DELUXE TOUR TO ISRAEL
Tour Host: Dr. Terrance Christian
March 18-29, 2009
Price: $2,795 (Newark, New Jersey)
We will spend quality time traveling in Jerusalem and northern, central, and southern Israel. We will walk where Jesus walked, pray where Jesus prayed, and visit the places where Jesus ministered in Jerusalem and the Galilee and also go to the desert for rest, relaxation, prayer and study. We will experience many aspects of life in Israel, including visiting several archaeological sites. We can get our hands dirty at Biblical Tamar Park by either working at the archaeology site or planting trees, repairing buildings, or helping with other tasks. We will learn about the great historical significance of the places we visit.
Dr. Christian is a seasoned traveler to Israel. He has been one of the principal excavators of the archaeology site at Biblical Tamar Park where a 3000 year old city is located. The digging at that site has yielded pottery that dates back to the time of Moses and before. The ancient foundations that were uncovered during the archaeological season in January 2008 are from the time of Solomon. Dr. Christian has spent many weeks, over the years, working at the tel where significant discoveries have been made.
His desire to take other people to Israel and then share the great biblical stories at the actual historic sites will make this tour especially appealing. There will be action-packed days at Biblical Tamar Park where participants will work at the archaeology site, rebuilding ancient walls. We’ll be staying at Tamar where Moses camped with the Israelites. Terrance will lead the group out to Scorpion’s Pass, mentioned in the Bible as the southern boundary of Israel. This is one tour you will not want to miss!
Our trip begins when we meet in the airport for our departure to Israel. We will fly to Newark and board our El Al Israel jumbo jet at 2:30 pm. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the airplane. (We must be at the airport three hours prior to the flight.)
We will land at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv at 7 a.m. and our bus driver, Jimmy, will take us north to Caesarea, the ancient port city built by King Herod the Great. We will continue on to Maritima and Megiddo and then to Nazareth where we will spend the night. After we receive our room keys, at the Plaza Hotel, we will prepare for a excellent buffet dinner. Our dreams will be about Israel as we sleep.
Day 3: (Friday–Mar. 20) Nazareth Village, Beit Shean, and Nazareth
We will enjoy our first Israeli breakfast and then board our bus for Nazareth Village, a replica of villages of 2,000 years ago during the time of Jesus. We will learn about many of the great things that happened in the northern parts of Israel. We will continue on to Beit Shean, one of the greatest archaeology sites in Israel and a place long remembered for its Roman culture. We will return to Nazareth where we can take time for rest, relaxation, and shopping in this historic city, after which there will be a bountiful buffet meal in the Plaza Hotel.
Day 4: (Saturday–Mar. 21) Ginnosaur, Capernaum Gamla, and Tiberius
The day will begin with a panoramic, breathtaking view of the Sea of Galilee as our bus drives north and stops at Ginnosaur, Capernaum, and Gamla. These cities were the heart and soul of the Jews after the time of the Romans and many historic Christian events occurred here also. Jesus certainly spent most of his ministry years on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. We will have time to shop this evening as the Jewish Sabbath ends and then we will stay at the beautiful Golden Tulip Hotel where we will have a wonderful dinner.
Day 5: (Sunday–Mar. 22) Hazor, Dan, Banyas, and Tiberius
We will begin our day with a Sunday service near the Sea of Galilee. Then we will drive north out of Tiberius to three of the important cities in the north of Israel. The contrasts in landscape colors will be startling as we go from the lush valleys of the north to the desert sands in the south of Israel. Our guide, Hela, and Dr. Christian will tell us stories about the long history of the different people who lived near the Lebanon and Syrian borders of Israel. We will return to our Hotel and get ready for our last evening meal in the Golden Tulip.
Day 6: (Monday-Mar. 23) Qumran, En Gedi, Masada, and Tamar
We will leave the green trees of the Galilee and arrive at Qumran, near the Dead Sea. This ancient desert community dates to the time of Jesus and is the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We will continue on to En Gedi and we’ll walk to the beautiful desert waterfall. Masada, the hideaway palace of King Herod and the mountaintop escape for the Jewish zealots, will be our next destination. We will watch the sun begin to set when we arrive at Biblical Tamar Park and we’ll be welcomed by the Park Manager and the on-site workers. After a wonderful, hot American dinner in the dining commons, we will walk to the ancient walls where we can view the work that has been done at the archaeology site. Later we can relax in our comfortable beds. (Meals at Tamar are as follows: Breakfast - Self-Serve 7-8 am / Lunch at Noon / Dinner – 6 pm)
Day 7: (Tuesday–Mar. 24) Beersheva, Arad, Tamar and the Desert experience
After breakfast we will prepare to go up to tel Sheva and then on to tel Arad. We’ll go back to Tamar for a guided tour by Dr. Christian and then everyone will be free to work on projects according to their gifts and skills. Our main emphasis is on archaeology and repairing the ancient walls, but there are also trees to plant, water, and trim. There are several landscaping projects that can be done to beautify the Park and there are always many housekeeping duties. But, 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 be felt right into our bones.
After breakfast, we’ll leave for Jerusalem and our first stop will be the Israel Museum. This is the premier museum in Israel and on one of the major displays you will see Biblical Tamar. There is so much to see and experience in Jerusalem and so after we have moved into our rooms at the Rosary Guest House, we will follow Dr. Christian into the Old City where we can shop and walk to the different historic attractions. We have the evening free to eat our dinner at any of the quaint restaurants we choose. Our rooms in this 150 year old building will be welcomed after some long walks.
We will have a big breakfast and strong Israeli coffee before we leave the Rosary for the Old City again. This was the soul of Israel since King David made it the capital of Israel over 3,000 years ago. We will visit the Herodian quarter and then continue on into Davidson Park and the large restoration areas where Christ walked. The City of David is in present day Silwan and we will see spectatular excavations and look at what is believed to be the newly discovered Pool of Silom. Our Bibles will, most likely, take on new meaning. We will return to our rooms and then go over to Ben Yehuda for the evening.
Day 10: (Friday–Mar. 27) Holy Sepulcher, Pool of Bethesada, Temple Mount, and Garden of Gethsemane
We will walk, once again, to the Old City where we will be awed by the layers of civilization. We will go through the Jaffa Gate and on to the Temple Mount where Jesus walked and worshipped. A walking tour will take us to the Pool of Bethesda, down the Via Delarosa, and to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. (This is the most sacred site for Catholic Christians in the world.) We’ll go through the Damascus Gate and on to the Garden of Gethsemane where our pastor will serve us communion and we can pray together. This will be our last evening in Israel and so we will spend our time relaxing and enjoying these biblical places.
Day 11: (Saturday–Mar. 28) Gezer, Ashkelon, Joppa, and Ben Gurion Airport
We’ll walk to our bus and leave for Gezer, the disputed ancient city, near the Mediterranean Sea. From there we will go to Ashkelon, the city of the Philistines. We’ll end our historic visit to Israel at Joppa, the port city where Jonah left for Nineveh, and where Peter received the commission to preach to the gentiles. There will be time that evening to finish shopping in Joppa and then we’ll eat one last meal before we depart for the airport at 6:30 pm to check through security for our overnight flight to the USA.
Day 12: (Sunday–Mar. 29) Israel to USA
We’ll leave Israel at 12:55 a.m. and arrive back in the USA, at Newark Airport at 5:05 am, where we will check through customs and catch our connecting flight home.
Tours Include: Not Included:
-International flight -Flight insurance
-Hotels – breakfast/dinner -Lunches (except at Tamar)
-National Park Pass (unlimited) -Optional entrance fees
-All tips (except housekeeping) -Hotel housekeeping tips
-All meals at Tamar -Gondola at Masada
-Galilee Boat
-Dinners at Rosary/Joffa
For additional information contact:
Dr. Terrance Christian
2259 Morada Lane
Ashland, OR 97520
Phone: 512-260-2638 Email: tscmountains@charter.net
Web: www.blossomingrose.org