Samaria, Jacob’s Well, Mass in Taybeh, Bethel, David Kills Goliath and more

by Steve Ray on February 1, 2014




Today was our fifth day of Holy Land part 2 and what a day it was! How do we even begin to describe it?

 We left beautiful green Galilee and drove through the Jordan Valley south until we cut up into the mountains of Samaria to the west. We went to Nablus to the Well of Jacob where the my friend the Greek Orthodox priest gave us a personal tour and told us the story of the well and the church.

 We saw the jug which the woman of Samaria used to give Jesus a drink. We also viewed a reliquary with part of her skull and part of the skull of John the Baptist. He also allowed us to take pictures of the well below as we drew water from the 120 foot deep well to drink. Many of our group were in tears as I read John 4.

 Then to Taybeh, the only Christian village in all of the West Bank. After Mass we ate at a quaint restaurant over 700 years old – the food was delicious.

 Then to Bethel where we took a long walk through the Jewish settlement with lots of interaction with the local Jews as they walked and relaxed on the Sabbath. We visited the hill where Abraham build an altar (Gen 12) and where Jacob had the dream of the ladder (Gen 28).  I had a great time reading the passages and describing them in the light of the New Testament and Christ.

 Then we drove to Wadi (Valley) of Elah where David killed Goliath. A dramatic reading of the passage and a lot of fun later the group all collected “smooth stones” from the brook as David had done 3,000 years ago. I also showed everyone the 3,000 year old sling stone I found in the Caves of Adullam where David hid with his men.

 We arrived at our beloved Notre Dame Center Hotel owned by the Pope. It is not only gorgeous and elegant like a medieval castle, but it is a way we help support the local Christians and the Vatican.

 Tomorrow is a busy day in Bethlehem and Hebron. You can join us tomorrow by video. We will also have Sunday Mass with the local Christians and seminarians in Bethlehem.



2 Comments

  • Scott McKinney says:

    Hi Mom and Dad,

    It was pretty amazing to see the Old Testiment sites in today’s video. We’re looking forward to hearing more about it when you get home.

    When you hear this message, it will be Super Bowl Sunday and Groundhog Day here, which I would gladly trade to spend the day exploring with you.

    Lots of love from home,

    Scott, Julie, Devan, John, Sarah, Aaron, and Kira

  • Nora O'Neill says:

    Hi, Michaela,

    Looks like you are all having a wonderful time. The video of the tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Leah looked very interesting. Question: Where is Rachael buried? Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl 43 to 8 — seemed like the Denver Broncos couldn’t do anything right. Joseph Davis left yesterday for his semester abroad. Franciscan University has a place in Austria. I think Elizabeth Davis will be doing her semester in Austria this fall. Weather forecast says we are going into a “wet weather pattern.” Hope that means LOTS of rain. We are already on strict water rationing here in St. Helena! Patti told me Laurie and Jimmie’s cabin closes on Monday. That’s it for now! God be with you! Love, Nora

Leave a Reply to Scott McKinney Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *