Psalm 121:1 - Can you guess where we are?

Psalm 121:1 - A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!

The last few days I've been listening to people talking with each other on the tour. It's so interesting to hear the first impressions of those who come to Jerusalem for the first time.

I feel the Holy Spirit everywhere!

There is a special feeling here and it touches my soul.

I feel like I am home...

At the end of each day I say to myself, this was the best day. Each day is so wonderful.

There is so much to see and learn here. I can't wait to come back!

I'm sorry I waited this long to come here.

There is no place on earth like Jerusalem!

Jerusalem is indeed a special place, that touches your soul and feels like home. Where you never want to leave because there is no place on earth like it. If you've never been here you can't really "get it". You read these words with curiosity but you don't truly get it until you've walked the streets in the Old City, prayed at the Western Wall, followed the same path that Jesus carried His cross to His crucificion and gazed upon the Eastern Gate that Christ will return through. Until you've experienced it for yourself it's hard to understand the impact that visiting Israel makes on your life.

If you're reading this blog and have never been to Israel, I urge you to stop right now and pray. "Lord, make a way!" He WILL make a way. And you know that longing you feel when you read or hear someone talk about the Holy Land? Listen to it. God has a special blessing for you here. Don't live with regrets - life is too short. The Lord WILL make a way and when He opens the door, you need to walk through it.

When you travel to Israel with LeSEA Tours, you will not travel alone. We will be right here with you every step of the way. There is no stress or worries while you are with us, because we will take care of everything. All the details of your trip will be taken care of by us - you will simply relax and allow yourself to feel God's presence in a whole new way. How awesome is THAT? ("Pretty awesome, Kim!")

Today was an emotional day. The highlight for me was when we visited Golgotha and when we actually stepped into His EMPTY tomb and saw where He laid! We celebrated His resurrection by taking Communion right in front of the tomb! Singing and praying and remembering the sacrifice He made for us...

Tomorrow is another thrilling day of exploring the Old City... it's hard to get to sleep some nights realizing where I am. The exact place on Earth that God chose for His home. I'm here! I'm here in Jerusalem!

Kim

Feb 8, 2012 - "Down by the River..."

Ahhh yes! This is the day that we explore the Galilee region which includes a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee AND water baptism in the Jordan River. It was a goose-bump kind if day. A kind of day that makes you want to giggle a little every once in a while just because you feel so much joy in where you are. Today, I will let the pictures do the talking... You might even get a goose-bump or two just looking at them!

Boarding the wooden boats on the Sea of Galilee! Jesus walked on these waters!

Happy Boaters!

Pastor David Sumrall teaching us on the boat.

The BEAUTIFUL reactions from being baptized in the Jordan River!

Look how happy Pastor Abraham was to have the opportunity to baptize his two daughters and his wife in the Jordan River! Precious moments.

Never give up your dreams! She's a beautiful 80 "something" year old and she braved the cold waters of the Jordan to show her commitment to Christ. Just look at the joy and love in the faces of her friends and family supporting her. (second pic) This truly was a day to remember...

Goosebumps anyone?

Have you been to Israel yet? Have you been before, but want to come back and experience it through the eyes of a second timer? Each visit is surprisingly different. Give us a call and let us explain how easy and affordable it is to travel to Israel with us.

Feb 7, 2012 - We are in Israel!

What a thrilling few day's it has been! You know how it is... We’ve all felt the excitement and anticipation that comes before a big event. Sometimes there is little anxiety and sometimes we even daydream of what is to come and what we might expect. Well, traveling to Israel, whether it’s your first time or your 15th time will bring to you a plethora of emotions and anticipation. Will my plane get delayed? Did I pack the right clothes? You try to picture yourself in the Holy Land; like one of the people you’ve undoubtedly seen on the television program. Will I like the food? And more often than any of those questions; what does God have in store for me? Will I hear from Him? Will my life be changed?

123 people came to Israel with many of these questions in their head as did I. In each step of our journey the questions and anxiety began to fade. As they arrived at the airport they immediately met people in our group! LeSEA Tours met them shortly after deplaning and our guides were right there waiting for them. And it wasn’t long before they were driving along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea headed the first stop of many in the days ahead. We were standing in the Holy Land! Breathing the air, touching what has been left behind from much different days. And though we were tired - it was a long flight and a long day... I could see by the smiling faces at dinner tonight and by hearing the laughter, that each person in our group was thrilled to be here and looking forward to tomorrow.

And more pictures!

The Wedding Church in Cana - Jesus' first miracle!

"One dollar, one dollar...." Street venders are everywhere and the temptation for shopping is great!

We all wondered if Bruce would make it into the Church of the Nativity. The entrance is small and Bruce is, well, not. Love his smile!!

Bus 1 group picture at Mount Scopus

A first century carpenters workshop in Nazareth Village

A demonstration on how the first century oil press worked with a live donkey! Getting oil was NOT an easy task!

Laughter...

Saturday

First of all I want to make a shout out to our friends at Anders Dermatology in Toledo Ohio! Hey, aren’t you suppose to be working right now….? Haha- just kidding, I'm glad you're here!

What a wonderful time in Jerusalem we are having! We arrived on Friday evening to our hotel. It was Shabbat which means we are learning a lot about how Israel celebrates the weekend. It’s family time and worship time! The Orthodox take Shabbat very seriously and many come to Jerusalem, stay in the hotels and attend the synagogue. For the Orthodox there are MANY rules to follow during Shabbat. They cannot work or do anything that will require someone else to work for them for one. So, there is a Shabbat elevator in the hotel for example, which is preset so they can enter the elevator and because they can’t press any buttons (that would be considered work) the elevator stops on every floor. During Shabbat the streets are empty because everyone is home with their families. Right now it is Saturday night and Shabbat ended at sunset. The stores and restaurants have opened (even this late!) and people are coming out and celebrating the rest of their weekend. It’s really a whole other world here. There is so much to learn and understand. It makes me think about how I spend my Sunday’s at home. A day of rest? Not so much for me. I want to work on this!

Today we started the day with a group photo on the top of Mount Scopus. There is a beautiful view of the Old City from here. Then we went to the Upper Room and to King David’s Tomb. Then to Caiaphas’ House. After that we went to Bethlehem – and let’s talk about another word! Even though Bethlehem is in Israel it is a very different atmosphere than the rest of the country. Of course it’s Palestinian controlled and life is very different there. It’s not easy to enter Bethlehem. There is a lot of security in and out… and when you finally do get to the Church of the Nativity the line to see the manger cave is long. It’s pretty exhausting and if you’re not careful you could easily miss out on the significance of this place. But who can come to Israel and not visit the place where the Jesus was born? As frustrating as it is to travel to Bethlehem, I encouraged everyone to see past the hassle of it all, to look through the icons and rituals all around us and to remember just what happened here… and the importance of this event. The birth of Jesus Christ.
Not all of our groups come to Bethlehem. Sometimes it’s just too difficult, takes too much time and prohibits us from seeing other important places. Sometimes there are security issues. But we did it; we visited Bethlehem and remembered the miracle.

It was a great day – but do you want to know what I think of first as I sit here reminiscing about today’s events? Dinner. Tonight’s dinner was noisy and packed full of people. The hotel, all the hotels are full because Israel is enjoying a time of tourism maximus. (I made up that word, I know) So, the dining room included people from all over the world who just like us have traveled Jerusalem and explored the Holy Land. We were all tired…but what I remember and cherish tonight is the laughter! Laughter – lots of laughter from every direction…smiling faces enjoying a meal with new friends, talking about the events of the day and enjoying a good laugh. Good times, good times…

Tomorrow is a big day! We will walk the same path that Jesus took with the cross…and so much more. Until then… Shalom!

Kim

Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

Oh brother! It only took me a few HOURS to figure out how to get my camera to work with my computer so that you could have the pictures that I promised you. But it was worth every second because I love to post pictures of us having a great time in Israel! Here you go, ENJOY! And feel free to comment on them!

Visit Israel, you'll never be the same!

Kim

I listened...

I watched today. I listened and watched. That’s the best part of my job. This morning I watched as our group ate breakfast and boarded their buses for a thrilling day of walking in the footsteps of Jesus in the Galilee area. I’m so blessed. I chose to ride bus 3 today to start. Our guide was Ra’anan, or Ronnie and even though I’ve been with him many times in the past, I always hear something new and interesting. Ok, well – maybe not some of his jokes, but I found myself laughing anyway. He has a unique way with words. The way he can paint a picture and take me back to some far distant past is amazing. I found myself closing my eyes many times as he described places not as they were today, but as they were in Jesus’ day.

Caesarea Philippi was first on our itinerary. It’s way up north in the “finger tip” of Israel along the Lebanon border. Along the drive we all listened to Ra’anan talk about this area. The Galilee area. The Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and so much more. As he talked, the Sea of Galilee became smaller and smaller outside our window and the views were incredible. I listened to those around me on the bus too and I enjoyed the excitement of seeing these sites for the first time through their eyes. “Oh my goodness!” That was Nic’s repeated reaction to the first impressions of the Galilee region. It was so fun to hear the excitement in his voice and the others around me pointing out places and things that were interesting while snapping pictures and taking it all in.

After Caesarea Philippi we came back down to the lowest fresh water lake in the world, the Sea of Galilee and visited the Mount of Beatitudes and also Capernaum, Jesus’ home town for the three main ministry years of his life. Ra’anan helped make it all come together and explained everything in such a way that my eyes were opened and could see and understand much clearer than I had in the past. I caught myself a couple times stopping in my tracks and thinking… “Could Jesus have stood in this very spot?” The answer was YES, it’s VERY possible that Jesus could have stood or walked on the same paths we took today. It’s actually highly likely even, knowing what the Bible says and learning too from the archeological proof. This was my theme of the day! I put myself in Jesus’ shoes and used my mind’s eye to create life in His day. It wasn’t very hard with Ra’anan’s expertise showing me the way with his clever and descriptive words and the fact that the Galilee region is the most untouched locations where Jesus lived and ministered.

I’ve been here before, it’s true – but it never gets old. Today, with my new theme, I sat on a wooden boat on the Sea of Galilee… a boat that is a replica of a boat in the time of Jesus. After we sang and prayed and learned about the lake we took a few minutes of silence. This silence was the best part of the boat ride. To sit there, on this boat in the middle of the lake with only the noise of the waves lapping on the sides was touching. I put myself in Jesus’ shoes (ok, sandals) again and I thought of Him and the disciples on a boat like this fishing for their daily catch…I thought of their reactions during a sudden storm and also pictured them disappointed after not catching a thing and then pulling in their nets after Jesus told them too…nets full of fish! I bet their laughter and joy was heard across the lake echoing for miles! Oh the conversations that must have taken place in the noiseless world they lived in. Without cars and buses, boat motors and airplanes overhead. Loud speakers, televisions blaring, cell phones ringing. The silence was beautiful and natural and I realized just how much noise I have in my life. Not only noise. But even the noise of distractions and hustle and bustle of life, the many thoughts running through my head of my busy day or week etc. It’s all noise really. I want to listen past the noise. And I have a feeling that while I’m listening, I will hear… is anybody where I’m going with this????

I’m sorry to say that I could not down load pictures tonight. I am somewhat technically challenged and in my rush to leave for the airport forgot an important component to downloading pictures onto my computer. Yea, the cable. I forgot it. Well, I do have a backup plan, so if you’ll bare with me one more day I truly intend to show great pictures of this day.

This day ended like no other day – ever! You just can’t duplicate a special day like today. We were baptized in the Jordan River today. Oh My Goodness! What a lump in your throat, goosebump kind of day! I’m sitting here struggling to find the right words to express what our baptism was like but I’m struggling. The emotion and the spiritual connection that was felt was overwhelming. I will just say this… there was singing, clapping and shouts of praise. There were tears of joy and hugging and more tears of joy. I heard whispers of thanks for our Savior from faces that were buried into a loved one’s neck. Tomorrow I will post the pictures, I hope you’ll check back and see if you recognize any of the glowing faces.

Thank you Jesus, that’s all I’ve got left to say about today…Amen.

Kim