I absolutely can't wait!

Itinerary

May 10 (Mon) Evening check-in Changi Airport for a late evening departure for Istanbul aboard Turkish Airlines.

May 11 (Tues) Transit in Istanbul for a short time early in the morning and arrive in Israel mid-morning. After clearing immigration we board a bus and travel a short distance to see what life was like in Bible times- including the food we will get to eat for lunch! We stop at Bet Shemesh overlooking the Sorek Valley where Samson lived and where the ox cart came from the Philistines carrying the Ark of the Covenant. We continue south to the Elah Valley where David defeated Goliath. We drive up into the Judean Hill Country and spend the night at a community developed by Finnish Christians.

May 12 (Wed) We drive along the Coastal Plain to Caesarea, on the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. It was here that Peter preached in Cornelius' home and later Paul was imprisoned for 2 years. We continue north to Mt. Carmel- where Elijah took a stand for God against the prophets Baal. After lunch, we walk through the strategic city, Megiddo, which Solomon fortified. We will cross the Valley of Jezreel (Valley of Armageddon) and experience what life would have been life in Nazareth during the time of Christ. We will then descend into the Rift Valley to the Sea of Galilee where we check into our lakeside hotel.

May 13 (Thurs) We travel through upper Galilee on our way to Hazor, the largest city of Palestine during the days of Joshua and Solomon. In Dan we will climb the steps leading to the altar where Jeroboam placed a golden calk when the nation divided. We stop at Caesarea Philippi where Peter confessed Jesus to be the Messiah. We go up to the Golan Heights and see some of the plains of Bashan. Later, we will stop by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and see where Jesus healed a demonic and a herd of pigs rushed over the cliff and drowned.

May 14 (Fri) Today the focus on sites from the life of Christ. We travel by boat across the Sea of Galilee and view the "Jesus Boat" which shows the size of boats used by fishermen in that area during the first century. Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount on the Mount of the Beatitudes. More of Jesus' recorded miracles were performed in Capernaum than any other city. We climb Mt. Arbel to overview significant biblical sites on the shores of the Sea of Galilee before going to a baptismal site of the Jordan River. At sunset, we still start the Sabbath with a special evening meal at our lakeside hotel.

May 15 (Sat) We visit 2 biblical sites along the southern edge of the Valley of Jezreel: Ein-Harod- the spring where Gideon selected 300 men for his army and Bet Shean-where the Philistines hung bodies of Saul and Jonathan after Israel's defeat. We follow the Jordan River until we reach the Dead Sea and Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We stop by Ein Gedi where David hid near when he fled from Saul. We will then check into our hotel along the southern shores of the Dead Sea.

May 16 (Sun) After breakfast we set out for Masada, which Herod the Great fortified and where the Jews had their final resistance against the Romans until A.D. 73. We continue on to Beersheva, the home area of Abraham and Isaac. Upon returning to our hotel, we have the late afternoon free to relax, reflect on what we've learned and experienced, and enjoy an "unsinkable swim" in the Dead Sea.

May 17 (Mon) We drive north along the Dead Sea and stop at Jericho, the first city the Israelites conqured when they entered the Promised Land. We travel up the road of the Good Samaritan through the Judean Wilderness and stop at "Genesis Land" to experience what life was like for Abraham when he arrived in the Promised Land. After lunch, we continue uphill to get our first glimpse of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. We walk down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed. We check into our hotel located near the old City of Jerusalem.

May 18 (Tues) We enter the Old City of Jerusalem via the Dung Gate and walk to the Wailing Wall where many religious Jews come to pray. We follow a tunnel along the Western Wall and see some of the large stones Herod the Great used in the construction of the Temple Mount. A short distance away is the fortress Antonia where Pilate condemned Christ to death. We then follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the crucifixion. We walk through the Jewish Quarter and see a section of the wall Hezekiah fortified. Observing remnants of a home destroyed in 70 A.D. helps us better understand the setting of the Book of Hebrews. Later we visit the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples.

May 19 (Wed) We walk up to the Temple Mount area. Upon leaving, we go a short distance to the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the crippled man. After lunch we travel a few kilometers south to Bethlehem's Shepherd's Fields where the angels told the Shepherds of Christ's birth. We go into Bethlehem itself and vist the anscient Church of the Nativity.

May 20 (Thurs) The City of David is where we start our day and proceed to the nearby Pool of Siloam, where Jesus sent the blind man to wash and be healed. At the Israel Museum we'll see the Dead Sea Scrolls display and view a scale-model of Jerusalem as it was in the time of Christ. After lunch there is time for shopping! rest, or sightseeing in the Old City. In the mid-afternoon, a trip to the Holocaust Memorial. In the evening we celebrate a traditional Passover dinner in the small village of Ein Kerem.

May 21 (Fri) After breakfast, we gather at the Garden Tomb where we remember Christ's death and resurrection with a communion service. We have a final lunch together celebrating all that we learnt before travelling to the airport for departure to Istanbul.

May 21-25 My own Turkey Extension! Backpacking! Palaces, Museums, Cafes here I comeee :)