Addison Gann – Loveland, Colorado … A group of about 50 people from Campion Adventist Church to take a trip of a lifetime to the Holy Land, June 19-26.
The first day was a relaxing day as people arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, to get ready to travel. On the next, the group was met by the tour guide Samir, and the tour began by driving through Joppa and then exploring Caesarea which is where the Hippodrome and Stadium of Herod are located.
There was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and a trip up to the top of Mount of Beatitudes. Erin Johnson, one of Campion Academy’s teachers said, “The biggest impact for me was being on the Sea of Galilee, and being where Jesus has calmed the waters and performed so many miracles. It was great to see it because now I’ll never read the Bible the same.”
The next excursion included a trip to the ruins of Jericho, a look at the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and a float in the Dead Sea.
The group also took a cable car up to Masada where a mass of Jews chose to kill themselves instead of being captured by Romans. Travelers also got to visit Lazarus’s first tomb, and then the group went to the Wailing Wall to welcome the Sabbath.
On one day, the travelers went to a garden where there is a tomb which archeologists believe could have been Jesus’ tomb. Then the group had a special communion together in the garden. After the garden, they went to the church where the disciples were taught to pray the Lord’s Prayer and visited the top of the Mount of Olives.
The group visited the cave where the shepherds were told the good news of Jesus being born, as well as the possible birthplace of Jesus. They also visited the Dome of the Rock, and, at the end of the day, they went to the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath.
One exiting adventure was the day the travelers trekked through Hezakiah’s tunnel. Hezakiah’s tunnel was how they brought water from the spring outside into Jerusalem. Everyone enjoyed tramping through the cool spring water, which at times was up to the knees or higher. After the cooling excursion, they visited the house where the Last Supper took place, and, finally, the last destination was to Josephus’s house where Jesus was first brought after being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The trip was organized by the former lead pastor at Campion, Pastor Michael Goetz. He shared that the best part of the tour was, “Caiphus’s house, where Jesus was lowered into the pit. It had escaped my readings before, and the prophetic Psalms describing the pit came alive, and you could hear the echo of Jesus being beaten. In that pit, His love came alive.”
Jack Jordan, a junior at Campion Academy, said, “The people of Israel had the greatest impact on me. Their religions, life choices, and how passionate they were about their choices. The Jews never missed or skipped their prayer time, even on the airplane. The people of Israel show me that, though they don’t believe as I do, I shouldn’t be afraid to live out what I believe.”
Overall, despite the intense heat and travel stresses, this was a life changing experience for everyone on the trip.
—Addison Gann is a sophomore at Campion Academy. Photos supplied.
