Israel
ISRAEL
LOCATION
MUST DO
- Boat tour on the Sea of Galilea
- Walking in Jesus’ footsteps
- Visit the Garden Tomb & Mt of Olives in Jerusalem
- Other towns to visit: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Haifa, Capernaum
Trip Details
When: November 2011
Where: Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum
How: Norwegian Jade Mediterranean Cruise
TRAVEL TIPS
- Sabbath is observed on Saturdays, so many shops will be closed.
- Bargaining is acceptable anywhere except for established/corporate stores
- Eat: Falafel and shawarma
- Souvenirs to buy: Olive wood carvings, pottery, roman artifacts, religious momentos
NOTES
I definitely want to go back to Israel. We only spent 2 days there and it was not enough! I absolutely loved Jerusalem. I had an especially spiritual experience at the Garden Tomb/site of the hill of Calvary. Most holy land sites are only suggested locations or commemoration sites, but there are a few that have been confirmed by apostles and prophets of the LDS church to be the actual sites! President Harold B Lee declared that the garden Tomb is one of them. When I approached the tomb, I started crying. Wow, there was such an incredibly strong spirit there. My testimony strengthened right then and there. Christ died for us, He lives, and He is our Savior. Our group (all LDS + BYU Bible Scholars) found a quiet place to sit down near the tomb and we had a testimony meeting. It was so powerful and we all got so emotional. Next to us, there was a group of about 10 people who I noticed were speaking Portuguese. I thought at the time, how nice, that all of us from around the world, different religions, can come together and worship God and be reverent at such a significant site. Then, one guy from that group started sobbing hysterically, like LOUD, and started convulsing. Another woman stood up and was encouraging that behavior and they both started wailing. It was disrupting, to say the least. He looked like he was possessed by evil and we all felt some weird tension. A guard that worked there tried to tell him to be quiet, but he only got louder. Someone from our group suggested we start singing hymns. We sang The Spirit of God, I know that My Redeemer Lives. The guy calmed down while we were singing and the Spirit came back. It was amazing. Some woman came up to us afterwards even and asked if we were the Mormon Tabernacle choir! ha ha i guess we sounded that good! Many of the tourists in the Garden stopped what they were doing to listen to us for a few minutes.
We also visited the Garden of Gethsemane. Wow. I can’t describe it. Won’t even attempt it.
On the second day, we went up north to the Sea of Galilee region: Nazareth, Cana, Capernaum…it’s so beautiful. Now when I read the scriptures, I picture these places in my mind and it’s all becoming so much more real to me. I stuck my feet in the Sea of Galilee where Christ walked on water! And my hand in the Jordan River where He was baptized. I sat in a synagogue in Nazareth where Christ taught as a young boy! I walked through the ruins of where the apostle Peter lived. I said a silent prayer in the tomb where Christ was buried and later resurrected! These are experiences I will never forget.