Jackie Matthews

We wanted to go to Israel for decades. We had heard from so many other people how a trip to the Holy Lands will change your life and they were right! We finally got a chance to go and I thought I would be fine going once and then checking it off my bucket list- but no! I loved every minute and can't wait to go back! Apparently, that is a very common response to spending time in Israel. We flew BA business class to London (definitely worth paying the extra to go business class on a long, international flight) and then flew on to Tel Aviv. We spent a few days in Tel Aviv, a gorgeous, modern city on the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed in a high rise along the beach with gorgeous views of the water and the city at night. You could see young people surfing and playing volleyball on the beach. We ate at outdoor cafes (it was late October/early November and warm), walked along the beach, walked for miles through the city stopping at cafes and antique book stores along the way, and just enjoying being in Israel. Then we met our group in Tel Aviv and went to Capernaum, took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, toured the Jordan Valley, Masada and then swam in the Dead Sea. Yes! It's true! You do float because the salt content in the water is so high! Fun experience. We traveled on to Jerusalem. We visited the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, toured the Old City, visited the pool of Bethesda, and the Garden Tomb.  We also got to participate in a tree planting in their national forest, which was a blessing as they are working hard to make the desert bloom again. A personal highlight for me was visiting the Wailing Wall, where Jews and Christians go to pray and consider it the most holy. We had the chance to pray there and see many young boys celebrate their Bar Mitzvah. Israel is a gorgeous country with so much history. We will be hosting our next group their next May (2023) and hope you will consider coming along. We will tour Israel, then travel to Egypt and board and Nile River cruise boat to tour the Valley of the Kings. Those who have the time can continue on to our Steps of Paul journey aboard Celebrity cruise line as we sail from Rome to the Greek Islands and Malta, visiting many of the same sites where Paul preached the gospel during his missionary trips. Before we went to Israel for the first time, we thought it would be a “one and done” trip, but we can’t wait to go back! Call, text or email us and we’ll send you all the information.