Ancient Paths - Austin group

March 11-23, 2022

Led by rod vansolkema
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Trip Blog Posts

Day 11 - Jerusalem: Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, St. Anne's Church, Pool of Bethesda, Garden Tomb, Holy Sepulchre, Southern Steps, Farewell Dinner

posted on Tuesday March 22 2022 at 6:00 pm UTC

Day 11 Jerusalem. Walking Jesus’ Last Day. Mt. Of Olives. Path of Cohanim. Garden of Gethsemane. St. Anne’s Church. Pools of Bethesda. Via Dolorosa. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Temple Southern Steps. First question we were asked at O’Hare as we began this amazing journey to...

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Day 10 - Jerusalem : Temple Mount, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Herodium, Johnny's (shopping), Yad Vashem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

posted on Monday March 21 2022 at 7:00 pm UTC

On an unseasonably cold March night in Jerusalem, a small group of Christ-followers approached the Wailing (Western) Wall for the first time. So many Jewish sisters huddled against the cold. Desperate to get “that place” on the wall believed to be closest to where the Holy of Holies, God’s...

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Day 09 - Galilee - Jerusalem : Jordan River, Beth Shean, Jericho Road, Israel Museum, Model of Jerusalem, Shrine of the Book, Western Wall, Rabbinic Tunnels

posted on Sunday March 20 2022 at 11:00 pm UTC

This morning (Sunday) our team made its way to the banks of the Jordan River for ‘church.’ Can you imagine a better place to remember our own baptism and our identity and mission in Christ as sons and daughters of the Living God? The water in the Jordan River is flowing fast and is...

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Day 08 - Gamla, (Tel Dan), Caesarea Philipi, & the Decapolis

posted on Saturday March 19 2022 at 7:00 pm UTC

Every morning and evening, our group has been praying the Sh'ma - a prayer and commandment that Jesus likely prayed every single day. My mind today has been fixed on the last line of the Sh'ma "and love your neighbor, as yourself."   We started our day hiking down into Gamla, an ancient village...

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Day 07 - Galilee: Mount Arbel, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida

posted on Friday March 18 2022 at 10:00 pm UTC

This morning, as we gathered together for morning prayer, Kim reminded us of a practice at All Saints Church each Sunday. One of our pastors moves to the center of the church for the reading of The Gospel and every person, young and old, turns their body, eyes, head, heart, and feet toward Jesus. As...

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Day 06 - Coast: Mt. Carmel, Caesarea Maritima, Mt. Precipice, Tabgha

posted on Thursday March 17 2022 at 7:00 pm UTC

We began our day at Caesarea Maritima. This important coastal city was built by Herod the Great (20 to 8 BC). This was one of Herod’s many palaces and like all of his projects, it was a true architectural feat. Constructed of gleaming white marble, the city represented the power of Rome and was...

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Day 05 - Negev Desert, Part 3

posted on Wednesday March 16 2022 at 5:00 pm UTC

We started our fifth day with a hike to a beautiful waterfall in the desert at En Gedi. We talked about Mayim Chayim - Living Water - and how our lives should be reflecting the waterfall behind us. Our lives, devotion to the Lord, and love for His people, should be like water in the desert - filled with...

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Day 04 - Negev Desert, Part 2

posted on Tuesday March 15 2022 at 7:00 pm UTC

Today was our 4th day in Israel. We began in the city of Mitzpe Ramon which means “vista.” It is deep in the Negev desert, and high in the mountains. We then drove south through the Rift Valley which is 700 feet below sea level to a region 5 miles from Egypt. We hiked up one of the steepest...

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Day 03 - Negev desert

posted on Monday March 14 2022 at 8:00 pm UTC

On this chilly day in Israel, we were taken to the desert of Judah with the Dead Sea in our sights and Masada towering over us. This is where David hid from Saul. Rod reminded us that Jesus takes us to the desert to teach his people from there.   As I was challenged by Libby to pray to see...

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Day 02 - Shephelah region

posted on Sunday March 13 2022 at 11:00 pm UTC

First day of actual touring done! There was no rest for us after spending close to 18 hours safely traveling from Chicago. We had a “night” of sleep before heading out early from our hotel just outside of Jerusalem. Not knowing where we were going or what we were doing today, we were asked...

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Preparing for Israel

posted on Wednesday February 16 2022 at 5:50 pm UTC

Our trip will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our travel experiences online with you, our friends and family, to not only bring you along...

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