ISRAEL BOUND

At the end of this month Cindy & I are joining a group of 26 pastor's and spouses on a journey to Israel. It is something we both have wanted to do. In fact, in 2000 we had assembled a group from our last church to go with us to Israel when violence broke out and the trip was canceled. After that I really didn't know if we would ever get there.

What follows is our itinerary. They really keep us moving. After flying into Tel Aviv which is 7 hours ahead of eastern standard time we visit 2 sites before checking into our hotel. We are going to be exhausted unless we can sleep on the plane over.

Right now we are preparing our packing list, making sure we have all the documents we need and generally gearing up.

I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

Shalom

TUES, FEB 27
Stay at Renaissance Hotel, Tel Aviv
Visit Emmaus & Old Jaffa

WED, FEB 28
Stay at Kibbutz Hagoshrim
Visit Caesarea by the Sea, Mount Carmel via the Valley of Armageddon, Gideon's spring, Mount Tabor with lunch in the monastery, Experience a baptism in the Jordan River, Mount Beatitudes

TH, MAR 1
Stay at Gai Beach Hotel, Tiberias
Visit Tel Dan (at a glance), Caesarea Philippi (Banyas), Mount Hermon (Mount of Transfiguration), Road to Damascus, Kibbutz at Ein Gev with St. Peter's fish on the wharf,
Capernaum, Menza Christi, Tabgha, Ginosar where we see the "Jesus boat" .

FRI, MAR 2
Stay at Three Arches Hotel, Jerusalem
Visit Cana of Galilee, Nazareth, Kumran, Masada, Ahava cosmetics factory, Dead Sea at Mineral Beach and lunch, Mount Scopus for a "Welcome to Jerusalem" ceremony, Jerusalem.

SAT, MAR 3
Stay at Renaissance Hotel, Jerusalem
Visit Model of ancient Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Dominus Flevit, Palm Sunday Road,
Gethsemane, Pool of Bethesda, House of Caiaphas (the High Priest), Bethlehem with lunch at Sababa Restaurant and some shopping, Church of the Nativity, The Garden Tomb to participate in communion, Seminar at the hotel entitled "How to Run Your Own Pilgrimage."

SUN, MAR 4
Visit Old City to visit the Kardo, Temple Institute, Wailing Wall, Rabbi's Tunnel,Via Dolorosa
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jaffa Gate, Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Street in downtown modern Jerusalem with a shwarma lunch, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial

After dinner we get taken to the airport where we board our plane back to the states.