Dad's Report

Hi Gang!
I'll try not to be too verbose since I will be imposing on your Mom to type this in. I really enjoy reading all your comments on the blog. And as I get more familiar around the web it can only get better.
We had a great trip. It really could not have been better. Weather was warm and clear. The bus was a brand new Mercedes , the guide had 20 years of experience and spoke English you could understand. The hotel accommodations and food were excellent. No one lost any luggage. There were no "jerks" in the group of 32 and we saw a multitude of interesting historical, Biblical and memorable sights.
A day would start at 6:15 AM with a wake up call. Breakfast at 7 and bus departure at 8:15-8:30. Then we would travel from site to site, eating lunch away from the hotel. We would finish about 6 PM. Eat at 7 PM and drop into bed about 8-9 PM and go again the next day. The schedule was packed, but that is why we went. We were satisfied that we saw as much as we possibly could in the time allotted.
Historical sites included ruins of old cities never rebuilt after earthquakes complete with Roman arenas, bath houses, etc. We saw Massada, Cumerfon, Maggeddo. All with very interesting stories. Bible sites included the towns around the Sea of Galilee like Capernum, Tiberius and locations of the Sermon on the Mount. From there we went to Mt. Carmel, Valley of Armageddon, Mt. of Olives, Gethsemene,Golgotha, Garden Tomb of Jesus, Jerusalem and Bethany.
We tunneled down under layers of civilization to the Roman streets that Jesus would have walked on and walked along the west wall of the city (the wailing wall). According to the scholars the real Ark of the Covenant is just a few feet from that wall under the "Dome of the Rock" which is a Muslim mosque built defiantly on the site where the Temple was (Mt. Nebo) where Abraham sacrificed Isaac.
There is so much there!!! Since Abraham-4000 years of civilization have occupied that pice of real estate. It's hard to keep; track of the era you are in and what happened to the Biblical sites-some now completely covered with layers of other eras, Roman,Byzantine, Muslim and Turks.
But we caught the high points and had a wonderful time looking down from the Mt of Olives, over the Kidran Valley and imagining the triumphal entry which will be transformed when Jesus comes again, not meekly nor in peace, but valiantly, conquering and taking back the title deed to the world to rule from Jerusalem for 1000 years and ultimately forever.
Thank you for praying for us and taking an interest in our trip. Pictures will follow.

Love,
Dad