The Holy Land

Hello Fellow World Travelers - 

I am writing this blog while we are on our first trip of 2018 to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. You will hear more about that trip later.

In July of 2017, I took the trip of a lifetime with my family. However, instead of calling it a trip or a vacation, I truly feel it is more appropriate to call it a pilgrimage. My immediate family and some of my extended family went to the HolyLand, Israel. When we left the United States, we had no idea how this trip would change our lives in every way. The journey was spiritual, motivational, enlightening, and educational. I have been a Christian since I was 10 years old. I have studied the Bible for as long as I can remember. Whenever you read a book, you develop an idea in your mind of what everything looks like. You develop an image of the people, the places, the things in the book. I did that with the Bible and especially the HolyLand. I thought I knew what the Sea of Galilee looked like. I had envisioned the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized over and over again. I thought I had a good picture in my mind of the Garden of Gethsemane. I believed I had pictured the Via Dolorosa exactly as it was as I had envisioned the Old City of Jerusalem a thousand times in my mind and looked at many pictures. There are no words to describe walking the Stations of the Cross and seeing the path traveled by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to get to Mt. Calvary. Ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Mt. Calvary and having the opportunity to touch a piece of the rock where Jesus shed his blood to save our souls was something that can never be compared. I had seen pictures of the wailing wall but had never felt the spirit of God that dwells there with so many people praying at once. I thought I had seen pictures that gave me a vision, that I understood, that I was enlightened, but landing in Israel and taking a journey unlike any other showed me how much I did not and still do not know. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and can only take one trip in your life, go to Israel. You will not be disappointed.

I recommend going to Israel with a church or some other organization so that you go in a group with a set agenda and an experienced tour guide who knows Israel. We had an amazing tour guide from Educational Travel Services. He was absolutely phenomenal. Mike was his name. He was from Israel and understood all of the things we needed to do to gain access to various locations, he had an understanding of the history of every location and had Biblical knowledge that was astonishing. We were able to see many places during our 10 day journey and left each place with a clear understanding both historically and spiritually. Our pilgrimage included the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, the old city of Jerusalem, Capernaum, Caesaria, Masada,  Jericho, Bethlehem, Nazareth.

The whole trip was a spiritual awakening. If I had to choose highlights, I would highlight being baptized in the Jordan River with my husband, stepdaughter, and cousins as one of the most memorable experiences. Being baptized in the same river where our Lord Jesus was baptized was emotional and very spiritual. Every aspect of this baptism was life changing. I had been baptized before but this was another awakening in my life. The waters of that river felt like new life, a renewing of my faith, a reconnection to my Lord, a new connection to my family, a change in my soul. Another highlight was a boat ride that we took on the Sea of Galilee. The same sea where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on water, is the Sea where I was able to pray to the Lord, to give thanks to the Lord for all of His blessings in my life big and small, to sing with other Christians, and find a peace that passes all understanding. However, traveling through the Old City of Jerusalem and walking the Via Dolorosa was the pinnacle of the trip for me. To walk where Jesus walked to willingly give His life for our sins was life-changing. It has always been the most precious thing in my life to know that I have a Savior who loves me more than His own life, and a God who loves me more than His only begotten Son. To physically walk on the same ground and see the stations of the cross made all that I had read about more real than I can describe. Ending that walk at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and touching the Stone at the top of Mt. Calvary reminded me of all God has done for me in my life, how He has kept me and my family, how He gave me God-fearing grandparents who took me to church and led me to Christ, how He gave me a husband and stepdaughter who I adore. It reminded me that we serve an awesome God, a God who loves us unconditionally, a God who gives beauty for ashes. All praise be to God!

Footnote - A few tips for the trip: 1) take the most comfortable walking shoes you have 2) take a water bottle that is designed to stay cold for hours 3) take a hat 4) take sunglasses 5) take plenty of sunscreen 6) take cash and know the exchange rate 7) take a lightweight backpack 7) do not separate from your group 8) take your Bible 9) take a charger and spare battery for your phone if possible - my phone died on me 10) take plenty of snacks for the bus rides 11) take plenty of patience because there are lines at times and you want to stay in the spirit of the trip and allow the Holy Spirit to flow at all times, even standing in line.