I am now 10 days back from my trip to Israel. We were actually in the country for 10 days and had to get used to a 10 hour time change. That's a lot of 10s. I figured I better write an actual post before it's been too long since I went and before it turns into old news and no one wants to read about it (as if you want to now, but I'll make myself feel better by assuming that you do!).
Theresa Larsen asked me to accompany her as her wonderful husband decided that Israel was too dangerous. I guess I was to be some kind of bodyguard of sorts. Just kidding!
So she and I set off on November 3rd with 24 other members of the Packinghouse Church. We survived the 13 hour flight and arrived to a beautiful afternoon in Tel Aviv. 5,301 pictures, an untold number of experiences, and 10 days later, we arrived back in Tel Aviv and flew out on a midnight plane on our 14 hour journey home. I could write pages on the trip with obviously a multitude of pictures, but I will just give you the highlights of the highlights. 
We had a really wonderful group. They dynamic was amazing. We laughed and joked together. We sang and worshipped together. And we shared and cried together. That alone made the trip a phenomenal.
We first traveled to the Sea of Galilee with stops at Cesarea by the Sea and Nazareth on the way. We had gorgeous weather and the view of the lake was beautiful but was partially obscurred by the haze of sand that can sometimes blow off the desert. Our time there was a very personal experience. It was amazing to have been in a place where Jesus taught and walked. To connect the land with the Bible stories. To be washed in the water he once stood in. We sailed out on the sea and sang, and sat on the seashore and worshipped. A morning walk along the sea at sunrise treated me to beauty for the eyes and peace for my soul.
After a few days in northern Israel, we traveled to Jerusalem. There are just too many things I could say about this time. The history is phenomenal. Nearly everywhere you walk and every view of the city you get has Biblical and/or historical significance. The highlights for me in Jerusalem are too many to count. A visit to the Garden of Gethsemane was a time quiet reflection and peace. The knarled trunks of ancient olive trees in the garden are a testimony to the true and lasting history of what happened there. We visited the Garden Tomb by the evening light. While the exact place of Christ's crucifiction is unknown, based on historical references, this is a likely spot. Golgatha, the place of the skull. The garden. The wine press. The tomb. Once again, a time of worship and awe. As we sang with a worship leader named Paul, we tried to drown out the sound of the muezzin's call to prayer. We partook of the last supper and visited the tomb of our Savior. "He is not here. He is risen!"
Our next destination was the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea maintains such a beauty, it is hard to believe it that contains no life. And to float on the water -- it seems so light!
From here, we traveled to the Red Sea. Along the way, we stopped at Masada, which some of us climbed to the top instead of taking the lift. While the story of what happened to the Jews here is chilling, the feat of engineering and building by Herod the Great is a testament to the achievements of that time. Amazing!
The Red Sea is gorgeous. As we neared Elat, we drove along the border of Egypt and then across the sea you could see Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The water of the Red Sea is tinted with blues and greens surrounded by gorgeous, sharply rising, brown, rocky mountains. Under the water are fish and coral of all shapes and colors. We even met a very shy (thank goodness) octopus. We had an "interesting" time of crossing over the Jordanian border and then traveling to experience the mysteries of the ancient City of Petra. While you walk through the narrows of Petra, the magesties of a city built into the rock is awe-inspiring but even more incomprehensible is that 80% of it is still buried underground.
And that is our trip at a glance. And now, the trip may be over, but the impact on my life is lasting as I process every day, just a little bit more, the things I saw, experienced and learned, the history, and the healing. Should you ever have the opportunity to visit Israel, you should take it.
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