It’s Been Real Israel!

Hello from our last day in Israel! It’s hard to believe the trip has come to an end. We came, we saw, we learned about who conquered. Israel is an amazing, beautiful country with an incredible, rich history. Israel is a complex and complicated nation with an undeniable influence on the modern world. Traveling through the country these past two weeks, we have been able to see God’s purpose in establishing Israel to carry out his greater purpose and plan for humanity. The history, culture and people of this great nation came alive. I recommend this trip to everyone, but specifically with Terry, Laura, Yehuda and Yigal.

Terry and Laura are the Israeli power couple. Not only did they provide life-changing, thought-provoking teaching but they kept us moving smoothly and happily the entire trip. They made it look easy, which just goes to show how much hard work, effort and care they took in making this trip a trip of a lifetime.

Yehuda our tour guide and Yigal our bus driver were truly one-of-a-kind. You have already heard me go on and on about how awesome Yehuda is - but this trip would not be as smooth, safe and successful without Yigal driving the bus, providing us lunch, keeping us moving and always smiling. We are so thankful for these four and the way they continuously steered the Israel trip ship and kept us afloat.

I know that all of us have something to take back from Israel to America. Whether it was a word of wisdom, a greater call to faith, or the joy of accomplishing a two-week trek through the Holy Lands, our group was moved. God blessed us abundantly in providing a trip that was life-affirming and full of purpose. It will be exciting to see what happens in the days and weeks to come because of our time in the Holy Lands.

We ended the trip on a high note. Before we left for our flight Tuesday evening, we spent the day in Jerusalem. We started the morning off at the Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane. Terry gave us some time to reflect on the trip and the goodness of God. There was something so beautiful and tender about sitting in this garden where Jesus and his disciples lived their lives - and where Jesus was first led to his death and resurrection on the cross.

We also visited the Garden Tomb, which is where some think Jesus’s grave was located. Whether or not it was here or there or anywhere close, I personally felt the power of the Holy Spirit in this beautiful, peaceful garden full of lovely flowers and birds chirping. Here our tour guide preached the truth of the gospel and the power of Christ’s life-changing power in the world. It doesn’t matter where the grave is located - what matters is that is empty. Unlike some of the other historical landmarks we toured in Jerusalem, the Garden Tomb was a testament to Christ and Christ alone.

We had such an awesome group - encouraging, respectful and thoughtful. People saved their drama for their mama (sorry to any mom reading this who is now going to wonder, “oh no what’s coming?!”) and kept the positive momentum going the entire trip. I want to thank you for taking the time to walk along this journey through Israel with us by checking out the blog. I hope you learned, felt and were able to share in our joy these past two weeks. A special shout out to Corey who kept the photos posted each day so you could visually share in this experience with us. Finally, thank you for putting up with me and my crazy writing these past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I can only blame jet lag for like 50% of it...the rest was just me!