Tiberias, Day 2

We covered a great deal of the Galilee area, including the Jordan River, Church of the Beatitudes, Church of the Multiplication, and Capernaum.

We began the day with a visit to the Jordan River at a site similar to that used at the time of Jesus.

The group assembled near the Church of the Beatitudes to read the account from Matthew 5 of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Along the shore of the Sae of Galilee, Jesus told Peter to "Feed my Lambs."

We visited the ancient city of Capernaum, which was frequently visited by Jesus and known as the home of several disciples.

Tiberius, Day 1

We all had a busy but inspiring day visiting Haifa, Caesarea and Nazareth.

 The Sea of Galillee

 Bahai Gardens in Haifa

 Aquaduct in Caesarea

 Amphitheater in Herod's Palace in Caesarea

 The Nazareth Village

 Church of Annunciation

 Sunset in Nazareth

 Sadly I will need to leave for Amman tomorrow morning to catch my flight back to Chicago. Jon Laabs will continue to post the last day of activities tomorrow. This has been a wonderful experience for all of us. We have made many new friends from around the world. We have been inspired not only by the sights and sounds of the land that our Savior walked but also by other Lutheran educators. We have heard stories of hope, shared common visions and been inspired to lead others in our own communities. My hope is that the conversations and friendships begun in this experience continue. Please feel free to contact me at richard.richter@cuchicago.edu.  

Final Day in Bethelhem, On to Tiberius

In our final day at the ICB in Bethlehem we were joined by 50 teachers from the local Lutheran Schools to hear a keynote from Dr. Jon Laabs and hear stories of hope, vision and leadership from schools around the world.

Bethlehem, Day 6

Today our group experienced Lutheran Education in Palestine. We began our day dividing into groups visiting the Dar-Al Kalama and Biet Sahour Schools in Bethlehem and Hope School in Ramallah. We were all very impressed and inspired by our experiences.

After our tours of the schools we gathered to celebrate the life and ministry of our friend Andrienne Jericho. An olive tree was planted in him memory at the Dar-Al Kalama School. Mitri Raheb let our group in a memorial service. Friends and colleagues spoke of Andrienne's great energy vision and commitment to global Lutheran Education.

We returned to the ICB to a keynote presentation by Andrew Jaench from the Australian Lutheran College in Adelaide, Australia.

After dinner we gathered with families of the Bethlehem schools  to hear Bishop Munib Younan and were treated to fantastic performances by the children of the schools. To see the dancers from Biet Sahour School, click here

Bethlehem, Day 5

Jon Laabs was asked to deliver a suitcase full of yard to The Peace Center for the Blind from donors in the US.

 Here Jon is greeting Lydia Mansour from the Peace Center.

Today we had the wonderful experience of walking the Via Delarosa, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and viewing the Wailing Wall.

Via Delarosa

Site of Christ's Resurrection

 Lutheran church of the Resurrection

 Some of the group in front of the West Wall

Enjoying a beer after a long day of touring, for more pictures go to: http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m188/richardgrichter/Bethlehem%20and%20the%20Holy%20Land/

Bethlehem, Day 4

We spent the day exploring the Mount of Olives, followed the path Jesus took on Palm Sunday and toured the Garden of Gethsemane.

 We also took a group picture overlooking the East Gate of Jerusalem (also known as the Golden Gate.

 We wrapped up our day visiting Jericho, the world's oldest city and floated in the Dead Sea.

Bethlehem, Day 3

Dr. Mitri Raheb gave an inspiring presentation to the group today speaking of the Hope, Vision and Leadership.
We made trips to the new Dar al Kalama College, still under construction

 We ended our day touring the Deheishe refugee camp