St. Luke's Lutheran Church Trip - Park Ridge, IL
19 day trip - Jordan, Israel-Palestine, Egypt
We sought a balanced itinerary: Old and New Testament sites, major archaeological sites, conversations with leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), visits with Palestinians and Israelis who are working toward a permanent and just peace, time to purchase items made by local people, several periods of relaxation, i.e. boat trip on the Sea of Galilee, and worship and debriefing time each day.
This was an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and definitely attitude-changing experience!
- Trip participant
Jerash, Decapolis city from 2nd century AD
This trip will forever inform and enrich my life! The experience makes a difference in how I read the Old and New Testaments, how I listen to Middle East news, what I read. I see the people, hear their voices, picture their circumstances.
- Trip participant
Petra, red rock city carved from 3rd century BCE to 2nd century AD
"I have walked where Jesus walked. From the peace and tranquility that is Capernaum to the bustling Old City of Jerusalem. From Gethsemane to Calvary to the empty tomb...
I dreamed for years of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and this trip far surpassed my hopes and expectations.
Our trip was the trip of a lifetime for me. It was an incredible experience - mingling the past with the present. It was fun, educational, and at times deeply spiritual, eye-opening, and heart-breaking.
Not only has it created for me an awareness of tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians, which must be resolved to bring peace to the Middle East, but it has created a compelling urgency to tell the story of Christians living and suffering there even now.
Bible stories have become so real. If, for instance, I hear a passage about Jesus teaching his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, I can picture it happening. I have been there! Being there has deepened my faith and given me an even more profound sense of the ministry and sacrifice of Our Lord and the early church because I have walked where Jesus walked."
- Trip participant
Moses' view of the promised land from Mt. Nebo
Chapel Remembering Jesus' Weeping over Jerusalem
Separation Barrier
Deheisha Refugee Camp -- "in memory" mural