Join Billy and Christine Holden and their family

MARCH 25-APRIL 3, 2008

DELUXE TOUR TO ISRAEL

$2,495 (based on double occupancy)

Tour Hosts:  Dr. and Mrs. Billy Holden have an interest in seeing the personal side of Israel and to have family members and friends experience these historic and religious sites together. This possibility of visiting Israel in the spring, when the weather is balmy and the grass is green will make the trip more meaningful. Young people and adults will like to go with the extended family on this smaller sized group.

Tour Guide: Mrs. Hela Crown Tamar will guide our tour and she is recommended by Dr. DeWayne Coxon (Ph.D.) who is the founder and president of Blossoming Rose, a Christian compassion ministry to Israel. He has visited Israel more than 150 times in the last 40 years. The guides that he chooses for groups that go to Israel under Blossoming Rose direction lead people in devotions, prayer times and Bible studies during the tour. Hela is an experienced guide and a member of the Messianic Jewish community in Israel. She is an Israeli and works as a licensed tour guide.

This 2008 tour includes the following daily activities, and more

Day 1 (Tue., Mar. 25):  U.S. to Israel

Our trip begins as we meet in the airport for our El Al departure to Israel. We must be at the airport three hours before the flight departs to check through and board our plane for the Holy Land. Dinner and breakfast are served on the airplane.

Day 2 (Wed., Mar. 26):  Arrive in Israel - Jerusalem

We land at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and are taken to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Jerusalem. We receive our room keys and prepare for a bountiful Israeli buffet dinner. Our dreams tonight are about the Holy City.

Day 3 (Thu., Mar. 27):  The Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Bethany Road, Kidron Valley, Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, the Old City, Tomb of David, and the Garden Tomb (a day of truly moving experiences and spiritual insights).

We leave the hotel after a delicious Israeli breakfast and go to the Mt. of Olives, which overlooks the Kedron Valley and the Temple Mount. This is a walking day, where we literally walk where Jesus walked—through the Old City of Jerusalem and out the Jaffa Gate. We do not take time to shop today, as we have reserved the last full day to shop in the Old City and on Ben Yehuda Street. We continue in the historic Jewish Quarter where the ancient Roman Cardo looms in front of us. The quaint shops that line the Cardo tempt us for a short time, and then we walk to the Upper Room and the Tomb of David. We begin the afternoon with communion at the Garden Tomb and then go through the Damascus Gate, into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and through the Jaffa Gate to our waiting bus. We chat about what we saw over dinner and prepare to leave in the morning for the coast and the Galilee.

Day 4 (Fri., Mar. 28):  Emmaus, Caesarea, Megiddo, Nazareth, Cana, and Tiberius.

We depart at 8 a.m., finishing that last cup of rich Israeli coffee after the great breakfast buffet.  Emmaus is near to Jerusalem, and we stop and see the ancient Byzantine and Crusader churches built at this historic place. We continue on to Caesarea, driving past the arena and Crusader city and stop at the aqueduct, where we have time to wade in the Mediterranean Sea and pick up a few sea shells. We continue on to Megiddo and take pictures of the valley of Armageddon before arriving in Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. We talk about the first miracle of Jesus as we drive through Cana and then move into our rooms at the Tulip Carmel Hotel in Tiberius. Before dinner we welcome in the Sabbath with our guide Hela leading Jewish prayers. After dinner, the evening is free for walking by the gentle Sea.

Day 5 (Sat., Mar. 29):  Sea of Galilee, Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, the Good Fence (Lebanon), Golan Heights (Syria), and Katzrine.

Today is a bus day where we will visit the North Galilee area. We start with the Beatitudes Mountain and Capernaum, where Peter lived and the location of the synagogue in which Jesus taught. But we go farther and look over into Lebanon at Metulla. Carol will talk about her trip here in 2006 with the intercessors—including visits with the soldiers at the front lines. We continue on to the base of Mt. Hermon and the headwaters of the Jordan River. It is a most beautiful area, and we return to our hotel blessed to have seen northern Israel. After dinner, some will want to see the Galilee Experience.

Day 6 (Sun., Mar. 30):  Jordan Valley, Qumran, and Biblical Tamar Park.

After breakfast, we sail on the Sea of Galilee in our “Jesus Boat” and then go to the Jordan River, where we have a service for those who want to be baptized. We continue south, following the Jordan River down to the Dead Sea where we stop at Qumran, the home of the Essenes — zealots who lived during the time of Christ. We drive into biblical Tamar Park and have our first glimpse of this ancient city of Solomon and have a tour of the ruins. We have read about this city and feel the history as we sit down to a good Jewish chicken dinner.

Day 7 (Mon., Mar. 31):  Masada, Dead Sea, Jerusalem, and Ben Yehuda Street (shopping)

The mountain of Masada looms high above us as we ascend to the desert fortress of Herod the Great. The awesome stonework has not changed in 2,000 years. We spend two hours here and then go down to Ein Bokek to float in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea (the lowest spot on the earth—1,500 feet below sea level!). We shower off, change into other clothes and soon find ourselves walking down Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street, the famous old central shopping area where the Jewish people sell their goods. We do some shopping and then return to the Hyatt Hotel. Some use the health spa, others the excellent gym, while the rest simply eat dinner and enjoy the privacy of their rooms.

Day 8 (Tue., Apr. 1):  Yad Vashem, the Old City, Roman Cardo, Jewish Quarter, museums or shopping

Our bus is ready for us at 8 a.m., as usual, and we head to the great museum of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem. It is a startling and deeply moving experience to learn about the horrific treatment of the Jews during the Nazi era. We spend the morning in the museum buildings, the bookstore and the lunch area. Then we return to the Old City and explore the four quarters: Arab, Christian, Armenian and Jewish. We’re given some time to locate the places we want to spend more time in during our “free time” slot tomorrow.

Day 9 (Wed., Apr. 2): Jerusalem and a free day

Today we can go to the Jewish Cardo, the Old City, or Ben Yehuda Street. We can walk the Wall or just remain in our rooms later than usual. When we are done, the bus delivers us to Ben Gurion Airport where we prepare to check through to the USA.

Day 10 (Thu., Apr. 3):  Israel to the U.S.

We catch our midnight flight for the U.S., arriving at JFK in the early morning.

For more information or to schedule a presentation/Q&A about visiting Israel, contact:

Billy or Christine Holden

3793 Sundridge Pl

Saginaw, Mi 48603

Email: Christine26571@msn.com

Telephone:  989-497-0466