And We’re Back!

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Hello friends!

First day in The Holy Land, April 2019. A quick stop for coffee and pastries in Nazareth

It’s been a while and I thank you for still following this blog. Or if you’ve just discovered this place, thank you as well. I kept the blog going for the past year knowing that I would come back when I felt like I had something new to share. It’s Easter Week now 2021 and my thoughts return more than ever to The Holy Land during this time of year. (I think they always will).

We are coming out of a year like no other. When trips to Israel, trips ANYWHERE stopped. But now many are making plans to travel again, whether it’s to go see family, a long awaited vacation, or a pilgrimage to The Holy Land. I have a few friends preparing to host trips to Israel later this year. Hopefully, more on that later on this blog.

Since I was in Israel two years ago THIS WEEK, I haven’t read a Bible passage or heard a sermon when I didn’t think back to something I saw or felt in The Holy Land. It’s a place that stays with you. Also, there are friendships that were formed on this trip that are still dear to me. Here’s our 2019 travel group which started with my Sunday School Class at St. James UMC in Little Rock and grew from there. What a crew!

Our morning visit to The Valley of the Doves. Jesus would have walked this valley to travel from Galilee to Jerusalem.

You know when you’ve been on a vacation and you were the one taking the pictures, what do come home with? A bunch of pictures of everybody else and you’re not in any of them! So, it was a thrill when my friends Randy & Gayle Teague recently gave me copies of their pics from our trip. There were new images I had not seen and evidence that I was there, too! Haha! Actually, many fellow travelers offered to take pics with my camera for me at times. So sweet! But Randy is also a MUCH better photographer than I am, so these new images were such a gift. I thought you might like to see them, too.

  • Sermon On The Mount
  • Valley Of The Doves
  • Jordan River
  • Jordan River Baptismal Site
The first few days of the trip we spend in Northern Israel. This is Galilee. The part of the country that Jesus loved. It’s green and lush. We see the Sea Of Galilee, The Jordan River, and location of The Sermon On The Mount

This was one event that I had PLENTY of pictures from. and from EVERY angle. You know, there’s really no graceful way to get on and off a camel. But it’s something you’ve got to do at least once in The Holy Land. This is in Jericho. We’re headed south into the desert now and the landscape is changing.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and it is mentioned several times in The Bible. Since I was busy doing TV work during the group float, my friend Gayle stuck around to float with me. Back on dry land; we visit Masada, the mountaintop palace fortress of King Herod.

  • The Dead Sea
  • Me and Gayle!
  • Masada

After three days around The Sea Of Gailiee, The Jordan River, and The Dead Sea, we get to the heart of this trip and the heart of this nation. It’s Jerusalem. And your first sight of it will take your breath away.

Jerusalem is a city like no other. Three world religions consider it holy and in this city packed with people, they must learn to live and worship side by side. You will see Christian churches, next to Jewish temples, next to Muslim mosques. And you will see beautiful people going about their normal lives in such a special place

Towards the end of the trip, we begin to trace the steps of Jesus during the final week of his earthly life. The olive trees in The Garden Of Gethsamane grow from 2,000 year old roots and one tree is believed to actually date back to Jesus’ time. It’s the one at the bottom, protected by the fencing. This is the only place where you can’t actually touch what you’re seeing. The trees are living Bible history.

The Via Dolorosa is the route Jesus walked carrying his cross through the streets of Jerusalem. Our Jerusalem travel guide, Rafi takes us through the footsteps of Jesus. I always liked staying close to Rafi, so I wouldn’t miss a thing!

The Via Dolorosa ends at The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre, The church houses Golgotha (Calvary), and Jesus’ Tomb. I really don’t remember this pic being taken in front on the tomb, but I remember how I felt standing just steps away from the site of the first Easter morning!

I have a few more new pics to share and I’ll do that soon, but this is probably the best place to stop for now. I’m writing this on Good Friday, 2021. I think it’s important to think about the whole week of Easter. You have to let your heart feel the sadness of Good Friday to truly appreciate Easter morning. I pray that you will have a blessed Easter. At this time, when we are coming out of what has been a dark year for our world, we know that God is still in control and he will never leave us. Perhaps he will even lead us back to The Holy Land someday. Happy Easter!

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Published by Mamayo

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3 thoughts on “And We’re Back!”

  1. Thank you Melinda for keeping your blog going. I love the reminder of the last days of Jesus. Happy Easter.

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  3. Shabbat shalom Melinda !
    Yes, A Trip to Israel is a lasting impression – That’s why I like watching The Chosen Series & one of the first people I ran into, after 3 months being gone , was Dr.John Cloud, from your trip: Seeing your pics- makes me anticipate when I will go & experience the Journey myself : Take care of yourself and Ozzie of course : ) Ozzie reminds me of Toby , who could pass for Ozzie s twin – He was the family dog of the Clouds friends – that I would house sit & dog sit for & we took many trips down kavanaugh & throughout the neighborhood :
    Thanks for sharing :

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