I walked where Jesus probably walked!

Welcome to Israel! Glenn and I returned from 9 days in Israel (only to find our internet out for a week at our house which is why this update is so late!) and there is NO WAY we can adequately tell you all we saw and experienced. This weeks' blog update tells you about the trip, and next week I will show you pictures of the historical sites we visited so be sure to check back next week for more info about Israel! We promise not to upload all 1300 pictures I took! My goal is to reduce it down to 600.



What did I enjoy the most? Probably the camel ride, but floating in the Dead Sea and visiting Masada are close seconds! But let me back up ... for a little explanation of our trip.

We were invited by Jay and Pam Sekulow, friends of Glenn's from college days, to be their guests on their 3 week trip with 24 of their first year law students from Regent's University in Virginia to tour Israel while the students studied international law. We took 9 vacation days and saw as much as we possibly could, and loved every minute of it! It was a trip of a lifetime, a long-time dream of mine, and we are so grateful to Pam and Jay for making it possible!!!



We left Budapest on May 22 and on our way to the airport the phone rang! NOT EVEN OUT OF THE COUNTRY! I wondered how much resting we'd be able to get with Glenn getting calls while on vacation, but as it turned out, it was the only call we got, and it was for me!!



We flew into Tel Aviv and were met by someone holding up our name just as we got into the airport. The man took us back outside onto the tarmack to a waiting vehicle and drove us to the Masada Lounge where we feasted on dates, pecans, raisins and cookies while someone took our passports and checked us through customs and picked up our baggage. Spoiled? You bet!




We were then driven by van to Jerusalem, about an hour away.

After checking into the David Citadel Hotel, we met up with Jay and Pam and the rest of their entourage in the restaurant. Because it was Friday and we were arriving about sundown, the restaurant was not serving any cooked meals (the Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday at sundown and continues until sundown on Saturday) so we had our first of many delicious meals of humus and toppings! Glenn and I love humus and tried to eat it at least once every day we were there!

Jay is the chief counsel for the American Center of Law and Justice and while we were there, he was doing a radio spot every night at 7 pm so our dinner meals were at 8 pm. We usually sat around the table talking until 10 pm or so.

We had a large, beautiful room with a balcony overflowing with flowers that overlooked the swimming pool and the old city. Eight long-stemmed white roses on the desk, a fully stocked mini-bar with soft drinks and candy bars, a bottle of wine and two bottles of sparkling water. By far, the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in!

Gorgeous bathroom with a gift bag of Occitane products. Large glassed-in shower is to the right.

I looked forward to the chocolates on our pillows every evening! Yum!

Every morning between 9:30 - 10:00, 10-14 of us would board the tour bus that would drive us to our sightseeing destinations for the day. Originally, we were going to be touring with the students, but since we could not arrive until the middle of their 3 weeks, they had already seed all the major sites in Jerusalem so Jay and Pam decided to set up our own little tour separate from the students. We did hook up with them on the boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and the visit into Capernaum (more on that next week).

It was so cool to see signs for places I've read about in the Bible! We saw all the major sites in Jerusalem, plus day trips out to Jericho, Bethlehem, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and Masada, the last Jewish stronghold before it was overtaken by the Romans.

Every day we had a guide that was certified by the tourism department and was therefore very knowledgeable about the history, both Biblical and political.

During the bus rides and at almost all the meals, Pam and I would get an opportunity to talk and get caught up on family news. Not counting when we saw Pam and Jay in Marietta last November, the last time we'd seen them was at Glenn's ordination service in May of 1981. We had a lot of catching up to do! Pam is so easy to talk to and very laid back. I wish some of her calm spirit would wear off on me.

One of the members of the entourage was a photographer. I actually think it would be correct to say he is world-renowned! His name is Peter Halmagyi (google him!) and he is Hungarian so we had a great time talking with him during the trip. He is originally from a town outside of Budapest that is about 10 minutes from our house and we are hoping to get to see him again when he comes to visit his family this July. Peter has taken pictures for former President George W. Bush and family, Steven Spielberg, movie celebrities, and most recently the Silverback gorillas in Africa. He has shot 3 covers for National Geographics too! He is making a DVD for us as a memory of trip.

The weather was perfect! Temperatures were in the upper 70's and mid-80's with lots of sunshine. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Usually started and ended each day with sweaters but in the middle we were very comfortable in short sleeves.

While we were out sightseeing, we would eat lunch in a local restaurant so we were able to eat lots of interesting things. Of course, humus was part of every meal, if it was left up to Glenn and me. The pita bread was also good! We ate a lot of good salads too!

Also in our entourage was a couple that work for Jay and Pam in Virginia, Robin and Ben and their son, Paul, and another lady, Catherine, who covers their office in Strasbourg, France. We were certainly an international bunch of folks!

It was hot when we went to Masada and to float in the Dead Sea we bought these cute little hats. I'm not a hat person. Can you tell?

We were surprised at the signs we would see telling people to check their guns at the desk before entering museums and churches. We also saw a group of little Jewish boys about 6 years old on a field trip with their teacher accompanied by a guard with a machine gun slung over his shoulder! There were occasional check-points as we drove to other cities with armed guards, but during the whole trip we never felt unsafe or scared.

We would usually sightsee with the group until about 5 pm and then we'd all go back to the hotel for Jay to rest before doing his radio spot at 7 pm. Often Glenn and I would go wandering in the neighborhood of our hotel for several hours until dinner at 8 pm. (Sometimes we would go back to our hotel room and just rest but not often! Too much to see and do!)

While we were out and wandering in the market, we came across a tiny store that sold Kroger products!!! They also sold Pringles, Wheetables, Quaker Oats oatmeal, Ken's salad dressings, Betty Crocker cake mixes, Oreos, and about 10 more American products. It was all so surprising and RANDOM!

The market was divided into the Christian section, the Arab section and the Jewish section. I enjoyed shopping most in the Christian section because I could find souvenirs with a Christian twist. Things like wooden crosses, nativity scenes, pottery with religious symbols, etc.

I also loved the bright colors of the market and it reminded me of the markets in Africa.

Well, I hope you enjoyed a taste of our trip, and I promise to show you the sites we actually saw in my next update.

On the homefront...

Our strawberries were still producing when we got home so we got to enjoy some of the fruit of our labor!

A bit short of a basket-full!

When we returned to Budapest on May 31st, our co-workers Brian and Michelle were in Prague for a class so I had responsibilities for the Eden House during their absence. It was a busy week, but a good one. My birthday was this past Friday and the guests at the Eden House bought me a birthday cake! My favorite, carrot cake!

Thursday night, the day before my birthday, Glenn and I decided to throw together a cookout for all the guests at the Eden House on Friday night and to invite all the missionaries that live on this side of town. We had about 40 people on Friday, my birthday, at the Eden House for hamburgers and all the trimmings. It was a lot of fun. It was also a cultural event: here in Hungary, the person having the birthday throws the party! So, I threw my own party and it was great!

Well, got to run. Our internet is out at the house so I may not be able to be reached or reach you, but I am going to the Eden House every other day to download emails. I'll be back with more photos of our trip! Check back next week!