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April 28-May 7, 2013
With host Pastors Sebastian and Carey Meadows-Helmer and tour leader Lorne Smith
Experience familiar Bible stories come to life as you get an intimate feel for the hills, towns and seashores Jesus knew so well. At the same time, deepen your understanding of contemporary challenges and joys of the Lands of the Bible. Join Pastor Sebastian Meadows-Helmer, pastor of Christ the King-Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church in Thornhill, Ontario, and his wife, Pastor Carey Meadows-Helmer, interim minister at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Scarborough, Ontario, on this special pilgrimage tour of Israel/Palestine. Together you will experience life in Jesus’ time at a recreation of first-century Nazareth, you will swim (or float!) in the Dead Sea, you will marvel at the historic gates as you enter the Old City of Jerusalem and walk through its lively shops in the colorful markets, and much more. Experienced TourMagination tour leader Lorne Smith, an historian from Markham, Ontario, will take care of all the logistics for this unforgettable tour experience.
Click here to read past blogs about tours to the Holy Lands.
 See the ancient ruins of Caesarea
The tour will depart Toronto on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. It will be Monday morning when we arrive. We will travel to Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, where we will stay for two nights.
After a good night’s sleep and a delicious Israeli breakfast, we will be eager to experience our first day in the Holy Land. Our day will begin with a visit to the town of Caesarea, where Peter met Cornelius and baptized him and his family. We will climb Mount Carmel, where Elijah met the prophets of Baal. We will also visit the Mount of the Precipice, where Jesus passed through the angry crowd.
 Experience 1st-c. life at Nazareth Village
This morning, we will visit Nazareth Village and experience for ourselves what life would have been like when Jesus walked the streets of Nazareth. This Christian interpretative centre makes the Bible come to life with its faithful recreation of the village of Nazareth as it was in Jesus’ day. We will enjoy a Parable Walk, hearing Jesus’ parables in a setting that might have inspired the images he used. We will also share a first-century lunch at Nazareth Village. In the afternoon, we will take a walking tour of the city of Nazareth, visiting sites such as Mary’s Well and the Basilica of the Annunciation. We will drive to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. We will then travel to a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee where we will stay for the next two nights.
Today’s activities will include a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee in a replica first-century boat. Together we will remember the experiences of Jesus and his disciples on this sea. We will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Loaves and Fishes, and the towns of Bethsaida and Capernaum. At noon, we will enjoy a special St. Peter’s fish lunch. Later in the afternoon, we will have a meaningful visit to the Jordan River, the river in which Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
 Qumran caves, where Dead Sea scrolls were discoverd
We will visit Jericho – the city whose walls crumbled at the blast of a trumpet – to see the Mount of Temptation and to remember the Zacchaeus story. During lunch, we will invite a Palestinian Christian family to share about their experiences as Christian restaurateurs in Palestine. We will visit the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and take time to float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. We will then journey up to Jerusalem, where we will stay at the Lutheran Guest House within the walls of the Old City.
 The Western (or "Wailing") Wall at night
There is so much to see and do in Jerusalem, and everywhere we turn, we will be reminded of Bible stories. Our day in Jerusalem includes visiting the Mount of Olives, the Upper Room, the Pool of Siloam, the Church of All Nations, the Western Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, and much more. This afternoon, we will enjoy conversation with workers at Augusta Victoria Hospital and will learn about the challenges in providing health care to residents of the West Bank.
This morning we will join with the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church for worship and will take time afterward to have conversation with Palestinian Christian families. We will visit sites in Bethlehem including the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd’s Field. We will have the opportunity to support local Christian artisans by shopping for olivewood and other products and at a store in Bethlehem.
 A model of ancient Jerusalem,Israel Museum
Our last full day in Jerusalem will be very meaningful. We will walk the Via Dolorosa and visit the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We will have a special communion service at the Garden Tomb. In the afternoon, we will have opportunity to visit The Shrine of the Book, where several of the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display, as well as the Israel Museum to get an overview of ancient Jerusalem from the vast model there. We will join together this evening for our farewell dinner and to reflect on our experiences.
All too soon it’s time to return home. As pilgrims and friends, we will have sung and prayed together as the Bible came to life for us on our tour together through the Lands of the Bible.
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