We spent a lovely time at lunch at a place called "Nazareth Village," where we ate some wonderful chicken and fruit and were introduced to first Century village life in Palestine, including a 2,000 year old vine press and several reproductions of tools, places of habitation and a wonderful hospitality by our guide, a young lady by the name of Emily, who is from Virginia.We spent some time around Nazareth, the town that my wife, Naza, was named after. She doesn't like people to know it, but her full first name is Maria de Nazare, which means "Mary of Nazareth." So now she can say that she has been in the town she was named after. We visited the Church of the Annunciation and saw the house that tradition says Mary and her family lived in. There were many people there from all over the world, just like the mosaics and paintings from all over presented to this church as representations of Mary. The one from Brazil read "A Padroeira do Brazil" (loosely translated 'the guardian of Brazil').
We just ended the tour of Casaerea Maritima or Caesaria by the Sea, amazing place not only for the beauty of the surroundings, right on the Mediterranean Sea, but also because of the impressive remains of a port city built by Herod, the Great. There, Pastor Bob reminded us of an episode from Acts 12, involving a grandson of Herod, the Great, who was struck by God because he received praises due only to God. It was a lesson on pride and how we need to be humble before God. It's certainly a lesson we all need to hear from time to time.
Now we set our sights on Jerusalem, where we should be in about one hour and half.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us. I hope you are beginning to see how significant a trip like this can be. We have learned or been reminded in a fresh way of so many passages from Scriptures, which have now been presented to us under a new light. We've been blessed.
Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
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