Last Day

Hello all. We began our day in a jewish cemetery across from the Eastern gate as the sun rose. We then began to make our way down the street toward the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus and his disciples would have been after the Last Supper. From the garden we prepared ourselves to make the walk through the market streets, the same streets that Jesus would have walked on his way to the crucifixion. The streets were loud, the smells were overwhelming and the walk was very intense. We arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where the crucifixion would have taken place and the potential place of the empty tomb of Jesus is located. We ended the day at the Garden Tomb, another potential spot where the empty tomb may have been. It is not about the location but rather the journey. G-d bless and thanks for your prayers and support. It is good to be home!
Shema,
Phil

Israel Update

Shalom Y'all. I will do my best to catch everyone up to where we are in our journey. Over the past couple of days, we have made our journey out of the desert following the Jordan River. Along the way, we made a stop along the highway in the West Bank to say hello to an Arabic sheep herder and gain an understanding of how he performs his job. A sheep herder does not drive the sheep but rather leads them. We are in the Orthodox Triangle along the Sea of Galilee. Explored the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus feed the 5,000. Made our way to the synagogue where Jesus would have done much of His teaching. Hiked Gamla, Omrit, Mount Arbel, and explored the fields of Nazareth where Joseph and Jesus may have worked. There is so much more to tell that can only be expressed in person. I can't until I see each of you. Thank you again for all you support and prayers.
Shalom,
Phil

GTI Tours Blog

Shalom!
I wanted to remind you all that if you haven't seen a recent post from Phil that you can also follow his trip through the GTI tours web site.  I posted it last week, but wanted to send another reminder.
www.gtitours.org
One on the site click on "follow friends and family"
Then under "latest study tours" click on Israel Study Tour with Scott Heare, On Tour Now.
They have posted every single day and have pictures of each destination.  Phil is in some of the photos.
Enjoy!
Vicki

Israel - Day 4 & 5

Wednesday, Sept. 21 - We spent the day in the desert walking through Egyptian copper mines in a place called Timnah. As we walked, the shards of rock sounded like broken pottery under our feet. Lots of time for reflection. Took a walk through the Tabernacle...awesome site to see! Thursday, Sept. 22 - in the West Bank to climb Qumran. I am excited about this day as this was one of Vicki's most favorite days last year. It proved to be an excellent day. The climb was tough, the teaching was extraordinary, and all the site/sounds/smells will be with me forever. We also explored En Gedi, a fabulous place full of life and spring water here in the middle of the desert. Again, an awe inspiring site and teaching for the day! The scripture will not be the same for me as I will be able to read it and visualize it a great detail. The same sites, sounds, and smells have begun to jump off the pages even as I read them now.
G-d bless and good night,
Phil
P.S. The pictures may not be in the correct order...enjoy.

Day Three

Today was an enormously great day! We explored Arad in Negev, a very rich & wealthy city in the desert. Got to experience the coolness of a Tamarix tree planted near the Arad Temple. An amazingly cool place to find cover from the desert sun. We saw the Holy of Holies (not really Holy) and an altar for sacrifices that were made each day at 9AM and 3PM. A shofar would blow at these times to signify that a sacrifice had been made and all were cleansed. The attached picture of the alter has significant meaning that I will have to explain when I see you all. From Arad, we were invited guests of a Bedouin Community home. We were served hot tea and fresh flat bread. What tremendous radical hospitality we experienced during our stay. To finish off the day, we hiked Masada, a rock plateau that was fortified by Herod the Great. The Masada climb was definitely a 3 bottle hike (about 4 liters of water)! We even got to hike down the Snake Path after exploring the fortress on the plateau. Everyone is doing well on this journey and your prayers and support continue to be appreciated. The photos attached may not be in the correct order...
May G-d continue to bless each of you,
Phil

Another blog to follow

Here is another blog site with lots of pictures and more details of the lessons.
http://gtitours.org/2011/09/19/day-2-2/

Shalom,
Vicki

Hello from Israel

Today was the first full day in the Holy Land. What an amazing place to be in at this time. The books of the bible are turning from black and white to full on color as I take each step here. A couple of places we explored today were Zorah, the birth place of Sampson and the Elah Valley where David defeated Goliath...even walked in the wadi (river bed) where David would have selected his 5 stones to battle Goliath and the Philistine army. Unbelievable! We have made our way to Negev and are staying the night here next to the Dead Sea. A few us actually took a swim in the Dead Sea before turning in for the night. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
Blessings,
Phil