By Beth Armstrong
It’s hard to believe that today was only our second day of excursions in the Holy Land. We’ve experienced so much, it seems that it should have already been a week that we’ve been touring Israel!
We kicked off the day with a short bus ride from the Sea of Galilee to Cana. Still in the Galilee region, Cana is the site of Jesus’s first miracle in the bible—when He turned water into wine at a wedding celebration. We visited the Catholic Wedding Church for a devotional moment while in Cana. 
A short drive later and we were in Jesus’s hometown of Nazareth. I was surprised to see how large and populated the city is! The narrow streets were heavily trafficked by cars, pedestrians, motorcycles, and tour buses. I could imagine what it must have looked like for Jesus—merchants lining the streets, children laughing and playing, and people hustling about around the city. We made our way to downtown Nazareth for what became my favorite spot so far on this trip, the Church of the Annunciation.
Chapter one in the book of Luke tells the story of Mary learning that she would carry and mother the Savior. The Church of the Annunciation was built in 1969 and encapsulates Mary’s grotto—where she lived and carried Jesus Christ. To see and touch the place that Mary learned she would be pregnant was one of the most profound moments of my life. I imagined what she must have thought when Gabriel spoke and how that one moment changed her life (and ours) forever. We took a moment for prayer and devotional at the Church of the Annunciation, a basilica in the Catholic Church, and filed onto the bus to head to Megiddo.
Megiddo is a National Park and archaeological site in Israel. Named for the many wars and conflicts fought on the land, Meggido is named in the bible as the site for the final war between good and evil—Armageddon. Our group took a break to enjoy house-made falafel sandwiches before hiking the 183 steps down under the tel. I could see the tangible evidence of a once great city—gates, walls, and palace ruins were dusted off to tell a story to tourists visiting the 2,000-year-old site.
Our last stop of the day was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen: Caesarea. Built by King Herod the Great, Caesarea was once a thriving port-city under the Roman Empire. We explored the ruins of the site and spent time appreciating the history of the site—the site of the first-ever baptism of a non-Jew into Christianity (Acts 10:24).
We wrapped up the day by checking into the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem. I can’t wait to explore this incredible city starting tomorrow!
