Sea of Galilee, Israel
In 2014, I visited the Sea of Galilee with my high school friend, Grace. I was full of expectations. When I read the Bible as a child, I could not picture the Sea of Galilee in my head, where Jesus had walked on the water. I had only read it through written texts, so when I saw it in person, my heart was filled with great and overwhelming emotions and thoughts. The Sea of Galilee was not actually a sea. It was a lake. In Hebrew, there was no distinction between lakes and seas. Did you know that they are both called ‘yams?’ The Sea of Galilee was called a ‘yam,’ as the word means ‘the sea.’ Mt. Hermon’s rain and snow drained and emptied into the Sea of Galilee. When I first saw the sea of Galilee, I felt like I travelled back in time 2,000 years. My heart was filled with peace. I felt the peace and warm embrace of Jesus surrounding me as I listened to the lapping of the gentle waves on the shore. 5
