Holy Land 2019 ~ Jaffa, Caesarea and Wedding Vow Renewal (DAY 8 ~ ISRAEL)

DAY 8 - JAFFA, CEASAREA and Re-Marrying my EX

Jaffa is an ancient port in Israel, boasting an enchanting fishing port, antiquated churches and galleries and a fascinating history. 

(Guess who is missing in this group photo?)

The reason, why I wasn't in our tour group photo ~  
(guilty busy buying myself a trinket) !

 

This port city was mentioned numerous times in the Hebrew Bible:  as a city opposite the territory given to the Tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:46), as port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for the Temple of Solomon (2 Chronicles 2:16),  the place where Jonah embarked for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3) and lastly as a the port-of-entry for the cedars of Lebanon for the Second Temple of Jerusalem (Ezra 3:7).

Jonah's journey, Tabitha’s restoration to life, and Peter’s conversion of the Gentiles began here in Jaffa.

Peter was divinely led to “think out of the box”. The story in Acts 10:5-23, finds Peter on the rooftop of the House of Simon the Tanner, where he had his famous vision (Acts 10:12-13), which led him to preach the Gospel to the gentiles at Caesarea.

(The House of Simon the Tanner, where Peter stayed while in Jaffa)

One of Jaffa’s landmark  ~ Church of St. Peter. 

Our next stop is the Baha’i Gardens located in the heart of Haifa.  The Baha’i Gardens are a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site. 

Haifa is the 3rd largest city in Israel (next to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv), located in the north of Israel, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.  The mountain ridge of Carmel, separates the Carmel shore (and the south of Israel) with the bay of Haifa (and the north of the country).

Haifa did not appear in the bible, however, it is mentioned in Talmudic literature (a comprehensive written version of the Jewish oral law) as a well-established Jewish community.

The Baha’i Gardens cascading down Mount Carmel in 19 terraces.  Found at the center of the gardens is a small white shrine topped with a gold-colored dome. The gardens are a religious site for followers of the Baha’i faith and the shrine is the final resting place of the faith’s founder and prophet, The Bab. 

Next in our itinerary is Caesarea. Caesarea is a magnificent Roman seaport built by King Herod.  This is where Peter baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius, the first gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10).  It was also from here that Paul set sail to evangelize communities  in  the Mediterranean, and where he was later imprisoned for two years.

At the sea palace of Pontius Pilate there is a stone-encrypted commemoration of the Roman ruler (who sentenced Jesus to be crucified). 


The highlight for today is the Renewal of Wedding Vows for couples.

(You can't leave Cana without a bottle for a personal sorvenir :P ) 

Married couples are given the opportunity to renew their wedding vows at the church that marks the site of the Wedding of Cana. 

Cana is actually the place of Jesus' first two public miracles in Galilee — the changing of water into wine (John 2: 1-11) and the remote healing of an official’s son in Capernaum (which is about 32km away).

I prepared a personal vow, thinking I get to say it during the wedding (hehe, well apparently not.  I am putting it to good use, by ending my post with my unspoken vows):

"I thank God everyday for blessing me with a wonderful husband, 

a good father to our children and a best friend. 

 Thank you for always making me happy. 

Thank you for always making me feel loved and special.

Thank you making me a better version of myself.

I promise that I will never grow tired of laughing at your jokes (no matter how silly)... 

I will continue to support and cherish you...
I will love you, forever!

And I pray that the Lord give us a long and healthy life 

to make more happy memories together".  

Follow our Holy Land Adventure:

• For Holy Land helpful Tips >>> Holy Land Tips
• DAY 1 - welcome to Cairo Egypt >>>> Day 1
• DAY 2 - touring the land of ancient monuments, pharaohs and great pyramids  >>>> Day 2
• DAY 3 - road to Mt Sinai >>>> Day 3
• DAY 4 - from St Catherine Monastery to Israel  >>>> Day 4
• DAY 5 - floating on the Dead Sea >>>> Day 5
• DAY 6 - around Jerusalem >>>> Day 6 
• DAY 7 - around the OLD City of Jerusalem >>>> Day 7

Please check also my separate post on all the hotels we've stayed at during our tour of the Holy Land.  

For questions and inquiries on our Tour Package with CITTI please visit their facebook page at CORPORATE INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND TOURS INC.