This morning we left the country of Jordan and endured several hours of waiting on the bus and walking through more than one security line to return to Israel. I think I should never complain again about American security!

Tonight we will meet up with 30 more sojourners from Denver who will expand our group to two busloads. About eight people in our group to Jordan were sick last night and today. Salmonella or heat stroke are likely suspects. So we’ve all been trying to help each other–and we pray for health and strength the rest of this trip!

When we finally arrived in Tel Aviv and checked into our hotel, we had a wonderful panorama of the Mediterranean Sea. Being granted a few hours to explore on our own, John and I chose to walk about a mile to Old Town Jaffa. There we saw people lounging on beaches, boats sailing across the water, people fishing, street musicians banging on drums, a lighthouse, a sea wall, an old church, and Simon the Tanner’s house–who “hosted St. Pete” as the sign declared.

Of course, I had to walk into the water. No swimming for me–even though it has been extremely hot on this journey and we need to stay hydrated.