Bethlehem Day 2 of Holy Land Trip 2014

I woke up early this morning.....wasn't able to sleep much. I decided to make some tea, finish packing my bag for Jordan, and then watch some television. The rooster, which I noticed woke me up yesterday morning, decided to wake me up again this morning at about 3:30 a.m.

At approximately 4 a.m., the muslim call to worship could be heard wafting through the hills. It's such a surreal and different sounding thing, and like nothing else in the western world. Having traveled to Morocco several years ago, it was the first time I was able to experience its mystical sound. This morning again, didn't disappoint.

I find myself in the last couple of days turning off the television news program (and CNN and BBC are about the only channels here that are of any interest to me) and just opening the window a crack to hear the call to worship. I have been able to appreciate it now the last two evenings, and now again this morning with my tea and my knitting.

I don't know, but it was nice to open up the window this morning, smell the fresh air, and remark on how truly clean and beautiful our stay has been thus far. I'm praying for a safe journey again today, and praying for things to work smoothly while traveling over the border today.

As mentioned yesterday, there were a few people truly bent out of shape about having to pare down their luggage to travel the two nights in Jordan. It was also interesting to hear people get a bee in their bonnets when the travel itinerary is deviated from just a bit. Apparently we were supposed to see a bell tower and a small Lutheran church yesterday. But after seeing about 5-6 churches already yesterday, as well as 4-5 separate chapels within those churches, I mean really....must we see yet ANOTHER church? I don't know.....

I guess it comes down to being able to go with the flow, not get bent out of shape when the food isn't exactly what to expect, or that the coffee packet wasn't replaced in the room, or that the bottle of water wasn't replaced from the day before even though you were desperately thirsty. No, some people no matter what, will not be very happy unless they get things the way they want or expect them to be.

I'm just thankful that I am (hopefully people perceive that I am) a pretty easy travel companion. It doesn't pay to get riled or anxious. Much too much energy is spent on that, and really, I'd rather be spending the energy on more productive things like observing and taking in the sensory and spiritual aspects of this trip.

As I was coming down the hill yesterday from the Church of the Visitation, I couldn't help but be a bit emotional. It was a day I thought about my parents, about how important it was for Mary to visit her sister Elizabeth, and to reflect with a few tears, my mom whom I wish was joining me on this experience. I envy a couple of people for being able to share their travel with their moms, I just wish I was here with mine. Then again, she is with me.

Arrival in Tel Aviv Day 1

We arrived in Tel Aviv today. The flight was full of groups of people going to Israel for pilgrimages, and luckily the large US Airways Airbus A330 was to capacity. Luckily for me, I was assigned a seat in the back of the plane, and that while there were only 3 seats across, there was a seat in between, giving us more room.

The service was not stellar by any means. In fact, while serving breakfast, it seemed as if they had gotten a late start, as they were literally throwing egg breakfast sandwiches and orders of french toast at people to get them served before everyone was required to take their seats the last 30 minutes of the flight (per Israel rules).

We arrived at the airport, and I managed to get just a couple of hours of sleep here and there on the plane. Ben Gurion Airport is beautiful and modern, and was very easy to navigate. Once through passport control and customs, we picked up our luggage and met our tour operator, Johnny, and boarded our coach.

From the airport, we made our way to Bethlehem. Since we arrived about 40 minutes early, the tour guide took us through a part of Jerusalem, stopping at the Israeli Knesset, taking pictures near a large rose garden, and then hopping back on the bus.

We again stopped a second time to be able to take pictures of Jerusalem and the Kidron Valley. We got a large group shot of people overlooking the skyline in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is very beautiful, with lots of cedar and olive trees everywhere. It's also WAY more hilly than I ever imagined, and by hilly I mean that the hills are very steep, making for a very dramatic landscape. It's breathtaking!

Back on the bus, we made our way to Bethlehem, which i in Palestine. The Intercontinental is a large complex of rooms and levels. It was a little disturbing to have to go through some security checkpoints, but I felt safe the whole time. There are a lot of walls up through the city which are somewhat unfortunate and unsightly. We'll be getting more details about that tomorrow.

We made it into the hotel, and I still have to get the internet wifi set up to be able to update posts. Perhaps tomorrow. Who knows. It was interesting to hear the muslim call to prayer from the minaret this evening before dinner, and was just about as interesting hearing random shots of gunfire not to far away. I have no idea where it came from but it was a little unnerving.

In all, though, what a beautiful start to the trip, and look forward to visiting more places tomorrow!

Holy Land Trip 2014

Well, I'm sitting on the bus, on the way to O'Hare. A couple of weeks ago, i was thinking about my trip to Israel. I cannot believe that it is already here. It's a bittersweet time for me, as I am going on my first real trip outside of the US without my mom, who was my traveling companion for several years. The good thing is that the travel group I am going with are all people (well, at least most of them) from my church. In addition, Israel and Jordan weren't really places that were high on my mom's bucket list as places she wanted to travel. To be able to do so with people I know is a wonderful thing.

A lot has been going through my mind about this trip. It seems like yesterday that I had seen the article in the bulletin at church about the trip back in August 2013. The moment I saw it, I knew that I had to go. I've always been fascinated by Israel, wondering about the history, the geography, the food,the people.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I wasn't the least bit afraid. After all, Israel isn't located in the most hospitable of places and seems like something or someone every day is denouncing or threatening them in some way. In today's age, there is still religious and civil unrest, even thousands of years later.

I look at it this way: you just can't be afraid. I look at going to Israel as an opportunity of a lifetime, to learn in so many different ways. I am excited to see places and areas that I was taught about in Sunday school. The stories of the Bible will take on new meaning for me, and perhaps deepen my spiritual understanding.

Am I worried? No. Anxious? Yes, but probably for reasons most people assume. I'm anxious about whether or not Im going to have the right clothing to wear, or if I am going to fit into the airplane seat. I'm anxious about whom I'll be having breakfast with, and if I do, what will I say to people? I'm anxious about whom I'll be sitting with on the plane, or my luggage making it to Tel Aviv, or whether or not I'll wake up on time for touring each day. I fear being the the person everyone will forever refer to as "that guy" that is a pain in the ass on the trip. You know, the one that everyone will talk about with their friends for all eternity.

So my anxiety is not what people assume, What I do know is that no matter what, the Spirit of God surrounds me each and every day. There is no spot where God is not. My faith in that promise calms my restlessness, and settles my soul when nerves take over.

I'm looking forward to this trip, this adventure, and the possibilities for growth as a person in character, and most of all in faith.



Sent from my iPad