Day 7 In The Holy Land

Why are you here? That’s the question Pastor Sieg Johnson asked our tour group early on in our Holy Land Trip. We were on a boat cruise on The Sea Of Galilee at the time. Then, he asked us the same question again on the last day of our tour in The Garden Tomb.

Funny story, Sieg will repeat his main point a few times during a devotional or sermon (like most pastors). So, right as he said to us again, “Why are you here?,” two teenage girls who were not with our group came around the corner and heard him. They immediately turned around and headed back the way they came as Sieg tried to say, “Oh, I wasn’t talking to you! Sorry!” Haha!

I suppose there could be as many answers to that question as there were people in our group. Perhaps the answer could be to feel closer to God, to learn more about the land of Jesus, to have the Bible come alive for me, or maybe even, my spouse made me come. I can tell you it’s not for a relaxing vacation because there’s very little of that!

For me I found in most of my prayer time in Israel, I thought about light. The Light Of The World came and lived in this land. Now, it is up to us to carry that light to others. The temple is destroyed, but now we are The Temple. As neat as it was to see the place where Jesus was born, where he lived and died, and rose again, God doesn’t want us to worship a place. He wants us to carry his light from that place to everyone we meet. I think that’s why I was there. Plus, I could eat all the dates, olives, and hummus I wanted. Yum!

On the last day of touring (Day 7) we visited what is left of The Temple in Jerusalem, both above and underground. And I’ll tell you about the one time I did get a little nervous being in a foreign land. It’s all right here on my Facebook page. Just click the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/Melinda-Mayo-KATV-229461220418343/

Amazing Grace In St. Anne’s

After Dr. Scott Stern sang “Ava Maria” in St. Anne’s Church, we were having such a wonderful time that we didn’t want to stop. Our tour guide Rafi asked if we’d like to sing something as a group with these amazing accoustics around us. Ummmm, yeah! So we broke out into “Amazing Grace” and with several members of The River City Men’s Chorus and St. James UMC Chancel Choir in our group, you know we gotta go 4-part harmony.

As we got up to leave the church we sang another hymn on our way out. (Can’t remember now which one.) But I guess you could say we were in the spirit! Rafi said several other tourists who had wandered into the church asked him where we were from. Oh, just a bunch of folks from Little Rock, Arkansas, singing our way though Jerusalem!

During our visit to St. Anne’s Church in Jerusalem, we received a real treat from our leader, Dr. Scott Stern. This beautiful church with great acoustics was the perfect setting for his lovely rendition of Ave Maria.

St. Anne’s was built where scholars believe Jesus’ maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim lived in what was then called Bethesda and where The Virgin Mary was likely born.

I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to this special time of worship for us in The Holy Land. Thank you, Denise Rowland for capturing the moment, accompanied only by the chirping birds.

Growing up in the Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, the only people I knew who had traveled to The Holy Land were my pastors. I think at the time I felt that it was just something for members of the clergy.

It was my former Methodist pastor and current Sunday School teacher who got me thinking about this trip a few years ago. And I am so glad I went! In the one month I’ve been back, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read or discussed something in The Bible and thought to myself, “I know that place. I was there and I know what it looks like.”

One of those spots is The Garden Of Gethsamane, a place that has changed very little since Jesus’ time. You can just see Jesus leaning on these olive trees, praying “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”

In Day 6 of our walk through The Holy Land, I’ll explain why we chose to walk the Via Dolorosa in reverse, beginning with Calvary and the empty tomb and ending with Jesus’ arrest and trial, followed by our visit to the Garden.

And I made a couple of crazy Arkansas/Israel connections on this day. First, a store owner who knows a little bit about good steak and sushi in Little Rock. Here’s his pic. Any ideas?

And our dinner this night was something special as we visited the home of a Jewish family. Our host, a rabbi & attorney made my mouth drop when he talked about…Pine Bluff, AR! If that wasn’t a sign that I was supposed to be here, I don’t know what would be? He also reminded me a little of a famous comedic actor?

Find out all about this busy Day 6 by clicking on the Facebook link below. I’m still loving the comments and have had SO MANY people everyday tell me that they’ve enjoyed this walk together. Thank you for that. We have one more day of Holy Land adventure to go.

https://www.facebook.com/Melinda-Mayo-KATV-229461220418343/?ref=settings

Since my return from The Holy Land three weeks ago, I’ve so enjoyed talking with others who’ve made the pilgrimage, too. What did you love the most? Which place really touched your soul? Are you going back?

A recent conversation was with our Contemporary Worship Pastor at St. James UMC, Rev. Greg Schick. He wasn’t on our trip, but he went to The Holy Land a few years ago and came back with this thought: He had traveled to places that were foreign to him physically, but his heart knew exactly where he was.

As you walk the streets of Jerusalem, stroll through the Garden Of Gethsemane, or put your feet in the Sea Of Galilee, you think “I know this place. I’ve read about it in my Bible. I’ve heard these stories since I was a kid.” It’s familiar to your faith, but foreign to your feet.” I asked Greg if I could use that, and of course he said, YES! Here’s Greg with our same Israeli tour guide, Rafi Roz; same RR flag, too!

I am continuing my day by day walk through our trip and we’re up to Day 5! On this day we went to The Jordan River, Jericho, and The House Of Caiaphas. One of these places made me think of this scene from one of my favorite movies, Rudy.

It wasn’t Notre Dame’s football stadium, but something in The Holy Land that made me say this. Find out where we were by clicking on my Facebook link below.

FYI, I do plan to see the home of The Fighting Irish and “Touchdown Jesus” next year. Arkansas vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 12, 2020. Go Hogs! (We’ll see if it rates up there with The Holy Land.)

https://www.facebook.com/Melinda-Mayo-KATV-229461220418343/

Coming Down From Masada

One of our adventures from Day 3 of our Holy Land trip was definitely not for the faint of heart. Unless you want to walk the winding Snake Trail up 1,300 feet to the top of Masada, then you have to ride the cable car. Lots of visitors will ride going up, then walk down.

Our group took the cable car both ways. And the visit to King Herod’s mountain top palace was definitely worth it. Here’s the ride back down. Would you do it?

Plus, Days 3 & 4 in The Holy Land

The Journey continues with my day-by-day walk through our Holy Land Trip. But first, a quick detour.

I’ve always loved to write. It was the reason I first got into newspaper writing, and later TV news before the world of weather came calling.

This week, we will honor the man who taught me and encouraged me to be a better writer. In fact, in our last conversation we talked about my trip and this blog.

Dr. William David Downs was a professor and chairman of the communications department at Ouachita Baptist University for 42 years. He was my teacher, mentor and friend. He passed away this past weekend after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

He taught me so much. As a journalist, “Trust no one. Assume nothing.”

And as an interviewer, “Melinda, QUIT TALKING” (a lesson in shutting up and helping my subject open up).

He was tough, but with a kind heart and a twinkle in his eye, even as he was about to rip your latest article to shreds. Not only did I have many classes under Dr. Downs, I also worked for him as a personal secretary for two years. When he authored two books in the 2000’s, I was thrilled to have him as a guest on my show at KATV.

As his Parkinson’s worsened, he lost his mobility and gradually his speech. But we could still talk to each other! I could understand a lot and his wife Vera could decipher even more. In one of our last visits I told him about my upcoming trip to The Holy Land. I quietly said, “I hope I’m talented enough to write about it.” And as clear as can be and holding my hand, he said with confidence “You know you will be.”

Thank you, WD! For believing in me. And for teaching me about hard work, creativity, and always keeping God first.

I can hear him now, “Melinda, get on with it!” So, on we go. Days 3 & 4 in The Holy Land take us out of Galilee and south into The Judean desert. It’s our first look at Jerusalem where Jesus traveled to challenge the religious authorities and change the world.

You can find the complete story with pictures and explanations on both of my Facebook pages. Just click the links below. Thanks for continuing to follow. Just three more days of touring left, but some of the best is yet to come,

https://www.facebook.com/Melinda-Mayo-KATV-229461220418343/

https://www.facebook.com/melinda.mayo

Bonus video of our tour group dancing The Horah, a traditional Jewish wedding dance. We didn’t do the part where you lift up the bride and groom while they are sitting in chairs. We were already dancing on a moving boat on The Sea Of Galilee!

I think I’m finally back on USA time now that I’ve been home for a week. While in The Holy Land I really wanted to be “present in the moment” and take it all then. For that reason, I didn’t get around to posting everything, so I have much more to share.

I’ve started a day by day walk through our tour on my Facebook pages. It’s a little easier to post lots of pictures there.

Also a big thanks to Dr. Charles Clogston for taking so many wonderful and professional pictures for our group. He didn’t intend to be the tour photog, but he became that! You can find all of his work at  https://www.clogstonsclicks.com. Our Holy Land Trip is under his folder “Vacation.” I’ve used several of his pics to tell my story.

A complete look at Day 1 and Day 2 of our trip is now on Facebook. Just click the link below and I hope you’ll keep following. No telling what we’ll discuss here in the future.

https://www.facebook.com/Melinda-Mayo-KATV-229461220418343/

And The Many Layers Of Jerusalem

The hardest question to answer about my trip to Israel is “What was your favorite part?” During our 10 day tour of The Holy Land we covered a lot of ground and probably visited about 50 sites. (Just ask my tired feet and legs)

Israel affects different people in different ways, for sure. What means so much to one traveler may not have affected another in the same way. But here are my top five favs of the trip. Not necessarily the most beautiful, or historically important, but the ones where I truly believed I was on holy ground and felt God’s presence.

1. The Valley Of The Winds And Doves.

This was our second morning in The Holy Land and after seeing both Galilee and Nazareth, we went to this beautiful valley beneath Mt. Arbel. It is the trail that Jesus would have walked from his hometown of Nazareth to Galilee to begin calling his disciples. I’m guessing he probably walked back and forth a few times. (You know a good Jewish boy would go home to see his Mama) It would have been a three day trip.

There’s a stream through the valley for water and you can just see Jesus resting up against one of the large boulders along the way. When we arrived, the valley was covered with wild flowers and I thought it truly looked like a piece of heaven.

We sang “Morning Has Broken”, prayed, and shared bread together as one would do to welcome weary travelers.

2. The Synagogue Church In Nazareth

This is where you have to start learning about the layers of Jerusalem. So, The biblical places you want to see have often been destroyed and built upon. Many times, it’s a church that has been constructed over the site. So, you have to use your imagination and also decide if you believe the scholars who think, (but don’t know for sure) that this is the exact spot.

That is the case with The Synagogue Church. It’s a bit hard to find, winding your way through the Nazareth market and it’s not a hot spot for tourists. But historians believe a small synagogue was here during Jesus’ time and it would likely have been the one he attended. Here Jesus would have read the ancient scrolls, prayed as a young man and later preached.

Our tour group sat alone in the small church that was built on this site in the 12th century. I truly felt the presence of God there, just seeing how Jesus’ church would have looked, and knowing that perhaps we were right above the actual spot. We read scripture, prayed, and sang “Sanctuary,” (We like to sing and sometimes another tour group would arrive and join in with us.)

#3 The Church of The Nativity/The Church of The Holy Sepulcher

Ok, I’m cheating a bit on this one, combining the two. But I love these churches for much the same reasons. Here you are going to find the tourists, lots of them. I’ve already written about The Church Of The Nativity and my few seconds touching the rock where tradition holds Jesus was born.

The Church Of The Holy Sepulcher is built on what historians believe is Golgotha. Here I was able to touch where scholars think Christ’s cross was placed and the rock slab where his body was laid. The tomb is also here, inside a dome and a smaller chapel-like structure.

After seeing the small synagogue of the humble servant in Nazareth, I loved also visiting these two majestic church “palaces” dedicated to the conquering King. People from all denominations and all around the world come to these churches to feel closer to their Savior.

#4 The Sacred Pit

Now we start digging into the layers of Jerusalem. When permission is granted, archeologists have started excavating down to the roads and structures of Jesus’ time. A pit for holding prisoners was found beneath the house of the High Priest Caiaphus.

It’s about a 15×15 foot dungeon with no windows or doors, just a hole in the top where a prisoner would have been lowered with ropes. Historians believe this is where Jesus was likely kept the night before his death. He was beaten and all alone in the dark. And he knew what was coming.

#5 The Jordan River

I flip-flopped between this one and The Teaching Steps for my fifth choice, but I’ve already posted about the main entrance to the Temple. Plus, since I was raised in the Baptist Church, I was baptized like Jesus, full emersion. So, seeing the place where He was baptized by John The Baptist was something special.

Churches have been built here over the years, but other than that, it remains much the same as in Jesus’ time. The river was rather high when we arrived due to recent rains. You can also see Jordan right across the river.

We held a ceremony remembering our own baptisms using seashells to hold the river water, but that wasn’t quite enough for me. No, I didn’t go in for a full dunk, (another small group was performing Baptisms nearby). But I did place several drops of the water on my head and thanked God for bringing me to this riverside and for my baptism some 40 years ago.

So, those are my favorites. It’s kind of like choosing your favorite child and if you ask me tomorrow, my list might change, I hope you have a Holy Land trip of your own someday, if you haven’t already. And you’ll be able to visit the places that will stay with you forever.