I had no clue just how transformative a trip to Israel could be. This past July when I went to the Holy Land, I was excited to walk where Jesus walked and see the land that brought salvation to the world. But I just could not have guessed how powerful the event would be in my faith walk with Jesus. The closest thing I could compare it to was when I first came to Christ. Those early days of following Jesus for me were met with a complete awestruck wonder over the fact that God loved me so much. The scripture became vivid in ways I could never have predicted. I would read the bible and feel as though God was speaking directly to me. This was the same experience I had in Israel. Whether it was sitting on the steps of the temple mound or picturing Jesus walking up the steep incline with His disciples surrounding Him amid the throngs of people. I sat in the Olive Groves of the Garden of Gethsemane and poured over the last hours of Jesus’ life and the pain He endured. I was flabbergasted being out on the Sea of Galilee – glasslike still in the morning with gale force winds in the afternoon rocking the boat and imagining Jesus just speaking out to the wind to stop.  

My mind was blown. But the most intimate moment was on the Mount of Beatitudes – the location that is believed to be where Jesus spoke the famous Sermon on the Mount. It was the day before the anniversary of my dad’s passing. I had honestly forgotten about what day it was, except that our guide had said something that triggered my memory. All of a sudden it hit me that 11 years before was the last time I had talked to my dad – I could picture him in the hospital, breathing his last. I was overcome with grief in a way I hadn’t been overcome in a long time. I was trying to hide the fact that my eyes were filling with tears – after all, we were sightseeing and no one else would have the context for why I went from being fun Kent to sad Kent.

Then it happened. One of the guys on the trip opened the scripture to Matthew chapter 5 and started reading, no one had done this on the entire trip up to this point. We had each been just spending time in the scripture on our own. I was listening to this guy read the sermon on the mount when all of the sudden he read these words – the words of Jesus, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted…” at that moment I felt the kind, compassionate voice of Jesus say, “this is for you too Kent…”

I lost it, I walked away from the group and just went to sit on this mountainside looking over the Sea of Galilee and I wept as I thought about Jesus caring even for me in this place.  

You can’t imagine what it’s like to stand in Capernaum and see the archaeological remains of Peter’s home. You can’t imagine what it’s like to drive up into Jerusalem and be blown away by the sheer size of the valleys and the mountainsides. Everywhere you turn in Israel is another place where Jesus walked, where biblical stories existed in real time, where God’s work to redeem the world took place.

So, what about you? What do you think God might have for you if you were willing to step out and take the plunge to join us on our Israel Trip in July 2024 (two years from last July)? In only a few weeks we will be opening up this trip to other churches and people in the community to join – because spots are limited, I want to make sure you can go if you are interested, and don’t want you to miss this opportunity of a lifetime.