Israel Today
We left for the Land of the Holy One (Israel) two weeks before the war started; little did we know at the time what lay ahead. We returned 5 days before the Hamas attack.
Travel was difficult. Several of us on the flight from Seattle missed the connection to Tel Aviv so we spent 9 extra hours at Heathrow and were more than exhausted when we arrived. Then there was road work on the way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, so we didn’t arrive until about 2 am. and then started at 6 am.
The first day wasn’t too bad but from then on we went from 5 am to about 7pm. Over dinner Bob would look at me and say “you look comatose.” I kept reminding myself that this was a Pilgrimage, not a tour. It really was meaningful to see and reflect on so many sites that are key to our faith. And to think about what first century life must have been like in this Land of the Holy One.
We first stayed at St. George’s Guest House in Jerusalem in the complex with the Anglican Cathedral, offices, and school.
Our guide was Palestinian, living and working in Jerusalem. So we got two sides of the issues there. I pray for him and his ministry now that the war is going on. Among the many things I learned, I did not know that Jerusalem is part of the West Bank. We felt perfectly safe there even when walking alone. We stayed about a half mile from the Old City so could go back on our free time. I am glad to have gone. It is a once in a lifetime trip.