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If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, the Day #4 recap, the Day #5 recap, the Day #6 recap, the Day #7 recap, and the Day #8 recap. 

Day #9 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible was a very exciting day — because it was our last full day in Israel. I was excited about what we had planned for the day… but mostly, if I’m being honest, I was excited about being home. I had missed my family so, so much!

We started the day by going to Nazareth Village. While it didn’t seem impressive from the outset, I quickly fell in love with this place.

Here’s more about what Nazareth Village is:

A first-century farm and village presenting the life, times and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth for all the world.

Two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, Nazareth Village opened its doors to visitors. Nazareth Village is located on a site that was remarkably untouched and unchanged since Jesus time. In fact, Nazareth Village preserves the last remaining fields worked by Jesus’ friends, family and fellow villagers.

The surrounding terraces and farm features did exist in Jesus’ time. Today, Nazareth Village features a carefully researched re-creation of Jesus hometown. The original farm has been restored with olive trees, terraces, ancient wine press, irrigation system and stone quarry. Exact replicas of first century houses, synagogue, mikveh and olive presses have been carefully built using the same methods that would have been used by Joseph the carpenter. The scenes are brought to life as “Villagers” populate the farm and houses, living and working with the same type of clothing, pottery, tools and methods that Mary and Jesus would have used.

Pilgrims to the Holy Land usually only see the dead stones of ancient ruins. And yet, the geographical and cultural nuances of Jesus’ teaching are often crucial for understanding his full meaning. At Nazareth Village, visitors can experience how a first-century audience heard and was impacted by Jesus’ words. Gifted and knowledgeable guides take visitors through a living representation of the parables. Visitors step into life as it was in the time of Jesus and learn from his parables in the context in which they were created.

I loved seeing the re-created olive press and hearing more about the three difference presses that olives went through to make olive oil. The oil was what was most valuable about olives, but it could only be obtained through putting immense pressure on the olives — splitting and breaking them so that they no longer resembled olives.

Olives would be put through the press three different times. The first press was the best oil and that’s what they would give to God. The second press was what they would use themselves. The last press would be the oil they would use for lighting their lamps.

It gave so much new significance to how we are to live our lives as Christians — completely poured out for God and others.

After we went through Nazareth Village, they had tables set up with a fresh snack for us. And it was SO good!

We had fresh fire-baked flat bread, Za’atar dip (ground hyssop, sesame seeds, and olive oil), Hummus dip, olives, and herbal tea. Yum! It was especially fun because they were making it in the traditional methods right there in front of us. I wanted to just sit there and watch them make it and keep eating it as the bread came off the fire!

I have fallen fast in love with the Israeli food! In fact, as soon as I got back, we had to find a local Mediterranean restaurant so I could eat these foods regularly and introduce my family to them!

Speaking of food, after we went to Nazareth Village, then we drove for a ways and stopped to get some Shawarma at a local restaurant. It reminded me of Subway… only Israeli style. 🙂

After lunch, we drove to Caesarea and saw the Roman theater and all of the ruins there. It was amazing, overwhelming, beautiful, and c-o-l-d!

Then we headed to a local school that is using really cool technology from Museum of the Bible to teach the students their Bible classes. The school was SO excited for us to visit… they had balloons, flowers, signs, a special music program, food, and even a guy serenading us on the accordion!

I wanted to get a picture with him and he was trying to get me to dance with him. It was funny and memorable!

And then we drove to Tel Aviv… and oh my! I was not prepared for how beautiful it would be here or how incredible our view from the hotel would be. It was breath-taking!

We had dinner on the roof that night and said goodbye to the people who had headed up the tour. And then I packed for the long flight home and went to bed.

The next morning, we headed to the airport and got on a 12-hour flight from Tel Aviv to Newark and then from Newark to Nashville. After 10 days of being gone, I was so, so, so ready to be home, to hug my husband and kiddos, and to sleep in my own bed!

I’m SO thankful for the opportunity I had to go on this trip… I will cherish so many of the lessons and memories for years and years to come!

Have Any Questions About the Trip?

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing how I packed for 10 days in a carry-on. And then the rest of this week, I’ll be sharing some of the deeper lessons I took away from this trip.

If you have any questions you’d love for me to answer about the trip, you are more than welcome to ask them and I’ll either answer them here or try to answer them in a post. Thanks so much for joining me on this journey! It was fun to “bring you along” with me!

If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, the Day #4 recap, the Day #5 recap, the Day #6 recap, and the Day #7 recap.

Day #8 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible was a very exciting day. We took a 2-hour helicopter ride over Israel. It was SO cool to see so many things from the air that we had seen up close and in person over the past few days.

Plus, it was so helpful to get a bird’s eye view of the lay of the land. Well, and it was also just plain cool to take a helicopter ride! The only other time I’d been on a helicopter was when I was a little girl.

I’m somewhat prone to motion sickness so I was a little worried that it was going to be a miserable ride. But I sat where I could see out of the front, drank water, ate some bars, and rubbed on some essential oils and was able to really enjoy the experience.

Flying over the Dead Sea was especially a unique experience because it’s the only place where you can fly BELOW sea level!

It was also fun to see Masada from the air — since we’d spent a lot of time there the day before.

I loved getting to meet Jeff on the trip. He’s an amazing writer who has written for some of my very favorite publications.

He also has such a beautiful heart and, even though he and I have very differing beliefs in some areas, I was so inspired and challenged by meeting him and will likely be impacted by our conversations for the rest of my life. (You can read all of his posts on the trip experience linked at the top of this post here.)

After we landed in the helicopters, we took jeeps to a nearby kibbutz and then to the Syrian border.

It was surreal to be so close to a war-torn area, to see the army encampments, to see the destruction, to meet the locals and hear their stories, to see all the land mine warning signs, and to feel such tension in the air.

And yet in the middle of the conflict and unrest, there was hope — the people from the local kibbutz have beautiful orchards right near the border and there are wildflowers growing in the land mine fields.

My heart left feeling heavy, but also somewhat hopeful. There are no easy fixes, but there is hope springing up — even in the middle of what might feel like hopeless situations.

I loved how Jeff described the experience:

On the last full day of our pilgrimage, I was sitting in the back of a Jeep, bouncing along rutted dirt roads in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This is disputed territory. Everywhere you look, there are reminders of war— bunkers, barbed wire, and, in the distance, the abandoned remains of the Syrian city of Quneitra. At one point, our driver suddenly stopped. To our left, behind a sign that said “CAUTION: LANDMINES,” a meadow was ablaze with dozens of crimson anemones. “Beautiful flowers,” he said. “Beautiful flowers in the minefield.”

Those spring flowers remind me that, while heartbreak and hatred may seem so powerful in our world, beautiful things are more resilient than we can understand.

We ate lunch at the kibbutz and it was an amazing spread made by a local woman — many of the items were grown right there in the kibbutz.

Even though we were so close to the Syrian border, there was such a feeling of peace and quiet there. I fell in love with the people and the area. In fact, it was the first day that I felt like, “I think I’d like to buy a house here in Israel and come visit regularly!”

We then drove to Capernaum and visited the remains of a 4th-century synagogue. It is believed that Jesus preached at this synagogue.

The sun shining in on the synagogue was utterly gorgeous… this picture doesn’t do it justice!

I took my shoes off and stood on the ground. It was weird to think that Jesus could have walked right here.

Then, we went to the Church of the Beatitudes, the location where it is believed that Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

It was absolutely gorgeous weather there. Just beautiful!

And then we got on a boat on the Sea of Galilee and went to Tiberius. {It feels so weird to even write that after reading about both places in the Bible for so many years!}

It was SO gorgeous and peaceful and beautiful… the perfect end to a very full day!

I took this picture on the boat with many, many thoughts swirling in my head. Here’s what I wrote:

Believe it or not, I didn’t want to go on this trip… I tried to talk Jesse out of having me go four different times. It was scary and so far outside my comfort zone to be gone for 10 days from my family with a big group of people — almost all whom I’ve never met and who have done great and big and monumental things with their life.

I’m an introvert. I don’t like new situations with people I don’t know. And I have a serious fear of the unknown.

But I went, because I knew I was supposed to go. And making myself LEAP outside my comfort zone like this without any sort of parachute has been one of the best things I’ve ever done.

And I’m coming home forever changed. Humbled. Inspired. Infused with new courage. Ready to embrace life — and all that God has called me to — with more fervor and passion and abandon.

As the sun begins setting on this journey, I feel like something big is stirring in my heart… And the real journey is just beginning. This trip taught me much and, most of all, I learned anew that there is so much blessing that comes when I stop letting fear and unknowns hold me back from jumping out into the deep.

…To be continued tomorrow…

If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, the Day #4 recap, Day #5 recap, and Day #6 recap.

Day #7 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible started out really hard for me. I was tired. I was exhausted. And I was really homesick. I do travel fairly regularly, but it’s usually only for 1-3 days at a time. The longest I’ve ever been gone was 8 days — and that was SO hard.

So I was just missing my people, missing home, and missing our quiet life. Plus, I was plain T-I-R-E-D. We had been going, going, going, going for 6 days on little sleep and I just felt so done. So ready to be home, to be with my family, to sleep in my own bed.

I honestly considered staying back at the hotel that day. But I knew we were supposed to go to the Dead Sea and I just couldn’t bear the thought of missing that.

But I’m glad I went ahead and pried myself out of bed and got out the door, because this amazing view was waiting for me!

Yes, we went to Masada — and it was amazing! We took a cable car up to the top and the view at the top was pretty breathtaking!

I snapped this picture of Claire doing some stretching and yoga poses. Is that not the perfect location for yoga??

Even though there were quite a few people there, it felt so quiet and calming and peaceful! I went to some rocks and stood on them by myself and just took it all in. It was so soul-filling for me.

I was also incredibly impressed that even though it was hot outside, the buildings built were so cool because of how they were structured.

We took the cable car down to the base of the mountain and ate lunch and did some shopping. Well, I ended up not buying anything because you had to spend $100 if you wanted to get the 18% tax taken off at the airport. And I just didn’t find anything that I loved enough to bring home.

(I also had packed in a carry-on, so I had very little space to bring extras home. But I did end up buying a few things in Nazareth Village two days late — bracelets for the kids, Israeli candy bars, and a wooden Shalom magnet for our fridge. I had hoped to find some earrings, too, but I never found a pair that I really loved. I guess I’ll just have to go back and get those next time!)

After that, we drove to THE DEAD SEA!!!

Oh my goodness! This was SUCH a highlight for me on the trip! After hearing about this sea and reading stories about it for so long, it was thrilling to actually be able to experience it.

As you might be able to tell here, getting out into the water was a bit tricky — it was muddy and slippery and rocky and you had to be so careful where you stepped so that you didn’t trip in a pothole or cut your foot on a rock (I actually ended up slicing my foot twice — ouch!)

But when we finally made it out into the deep water, it was incredible. Not only could you literally not sink, but you could stand straight upright in deep water where you couldn’t touch and try to bob yourself under and you wouldn’t be able to.

We laughed so hard as we floated all around — even while “standing straight up” in water where we couldn’t touch. We covered ourselves in the thick, rich mud… we even sort of swam.

This picture was staged, yes, but it captured so well the joy that we all were feeling out there together. It had been a long trip. We’d experienced a lot together. And the water and mud and floating just seemed to wipe all of our tiredness from the trip away.

The laughter spilled into teasing and, out there in the middle of the Dead Sea there was such a sense of camaraderie. And it was so F-U-N and beautiful to experience.

I’m SO glad that I didn’t stay back at the hotel that morning like I really wanted to. I would have missed one of the greatest days of the trip… and one of the memories that I probably will never forget for the rest of my life.

…to be continued…

If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, the Day #4 recap, and the day #5 recap. 

Day #6 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible was sort of an emotional roller coaster kind of day.

We started the day by visiting Yad Vashem — Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the holocaust.

Wikipedia says this:

The name “Yad Vashem” is taken from a verse in the Book of Isaiah: “Even unto them will I give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 56:5). Naming the Holocaust memorial “yad vashem” (Biblical Hebrew יָ֣ד וָשֵׁ֔ם yād wā-šêm) conveys the idea of establishing a national depository for the names of Jewish victims who have no one to carry their name after death.

The whole purpose of this memorial is give back the names, the worth, and dignity to the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the holocaust. Most who had everything taken from them — including their names.

I can’t say enough about how this memorial impacted me. If you have a chance to go, PLEASE go. It was powerful. Overwhelming. Heartbreaking. Life-impacting. I left with much to process and will likely be processing for a long time.

After spending time with the Jewish people and learning more about their religious history and beliefs, it was especially deeply moving.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, but you can read more about it and see some pictures here.

From Wikipedia again:

A core goal of Yad Vashem’s founders was to recognize gentiles who, at personal risk and without a financial or evangelistic motive, chose to save their Jewish brethren from the ongoing genocide during the Holocaust. Those recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations are honored in a section of Yad Vashem known as the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations.

It was hard to leave the memorial. Or to walk away… there was so much to process in going through the memorial. If you are interested, in this video, I shared some very personal and passionate thoughts I experienced as part of visiting Yad Vashem. (Go here and fast forward to minute 19.)

Next, we went to the Garden Tomb, which is one of the sites that is possibly where Jesus’ tomb was. Unfortunately, I found the site as a whole to be much more commercialized and tourist-y than I would have preferred. 

Then, we walked to the Ecole Biblica — a French Academic establishment that felt like stepping back in time.

We then walked to the Machaneh Yehuda Market and had an amazing and exuberant lunch at the Yudale Bar  — a highly-acclaimed, open-air restaurant where everything is made right in front of you and the cooks/servers are dancing and having so much fun you can’t help but join in!

After such an emotionally draining morning, the loud music and energy and laughter was healing. (You can get a little idea of what the experience was like with this video and this video.)

We headed back to hotel to freshen up and get dressed up for welcoming in Shabbat. It was so cool to experience the excitement and anticipation Shabbat brings!

After sunset, we visited the Wailing Wall and prayed there. It was such a moving experience — so many people praying and pouring their hearts out in multiple languages.

I left a paper at the wall with my prayer asking God to help me live a life of love and that out of that love I would be willing to go anywhere, do anything, or sacrifice anything He calls me to — whatever the cost.

And we capped off the day with a traditional Shabbat dinner in a local family’s home. Since the Jewish people don’t use their phones during Shabbat, we were asked to keep our phones off and cameras put away during the meal. So I don’t have any photos but it was quite an experience!

I’m so glad that I jumped out of my comfort zone to go on this trip. I will never forget these experiences or lessons for the rest of my life.

…to be continued tomorrow… 

If you missed my other trip posts, read the Day #1 recap, the Day #2 recap, the Day #3 recap, and the Day #4 recap.

Day #5 of our Epic Trip to Italy and Israel with the Museum of the Bible was our first full day in Israel. We left early in the morning to head to the Mount of Olives.

It was cold and windy and I was SO glad I had brought layers to wear that day, even though it was supposed to get really hot.

From the Mount of Olives, we had an incredible view of the city. It was breath-taking, surreal, and overwhelming. 

We then walked to the Garden of Gesthemane and went in a church right next to it. Then, we took the bus to get the view from the opposite side.

It felt so humbling to be walking in the ancient pathways of where so many incredible and world-changing events took place. It made me feel so small in contrast to how big this world is.

It’s good to be reminded of your smallness.

I was excited to find a tourist shop that sold Cafe Lattes and took American dollars. I hadn’t been able to exchange any money (yet) and so it was exciting to finally find a place that would take my dollars and give me shekels back. Plus, I really wanted to be able to bring some shekels back for my kids!

While we were out walking, we saw this. The Israelis told us it was where “they put the bombs when they find them.”

After that, we walked underground to explore Hezekiah’s waterway. It was pretty fascinating! Many of the groups were actually taking the wet tunnels — where I guess you would actually wade in water that’s up to a few feet deep!

We took the dry tunnel but got to feel some of the water in one of the sections (see above) and it was SO cold that I was very glad we were not taking the wet tunnel!

Our guide had told us at the beginning that there would be a few sections where it was a tight squeeze. Well, he wasn’t kidding!

We explored the drainage tunnels underneath the Old City and it was quite the adventure… in fact, it felt like we were never going to make it back above ground again. The tunnels just kept going and going and going and going! (See more pictures here and here and here.)

We finally made it above ground to this beautiful view!

After that, we headed to lunch where I ate fish that still had eyes and teeth intact… that was a first! 🙂

And then we took to the bus to the Israeli Antiquities Authority. This is a warehouse where they store thousands and thousands and thousands of artifacts that they loan out to various museums.

Our last stop was at a winery for a tour and then a beautiful dinner! We quickly discovered that Israelis know how to put on a very, very big spread of food. The appetizers alone are enough to fill you up. And then there are usually two entrees, more appetizers, bread, and dessert!

Gratefully, we were doing a LOT of walking to make up for all the calories we were consuming. I decided that I was going to eat all. the. things. Or, well, at least try as many different foods as possible. Because this might be the only time I’d be in Israel and I wanted to get the full experience!

To be continued tomorrow…