CEDARS OF LEBANON COMING TO ZARAHEMLA

This morning, we ordered 5,500 seeds from cedar trees in Lebanon. During the winter, we will germinate and plant these seeds. Next year we hope to have hundreds, perhaps thousands, of seedlings that will surround the PHOENICIA in Montrose. In six years, we expect that hundreds of small Lebanon cedar trees will be about 4 feet tall and ready for replanting into a forest of more than ten acres. As we read the holy book, we are reminded of what these trees meant to the ancient world. There are 75 references in the Bible to the Cedars of Lebanon. Besides its extensive use in construction, cedars were used in Phoenician ships, Egyptian tombs, and King Solomon’s Temple. Its bark was used to treat leprosy and its heartwood was used to make healing essential oils.

In the next generation, the world’s oldest Phoenician ship replica will be on the west bank of the Mississippi River sorrounded by a forest cedars from Lebanon.

The replica ship of the PHOENICIA is made of wood and weighs approximately 40 tons. The hull of the ship is mostly intact. Last year in Florida tropical storms and electric outages severely damaged the vessel. The bilge pump in the hull did not work due to the outages. Water came in and she went down 8 feet to the bottom of the canal. The replacement of the lost parts for the ship’s deck will now require about 10 tons of newly cut lumber.

It’s clear what we’re going to do. Near to the Phoenicia Ship Museum in Iowa, there will be a large forest of Lebanese Cedars. We look forward to the day when hundreds of thousands of people will walk on the decks of the world’s only ancient Phoenician ship replica near the bank of the Mississippi River. Visitors will be surrounded by the wonderful aromas and meaningful textures of the cedars from Lebanon. The visitors will enjoy the natural beauty and magic of a forest of trees that come directly from the stories that they read in their Bible.

Tomorrow we will start a $10 per month fund raising campaign to pay for the forest of cedar trees in Zarahemla that from the lands of the Bible.

Extension of Lease Agreement for the PHOENICIA

We signed the lease agreement for the Phoenicia Ship Museum yesterday. We intend to stay in the building for the next six years. As a result of this lease, we will be able to make improvements to the building and the surrounding area.

We are planting cedar seedlings that originate from Lebanon’s great forests. The seedlings will grow and after six years they will be ready to be replanted in a forest that will stand as a living witness to the connection between the old and new worlds.

It is with great joy that we bring back to life the time and place when Mulek’s people founded Zarahemla in a free and bountiful land.