Me as an Angry Disciple

This is me as...an angry disciple. On this past Sunday, I was a part of a group who went to the Sea of Galilee in order to shoot some footage for a documentary being filmed here. Things didn't work out (the boat we were to use did not show up), so we ate on the shore and went back home. So here I am, dressed up in first century garb (hand-made, might I add)...angry...I don't know why. By the way, how about that beard? It's coming along, right?

Meet a Few of My Friends

Here are just a few of the many people I have met here in Nazareth. The first picture (sunglasses) is of the tour-guide coordinator (he trained me and assigns my tours) who is called Amer. He is a hard working man with precious little time to waste as he runs all over the Village supervising nearly everything. The man in the green shirt lounging in my chair is Ibrahim (like Abraham, but Arabic). He is one of the most light-hearted guys I have met here. He is a funny man, laid back, and very very welcoming. He works in the Village Gift Shop...I buy my Pepsis from him. The three gentlemen in the next are hanging out in the courtyard of the Basilica of the Annunciation. The first (foreground) is Marcos, a worker from Brazil. The next is...well I can't remember his name, but he is from France. Both of them are staying and working at the Basilica. The one farthest away is Mariano, the friend who is staying in Tel Aviv for the summer. He came up to visit me for the weekend. The last picture is of Rani Espanyoli, a native of Nazareth and fellow (more experienced) tour guide. He is also known for playing in video productions the part of Jesus, as he is doing in the latest documentary being filmed in Nazareth Village. He is a great, hard-working young man. There are many others, and hopefully you will be able to see them in future postings...but for now...Salamot!

Welcome to Nazareth Village

Here are a few glimpses of where I am helping out: You can see the village from the view of the village watchtower. These would have been used to watch for impending dangers to the crops such as wild animals and thieves. Another shot is one of a few villages just hanging out and talking. The front shot of the building is a picture of the synagogue. Obviously, this is not the authentic first-century Nazareth synagogue, but it was built the exact same way and with the exact same materials they would have used. There is much more to see...but these pictures take forever to upload. This is all for now...The Nazareth Village at your service!

My Temporary Abode

Here is where I have spent my first days in Nazareth. I live in the upper portion of the building, and from the balcony you can see much of the city. This building is known as the "Baptist Center" and here is where Azar, a minister, is looking to start a kind of Christian college/study place in coming September. In the bottom half of the building, another Baptist church meets on Saturday nights. I get hear their church services, and they are quite amazing. I have been blessed by my brothers to have been able to stay here for the opening days of my trip.

Greetings from Nazareth, Israel! This is me, Jordan, on my balcony in the middle of Nazareth. As you can see, it is beautiful...and the landscape ain't bad either. Anyway, I will be posting pictures every so often so that you can share a bit of my experience here in the land Jesus Christ walked (well, the actual land is buried quite a ways underground, but you get my point). I pray this summer is glorifying to Him, and that you can come to appreciate this land and these brothers and sisters as much as I have/will. God Bless!