Jaffa

So many of you are interested in an overview of our tour,
that I want to hit some highlights in the next few days. I
will be posting the blog on Face Book with pictures--if
I can make it work.

Our first night was spent in Tel Aviv in a beautiful hotel
near the Mediterranean Sea. The sound of the surf com-
ing in rocked me to sleep. After a huge breakfast we took
off to explore Jaffa which was formerly known as Joppa.
Originally it was a large city where ships came and went
and Tel Aviv was considered a suburb! Jonah fled from
God in a ship that sailed from Joppa (Jonah 1:3). It was
in Joppa that Peter prayed for Dorcas and she was raised
from the dead. (Acts 9:36-43) There is another story in
Acts 10 where Peter was a guest of Simon the Tanner and
he went up to the roof to pray while lunch was being fixed.
Suddenly he saw a vision of a white sheet filled with un-
clean animals and a voice said, "Rise Peter, kill and eat."
God was setting up Peter to go to the Gentiles and preach
the Gospel. While he was pondering the vision, men
came to the house to beg him to come with them. Well,
this trip ended with the beginning of gentiles finding
Jesus as their Savior. It is a good read.

That first day was cool and sunny with vivid blue skies.
The skyscrapers of Tel Aviv were not far off as we
walked the cobblestone streets of Jaffa. We came into
a cuddle-sac and found a doorway that said, "The house
of Simon the Tanner." It was my first shock of just how
real history can be, but just the beginning of coming in-
to contact with the past, present and future in a land the
size of New Jersey.