Ok, let’s address the most frequently asked question, “What was your favorite part of the trip?”  That is a bit like asking a parent which child is their favorite!  It is impossible to choose a favorite, as each has unique, special meaning.  However, because of the limited time/opportunity to share details during the trip, I will review the places we visited, and share additional detail (and pictures) in hopes of providing you a greater sense of what it is like to be in those special places and experience special things.

Simply arriving in Israel is a unique experience.  It is about a 12-hour flight from the US east coast to Ben Gurion Airport, located a few miles east of Tel Aviv.  In-flight announcements are made in both English and Hebrew, and the person seated next to you is as likely as not to be a Hebrew speaker.  The approach route to Tel Aviv takes the aircraft over the Greek Isles in the Mediterranean Sea.  Looking down on those isles causes me to think of the Apostle Paul’s journeys, particular his last journey to Rome when he was shipwrecked on Malta (not far off the coast of Italy). Then we reach the Mediterranean coastline of Israel and descend.  Upon touchdown, the plane erupts in joyful applause.  Soon, you enter into a very clean, welcoming airport.

The airport is named for David Ben-Gurion, the founder of the Zionist movement and Israel’s first Prime Minister.  On May 14, 1948 he officially proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel.  Israel remembers many heroes with buildings and places named for them.

Israel is a warm, welcoming nation with more history than any nation on earth.  For Christians, an indescribable sense of connection seems to grow upon arrival in Israel.  Visiting there is very much worth the 12-hour flight it takes to get there!