Reflection Collection
How many cappuccinos is too many?
Israel Reflection
Travel Tips:
Prepare for entering a different world on the flight departing from the states; most likely, you’ll have a large contingent of devout Jews, Muslims, and Christians/Tourists all on the same flight.
Prepare for more security, in general, for the duration of your stay; keep your papers and passports with you and handy. We had added gate security, lots of extra steps in the airport, all of which I appreciated.
The unrest is real; mentally, it would be wise to prep yourself for something to happen while you’re there. As common as going to the basement for a tornado is in the Midwest is how most feel about sheltering during an air raid warning. Check your maps and know where your shelters are.
Be very specific with your goals when you are researching which tours to book. It takes a long time to get everywhere due to traffic and some of the sites being across the country from each other. Determine if you want a Christian guide; some tours are of Christian sites but do not include a Christian guide.
Prepare for your heart for these sites by understanding that for centuries now, religious people have been fighting for every inch of the Holy Land. If a place is considered sacred, there’s usually a church of some kind there. And many, many souvenir shops surround it. It takes a disciplined mind to stay in the moment and be worshipful. But this is very difficult with the visceral impact of consumerism, religiosity, and massive amounts of people.
Most of the walking takes place on uneven surfaces. Consider this when choosing shoes and perhaps even hiking pole(s).
Food is pricey— restaurants, grocers, lunches, dinners— we didn’t find too many cheap options. Most meals were $15-25/person. Hummus & pita is probably your best bet for cheap.
Bring some sleeping helps just in case— a good neck pillow (worth the investment & inconvenience), sleepy tea or melatonin or sleep aid medicine, eye cover (I forgot this and regretted it).
Most people are also pilgrims/religious tourists, especially on the tours. Meet them; ask them their stories. Start a testimony time. It’s so encouraging to hear from believers all across the world.
Greeting for hello is usually “shalom” (shah-lome) and to celebrate is “l’chaim” (lah-Kye-‘em).
Spiritual Touchpoint’s
Person talking about Yeshua at the Zion Gate; soft tone of salvation; “if you have ears to hear” — experiencing the plane ride with traditional, orthodox Jews and experiencing all the other sites helped me remember what a radical Jesus was— not at all like the rest.
Commitment to prayer, unashamedly without wavering or making excuses. Using a book of prompts and helps and also in the Spirit and also throughout the day within my thoughts.
Magdala - seeing the synagogue next to the fish factory, imagining Jesus teaching them eating fish and Mary wandering the hills, dipping into the water. It was another reminder that ordinary people with ordinary jobs have been carrying the story of Jesus with them for centuries.
Jaffa Port- So fun to see where Jonah would’ve been and walk to the Tanner’s house where Peter got the vision from God to eat all foods and then raises Tabitha from the dead.
Honestly, in totality, I found it difficult to find Jesus and hear God’s voice above the din.
Greece Reflection
Travel Tips
Their cappuccinos are far superior to ours! Available everywhere (literally) and are only a couple bucks. They’re small and just enough to last you to the next stop. If you’re not a coffee person, become one in Greece!
Ice in drinks is not a thing. I really did miss ice by the end of the trip. Sometimes restaurants will bring ice if you request it but it’s not a standard. No iced coffees, either. They have a blended version of coffee (Freddo) but not iced.
I brought a nice insulated water bottle for the trip and did not use it one time. (Take the water bottle off the packing list.) It’s much easier to grab bottled every day.
I was able to bounce from Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi without turning on my cell phone data which Verizon would’ve charged me $10/day to use. Most restaurants and rest stops have it and hotels always do. Some are obviously better than others.
It’s hard to avoid the souvenir shop overload. It can be overwhelming but some of them actually have some neat stuff. Most have all the same items. All of the shops we went to also took cards so we didn’t need much cash.
I packed some clothes I was willing to part with which gave me room for gifts and purchases in my suitcase.
Speaking of luggage, mom and I both were able to do the whole trip with one carry on suitcase and one backpack. It was tight but we did it! We also did not end up schlepping our suitcases across any airplane aisles. Every airline checked those for free for us to our final destination. It was a total blessing!
Bring a European charger adapter thing for each person or device. We only brought one to share and it got a little tricky making sure everything was charged. We also brought a big heavy external charging block which helped in a pinch but was slow and heavy. Definitely recommend bringing one— just choose one that’s nice and light and has a lot of oomph.
Spiritual Touchpoint’s
Paul @ Philippi - This was our first stop on our Greece tour and one of the most impactful. The ancient site was fully preserved at the foot of a mountain. Philippians has always been one of my favorite Bible books so it was special to be on the same ground. Also, Lydia’s intertwined story and baptism was a bonus treat! We toured some of the city excavation sites — the theatre, the agora, the church, the house of the church leaders…
Our first stop was the amphitheatre, carved into the side of the mountain. It was beautiful, in tact, and had amazing acoustics. They still do a summer set of shows at a festival there. Our tour guide gave a great overview about why the theatre existed back then. It was a place where people could go to see a story played out in front of them with some moral lesson intertwined. It was one way an ancient culture influenced the health and well being of their community. It gave the audience a chance to see the change that was possible in the characters before them. Our guide then explained how this system of theatre in every ancient city, paved the way for the gospel to be shared. It laid the groundwork for the message and story of Jesus Christ to be spread all across the ancient world. It provided the time and place and the followers of Jesus provided the script. It was one essential way that people got information and God used that to benefit the cause of Christ.
Special for a couple of reasons - I love the theatre! It’s got a special spot in my life history and in my heart of hearts. I love imagining two of my greatest loves in life colliding— the theatre and the gospel. How cool! Also, for our Legacy Retreats, we’ve woven in theatrics! This was an intentional choice in the very beginning to “put skin on” the women of the Bible. The monologues and skits play an important role and it’s easy to become desensitized and numb to the the power that this has in laying the groundwork of teaching to come in the session. Standing at the foot of the Philippian Theatre renewed the hope and vision for how a little drama can help it all come alive!
Very quickly we found out about the other two families with us on the tour. We did the basics early on— where ya from, what do you do, yadda yadda. About midway through the trip, when we were in the Meteora mountains, I felt such a pull to bring up my brother’s story. He has a really rare kidney disease called Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus. One of our tour mates was a doctor in that general field of medicine and I thought she might be interested to chat about it. The timing just didn’t work out as we were walking through the monasteries and watching the incredible scenery but finally, after our last stop in the mountains, I kind of just blurted it out on the bus. As soon as I said it, one of our other tour mates from Australia, a young woman who was generally pretty shy and reserved spoke up immediately. She said, “Did you say ‘diabetes insipidus’? … I have that.” She had a brain tumor when she was twelve and had to have her pituitary gland removed which led to her dealing with this now. This absolutely floored me. It’s hard to explain how rare this disease is. She said she’s never met anybody with it before and I think my brother has only met one or two in his lifetime. And to think God put three families on the same tour, on a bus in Greece, that have all experienced this particular medical difficulty… Wow.
Looking back now, I see how God was moving. That particular day, I truly felt a need to share this thing about my brother. It was different than my normal chitter chatter curiosities; I literally felt a prompting to bring it up, multiple times. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t give Holy Spirit credit for plopping it in my brain or pushing me to say it. But after that moment on the bus with a young woman who felt seen and normalized and in awe that she had met someone else who knew a piece of what she goes through on a daily basis, I recognized that there was something bigger going on there.
This is one of my biggest takeaways from the trip— a stronger, more dynamic commitment to recognize and respond to the Spirit’s movement in my life. So often, I doubt myself and what I’ve ‘heard’ or ‘noticed’ or feel like I should do. I don’t think it’s a lack of faith in God but a fear in myself of doing something wrong or not reading it right or upsetting someone around me. I want to dive deeper into the ways God is already moving around me and to be more sensitive to the Spirit’s asks of how to join Him in that.
Just to stay transparent here, I’ve already biffed it in this category since being home. I was grocery shopping at Aldi and there was a woman who was *fReAkInG oUt* in the store. She was older and was claiming that someone stole her wallet in the store. The store personnel were reviewing the security footage but that did not satisfy her; she wanted the police. She wanted help. She was walking through the store yelling. She thought they stole her phone too, no, there it was in her purse. It was quite the scene. It was loud. It was reminiscent of traveling oversees, to be honest, not at all like the normal humdrum of being home. And I felt a prompting to go ask if I could pray with her. And I didn’t. I checked out, paid, loaded my groceries up, and left. One missed opportunity. But I’m already praying for the next— that I’d not only be aware but willing, too.
In reflection, just so totally grateful for the trip of a lifetime with my mom! Praying its impact lasts for years to come! Thanks for following along with us and appreciate your faithful love and support!
PS - What “trip-of-a-lifetime” is on your bucket list? Would love to know!
Thanks so much for taking us along!