Holy Land Tour 2000
By Alma B. Apostol, Mon Dec 26th

Alma B. Apostol About 700 words 4295 Monte Vista Rd. SE Deming,NM 88030 Telephone#: (818) 892-7995 e-mail: abapostol@msn.com

HOLY LAND TOUR 2000

By Alma B. Apostol

June 20th, 2000, marked the culmination of the long awaitedtour to the Holy Land. I joined friends and their church groupin New York. We departed for Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv viaJFK in New York. We arrived at Ben Gurion Airport and took atour bus to Tiberias for dinner and overnight sightseeing. Thenext day, we crossed the waters of the Sea of Galilee aboard asailing boat. We arrived in Capermaum where Jesus choose tocenter his ministry, traveled to the Mount of Beatitude whereJesus preached to the Multitude. At Tabgha, we visited theChurch of Multiplication of the fishes and loaves and the chapelof Saint Peter which recalls Jesus instruction to Peter. Wetraveled the ancient caravan route to the well-preservedarcheological site of Tel Magiddo, a fortified urban centerwhere excavations have revealed remnants of 22 layers ofoccupations. Mount Carmel, was the next stop and othertraditional sites where the Prophet Elijah defeated the prophetBaal. We visited the Roman Aqueduct and Theater at Caesarea, acenter of the early christians. We renewed our baptismal vows atthe Jordan River, then traveled to Beit Shean to visit the ruinsof the ancient city which was under Egyptian rule during the16th to 12th centuries B.C. Continuously inhabited for 5000years, this was one of the Roman cities Jesus passed on His wayfrom Galilee to Jerusalem. Jesus's boyhood town of Nazareth isrevered as one of the holiest town in Christiandom. We alsovisited the magnificient church of the Anunciation whichdominates the town center. The small

village of Cana is aremainder of Jesus first miracle at the wedding feast. Wetraveled the Jordan desert and descended below sea level for avisit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built byHerod and famous as the strong hold of the Jewish rebellionagainst the Romans. We took a cable car ride to the top toexplore, and peered down upon the remains of the Roman camps andseige-ramp below. The next stop was the shore of the Dead Seawhere some of us took a dip in the salt and mineral ladenwaters. Next day was Qumran, site of the Dead Sea Scrolldiscovery. We proceeded to Jericho and visited the ruins ofancient city which was conquered by Joshua. It is also theoldest known inhabited city in the world and parts of ancientcity walls have been discovered. In Bethlehem, we explored thecaved revered to be the place where Jesus was a boy. The churchwhich has been constructed on the sites is the oldestfunctioning church. We sang Christmas songs at the Church of theNativity and the Shepherds Field. In Mount Olives, we enjoyed aremarkable view of the Golden City of Jerusalem, including theTemple Mount and Dome of Rock. Next stop was the Garden ofGethsemane where Jesus prayed for God's will to be done. The OldCity of Jerusalem is where everyday life and customs withinnarrow crooked streets have remained much the same over thecenturies. We retraced the events in the final hour of Jesuslife as we walked Via Dolorosa, The Way of the Cross. We visitedthe possible site of Jesus death and resurrection, the Church ofthe Holy Sepulchre. In Mount Zion, we viewed the site of KingDavids tomb, the Upper Room revered as the site of the LastSupper. Finally the 7 days tour was over ending the mostexciting and memorable tour of a lifetime.

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About the author:writes fiction and non-fiction articles and co-authoredscientific articles.