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Meeting the shepherd


The Shepherd

Living here in Israel brings the Bible to life in every aspect. For us Christians, it is impossible to come here and not imagine what the "Bible days" must have been like. Personally, I know that I have played imaginary scenes in my head dozens of times...Often when I hike the trails here in northern Israel I find myself thinking of David in his shepherd days as I often see goats, sheep and cows roaming the land freely.

Just last week I stumbled upon a trail I had never known before. Those of you who know me best, know I love taking the small trails that look like they lead to nothing...Josh on the other hand is not comfortable with those types of trails...that is why I usually discover them when I am walking alone ;) So one day while walking I noticed a piece of the fence pulled back and it looked as though someone had pushed back the bushes a bit....so I went a head and squeezed through (which is hard to do these days). I found PURE beauty.

I somehow have missed, for the last month of living here, the most amazing place one could see. It is a forest filled with sheet rock, small trails, low trees, and dessert like terrain. It is great for hiking, sitting, thinking, writing, watching, and praying! It overlooks miles of beauty. For sure this is what it was like where David roamed with his flock. I saw goats feeding, cows in the distance....I know this is what it must have been like! It also made me think of all the times the Bible talked about stoning....for sure stoning was the quickest and easiest way to get rid of someone, stones are EVERYWHERE in Israel...and this place brought those stories to life.

Along my walk, I stumbled upon a herd of goats...I knew they weren't wild, one had a bell around his neck. Then I noticed a man with a long shepherd staff climbing around to meet them. He was a shepherd, a real life shepherd. We greeted one another, I had a million questions I wanted to ask him....but of course the language barrier prohibited that. So I just watched as he herded them along. It was amazing how obedient they were. In fact, there was one that loved the shepherd very much, he always stayed by him, and waited for him to come around the corner, over the hill or up the hill. I was so mad I didn't bring my camera!

A few days later I decided to walk there again, and this time bring my camera. I walked for about 30 minutes on my trail and didn't see or hear a thing, so I began my descend home. THEN I heard a bell, I knew they weren't far off, so I went to meet them where I know they always walk....there was "my" shepherd and his flock. We greeted one another, attempted to talk to each other. We talked about the weather, how stubborn the goats were (and no, he spoke in Hebrew, I spoke in English but I am sure this is what we talked about based on gestures and tones). I asked him to take a picture, and he allowed me too. Then I took a few more...so below you will meet my shepherd and his flock!

The tan one with its head down is the one
who loves the shepherd















The bell wearing leader















The shepherd

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