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TOUR SUMMARY:
We will leave the USA on Monday evening, flying overnight to Israel
and our first night will be in the lovely Dan Hotel on Mt. Scopus.
Our tour will emphasize three main areas:
the Arava or Judean Desert where Abraham and Moses lived and
laid down the foundations of our Christian faith:
Jerusalem, the capital of ancient Israel and the city where
Jesus spent his last days; and the Galilee where Jesus launched his
preaching of the Kingdom of God and began a movement that has
changed the world. Our
goal will be to capture the historic and spiritual roots of both
Judaism and the early Jesus movement as we literally walk the
ancient pathways and experience the places that gave birth to our
Judaco-Christian heritage.
We will also go to the desert for rest, relaxation, prayer
and study. We will experience many aspects of life in Israel, and we
can get our hands dirty at Biblical Tamar Park by either digging at
the archaeology site or repairing the ancient walls. All that is
required to go on this tour is a strong orientation toward learning
more about the Bible and its history. We will be there to bless
Israel in as many ways as possible and we will also learn more about
the great historical significance of Biblical Tamar and other sites.
Dr. DeWayne Coxon
Dr.
James Bugg
Pastor Bugg
and his wife Marilyn, have visited Israel many times since their
first trip in the early 1980”s. They were founding fathers on the
first Blossoming Rose board and have had considerable influence on
planning tours to Israel.
Their praise and worship experiences at Biblical Tamar Park
are unique and enriching.
Calvin Bergsma
Calvin Bergsma
is the pastor of Georgetown Christian Fellowship and has a deep love for
Israel having maintained
contact with Blossoming Rose for many years at times ministering in
music at their yearly banquets in Grand Rapids.
His mother, Lois, spent several weeks at Biblical Tamar Park
with her sister Chris, and returned to Israel several more times.
She was proud of her Jewish blood and talked about it on many
occasions. Calvin will be bringing his guitar and leading us in
praise & worship on this coming trip.
THE TOUR ITINERARY
Day 1: (Monday – Nov.
12)
“On the Wings of Eagles”
We will begin our journey as we depart for our flight to Israel.
(We must be at the airport
three hours prior to the flight.)
Meals will be served during our flight.
Day 2: (Tuesday – Nov.
13) “This Year in Jerusalem”
We will land at Ben Gurion International Airport where our tour
group will be greeted by Jimmy Ahoub, our bus driver. We will head
out for Jerusalem where we will have dinner and then spend our first
night at the Dan Hotel on Mt. Scopus.
Day 3: (Wednesday – Nov.
14)
Jerusalem / Gethsemane / David’s City / Western Wall,
The day will begin with a panoramic, breathtaking
view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We will descend to the
Garden of Gethsemane and then go on down to an underground chapel
where Jesus was betrayed. The Western Wall will be next and then we
will go to the Temple Mount, down the Via Dolorosa, through the Old
City of Jerusalem, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and to the
Jaffa gate. We will walk on to the Cardo, the Upper Room, and to
David’s tomb. The most recent excavations in the City of David and
at the Temple Mount will be of special interest to us. Shopping in
the Old City and eating lunch in the Jewish quarter will be a great
experience.
Day 4: (Thursday – Nov.
15)
Garden Tomb, Jericho,
Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Tamar
We’ll start our day with another
great Israeli buffet breakfast and then board our bus and drive to
the Garden Tomb for a tour and communion. Pastors Bugg and Bergsma
will lead us in the service. Next, we will drive out of Jerusalem on
the Jericho road and see the tree in which Zacchaeus sat in the
ancient city of Jericho in the shadow of the Mount of Temptation.
Driving to the Dead Sea will remind us of the history dating to the
time of Lot, the nephew of Abraham and to the burning of Sodom.
We’ll stop at Qumran, the city of the Essenes and the place where
the Dead Sea scrolls were found. The walk up to the waterfalls at
Ein Gedi will bring to mind the time David hid from King Saul. We
will continue to drive along side the Dead Sea and arrive at
Biblical Tamar Park at dusk where we will be welcomed by the Park
Managers and the on-site workers.
After a wonderful, hot, American meal in the dining room we
can relax in our comfortable beds.
Day 5: (Friday – Nov.
16)
Masada, Dead Sea, tel Tamar tour, and Shabbat dinner
After breakfast, we’ll have a time of study (history
lesson) accompanied by praise and worship.
Then we’ll board our bus to go to Masada, the fortress built
by Herod the Great. It is known today as the site where 960
religious Jews died rather than going into captivity under the
Romans. When we leave Masada, we will go down to the shores of the
Dead Sea at Ein Bokek, where there are luxury hotels and shops, and
float in the warm waters.
After a quick shower, we’ll go back to Biblical Tamar Park
where we will tour this historic city which dates back to at least
the time of Abraham. We will learn more about the 25,000 artifacts
that have been unearthed at Tamar and about the plan for a museum
and welcome center for visitors. The vision for a prayer center for
people to go and pray for the “peace of Jerusalem,” will be shared.
We’ll end the day with a good Jewish meal of chicken.
Day 6: (Saturday – Nov.
17)
Sabbath rest, Bible study,
Eilot, Egypt (Taba) and free time
After we awaken and feel the stillness of the desert and
see the sun rising over the Jordanian mountains and hear the small
desert birds as they seek their food, we’ll meet in the dining hall
for a cup of American coffee. After some praise and worship, we’ll
have a Bible study that focuses on the “God of Abraham” and where
this man and his family lived. Some will want to go to Eilot to
snorkel, swim, shop, and perhaps visit Taba in Egypt. All who are
ready, willing, and able can climb Prayer Mountain, to the west of
Tamar, or spend time in the ancient Turkish/British building on the
top of the tel and study. This is truly a home away from home, a
rustic center in the desert.
Day 7-8: (Sunday and Monday –
Nov. 18-19)
Tamar and the Desert experience After breakfast Sunday morning, we’ll have a Christian praise and worship service, and then everyone will be free to work on projects according to their gifts and skills. Our major emphasis will be the archaeology dig in the Roman quarter of tel Tamar. But, there are also trees to plant, water, or trim. There are several landscaping duties to beautify the Park and there are housekeeping duties, cooking, painting, carpentry work, plumbing jobs and all kinds of tasks that are readily seen by the creative minds of many. For those who choose, there can be times of fellowship, prayer, study, praise and worship. The significance (and needs) of this great historical site can sink right into our bones.
Day 9: (Tues. – Nov.
20) Scorpion’s Pass, Beersheva, Caesarea,
Megiddo, Nazareth, &Tiberius
Our bus and bus driver will be waiting for us after our last breakfast at Tamar. At 8 a.m. we will bid everyone who stays at Tamar goodbye. (They will feel lonesome even before we get gone, hoping that we will return in another year.) The bus will snake its way up Scorpion’s Pass, which is called “the Ascent,” where Moses led the Israelites to Tamar. We’ll drive into the valley of Elah where David killed Goliath and pick up a smooth stone (to add to some collections). The city of Caesarea will loom up before us and we’ll go into the amphitheater and walk the length of that great city, departing through the Crusader’s fortress. Then it will be on to Megiddo and across the valley where the battle of Armageddon may one day be fought and then we’ll drive into Nazareth where Jesus lived. The sun will be setting as our bus delivers us to the beautiful Leonardo Club in Tiberius where we will move into our rooms for the next two nights.
Day 10: (Wed. – Nov. 21)Baptismal, Katzrine, Golan, Caesarea Philippi, Galilee boatWe’ll meet in the hotel lobby after a huge breakfast, and board our bus for the Jordan River and our baptismal service. After that, we’ll continue on around the Sea and up into the Golan to Katzrine, the Jewish capital, and then on to the borders of Syria and Lebanon where we can pray for God’s safety for this area. Caesarea Philippi will be our next stop and then we’ll finish the day on the Galilee boat with Daniel Carmel. By then, it will have been a long day but we can still enjoy our last free evening in Israel. Day 11: (Thurs. – Nov. 22)Mt. ofWe’ll have another wonderful Israeli breakfast and then go to Capernaum. This is the city where Jesus very likely preached in the synagogue. We’ll continue up the mountain to the place where the Sermon on the Mount may have been delivered. It will then be time to head for Jerusalem for last minute shopping. Lunch will be on our own as we choose between the Old City, Ben Yehuda Street or other places of interest in Jerusalem. We will leave for the airport at in the evening to check through for our overnight flight to the USA. Day 12: (Friday – Nov. 23) Israel to USAWe’ll leave on our midnight flight and arrive back in the USA in the morning where we will check through customs and head home.
For additional information contact:
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