Speechless

Today was probably the most insightful day so far. We learned about the Baha'i religion and toured the Baha'i gardens, which were so meticulously and beautifully cut by the 70 plus gardeners. We had the honor of going to Forsan's house, who is our incredible host and the CEO of the JIY, in Sha'Ab, to meet his family and have fresh fruit and small snacks with them. He then took us to these 2000 year old Olive trees where he played as a child. We all knew bits and pieces of Forsan's life before today but he actually sat us down and told us everything about his life. He has such a miraculous story that none of us knew what to say afterwards. We were literally speechless. We then drove to the Peniel to stay at the YMCA here for 2 nights. It sits right on the Sea of Galilee....as iif we hadn't already experienced enough today. We had the chance to eat dinner with Eddie, the manager of the Peniel YMCA and he explained the significance of the Y in his life.

The Y has always played a huge role in my life because I literally grew up there. Back home I have come across many people who have had life changing experiences at the Y. But it is an amazing experience to come to another country to meet people who have also had life changing experiences through the Y as well. Who knew that the Y would be this impactful to people all over the world. What an amazing organization we associate ourselves with. I have never been more proud to say I am an employee, volunteer, and lover of the YMCA. 

Written by: Katie Taylor