Tiger Athletic Missions Experience Blog

Day 8 Blog
Gavin Sabo
Sophomore (Croby, Texas)
Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Today began a little earlier because of the eight hour time difference and the NBA playoff games starting at 3:30 AM our time, but being up at 6:00 AM never felt so good - being able to watch the Rockets beat the Warriors and tie the series made it worth it. 
 
Wednesday was the first day we did not have to travel far on the bus because we visited Magdala, which is in Migdal. Located in Magdala, is the oldest synagogue excavated in Galilee, and one of seven first century synagogues in Israel. The archeological dig site is run by a Catholic couple from Mexico and only volunteers work there. 
 
The site is one of the only places that they can say for certain Jesus stood. It would have been the synagogue that He taught in and the one where Mary Magdalene comes to tell the people that the tomb was empty.
 
After our short tour of the synagogue, we were give the opportunity to volunteer. We were split up into different groups and had different jobs. My first job consisted of teaming up with Coach Curran and Mrs. Jennifer Curran and we were charged with putting sand from the synagogue excavation into little glass bottles, that would soon be put on display and sold in the gift shop. 
 
After we finished, I started working with a group that was rolling the paintings of the Encounter (which is a picture from Mark 5:25 where the woman reached out her hand just to touch Jesus' cloth and was healed instantly.) 
 
Around 3:00 we headed to a local community center where we hosted a basketball camp for young children. There were not a ton of kids at the clinic, but just by looking at the kids faces when they were simply dribbling a basketball brought so much joy to my heart.
 
 It is one of the only places that they can say for certain Jesus stood here. It would have been the synagogue that he taught in and the one where Mary Magdalene comes for tell the people that the tomb is empty.