Israel – The “Best” Thing

Some people have asked me to share the “Best” thing about the trip. I can say the high point of my trip was when I looked out the window and saw the blue waters of the Mediterranean. We were 38,000 feet at the time, so that is definitely the high point of the trip. (I also enjoyed Italy, Greece and the Aegean Islands from the air).But to share the “best” part of the trip is something I really can not do. The “Best” thing does not exist, because there were so many things I really enjoyed.

I traveled to Israel with friends (Mike & Inae Parrish, Tag & Lisa Murn, Kenny & Todd Fields; Nancy Rogers) and Family (Denise, Chelsea & Sarah), and have shared experiences with them that will never be forgotten.

John Delancey, our Biblical guide was fantastic. He shared great Biblical insight and brought the Bible and the places visited to life. His experience made the trip. There were no dry spots or unplanned time. There were no “glitches.” The trip was well planned, and John was always there. I would recommend him (website: http://www.biblicalisraeltours.com/). You can see archives of our trip under June 2012.

Shlomo Ben-Asher was also a great part of the trip. His family moved to Israel in 1938, 10 years before there nation was born. They were part of the Zionist movement that lived on the Kibbutz. Shlomo has a passion for what he has done for 29 years, he travels in order to gain a greater knowledge base and and keep himself on the cutting edge as a guide. He brought us into the culture sharing for his Jewish background and shared with us the Christian sites through years of experience. Some of his songs are still with me.

The food was outstanding. Fresh fruit and vegetables were served at every meal. We ate cheeses and eggs at breakfast. The fresh dates were fantastic.

It was a gift to be able to walk in the very places experienced by those of the Bible. We walked in Jabin’s Palace, we saw where Herod and Pontus Pilate lived, and we walked around the shrine of Jeroboam in Dan. We walked the Herodian streets, climbed through the tunnels of Hezekiah, saw the caves of Qumran, visited the heights of Masada, and sailed the Sea of Galilee.

We swam in the Mediterranean, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan, the springs at Sachni where we heard and saw the “Sanhedrin,” the pools of Ein Gedi, and in the Dead Sea.

We saw antelope, coneys, peacocks, muskrats and catfish up close. (See Sarah’s video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0RBpjlJ1EU&feature=share). We saw the headwaters (roaring) of the Jordan River, climbed Mt. Arbel. Looked out from the Mt Precipice at Nazareth, saw Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, and experienced many of the landscapes of Israel.

I went to the Western Wall where I spent time in prayer, and where I prayed with others. We also visited the pool of Siloam and of Bethesda.

I bargained with the Bedouin, Palestinian, and Jewish merchants. We were served coffee in the back room of one of the shops under the arches of the Joppa Gate. We saw celebrations like Bar Mitzvahs at our motel, the Dung Gate and at the Western Wall. We saw dancers at the Bar Mitzvahs and as we walked Ben Yahouda Street.

We enjoyed an unplanned (by our guides) but panned (by God) detour through Modi’in where the Chanukah story was told, Chelsea and Sarah led singing on the bus, and where Sarah and a few others had “A great thing happened there” experience.

And the trip continues. As Daniel Dye read the scripture on the Transfiguration Sunday morning, I saw it, because we visited the land and experienced the Lord.
What is the “best” part of the trip … I think it is all BEST!

Take time to view a few of our pictures. There are two collections –
Jerusalem – https://plus.google.com/photos/115544123164287975321/albums/5761726037763508785?authkey=CKjs4fbz6MOBsQE
The rest of Israel - https://plus.google.com/u/1/photos/115544123164287975321/albums/5761026986035271169?authkey=COqExoL17_GkVw