Leaders Make it Possible - Testimonies from Missouri

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Lizz W. shares a portion of her experience in the Holy Land and how great tour hosts, guides and everyone in the background at EO make this a trip of a lifetime.

“Looking back on things now, about a month later, I cannot believe that I was really there. I really enjoyed meeting the group from North Carolina and Florida! You know, I did this trip in honor of my mother, Sue and I think one of my favorite moments—if I REALLY have to pick one—was taking the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. . .

Thank you John and Terri for this chance of a lifetime!

I read the Bible now and sometimes will come across a passage that mentions an area where we were and I think, “Oh yeah! I was there!”

Thank you to Mike, Eunnis and all the people at E.O., and all the others who made this possible for us to enjoy our pilgrimage to the Holy Land! . . . Looking forward to one day returning!!”
— Lizz W.

New Friendships - Testimonies from Missouri

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James S. shares how he and his wife, Elaine, found new friends across states even though this is his third trip to the Holy Land.

“Our Holy Land Trip 2016 was very special! For us, we were able to visit our favorite places from our previous two trips to the Holy Land as well as see and experience new places!

Our group was an awesome group of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ! We were able to create new friendships and share special “Holy Spirit” moments together. Besides our St. Joseph/Kansas City friends, I really enjoyed our group of new friends from North Carolina! This pilgrimage was very special in sharing the presence of Jesus in our hearts as well as the places we experienced together.”
— James S.

Being Home Makes Being There a Reality - Testimonies from Missouri

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Linda M. explains how her trip didn't settle in until after she came home. Enjoy her full testimony below as the Testimonies from Missouri continue.

“I was glad to go to Israel, and after two weeks - glad to come home! In many ways the trip was as I always thought it would be and in other ways nothing I could have imagined. I was not so touched to be actually there as I have been now at home to know that I WAS there, if that makes any sense. I have loved looking at my pictures, reviewing where we traveled, reading the Bible and recognizing places and seeing them with my “soul eyes.” I loved experiencing all the different aspects of the trip - bonding with old friends, enjoying new relationships, meeting many new people and people groups; grasping an understanding a bit of the typography and geography of the region, the politics and religious diversity. I loved the busy market, the arid and windy wilderness, the damp and confining tunnels, the salty sea, the calm and warmth of the Sea of Galilee, the majesty of Mt. Hermon, the gnarled trees of Gethsemane, and the panoramic views everywhere!

And of course, there was Jerusalem itself with its busy market, walls, gates, quarters, sights and sounds so different from where we live. I thought of this song many times when we were in Israel and it pretty much sums it up:

”I walked today where Jesus walked in days of long ago.
I wandered down each path he knew with reverent step and slow;
I walked today where Jesus walked and felt his presence there.”

Thanks Terri and John for encouraging us to go and leading the way. I really enjoyed Mike, as I’m sure we all did. So glad to have had this experience and share it with all our new and old friends!!”
— Linda M.

Living the Spirit Led Life - Testimonies from Missouri

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This post continues the series of testimonies by a group of guests to the Holy Land from Brookdale Presbyterian Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Belinda H. shares her thoughts on how traveling to the Holy Land remind her "to be more loving, serving, forgiving, and merciful, by the Holy Spirit."

“The serene morning sky lights the smooth waters of the Sea of Galilee. Tiberias is behind us, the Valley of the Doves on the left, and ahead are the hillsides of the area around Capernaum. Crowning those hills rests snow-capped Mount Hermon, whose image depicts brothers and sisters, men and women, living as neighbors in unity and peace. (Psalm 133) This is my primary “heart photo” of Israel.

The sense of walking where Jesus walked, and seeing what He and His disciples saw, affected me most strongly in the countryside. The cliffs and trail climb with John in the Valley of the Doves exhilarated me. We were literally in Jesus’ footsteps! (Matthew 4:12, 13) In Capernaum we were where Jesus healed and taught! (Mark 2) And it was in the countryside that other Bible stories became forever more vivid and tactile: Jesus’ condemnation (Matthew 11) in the black basalt walls and arches and olive press at Korazin overlooking the Galilee; young David along the battle lines near the streambed in the Valley of Elah (I Samuel 17); Paul’s brave defense before Felix and Agrippa in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 23-26).

God abundantly granted my desires to catch up and laugh with my “old” mentors and friends. Special memories include “selfies” with Linda (especially our hairstyles along the Jericho wilderness!), [. . .] and TONS of fun at the Dead Sea. New friends figured prominently, too, from North Carolina and the K.C. area. Liz, thanks for being my archaeology buddy!

The history and sense of place we absorbed is incalculable. I want to pass on in my Bible teaching the faith and deeds of Hezekiah (I Kings 18-20:20) and the lay-out of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time. More than that, though, I want the perpetual view of the Dome of the Rock over the former Temple to remind me to be more loving, serving, forgiving, and merciful, by the Holy Spirit. I want to engage as Jesus did with people in a world filled with threats from abroad and conflict within. I want to counter the impulse to dominate or control, and represent a God of love and shalom, where I am now and wherever God leads me, and so truly pass along the lessons of the Holy Land.

I do want to thank Terri and John for sharing their clear and strong passion for the Holy Land with us!! They are right that there is no substitute for seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and breathing the air where Jesus lived.”
— Belinda H.