Our first stop today : The Holocaust Museum and The Children's Holocaust Memorial . Ruben gave us much to think about, when speaking about this. A new word we all learned , "SHOA", is to be in situation no matter where you are...you are a dead person. The Children's Memorial, The Hall of Names, One and half million children died in the Holocaust. As you walk through, their names are announced and their pictures are present. Ruben stated Shoa is an issue for all nations that it do not happen again. There is a statue of a teacher, who started a school in the camps, even though there seem to be no hope. The Holocaust Museum held the data bank of all Jewish people who were killed. As Ruben said, we must never let this happen again.

Second stop: Israel Museum: Here we saw a model of the city of Jerusalem 70 AD before it was destroyed. It sits on about 1/2 acre. Also, the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed here. hair extensions uk

Third stop: Walking through the Jewish Quarters inside the old city of Jerusalem . We saw portions of a wall dating back to Isaiah....Trust in the lord; so not tear down houses to build a wall. Isaiah told Jeremiah. The wall is about 24 feet thick. We walked through the Jewish Quarters. Their shops are very close together. We had lunch in the center market place of the Jewish Quarters. After lunch we continued to walk through the Jewish Quarters Market...the shops, wares, fruit, meat, spices, baking of bread... the smells are out of this world. The streets are very narrow and steep. It is very crowed. We are walking toward the Damascus Gate out of the old city, where Paul exited on his way to Damascus. We are on our way to " The Garden Tomb".

Fourth stop: The Garden Tomb. This site is a garden and typical burial tomb in the time of Jesus. The guide here, does not claim it is where Jesus was buried. Based on geological data, it represent the time period of Jesus. Entering the tomb, you can see where only one side was cut into stone to have a body laid there to rest. The group then preceded to gather in the garden to have Dr. Wells read from Isaiah 53 vs. 10. Dr. Wells reminded us the Ascension proves the Resurrection is forever... HE ever lives to make intersession for those who will come to him. Dr. Wells and his lovely wife Carol and Dr. Sibley and his lovely wife Kathy, gave all of us a wooden ( olive wood) cup and ceramic plate ( communion plate and cup ) to remember our trip.

Fifth stop: Back to the hotel to freshen up and journal about our last day. I would like to take this time to thank everyone of my new brothers and sisters in Christ for a wonderful and spiritual journey in the Holy Land. Special thanks to Jan , Shirley, Sarah, Charter.net, and my sister Mona who lets us use her computer to send our travel news back home. It has been a long day for us. We are going to have dinner at an Arabic restaurant. The food was great and the coffee and baklava the finest.

Sixth stop: Airport... we got our luggage and went into the airport. Ruben came with us into the airport and gave each of us a hug. We checked into security and got on the plane around 11:45 PM Israel time for the 12 hr. flight to New York. Saturday morning we arrived into New York and boarded a plane for Houston. The plane was late getting into Houston, and they held up the plane for us, as the Texas Team ran through the airport to get to terminal B. This was not a short distance. Then we waited on the runway for 30 min. before we could taxi off the run way. Got to Dallas around 1:30 PM and then loved ones picked us up.

Conclusion: For me, this journey is over but the spiritual awakening for me is a new beginning. I see better when I open my bible and read. I encourage everyone to make the journey to The Holy Land and open your heart and mind and soul . I am grateful to Dr. Sibley for answering my phone call several months ago, when I enquired about a trip to The Holy Land. I am grateful to Dr. Wells for his spiritual readings from the bible. I thank you Ruben, for sharing the history ( present and past) of your beloved Israel. I am blessed to have had my best friend Shirley and my sister Mona on this journey with me. And to my great friend Ron who is the editor of my web site. Peace to Israel... Shalom! Nola

Holocaust Museum Entrance Statue depicting the teacher who started a school inside the concentration camp for Jewish Children Group picture with Ruben talking to us after the walk through the Memorial for Jewish Children View of the model at Jerusalem University of what the city looked like in 70 AD Jerusalem Welcome Center Walking through the Jewish Quarters. The wall in Jesus times...relating to scripture. Do not tear down houses to build a wall. Trust in the Lord. Spices in the Jewish Quarters  Entering the Damascus Gate Sign directing visitors to the Garden Tomb. Image on the side of the mountain where the tomb is. It looks like a skull...this is described in scripture. Plan of the tomb Symbol inside of the tomb Picture of the water cistern at The Garden Tomb inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Statue depicting the teacher who started a school inside the concentration camp for Jewish Children View of the city outside of the Holocaust Museum. Shalom! Zach Pearson (student), Nola, Jan, and Mona enjoying lunch in the market center of the Jewish Quarters. Mona bought us desert. Walking through the crowed market center Food vendors near the exit from the Damascus gate. Our guide at The Garden Tomb Entering the tomb This is the place inside the tomb which was carved out to lay a body BethAnn, sharing the good news...HE HAS RISEN! Dr. Wells giving scripture at The Garden Tomb Adi on the left is our bus driver and Ruben our guide with students from Union University The birth place of Jesus. Inside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Nola in the caves under the Western Wall, putting prayer requests in the Western Wall .

Thursday, January 14, 2010
We are inside the city of Jerusalem today. Start out again at 8am headed for the Western Wall. Our devotion was Psalm 51, God’s willingness to forgive us. When we arrived at the Western Wall we toured the underground tunnels. It is believed that when in these tunnels you are the closest you can be to the Holy of Holies. The Jewish people come to pray both in the tunnels and above at the wall we usually see on tv. Many people come to leave written prayers in the wall. This wall is the only portion of the original temple that remains.

Our next stop was the area of the Temple Mount. This is where Solomon’s Portico is located and where Pentecost happened which is when Christianity was born. There is currently a mosque, the Dome of the Rock, built on the site. This is a very important area and there are many details that are too numerous to mention. This would be a good thing to Google.

We then went through Golden Gate and on to St. Anne’s and this is where the pool of Bethesda is located. These pools are where Jesus healed a crippled man and told him to take up his mat and walk, John 5. We went inside St. Anne’s church. This is the traditional site known as the church where Mary was born. The acoustics in this church are fabulous. We all sang the song All is Well With my Soul and Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Next on to Antonio Fortress. This fortress was used by the Romans to keep down any Jewish rebellion. This site is where Jesus was brought to be condemned, and a crown of thorns put on his head before being crucified.

Via Dolorosa is our next stop. This is the steps Jesus walked while carrying the cross he was crucified on.

Next, Church of The Holy Sepulcher which included four distinct churches that share the space. The church was stared by Helen the mother of Constantine. This is also the site of the crucifixion and His body was brought there to be prepared for burial. We exited the Jaffa Gate which took us outside the city walls.

After lunch we went into the City of David. This is the origin of Jerusalem. We went down some steps into the area where a pool used to be located. This is the pool where Jesus healed the blind man by making a paste with His saliva and mud, John 9. When we exited the area we were able to view the tombs of both Solomon and King David. Several of us walked over to the American Colony Hotel and viewed the original hand written manuscript of the song It Is Well With My Soul which was written by a man named Spafford. He wrote this song after finding out that his wife and four daughters were on a ship that sank and only his wife survived.

The last stop of the day was the upper portion of the Western Wall. This area is separated between men and women. This area is open 24/7 and Jews come here to pray and many people leave their prayers in the wall. Once a year the prayers are removed from the area and there is a ceremony where they are burned the the ashed taken to Mt. Moriah.

Tomorrow is Friday and our last day in Israel. We will have a full day, then a farewell dinner and on to the airport and arrive home on Saturday!

Model of the Temple under the caves of the Western Wall from 70 BC Place where Muslims wash their hands and feet before entering into Dome of the Rock, their holy place of worship. The garden of St. Anne's Church Entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher Entering into the ancient city of David. Archeological finds continue to made in the city of David. Researchers are looking for documentation of the administration of the City of David. Across the street is a parking lot where coins from the time period of David have been found. City of David Wailing Wall inside the City of Jerusalem People putting their prayers into the Wailing Wall. Based on Jewish belief, the wall is holy and was closest to the place of the Holy of Holy of the temple. Wailing Wall inside the City of Jerusalem Original draft of the hymn " It is well with my Soul"

The original stone of the temple is longer than 12 football fields and weighs several tons. This is located behind the model going down the stairs. Dome of the Rock, built on the site of Solomon's temple. The pool of springs near St. Anne's church. Scripture states that Jesus healed a crippled man here when he told him to take up his bed and walk. We walked the steps Jesus walked when he carried the cross through the city. City of David Model of what the City of David may have looked like. City of David Wailing Wall inside the City of Jerusalem Wailing Wall inside the City of Jerusalem Mr. and Mrs. Spaffored. Mr. Spaffored wrote the words to " It is well with my soul" Original draft of the hymn " It is well with my Soul"

January 13, 2010, Wednesday
Beautiful day today in Jerusalem. The weather has been cooler here and we started our day with devotional John 18—Jesus came to seek and save.

First stop: Mount of Olives which is east of Jerusalem. We started the walk down a steep street towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Before we reached the Garden of Gethsemane, we paused to look at the remains of the first Jewish Christian cemetery. Confirmed by the symbols on the tombs.

Second stop: Arrived at the Garden, Dr. Wells read scripture from Mathew 26...story of the Upper Room and Last Supper. We had about 15 min. for personal prayer time and walk around the Garden. The high point of this time, we were praying in the same Garden which Jesus prayed in with his disciples.

Third stop: We walked across from the Garden to the Church of All Nations. After we left the church we met Father Raphael, the oldest priest of the church who came from Spain in 1931.We also saw the oldest olive trees, dating back to the time of Christ- making them over 2,000 years old!

Fourth stop: We went down the Mount of Olives, through the Kidron Valley, and then climbed up the 165 steps to Mount Zion. We were next to the Dung Gate (one of the gates to enter into Old Jerusalem) and walked to the Tomb of David. Rueben shared with us that this king of Israel, King David, instead of celebrating when Saul died, wrote one of his greatest psalms of lament. The traditional site of King David’s tomb is in a synagogue, thus the men and women had to separate and view the tomb from different rooms.

Fifth stop: Close-by is the Upper Room which is the traditional room where Christ had the Last Supper with His disciples and washed their feet. Pentecost also occurred in this same room!

Sixth stop: We walked to the House of Caiaphas which is now the church of Peter. This church is built over the caves that the Romans used as a prison; the same prison that Jesus Christ was taken to and interrogated in by the Jewish leaders. The leaders could not find any basis to condemn Christ to death so they handed Him over to the Romans who had the power to kill Him.

Seventh Step: Next we took an adventure that no Israelis can take today; we went to Bethlehem. Bethlehem is currently under autonomous Palestinian rule. We had to go through a gate and pass through the walls in order to enter into this great city. Bethlehem is the place where Ruth met Boaz, where Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, where David was born, and where Christ was born! It also contains the Shepherd’s Fields (“House of Vigilant” because they stayed alert all night keeping watch over their flocks by night) where the shepherds were told to go and see the newborn Christ who was laying in a manger. Mount Heron is visible in the distance and is where just two years ago, Herod’s tomb was found at his palace there. We visited the oldest active church in the world, The Church of the Nativity, which was built by Justinian in the 5th-6th Century. This church is now a Greek Orthodox church and is built on top of the cave where Christ was born. In the cave there is an area that is dedicated to commemorate all the children that were killed by King Herod. The exact spot where Christ was born is marked by a 14-pointed star which represents the 14 generations from Abraham to David to Jesus.

View of Jerusalem from Mt. Olive Shirley, Jan , Mona , Ruben and Nola at Mt. Olive Jan journaling in The Garden Olive tree in The Garden Valley of Kidron Upper Room: a room such as this in Jesus time would have been used as the upper room Bronze door of the church This is where the House of Caiaphas brought Jesus to interrogate him Entering into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Mosaic Murals  at the Church of the Nativity

Group picture standing at Mt. Olive overlooking cemetery and old city of Jerusalem Our group walking down the steep pathway to the bottom of Mt. Olive on our way to The Garden of Gethsemane Garden Sign Olive trees in The Garden where Jesus went to pray are over 1,000 years old Church of All Nations Tombs in Valley of Kidron Church which is built over the House of Caiaphas This is where the House of Caiaphas brought Jesus to interrogate him Ruben with our group in the room Orginal road, probably dated to Jesus time Alter at the Church of the Nativity

January 12, 2010, Tuesday
We started our day on the bus with Matthew 28 and Psalm 125. Our first stop today was Masada. King Herod built his winter palace on Masada. When Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 AD, Jewish patriots, under the leadership of Eliezer Ben Yair, fled to Masada, where they took their last stand against Rome. Finally, on April 15, 73 AD, the Romans broke into the fortress and found that all of the defenders except two women and 5 children had killed each other. 960 people at Masada chose death over slavery to Rome. Masada is a shrine and symbol of modern Israel. Israeli soldiers take on oath at Masada, “Never again will Masada fall“, meaning Israel will not be a slave to any nation. To sum it up, the Jewish patriots drew a line in the sand and decided they would not sacrifice their religious beliefs and be forced to worship pagan gods. The name Masada in Hebrew is Quiddush Hashem which means The Holiness of God.

The next place we visited was Beersheba. This is the site of Jacob’s well, Genesis 21:22. We walked down into the ancient cistern of the city. Beersheba is the town most closely associated with the Patriarchs. Isaac and Jacob lived here and Abraham gave it its name—The Well of the Oath—for it was here that he made his covenant with Abimelech. The first time the word love appears in the Bible is when it refers to the love Abraham had for his son Isaac. Our guide said we shouldn’t look at the desert of Israel as something bad. The desert is a buffer zone for Jerusalem.

Next, the Elah Valley. It is one of the five major valleys running east-west through the foothills between the coastal plain and the hill country of Judah. This is the place where David defeated Goliath after a forty day standoff between armies of Israel and the Philistines. 1 Samuel 17. This site is currently being excavated and has not been commercialized. It was an awesome experience to see the site untouched with buildings and tourist sites. All the descriptions in the Bible were very easy to visual. We were able to walk in the dry creek bed where David picked up 5 smooth stones that he used to defeat Goliath. Dr. Wells read the scripture with an open Bible.

At the end of the day was our bus ride “up to Jerusalem”. We sang a song based on Psalm 125. The song was, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people. Surround us Lord, we need you. We will pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We will pray for lasting peace. Jerusalem, Jerusalem.”

Thousands of years ago the pilgrims making their way to the Holy city sang and prayed for peace. They were drunk without drinking wine. As we approached Jerusalem we felt the same way.

Richard Wells and students walking up to the top of Masada Masada Inside bath rooms with original frescos on walls Looking out into the desert from Masada Jim and Kathy with their friend who has a Christian ministry in Beersheba The creek bead where David picked up his round stones.

Masada Masada Masada Masada out look post Josha wells at Beersheba Richard reading scripture about David and Goliath from the Old Testament in the Elah Valley Elah Valley where David killed Goliath

January 11, 2010, Monday
We started our day to what is believed to be the baptismal site on the Jordan River. Our guide, Ruven, talked about Moses died as God denied him entering the Promised Land; however, Joshua eventually took the Israelites across the Jordan River to the Promised Land.

Our next stop was Beth Shan in the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys. Beth Shan has been almost continuously occupied throughout history. In 1986 archaeologists began uncovering the extensive ruins of Roman/Byzantine Scythopolis. This is one of the most significant sites being excavated. Because an earthquake destroyed the city archaeologists have been able to reconstruct large parts of this city. Joshua 17:11-16; Judges 1:27, 1 Samuel 31:10-12; 1 Kings 4:12. During the life of Christ, Scythopolis was one of the chief cities of the Decapolis—a league of ten cities sharing Greek culture and government. King Saul in a fight against the Philistines is killed and his body is taken to Beth Shan.

We now go to the city of Qumran the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy in 1947. The Essenes were a Jewish sect that occupied this area and when they heard of the approach of the Roman armies in AD 68 they placed the scrolls in pottery jars with the intention of recovering them. When the scrolls were found in 1947 someone discovered they were very valuable and decided to cut them into small pieces and sold them. Over a period of time many of the pieces have been recovered and are now in a museum in Jerusalem. At this site we were able to overlook the ancient oasis of Ein Gedi, where David hid from King Saul in the caves.

Our last stop of the day was the Dead Sea, or the Salt Sea. This is the lowest place on Earth and has a salt content of 33% and the ocean has only 2.2%. We stayed at the Le Meridian Resort and Hotel which is located right on the Dead Sea. John the Baptist was baptized in the Jordan at the mouth of the Sea. We expected the water to be murky or muddy but it is a beautiful blue color. There was so much salt on the bottom of the sea we were able to pick up handfuls and give ourselves a salt scrub! The temperature when we were there was 72 degrees. They also had an indoor salt water pool. Sarah, one of the college students, found out the hard way it was salt water. She dove in!! Don’t worry Mom, she is OK!!!!! The highlight of the Dead Sea was a couple in our group. Jim & Sarah are in the mid 80’s and they waded and floated and played with us the Dead Sea.

Jordan River Baptismal Site Beth Shan Roman massage  at Beth Shan Driving along the Dead Sea

Theater at Beth Shan Toilets at Beth Shan Qumran, cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

January 10, 2010, Sunday
Started our day at 8am on the bus with prayer from Psalm 67 and sang a song. First stop was a kibbutz that had a Naot shoe factory where we shopped. Then on to Tel Dan. The city of Dan was the northern most city of Israel in the Old Testament. When the writers of scripture wanted to speak of all Israel from north to south they would say from Dan to Beersheba. Judge 20:1, 1 Samuel 3:20. The tribe of Dan was not satisfied with it’s allotted inheritance near Judah and so settled here, both giving it’s name to the region and setting up idolatrous worship that plagued Israel throughout it’s history. The first king of the northern kingdom of Israel set up golden calves in Dan and Bethel to keep the people from going to Jerusalem to worship. 1 Kings 12:26-33. Dan tried to overtake Jerusalem and it didn’t work.

Next stop was Caesarea Philippi. Peter made his confession of Christ’s deity in response to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?“ This region was pagan and the site of the pagan Temple of Pan where they worshipped idols. This was the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and his disciples. Dr. Wells then led us in a worship service and read Matthew 16:13-16. Because Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah that God would bless all the nations through Christ.

Stop 4. We traveled through the Golan Heights and viewed Mt. Hermon with snow on top and U.N. facility there. We were on the border of Israel and Syria but did not cross over. The Golan Heights is the most northern part of Israel. We had lunch in Katzrin Blueberry Café. The pastries immediately inside the door attacked us and forced us to have lunch there. Lunch was excellent. They had bagel toast which was a huge bagel stuffed with melted cheese and this came with salad. Who would have thought?

Stop 5. Gamla. Gamla means camel. The significance of this is the mountain resembles the hump of a camel. This was the beginning of the Jews fighting the Romans which eventually ended at Masada according to historian Josephus. We also saw a memorial to Israeli soldiers that were killed fighting in the Golan Heights. Our guide, Rueben, told us his best friend was memorialized here. We also saw vultures soaring over the valley. There is a large nest of vultures here. Off in the distance there was a 150 ft waterfall. Also a 5-6th century Christian village.

Last stop of the day was Bethsaida. It is a current archeological dig site that was begun in 1987 by Dr. Rami Arav. Bethsaida “house of fishing” was a town east of the Jordan River and just north of the Sea of Galilee. Life of Christ, Matthew 11:20-22. Jesus rebuked Bethsaida for refusing to repent in spite of the miracles He performed there, Mark 8:22-26. Jesus healed a blind man, Luke 9:10-17. Jesus fed the 5000 near Bethsaida. John 1:44. Bethsaida was the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Phillip. After Jesus walked on water and before he fed the 5000 he sent the disciples to Bethsaida.

Tel Dan Dr. Richard giving the Sunday morning worship at Caesarea Philippi Mathew 16: 13-21 Temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi Temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi Mt. Hermon in the Golan Heights Map of where we had lunch in the Golan Heights Bagel Toast Gamla Excavation at Bethsaida Zack Pearson, Union University student giving a lecture on the history of Bethsaida

Mud gate at Tel Dan Temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi Temple of Pan at Caesarea Philippi UN Base in the Golan Heights Lunch Desserts Pizza Almond Trees 5th-6th Century Christian Church Community in Galma Excavation at Bethsaida

January 9, 2010, Saturday
9:00 AM, Sea of Galiee
We left our hotel and went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We have seen the shores where Jesus spent most of his public ministry. We are in the Museum The Yigal Alon Center, where the ancient Galilee boat was discovered and restored. It is a boat of Jesus time. Pictures will be coming. We will be touring the county side on the Sea of Galilee and visiting the village of Mary Magdalene ... see www.jesusboat.com for additional information.

6:00 PM
We are going to be in Tiberius for 3 nights; this is going to be our second night in Tiberius. We came into Tiberius on Jan 8, Friday evening. So, today , Saturday, Jan 9...we went on a boat tour of the North Shore of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus primary did his public ministry. It was the main base for Jesus... and also we journey to Capernaum, where Jesus always came back. It was his main base. Devotion today, before we left the boat, was Mathew 14: Jesus walks on the water.

After the boat ride, we landed at Jesus Boat.

Also, pointed out to us was the home of Mary Magdalene, in Migdal...we drove through. The next stop was the Mount of Beatitudes. This is a Catholic Church which is run by Franciscan Nuns. Also, it was told to us, Mussolini the dictator of Italy set up the funds for the church. This is the sight, so they belief Jesus preached the Beatitudes: Mathew 5 scripture. The next stop was Capernaum. Home of Peter and home base of Jesus. This sea side town has been archaeological dig and evidence of Peters home as well as a synagogue. It is very spiritual and emotional to see, evidence of 2000 years ago, of day to day life of where the disciples and Jesus did minister and miracle of healing. Peter house, is where they lowered a man through the roof to be healed by Jesus, Jesus healed his mother-in-law and Jesus cast demons out of a man into a heard of swine. Then onto Tabgha, Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. There is a Byzantine mosaic floor in the church, and they only show 4 loaves instead of normal 5...because Jesus was present...and they counted him as " The Bread of Life".

The next adventure was a hike to the top of Mount Arbel...the view of the entire valley and shore line of Tiberius and Sea of Galilee and surrounding areas.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee from our hotel window Jesus boat Capernaum Artifacts in the town of Jesus...Capernaum Synagogue Peter's home Ron Beach Hotel over looking the Sea of Galilee, in Tiberius

Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee Mountain of Beatitudes. Dr. Wells  and Dr. Sibley sharing Mathew 5...the beatitudes Artifacts in the town of Jesus...Capernaum Artifacts in the town of Jesus...Capernaum Map of the synagogue in Capernaum Nola and Shirley at the top of the mountain in Tiberius Team 1 who climbed Mt. Arbel...the hard way....great climb!

January 8, 2010, Friday
We left Tel Aviv and drove along the coast. The weather is wonderful, blue sky/sun; 70's . Our bus driver is Adie and our tour guide is Ruben. Dr. and Mrs. Richard Wells and Dr. and Mrs. Jim Sibley have been our spiritual directors. I have taken lots of pictures today and of course will only be able to down load just enough to give you all a view of what we have been blessed with to visit. We are engaging in a pilgrimage translated into "walking tour of prayer and bible study...not too mention a spiritual experience".

First Stop: Caesarea. Ruben our tour director is "the hot steam". His knowledge of his homeland, Israel, is of the highest quality. Ruben has been detail-orientated in his history and description of the sites we have visited. King Herod's palace on the Meditation Sea. Paul was in prison there for about 3 years in Herod. Peter also traveled there also to witness to Cornelius the gospel of the Lord. Review Acts 9 and 10.

Second Stop: Mount Carmel and Muhraka, location of Elijah's contest with Jezebel's false prophets of Baal. We are able to view the Jezreel Valley.

Third Stop: Megiddo, site of 21 battles from the Old Testament... and review Revelations...on the last battle will be fought. Armageddon. Also, ruins of an ancient Canaanite ruins and the "Chariot Cities" of Kings Solomon and Ahab.

Fourth Stop: Nazareth: Jesus childhood home. We walked through the old market place and to a place of worship of Jesus time, where perhaps he went to preach. Also visited the Church of The Annunciation.

Fifth Stop: Cana: Site of Jesus first miracle of changing water into wine.

Home: Hotel Ron Beach in Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee. We are going to be here 3 nights. We will begin our journey of Jesus and his public ministry which took place in this area on Saturday, January 9

January 7, 2010
Today is Jan. 7 and at 4:15 PM landed in TLV. It was about seven thousand miles we flew from Dallas to New York into Israel. Did not sleep much on the plane. The weather here is in the mid 60's.  There are 39 of us on the tour. We are in our first hotel and of all things their computer system does not allow me to download pictures. So, pictures will be coming. We are going to go for a walk and try the ice cream and cheese cake and coffee. All of us are looking forward to a good night rest. We will be up early in the morning at 8 AM for our journey in Israel.   nola

January 5, 2010
Shirley and Mona and Nola are all packed and ready to go. Shirley and Nola will leave from DFW, Wed. Jan 6 on a 4PM flight to New York. We will have a 2 hour lay over in New York and then we will leave for a 10 hr and 20 min. flight to Israel.  Mona is flying out of Las Vegas and will meet us in New York. The weather is mild in Israel in the mid 50's -60's. Five years ago, Shirley and I attended the Great Banquet at Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church. I met a very special lady, Donna Gann. Over the past 5 years she became a friend and spiritual advisor to me. Donna passed away January 5, 2010 of breast cancer.  On behalf of Donna and her family and friends this trip is dedicated in her memory of her spiritual testimony to the glory of Jesus Christ.  Shalom... nola

December 6, 2009
I leave on January 6, 2010 for a 10-day trip to Israel. I am going with Shirley and Mona. You can see our complete itinerary here.

We have been studying for the trip as well. You can see our November study guide here. You can see our December study guide here.

I will be blogging during the trip with pictures and daily summaries. Check back here in January to read about our adventure!

Blessings!
Nola

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