Bright blue, sunny skies greeted us this morning as we walked to breakfast and prepared to start our day.

We are staying at Nof Ginosar Village, on the kibbutz that houses the Jesus Boat Museum. It is my first time at this hotel and it has been a very pleasant stay. We are only a few steps from the Sea of Galilee, and of course we are on the doorstep of the Jesus Boat, which we saw yesterday. On top of that, the food is wonderful!

Our tour day began at Misgav Am, a kibbutz on the northern border of Israel. There is also a military outpost there, and for good reason. This tiny piece of Israel is a peninsula that juts into Lebanon, leaving Israel surrounded on three sides!

Of course, Lebanon is not in control of their land, Hezbollah is. To make matters worse, Iran funds them. So, what do we see at Mizgav Am? A double fence marking the boundary and a small unit of soldiers who (at times) meet us in a tank! Unfortunately, they were out on maneuvers this morning, so we missed them.

However, we were met by Buddy, a Romanian Jew who made aliyah to Israel many years ago and is now a 22-year veteran and a Major in the Israel Defense Force. From an observation room, Buddy laid out many details concerning Hezbollah. For example, the houses in the neighborhood just across the nearby fence are not what they appear. New, modern neighborhoods lie just across the border, yet there is not a sign of life in some of those neighborhoods.

Why? Because the homes are uninhabited. Instead, they house rocket launchers and ammunition, funded mostly by Iran. Yet, should Israel take action offensively or defensively, world media would portray Israel as the aggressors for invading or striking a “civilians.”

We could also clearly see a border fence, and a Hezbollah terror tunnel now cemented shut!

Yet, despite the issues, even there the sense of peace is just uncanny. Ezekiel 38 says that Israel will be living in peace and security in the last days. I think we are seeing it!

While in northern Israel, we also visited Tel Dan, an ancient walled city, complete with city gates and chambered entrances. Perhaps the biggest attraction is Abraham’s Gate, thought to be where Abraham might have entered when he made his way from Ur of the Chaldees to the Promised Land.

I’ll share more of today’s adventures in the next post, so stay tuned!