of us. Our first stop was Tabha, the site of the miracle of the Loaves and Fish. We also went to the site where Jesus was standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and told the fishermen to cast their nets on the other side of the boat when they did not catch any fish. Inside the chapel there is the rock where they believe Jesus cooked the fish that was caught. This was the one place where we were able to actually go to the Sea of Galilee and touch the water. We also went to Korazim which was one of the cities condemned by Jesus because they did not believe after he performed miracles there. After that, we went to Capernaum and saw the remains of the house of Peter. After visiting Capernaum, we went to Kibbutz Ein Gev and ate St. Peter’s fish which is tilapia. A kibbutz is a community where everyone works and basically they all take care of each other. After lunch, we rode on a boat back to the other side. It was already about 3:00 by this time and we were now headed to the Jordan River for baptism. Our guide did not know that the place closed at 3:00 instead of 4:00 this particular Friday. We arrived at 3:30. It is specific place on the Jordan River with sites set up for baptism. It has a place for people to sit and watch. You pay $10 and they let you use a robe and towel. When we got there, we had to rush. Those of us who were getting baptized had to get our stuff and change. We changed right away and walked down to the site. About half of the group was getting baptized or rededicated. This was my first baptism. The water was extremely cold. The experience was all worth it. The people who worked there were rushing us. As sson as we were done, we had to run up to the changing room and change. We all got done by 4:15. We went back to our hotel. I had to shower and get ready for dinner. This is probably the day I will never forget because it is the day I was baptized in the Jordan River.