Hello from Israel

Shalom friends and family! We are safe and sound in Israel and the trip is already off to a great start. We arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday without a hitch and were welcomed by a group of Israelis who will be traveling with us for the entire trip. We said a prayer, sang a song and even danced in the middle of the airport.

After boarding the bus waiting for us, we went to the Mediterranean Sea and Beit Yanai and shared in a great opening moment on the beach. We ate delicious watermelon and got the trip started off on a great note. We then took a long bus trip up north and settled in at the Kibbutz we are staying named Chukuk in the Galilee. We are bunked three people to a room and most of the rooms have an Israeli person along with two Americans. Each room has its own shower and mini kitchen area. We then had dinner in the dining hall area which was also great. There was a variety of meats, vegetables and desserts. Most of us were tired and headed to sleep soon after dinner.

This morning we were up at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and headed over to the Golan Heights for a day of hiking and history. The hike was three hours long and took us up and down the mountains in the Golan Heights. We hiked down to the Gilabun waterfall and we went swimming underneath it. The water was freezing but we beared the cold and had a great time. After a pianful hike back up the parking lot, it was time for lunch.

We stopped for lunch at the Katzerin mall in Katzerin, the only city in the Golan Heights, which had a food court offering various Israeli foods. Shortly after, we got back on the bus and headed up to the Mountain which is the Israeli-Syrian border. We learned about the history of conflict between the two countries and how the conflict over who truly owns the land continues to this day. It was an amazing view of the land and a great look at some of Israel's amazing history.

We ended the day at a wildlife reservation where thousands of birds pass through while migrating from Europe to Africa each year. Though there were not many birds, the view, the weather and the company were great. We will be in Northern Israel for the next couple of days and head to Haifa on Thursday.

We are all having an amazing time and will keep you updated very soon!