Erny and I recently returned from ten days in the Land of Jesus. We saw many of the places we have read about in Scripture, and now when we read the Bible, our mind’s-eye can fill in what has always been a blank. Our trip was through Educational Opportunities Tours, and we enjoyed the company of El Campo’s Pastors Danny and Susan Roberts and a lady from their church named Lori. There were a total of 52 people on our guided trip.
We arrived in Tel Aviv and boarded a bus that took us to the “Sea of Galilee” and a motel in Tiberius. It was from there that we toured that area of the Holy Land. We saw such places as the Mount of the Beatitude, the place Jesus fed the 5,000, the Jordan River, and John the Baptist’s home. In fact, we had a baptismal service at the Jordan. We saw many archeological sites and many churches built to remember these special sites. We even got a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, which is truly a lake with fresh water. We saw the Mount of Temptation, and we saw sheep with their shepherds and camels on which some in our group rode. We had the experience of people burning up their hair dryers because they had 220 volt systems there, unlike our 110 volt system. We learned about their cuisine and drank $3.00 Cokes, usually with little ice.
We left that area after three nights and went past Jerusalem to Bethlehem. We saw where they believe Mary gave birth to Jesus and the shepherd’s field where the birth announcement was made by angels. We stayed in Jerusalem and went from there to the sites in that area. We saw the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, and walked the “Via Dolorosa”. We saw the place of the skull and the Ascension Tomb, where we celebrated communion together. We walked through the narrow streets in the Old City of Jerusalem and spent time at the Wailing Wall.
We traveled to the Dead Sea and saw people floating in a sitting position, reading a newspaper without getting the paper wet. It is so salty that one cannot sink into the waters. We saw the great fortress that Herod the Great built on Masada; in fact, we rode a cable car to its top. We witnessed the Upper Room and wondered what those walls would say if they could speak.
We saw the Golden Gate or Eastern Gate where it is believed that Jesus will return one day. We noted that it was walled up, but not because they are trying to keep Jesus out, but because on either side of the wall are three cemeteries – one for the Jews, one for the Moslems, and one for the Christians. We understand that people are paying $30,000 U.S. dollars and more to be buried by the Golden Gate, believing those resurrected closest to the gate will be judged first – maybe I am glad I will be resurrected in America!
As we were nearing Jerusalem, I could correlate to John the Baptist jumping in Elizabeth’s stomach for not only did my stomach kick, but my heart skipped a beat as if I were in the very presence of our Lord and Savior. We were enthralled with the stunning beauty of the two cities for one could see Jerusalem and Bethlehem in one viewing. Being a sentimentalist, I did shed a tear or two or three…so now, I know there will be a floodgate of tears when I actually see Jesus in Heaven even through Scripture plainly states that there will be “no tears in Heaven”. Going to Israel truly was like going home! A home away from home! I think all five senses were on “red alert” for I wanted to see, touch, smell, hear, and taste everything all at once.
I cannot begin to explain how going to Israel has made the Bible come alive. Being a Bible teacher, and of course, we are all continual students, I wanted to tape our Armenian guide because my brain could not retain it all. I did the next best thing and took close to 2,000 pictures. In fact, many of our tourist companions wanted to get my email/Facebook information so we can share.
The food was certainly not our fast food, American style. Veggies and fruits were a major portion of all our meals. Texas claims to have the biggest of big, but the fruit were on steroids for they were not only huge but so flavorful. The diluted orange juice/grapefruit juice were so good that often we had two or three glasses. The falafel (a sandwich of fried chick peas and herbs) and the hummus (a blend of chick peas, sesame seed paste, lemon and olive oil) were my favorite meals.
We did see a McDonalds, but the happy meal ran close to $15.00. I was not that desperate! The Starbucks there was called “Star and Bucks”. Not sure why, but my desire for a Mocha Frapuccino Grande was diminished because of the Israeli version of the name “Star and Bucks”.
Our church family and friends were so excited for us as we ventured on this once in a lifetime adventure, that it made this vacation even more meaningful. Many gave us traveling tips, especially concerning the elongated flight and time differences. Israeli time is eight hours ahead of ours, but I never seemed to tire. I think it was the adrenaline rush of wanting to experience it all. The Wailing Wall was magnificent to see because of the many passionate prayer warriors seeking the face of God. It was awesome! There were prayer requests stuck in every crevice of that wall. We were told that periodically those written prayers are collected and stored in a book because they are so precious to the national leaders.
I could go on and on. All I know for sure is that if you have never been to Israel, I recommend it highly. I certainly can understand why one man in our group has been back to Israel seven times.
Maybe you will want to go and take me with you to be your American guide!
