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Let me start with saying that my grandpa (Pap as we lovingly call him) is so far beyond special. I am actually quite convinced that he is the best person in the world, and without a doubt, also the world’s best grandfather.
Back in 2019 at the age of 82, Pap, who has always dreamed of visiting Israel because of his lifelong devotion to Christ and his decades of Biblical study, found a trip to the Holy Land he wanted to join.
But of course, this trip conflicted with my college graduation. And despite my pleading with him to go to Israel, he wouldn’t have missed my graduation for anything. Though, knowing Pap, I shouldn’t have expected anything different.
So at that point, I made it my personal mission to get Pap to the Holy Land. And in the process, this trip with Pap became my dream just as much as it was Pap’s.
And let me tell you, it felt like a true miracle was needed if this journey together were ever going to happen.
Well three years, three cancelled trips, a variety of medical barriers, and a whole pandemic later, in November, we made it to Israel: as Pap described it, “the only thing on my bucket list.”
Our journey started with breaking bread in Jerusalem…literally with our first taste of challah before a much needed night’s sleep! (Dinner at Satya)
Then it was off to exploring! On the first full day, we saw the Pools of Siloam, the Garden Tomb, the Pools of Bethesda, stopped for beautiful views in the Judean Dessert, saw the Mount of Temptation, visited Jericho, swam in the Dead Sea, and Pap and I baptized each other in the Jordan River at the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Oh and Pap and I both rode camels! And that was just day one…. (Dinner at Eucalyptus: Cuisine made with Biblical-times ingredients)
Day two was spent mostly exploring Jerusalem’s Old Town. We started with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (traditional location of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection) then headed to the Western Wall. On the way, we walked through the souk (market) and the old Roman roads and stopped at the incredible "Blue & White" art gallery (Artist Udi Merioz). (Dinner at P2 with their amazing winter pavlova!)
On day three, we officially began our tour with visits to Mount Zion, the Upper Room, David’s Tomb, eating a Jerusalem bagel, walking part of the Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross) and heading back to the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before traveling onward to the city of Bethlehem in Palestine. There we visited the Church of the Nativity which contains the grotto where tradition holds that Jesus was born and the cave where St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin. This cave also holds the graves (Chapel of the Innocents) of many of the children Herod murdered in his quest to find and kill the young Jesus.
Day four was by far the favorite across the board! We began by heading out to Masada, the infamous hilltop fortress, where the views were simply unbeatable! Then it was back to the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth) where Pap actually got in and floated this time, and I made sure to lather up with mud! While this day was a lot of driving, we saw some incredible things along the way, like the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and the valley where David hid from Saul.
On day five, it was time to bid adieu to Jerusalem after stops at the somber Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum and memorial) as well as the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book, which tells the story of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Much to our disappointment, the scrolls are not on display due to their fragility, but I loved the scale model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period (Jesus’ time). Then after a quick photo stop overlooking the city from the Mount of Olives, it was off to Nazareth for a visit to the Church of the Holy Annunciation. This fascinating church sits above the cave which is believed to be where the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. I found it particularly wonderful that all around the church, different nationalities had sent depictions of Mary to be displayed.
Day six was what Pap was looking forward to the most from the get go. The day began with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, around which Jesus’ ministry was centered. Next was a stop at Capernaum, where Peter lived, before heading to the Mount of Beatitudes where tradition holds that Jesus gave his most famous sermon (Sermon on the Mount) to a massive crowd. Then the last stop of the day was to see the so-called “Jesus Boat” which was found in the Galilee and dates to the time of Jesus’ ministry in the area.
And with that, we come to day seven, the final (and probably most whirlwind-y) day. To start the day, we made a stop in Haifa to see the Baháʼí Shrine before heading to tour the underground old city of Acre. Next it was off to the ruins of Caesarea Maritima where the apostle Paul was held in captivity. Later that evening, we arrived in Tel Aviv just in time to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean, and metaphorically set on our journey around Israel. (Dinner at Alena at the Norman)
Now that I’m a few weeks removed (and slightly less jet-lagged) from our trip, I am finally able to reflect on just how meaningful every step of this journey was. We felt God’s hand over everything: from the loved ones back home praying for smooth travels, to our travel agent magically having this tour available at the last minute, to beautiful weather while on the ground, to wonderfully knowledgeable guides. And frankly, His hand was most apparent simply because this trip actually happened.
What an incredible blessing to spend a week walking in the footsteps of Jesus and learning from my Pap who has studied those very footsteps for so long.
I have been trying for days to figure out how exactly to express in words what it means to have a dream like this one come true…what it means to see your favorite person’s eyes light up when their faith comes to life right in front of them.
And frankly, I still don’t have the words. All I have are the feelings (and many photos) Israel left behind, forever imprinted on my heart.
But what I can say is that there is a lightness to one’s soul after having a dream so large as this one come true. The future seems a blank canvas for me to fill with glorious possibilities.
However, this time, I am not starting from complete scratch. Instead, I am building everything upon the rock of faith in my wonderful God, carrying these incredibly miraculous experiences forward into whatever dream comes next.
And let me tell you from experience (and with absolute certainty): my God deals in miracles.
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