2010 Journey Home to Israel Tour

Day 1 - Arrive in Cairo, Egypt @ Cairo, Egypt

2010-10-29T11:26:08.000Z

Though tired from weather-prompted airline delays, cancellations and layovers – and the subsequent limited hours of sleep – participants in the first leg of The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour regained their energy and excitement Friday during their first full day in Egypt.

Highlights included:

• A two-hour guided tour of the Egyptian Museum, which features 120,000 King Tut artifacts including the prize treasure, King Tut’s mask of pure gold.

• An hour ride on the Nile River – under blue skies and temperatures in the low 80s – on sailboats replicating those used 5,000 years ago on the Nile. Brandon Branco of Nashville, Tenn., and his grandfather, James Branco of Bellevue, Ohio, and Annette Henson of Eugene, Ore., and her brother, James Dial of Cottage Grove, Ore., kept expressing how they never, ever had expected to be taking a ride on the Nile – which, at 4,500 miles, is the longest river in the world.

• An authentic Egyptian-style lunch at a family-friendly countryside
restaurant. The menu featured chicken and pita bread grilled on open fires, cole slaw, dill pickles, hummus, tahini, pickled red beets, roasted potatoes, and, for dessert, Egypt’s amazingly sweet bananas.
• Observing first-hand the beyond-congested streets and highways of Cairo, the world’s second largest city with a population of 24 million. “The [traffic] rule is no rule,” admitted the Fellowship’s Egyptian-born tour guide Emad Samir. With very few traffic lights, and no established or honored lanes, brave drivers careen through a mass of curb-to-curb vehicles – which include tour buses, taxis, personal vehicles (mostly outdated, beat-up vans), carts being pulled by donkeys, and bicycles – plus pedestrians who cross the streets and expressways wherever and whenever they like.

• Shopping for souvenirs at Mondy Bazaar in Cairo. Qualifying as best shoppers for the first day were Melissa Lichtenwalter of Grand Rapids, Mich., Tara Lichtenwalter of San Jose, Calif., and Maxine Darensbourg of Bakersfield, Calif.

Day 2 - Full day in Cairo, Egypt @ Cairo, Egypt

2010-10-30T09:00:09.000Z

On Saturday, the second full day in Egypt for The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour, participants realized, from first-hand observation, why the Great Pyramid is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.

Of the 110 pyramids found in Egypt – pyramids that date to 1,000 years before Moses – the Great Pyramid reigns supreme. Built day and night over 20 years by 100,000 workers (who were paid with beer and bread), the magnificent pyramid is 451 feet high and contains 2.3 million rocks – rocks sufficient to build six buildings the size of the Empire State Building.

By day’s end, Journey Home Tour participants viewed more than 20 other smaller pyramids – some showing signs of considerable erosion, others showing actual collapse. Out tour guide, Emad, pointed out that no mortar was used in building the pyramids – instead, a vacuum process continues to serve as the adhesive.

The Sphinx, with its limestone body and darker sandstone head (measuring 15 feet from ear-to-ear), provided a perfect backdrop for the tour’s group photograph.

Other Day Two highlights included:

• Individual 15-minute camel rides on the sands of the Sahara Desert with the major pyramids as background. Most of the amateur camel jockeys, including Lynn and Barb Doerschuk of West Chicago, wore huge grins as they bounced up and down on the camels. Donald Sydow of Chicago summed up his riding experience in one word: “Fun.” C.J. Corbett of St. Robert, Mo., agreed, saying, “It was cool, very cool.”

• An engaging and informative presentation about how papyrus is made at the Abu Simbel Papyrus Institute

• A visit to the ruins of Memphis (translated “Beautiful Place”), an influential city 600 years before Noah’s flood.
It was there where Moses said, “Let my people go.”

• Observing the memorable scenery and hustle and bustle
of daily life from Giza, through Cairo, to what was Memphis. Goats, sheep, camels, water buffalo, donkeys, dogs, cats, pigeon houses where pigeons are raised to be a delicacy, and irrigated fields with cabbage, cauliflower, watermelon, tomatoes, and onions provided some of the Kodak moments.

• Amusement over the never-ceasing chaos known as Egyptian traffic. Two sightings were particularly eye-catching – one a truck bed stacked high with flats of very-breakable raw eggs, the other a motorcycle with a Chicago Bulls bumper sticker from the dynasty years of Michael Jordan.

Day 3 - Goodbye to Cairo @ Cairo, Egypt

2010-10-31T10:00:37.000Z

On Sunday, the tour left Cairo and headed 95 miles to the Suez Canal, which is 120 miles long, 150 feet wide. Along the way, Egyptian tour guide Emad told the tourists that the $3 billion generated annually by Suez Canal tolls is the third largest income-generator for Egypt. Oil is first; the tourism industry is second.

Shortly after leaving the African continent of Egypt and entering the Asian continent of Egypt, the group entered the 1-mile tunnel under the canal (which has no locks) which was completed in 1869 and connects the Mediterranean and Red seas.
Seven miles south of the canal, the group stopped at what has become known as the Springs of Moses. There, after having walked continuously for three days, the Israelites were unable to drink the bitter water from the well until the Lord threw wood into the water to make it sweet enough to drink (Exodus 15).

After stopping for the night at Morganland Village near Mount Sinai, the Journey Home Tour participants relaxed and enjoyed a Bedouin-style barbecue over open fire pits.

In the wee hours of Monday morning, hiking enthusiasts walked to the top of Mount Sinai. Dr. Billy Richards, C.J. Corbett, and Pastor Frederick Benzel, Dr. Heusent James and Brandon Branco all reported aching muscles but jubilation at the spiritual high from hiking 3 miles and walking 750 steps under cold, windy conditions to reach the summit. Corbett said the accomplishment of reaching the top of Mount Sinai was one of the highlights of her life.

Day 4 - Hello Jordan @ Mount Sinai, Egypt

2010-11-01T10:00:28.000Z

After early morning stops at historic Mount Sinai to see ornate St. Catherine’s Monastery and a traditional burning bush, the tour reached Nuwiba Port in the Gulf of Aqaba and took a ferry boat to reach Jordan.

Day 4 - Hello Jordan Part 2 @ Nuweiba (Nuwaybi`a), Egypt

2010-11-01T10:30:32.000Z

Travel Day

5. Day 4 - Hello Jordan Part 3 @ Eilat, Israel

2010-11-01T10:31:27.000Z

Travel Day

Day 5 - Petra highlights @ Petra (Wādī Mūsá), Jordan

2010-11-02T10:00:35.000Z

After overnighting Monday in Movenpick Nabatean Hotel, the group gathered this morning for an early morning visit to be overwhelmed by the archaeological wonder, Petra.

While Anette Henson, James Dial, James Branco, Patricia Miller, David and Judy Sherwood, and Rev. Mercy Wood and Mary Gilcreast were among those who chose horse-drawn chariots for their mode of transportation to see the impressive gorges, cliffs, colorful cliffs, and artistry of one of the wonders of the world, others including Corey and Sara Mills, Margie Holmes, Maria Johnson, Charlesann Jones, Christina Johns, Dee Jones, and Eva Woods toughed it out to walk the 6 miles to visit the breath-taking Al-Khazneh, known as the Treasury Building, and see the theatre executed by the Nabataeans in the First Century A.D.

Most visitors agreed with Billy and Jane Rhodes who found Petra more spectacular than words could describe.

Day 6 - Caesarea, Israel @ Caesarea (Sedot Yam), Israel

2010-11-03T10:00:09.000Z

Today began with a stop at Caesarea, the free-standing port built by King Herod the Great on the shores of the azure blue Mediterranean Sea.

Caesarea’s archaeological highlights included an impressive aqueduct, a moat from the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries, and a Roman amphitheater.

The tour also visited Mount Carmel, Megiddo, and walked to the top of Mount Precipice to overlook the modern city of Nazareth.

Near sunset, the Journey Home participants gathered in a chapel at Cana to sing “This Is Holy Ground,” “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Come, Holy Spirit, I Need You” before Rev. Jerry Clark, tour director, led couples in a ceremony renewing their marriage vows.

Day 7 - Caesarea, Israel @ Caesarea (Sedot Yam), Israel

2010-11-04T08:00:37.000Z

Day 8 - Tiberias @ Capernaum (Kefar Naẖum), Israel

2010-11-05T08:00:28.000Z

Day 8 - Tiberias / Capernaum @ Capernaum (Kefar Naẖum), Israel

2010-11-05T12:46:14.000Z

Day 9 - The Jordan @ Jordan River, Israel

2010-11-06T08:00:22.000Z

Tears and shouts of joy accompanied Saturday’s baptismal ceremony in the Jordan River for participants in The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour.

Rev. Frederick Benzel of Lincoln, Cal., Rev. Billy Richards of Brooklyn, and Rev. Jacquelyn Seward of Collierville, Tenn., assisted Rev. Jerry Clark, tour director, in the first-time baptisms of James Dial of Cottage Grove, Ore. and Erica Agree of Chicago, and the baptism renewals of more than 60.

It was the third time C.J. Corbett of Saint Robert, Mo., was baptized in the Jordan.

Being baptized in the historic river was particularly emotional for Margie Holmes of Atlanta; Corey and Sara Mills of Davenport, Iowa; Charlesann Jones of Baton Rouge, La.; Eva Woods and her sister Jacqueline Goodwin, both of Milwaukee; Tamika Brooks of Saint Gabriel, La.; Delores Hayes of Shelbyville, Ky.; and Lynda Tache of Las Vegas.
Saturday’s other highlights: Tour members experienced walking through the peaceful Dan Nature Reserve which includes the world’s largest spring, and Caesarea Philippi. There also was a stop overlooking the Syrian border.

Following lunch, tour participants were awed viewing the Ancient Galilee Boat (or Jesus Boat), discovered in 1986 by two brothers from Kibbutz Ginosar near the Sea of Galilee. The boat, which dates to the First Century and is similar to the type of boat used by the Disciples as well as the type of boat used by the Jews against the Romans in the nautical Battle of Migdals, required an exhaustive 11-year conservation process.

Dinner speakers: Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder/president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus of Chicago, vice president of the Hispanic Evangelic Christian Outreach Group in America, both thanked participants in the Journey Home Tour for standing with Israel.
“When Christians come from afar, then that for us is an incredible source of comfort,” said the Rabbi, who also serves as Israel’s Goodwill Ambassador to the Evangelical World and Latin America.

“I’m convinced God will bless your visit,” the Rabbi told the dinner gathering.

Pastor DeJesus led a prayer for the peace, protection and prosperity of Israel.

Day 10 - Jerusalem @ Jerusalem, Israel

2010-11-07T08:38:11.000Z

The Western Wall, the most sacred spot in all Judaism, and a talk by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, were Sunday’s highlights of The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour.

After an emotional entrance into Jerusalem, tour participants went to the massive stone wall – the only fragment of the Great Temple to survive Roman destruction – to lift up a portion of the 33,000 prayer requests submitted by supporters of The Fellowship. The remainder of the prayer requests will be taken to the Wall in the immediate future.

The Rabbi reminded the Journey Home Tour prayer warriors of the history of the Wall, the location where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac, and where Jacob slept, dreaming of a ladder to heaven. Then called Mount Moriah, its summit was where King Solomon built the Temple on the land which his father, King David, purchased 3,000 years ago from Aravnah, the Jebusite.

That Temple, destroyed by Babylonian conqueror Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, was rebuilt 70 years later and restored to its original glory by King Herod 2,000 years ago. In 68 CE, the Temple was destroyed by the Romans and burned to the ground – leaving only the Western Wall untouched.

Until 700 years ago, the entire length of the Wall was accessible. Gradually, Jerusalem’s Mamluke and Moslem conquerors built against it. Jews continued to pray there until Jordan occupied Jerusalem’s Old City in 1948. They were denied access to the Wall until 1967, when Jerusalem was reunified.
Rabbi Eckstein stressed the need for balance between tolerance for others and reciprocity; he gained applause when he said Jerusalem cannot again be divided.

“We’re in this together … Jews and Christians and tolerant Moslems,” the Rabbi stated, adding that prayer is at the core of the relationships between peoples of different faiths. “We have to pray like we mean it … God is close to all who call upon Him,” he told the tour members before leading them to the Wall to pray.

Day 11 - Jerusalem Part 2 @ Jerusalem, Israel

2010-11-08T08:00:59.000Z

The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour had a fast-paced but memorable day in Jerusalem on Monday, highlighted by a praise-filled interdenominational communion service in the picturesque Garden Tomb.

Following the singing of “I Love You, Lord,” “Holy Spirit, Thou Art Welcome in This Place,” “At the Cross,” “Nothing but the Blood,” and “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow,” Rev. Jerry Clark, tour director, led the solemn communion service.

As Journey Home Tour participants fervently began singing “Because He Lives,” a tour group of young Brazilians from a nearby grotto unexpectedly joined in singing, initially in Spanish. Shortly, the entire Brazilian group and their guitar accompanist moved to join the Journey Home group – and all joyously sang “Because He Lives” in English.

“This wasn’t scripted – this was a move of God,” noted Dr. Billy Richards of Brooklyn, N.Y., who – like the participants in both tour groups – was touched by the impromptu international spiritual gathering.

Say “Cheese”: Monday started with the Journey Home Tour group shot – complete with Kojak the camel – on the Mount of Olives, with a stunning view of Jerusalem as a backdrop.

Other highlights: The group traced part of the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa as they made their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Absorption Center visit: As the sun set, the Journey Home Tour traveled to the Meseveret Zion Ethiopian Absorption Center, a project which receives funding from The Fellowship, where new immigrants receive meals, classes in the Hebrew language, and job training.

Yael Eckstein, daughter of Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, explained the importance of the Ethiopian absorption center, operated in partnership with the Jewish Agency.

The absorption center is the destination of those Ethiopians who make aliyah to Israel as part of The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles program. There, the Ethiopians – who have never experienced electricity, plumbing, and other modern conveniences – are taught over at least two years how to adjust to life in the modern world, learn a new language, and learn a skill to pursue a job.

“We don’t just give them a backpack and water and say, ‘Prophecy is fulfilled,’” Yael stressed.

Yael, who told her interested audience that Ethiopians had prayed for 2,000 years to come home to Israel – specifically Jerusalem – added insight into the persecution and hardships faced by 1,200 Ethiopians who walked for three weeks to refugee camps in pursuit of their lifelong dream to live in Jerusalem. Some were imprisoned, and some starved to death – but some were successful.

Yael told of meeting a young Ethiopian woman who had survived the courageous walk, a walk which claimed the lives of both of her parents as they pursued their lifelong dream of reaching the Promised Land. Though her parents had to be buried in the sand as their dreams collapsed, the tragic ending left the young Ethiopian without regret, Yael reported.

“The Bible tells us that when Jews return to Israel, the desert will bloom and the lost tribes will come home … the lost tribe [of Dan] is finally home,” she said to applause.

While Ethiopian women served coffee, bread, and popcorn to their guests, several thanked supporters of The Fellowship for the difference aliyah and the absorption center have made in their lives.
“I am thrilled to hear this,” said Carol Adams of Manteo, N.C., who supports the Ethiopian Absorption Center through donations to The Fellowship.

“This was the best – this made my day,” commented an elated Eva Woods of Milwaukee.

Day 12 - Qumran, Masada, and the Dead Sea @ Dead Sea, Israel

2010-11-09T08:00:38.000Z

Participants in The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour were urged to extend their hands upward to God and outward to their fellow man by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Addressing Tuesday night’s farewell dinner in Jerusalem for a portion of the Journey Home Tour (others are remaining in Israel for an extended tour highlighted by the rabbi’s teachings), Rabbi Eckstein predicted that “a lot” is likely to happen in Israel in the next 8 to 12 months.

“There are going to be major, major threats” against Israel, he explained, adding that those conflicts could result in having to move tens of thousands of people. “And there’s no place to flee,” he added grimly.

He told his audience of supporters that Israelis once again will have to be checking their bomb shelters and gas masks and worrying about the safety of their children.

“You’re our brothers and sisters,” the rabbi reminded. “We are psychologically and emotionally needy. Your coming here is the balm of Gilead for us.”
Tour award recipients: During a festive evening in which the duo Holy Land Spirit entertained, tour director and emcee Rev. Jerry Clark recognized the following participants:

• Best Troopers: James Branco and his grandson, Brandon Branco, and Eva Woods.
• Servant’s Heart Award: Rev. Fred Benzel, Billy Rhodes, and Dr. Billy Richards.
• Birthdays: Rev. Fred Benzel, Claude Navarro, and Larry Mitchell.
• Repeat Traveler: Etta Kemp.
• Oldest Tour Member: James Branco.
• Youngest Tour Member: Kevin Myers.
• Longest Distance: Dr. L.S. and May Lim of Singapore.

Tuesday’s sights: The Journey Home Tour visited Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, Masada, and the Dead Sea, where the visitors enjoyed floating in the salt water and taking mud baths.

Day 13 - Carmel Ha'ir, Mahane Yehuda,and Yad Vashem @ Jerusalem, Israel

2010-11-10T08:00:24.000Z

Tears, hugs, prayers and the oft-repeated traditional saying “Next year in Jerusalem” made for an emotional farewell Wednesday night as the majority of participants in The Fellowship’s 2010 Journey Home Tour left Jerusalem for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for the first leg of their trip back to their loved ones in the United States.

Staying behind in Israel are those who will attend two days of teaching by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews. Beginning Thursday morning, the tour will head to Yahalom Army Base near Tel Aviv before spending Thursday night in Herzelia.

The fond goodbyes – exchanged between tour members who, for the most part, had not known each other before this trip – followed a late afternoon somber visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Addressing Fellowship supporters in Yad Vashem’s Hall of Remembrance, Rabbi Eckstein stressed that Christians must join Jews in making certain that the Holocaust is never repeated.

The rabbi, joined by David Sherwood, representing Jews, and Brandon Branco, representing Christians, placed a floral wreath at the memorial commemorating the Warsaw Poland Ghetto Uprising.

VISIT TO LIFELINE FOR THE ELDERLY: Tour members were impressed with an early morning visit to see some of the 300 artisans who work at Yad LaKashish (Lifeline for the Elderly), one of 250 projects sponsored by The Fellowship.

The Lifeline for the Elderly project in Jerusalem helps Israeli residents – primarily those ages 65 to 90 from the former Soviet Union – to become productive members of Israeli society by offering them an opportunity to work four hours each day producing an art or craft in exchange for a small monthly stipend, a bus pass to and from work, a free hot lunch, a snack, and subsidized dental and eye care.

Journey Home Tour participants observed the elderly painting note cards, scarves and ceramics; doing metal work; knitting stuffed animals and booties; and creating jewelry before visiting Yad LaKashish’s gift shop to purchase many of the handmade items as gifts and souvenirs.
PRIORITIZING DIGNITY: Following a walk through the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem’s chaotic main marketplace, tour participants visited Carmei Ha’ir Soup Kitchen, another Fellowship project.

Carmei Ha’ir is unlike the majority of soup kitchens where dignity is checked at the door – instead, it operates as a restaurant and permits those who are needy (including 80 Holocaust survivors) to eat alongside those who are able to pay. The needy are given gift cards to pay for their meals, allowing them to retain their dignity.
The Fellowship also donated a refrigerated van to Carmei Ha’ir to daily transport 1,380 sandwiches to some of Jerusalem’s neediest school children, plus $50,000 to subsidize the cost of the sandwiches. The sandwiches are distributed by school principals in such a way that the dignity of the children is preserved.

Shalom from Jerusalem: This is the final installment of the daily journal for this year’s tour. Shalom … and see you next year in Jerusalem when The Fellowship sponsors its 2011 Journey Home Tour!

2011 Journey Home Tour Dates are October 29 – November 8, 2011 for the Israel portion of the tour. An extension trip to Egypt that will include a three day Nile riverboat cruise will take place November 8 – 15, 2011. Additional information and registration forms for the 2011 Journey Home Tour can be found at www.ifcj.org/tour.