What Others are Saying about My Journey to the Holy Land:
"If readers know of anyone planning on taking
a trip to the Holy Land then make sure to give them a copy of
Kimberley Payne’s 'My Journey to the Holy Land'. It is a great
preview to help their excitement mount as to what lies
ahead."
~ A. Anderson
“The photos and descriptions of the places visited did, indeed, remind me of my own journey to the Holy Land. Some of the thoughts Kimberley described echoed my thoughts. The photos in the journal show the stunning landscape of the country. They draw one into the written pages.”
~ M. Hosmar
Bonus Gift: At the back of the book you will find a link to a video
photo show of my journey to Israel
Discover other titles by Kimberley Payne at Smashwords.com
A Devotional Photo Journal
View of Jerusalem
© 2014 Kimberley Payne
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
All inquiries should be addressed to:
Kimberley Payne
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View of Haifa and Mediterranean Sea from Mt. Carmel
Table of Contents
How is God Like a Cafeteria Tray?
Worth the Wait: Is Patience a Virtue?
View of
Mediterranean Sea
View of Tel Aviv and Mediterranean Sea from Jaffa
In November 2013, I visited Israel with my mother and other pilgrims from Ontario, Canada. We learned of the organized trip by Christian Journeys through a Christian radio station (Life 100.3 in Barrie) and travelled together for ten days.
This short book is a devotional photo journal inspired by my 10-day trip. I’ve written the itinerary in italics and my devotional meditations in regular font. All the pictures (including the cover photo) were taken by me. Enjoy!
View of street in Jaffa
I travelled with my mom and thirty-three other pilgrims from all over Ontario. We left on Wednesday, November 6, and arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday, November 7. It was a long flight (eleven hours), but Air Canada made it comfortable.
When we landed, we immediately met our tour guide, Rafi, who took us by bus to the seaside town of Jaffa. Jaffa is one of the oldest towns in Israel with one of the oldest ports. Cedars of Lebanon destined for Solomon’s Temple were unloaded there.
It’s here that Peter brought Tabitha back from the dead. Also, Peter prophesied the vision of the pure and impure animals.
View of treacherous rocks along the
Mediterranean shore in Jaffa
The first evening we stayed at the Seasons Hotel in Netanya on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
We started our second day with a wake-up call at 6:30 a.m., followed by a buffet breakfast. After we all loaded on the bus, our leader led us in a devotional on the shores of the Mediterranean.
We drove north to Caesarea, the ancient seaport capital of Israel where Pontius Pilate had his base. Both the remains of the stadium and the palace where they put Paul on trial amazed me.
We continued north to Mount Carmel, overlooking the city of Haifa, where the prophet Elijah performed his miracle and called upon the fire of God to conquer the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:16-45)
We then continued to Megiddo (Hebrew for Armageddon). Here King Solomon built a giant fortress and city. We walked down to, through, and back up the water system that’s been there since the time of Solomon, 3,000 years ago!
We drove past Mount Tabor, the traditional site of the transfiguration of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. We arrived at Kibbutz Hagoshrim, Upper Galilee, where we planned to stay for two nights.
Flora at Kibbutz Hagoshrim
How is God like a Cafeteria Tray?
Buffet foods at hotel in Israel
Friends warned me before going to Israel that I could expect to gain weight because the food would be plentiful and delicious. Daily cafeteria-style breakfasts and suppers offered a variety of appetizing delicacies. With all the options, I wanted to use a tray so I wouldn’t drop any food on my way back to the table.
My youth pastor reminded me of these daily indulgences when he spoke on God being the foundation of our life. He compared it to a cafeteria tray. He said that many people allocate God to a certain spot or day much like they’d do with a food group on a tray. We may place a drink, entree, appetizer, and dessert on the tray. In our life, we may consider God, education, career, family, and health as separate areas. But the youth pastor pointed out that God does not want to be added to the mix on top of the tray, but rather He is the tray. God is the foundation to which everything else is added. We need God as the underlying factor upon which everything else depends and rests.
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand” (Job 38:4 NIV).
Flora along steps in Capernaum
Ancient gateway at Tel Dan
We were allowed to sleep in on Saturday because of Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest).
After breakfast we took a short ride to our first stop, Tel Dan. They uncovered an incredible archaeological site of walls, the gateway, and the temple area dating back 3,000 years.
At the same place, we saw a dig that revealed the first archway ever built, probably from the time of Abraham.
Ancient stone road at Tel Dan
When we visited Tel Dan in northern Israel, my view of the importance of history changed. Dan is described in the Bible as the northernmost city in the kingdom of Israel. The Tel, or mound, is now a nature reserve where I walked beside the city gate (dated around 1750 BC) and along the stone roads where the biblical characters like Abraham, Lot, and Jeroboam walked.
I saw archaeological digs that proved what I read in the books of Samuel and Kings. For example, 1 Kings 12:28-29 says, “After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan.” The archeological dig in Dan showed evidence of a large altar and worship centre, just as described in the Bible.
The book of Daniel tells of the activities and visions of Daniel. He wrote his prophecies during the seventy years that the people of Israel were captive in the land of Babylon. Now, thousands of years later, I’m reading this book, but it’s no longer prophetic; it’s history. What Daniel predicted would happen did happen.
For example, Daniel interpreted the meaning of the large statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:24-25). Four kingdoms would dominate as world powers. Today we recognize them as historic empires that were brought to an end: the Babylonian Empire (626-539 B.C.), the Medo-Persian Empire (539-331 B.C.), the Grecian Empire (331-63 B.C.), and the Roman Empire (63 B.C.-A.D. 476).
What Daniel learned as prophecy, we study as history. Even more fascinating is the fact that there are still events yet to happen in the future. The Bible is still a prophetic book. We can trust the reliability of God's Word because of the prophecies already fulfilled. The Bible is an exciting read. I challenge you to study it every day.
*
We then took another short ride to Caesarea Philippi. Here Jesus revealed to His disciples Who He was. “On this rock, my church will be built.” Incredible to see the literal rock that Jesus referred to.
View of Caesarea Philippi
One of the highlights of my trip included stopping at various biblical sites and reading scripture. It transported me back in history and in my mind’s eye, I could see the stories unfold.
Although our group travelled from Canada, along the way we met groups from all over the world. I recognized people from Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. It excited me to listen to different people singing and praising God in their native tongue.
At Caesarea Philippi, a small group broke out in song and many joined in with clapping. There were pockets of people praying and singing. I didn’t understand the language, but I understood their heart.
I imagine heaven like this. People from all nations gathered worshipping our Lord. Catching a glimpse of what heaven might be like took my breath away. I can only imagine what the real thing will be like.
“And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:3 NIV).
*
We ended the day tour at Golan Heights. We could view Israel and the border of Syria.
View of Caesarea Philippi
View of Sea of Galilee from Mount of Beatitudes
We started our day at the Mount of Beatitudes. This is where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Situated on the Sea of Galilee, it had beautiful gardens and a pretty Catholic church.
From there we drove to Capernaum, the centre of Jesus' Galilean ministry. We saw the ruins of Peter’s home, including mosaics found with Jesus’ name in Aramaic and Greek. We saw the stones of the synagogue during the time of Jesus. We were a few feet away from the Sea of Galilee and could imagine Jesus staying at Peter’s home and preaching in the synagogue.
Although I didn’t want to leave this town, I couldn’t wait to go for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. When our leader read from the Scriptures about Jesus walking on the water, I cried. The boat captain talked about fishing and led us in song.
After the fifty-minute boat ride, we went to a museum where they showed us a fishing boat that they recovered from the Sea of Galilee in 1986 and dated back to Jesus’ time. It was the oldest boat ever to have been found, approximately 2,000 years old!
View from top of mountain with Syria in the distance
Worth the Wait: Is Patience a Virtue?
2000 year old boat found in the Sea of Galilee
While in Capernaum, we toured a museum that housed a 2,000-year-old boat that fishermen used in the time of Jesus.
They discovered the boat in 1986 during a drought when the water in the Sea of Galilee dropped low enough for someone to see a piece of it showing through the mud. They brought in a team to dig it up. However, the team had to figure out how to take it out of the water without it disintegrating. They made an elaborate plan that included digging tunnels under the boat and blowing in fill.
After finally being confident they could lift it without it falling apart, they had to devise a way to preserve the wood so it wouldn’t crumble once exposed to the air. Again, they expertly made a plan. But they had to wait another ten years before the wood would cure. Ten years! Imagine having to wait that long before gazing upon this incredible discovery? They had to be patient in order to see their discovery proudly displayed.
Sometimes in life we are asked to wait. How many times do we forfeit our reward because we are too impatient? Good things are worth waiting for and God’s timing is always perfect.
“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36 KJV).
*
As if the day wasn’t already perfect, we continued on to the south side of the Sea of Galilee where ten members of our group were baptized in the Jordan River.
View of Capernaum from boat on Sea
of Galilee
Shepherd at Nazareth Village
We stopped in Cana at the church where Jesus performed His first miracle of changing water to wine.
From there, we visited Nazareth, a town of 15,000 people now. But in the centre of the town they preserved an area called Nazareth Village—a replica of the town of Nazareth in Jesus’ time.
We then continued south to Beth Shean, the largest of Israel’s archeological digs. It showed remnants of life in Roman times.
We made a stop in Jericho to see the ruins of the city, have lunch, and do some shopping. From there, we saw a hill named the Mount of Temptation. Tradition has it that’s where Satan tempted Jesus after His baptism in the Jordan.
We continued past Gilgal where the twelve tribes paused before entering the Promised Land. We also passed Mt. Nebo where Moses died.
We arrived at our hotel, Leonardo Hotel, on the Dead Sea around 4:00 p.m. It gets dark around 5:00 and they close outdoor pools at 6:00.
View of the remains of the Roman city, Beth
Shean
Pathway of salt into the Dead Sea
A few days into our journey, we stayed at a luxury hotel along the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is found almost 1,500 feet below sea level and has so much salt in it that animals cannot survive. Because of the salt, the water is phenomenally buoyant and I looked forward to floating leisurely in it.
Our guide warned us to be careful how we entered the water. We had to walk in up to our knees and then sit back as if we were sitting in a chair. He warned us to stay on our backs, as turning over on our stomachs might prove too difficult for some people and the buoyancy would force our bodies up but our faces into the water. He warned us not to splash or get the water in our eyes or mouth. Lastly, he warned us to only stay in for a maximum of fifteen minutes at a time because the high salt content tended to increase blood pressure rapidly.
My mom and I heeded all his directions, although I voiced my disappointment at having to get out after such a short time. I felt as if I could stay in the water all night, but I trusted my guide and his warnings. I believed him when he said there could be too much of a good thing.
It reminded me of other warnings of overindulgence in the Bible. Proverbs 23:20-21 says, “Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags” (ESV).
The Bible tells us that it’s good to eat; God gave us food to nourish our bodies. However, gluttony is a sin. When we overindulge in what is good and overeat regularly it is sinful. God loves us and gave us good things to enjoy in moderation. With these good things we need to act responsibly. We are warned against overindulgence and not to eat and drink in excess. This is for our own health and well-being.
God knows that we can have too much of a good thing and He cares enough to warn us about it.
View of our hotel from the Dead Sea
My mom woke me early to enjoy a morning walk down to the Dead Sea before we packed up to get on the bus.
We took a short drive along the Dead Sea to Masada where we took a cable car ride up the mountain to see Herod’s Mountain Top Palace and Fortress.
View from top of Masada
My mother and I booked our trip to Israel in February. We were flying out nine months later, but I overflowed with such excitement that I was packed and ready to go in April.
However, I couldn’t share my excitement with my mother. I couldn’t even talk to her about it. The mere mention of flying sent shivers down her spine and made her nauseous. Although my mother has flown many times, she is terrified of heights and often throws up for days before.
This trip proved no different. Sitting beside me, I could hear her crying as the plane took off. Her absolute terror manifested itself in sobbing. Eleven hours later, we landed and Mom could finally relax and enjoy the trip.
However, her fear of heights reared its ugly head unexpectedly as we gathered to get on the gondola that would take us up the mountain to Masada. Masada is situated next to the Dead Sea on a rock plateau with steep cliffs rising on all sides. When Mom saw the cable car, she broke down in tears, and felt unable to join the group. Brendalee (a kind woman who once shared Mom’s affliction) decided to stay behind with her as I continued on the tour.
Later, Mom shared with me that this woman prayed with her to be freed of her terror of heights and fear of flying. It wasn’t until seven days later, when we were in the air flying home, that I realized Mom seemed completely relaxed and didn’t appear frightened in the least. She laughed when I mentioned this and said that she had just come to the same realization.
Mom had been terrified of heights for over seventy years and God delivered her from this fear. God is a God of miracles.
View of Jerusalem
Caves of Ein Gedi
From there we went to Ein Gedi to see the caves where David hid from King Saul.
We then stopped at the factory of Ahava. They make body lotions and creams from the Dead Sea. We carried on to Qumran, the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery.
After this we made our way Northwest to Jerusalem. It surprised me to see the change in temperature—from 31 degrees at the Dead Sea to only 25 degrees in Jerusalem. We stopped at a lookout point where we celebrated with a glass of wine from Cana.
View of the Mount of Olives
Today we spent our first full day in Jerusalem. We started at the Mount of Olives where Jesus often went. We walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane along the same path that Jesus took when entering the city on Palm Sunday. In the Garden, we read from the Bible, had private time, and then enjoyed worship together as a group.
We then took a short bus ride to the House of the High Priest where they imprisoned Jesus.
We continued on to Mt. Zion, the original City of David, where we visited the Upper Room: the traditional site where Jesus instituted a new Passover celebration and the new covenant in His blood.
We then walked through the streets of Old Jerusalem on our way to the pools of Bethesda. Unfortunately, at this point I started to feel very sick. I threw up in the streets (thankfully making it to a grate with a water spout over it) and so didn’t feel up to visiting the pools of Bethesda where Jesus healed the cripple. I did, however, sit in the Church of St. Anne for a little bit.
Flora in Jerusalem
Looking up at open windows in the streets
Unfortunately, I still felt awfully sick and not up to taking the tour today. I stayed in bed all day. I was happy that my mom went on the trip and enjoyed the day visiting the Davidson Centre, the Wailing Wall (where she put in a prayer for me), and the Via Dolorosa.
I would’ve loved to experience the one-mile-long route through the Old City of Jerusalem that Jesus took from the point of condemnation by Pontius Pilate to Golgotha, Calvary Hill. I’ll have to come back to Israel again some day to experience this.
The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
While in Israel, I became very sick and couldn’t go to see the Wailing Wall.
The Wailing Wall (also called the Western Wall) is a sacred site as it’s a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish temple courtyard. It’s called the Wailing Wall because Jews gather here to lament the loss of their temple. Visitors from many different regions—in fact, from all over the world—come to pray and stuff written prayers into the cracks of the wall. A dividing screen separates the women from the men, in keeping with Orthodox Jewish tradition.
Fortunately my mom could be part of the day and would tell me all about her experience upon her return.
The group returned to the hotel around dinnertime and Mom filled me in on her adventures. She found the experience of touching the wall and putting her prayers on a piece of paper to slip into a crack in the wall an incredible experience.
However, she expressed disappointment at the behaviour of some people around her. Although many consider it a holy place and come to pray, Mom shared that some people were rude and downright pushy. They actually shoved others out of their way to get to the wall. This behaviour felt so contradictory to the beauty and reverence of the location that it stained my mom’s experience.
It made me wonder about our behaviour as Christians at home. Do we honk at other cars in traffic just to get to church on time? Are we short with our children, grumpy and agitated on our way to church?
The disciple James says our behaviour reflects our faith. If we claim to be Christian, our behaviour needs to portray Christ seven days a week, not just the hour we’re in the sanctuary. We will be blessed when we do what the Bible tells us and act as Jesus did.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:19-25 NIV).
Statute of a rooster and Roman soldier in Jerusalem
7-pronged menorah
I felt sorry to be leaving but looked forward to going home. We started the day with a tour of the Supreme Court of Israel and learned much about Jewish history.
From there, we drove to Yad Vashem, the national museum and memorial to the holocaust. The heartrending display saddened us all.
A beautiful walkway called The Path of the Righteous ran along the side of the museum. They planted trees to pay tribute to the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
We then headed over to Bethlehem. Because it is now part of Palestine, our Israeli guide, Rafi, was not allowed to join us. Instead, a Palestine guide boarded the bus after we drove through the checkpoint.
He took us to the Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. I felt disappointed as we had to stand in line for a long time just to walk through the church and then down a stairwell to a small room where tradition held that Jesus was born. It all seemed so much hype and commercialism.
Garden Tomb
The highlight of my day? A visit to the Garden Tomb.
The beautiful gardens surrounded the traditional site that many believe belonged to Joseph of Arimathea.
How striking. Our tour guide went over all the reasons that this place was most likely where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. It moved me to tears yet again. Here we had a lovely ceremony and shared communion, followed by singing, and group prayer.
After the Garden Tomb, we returned back to our hotel for our last buffet dinner followed by a group meeting to talk about the significance of our journey. They scheduled our wakeup call for 12:30 a.m. Thus began our long journey home.
Flora in Israel
Golgotha – place of the skull
The Garden Tomb was my favourite site of the entire trip. My least favourite was Bethlehem. I found it interesting that the two most celebrated moments in the Christian faith—the birth and the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ—took place in these places.
In our culture, the birth of Christ, Christmas, has been replaced with people wishing one another Happy Holidays. In Bethlehem I resented the vendors rudely trying to hawk their wares. The manger was not at all what I envisioned. We waited a long time in crowded conditions to be ushered into a cave under a church and rushed by a spot that had a star placed on the floor.
On the other hand, the Garden Tomb held beauty where we could quietly reflect on the death and resurrection of our Lord. We celebrated with a Eucharist ceremony, prayer, and singing.
I sobbed when I entered the empty tomb and a sign proclaimed, “He is not here for He is risen.”
Plaque inside tomb
View of Mediterranean Sea from hotel room
Our group stayed at five different hotels over the course of the tour. The first hotel we stayed in was the Seasons Hotel in Netanya, just outside of Tel Aviv. It oozed luxury with spacious rooms that featured views of the Mediterranean Sea and included separate seating and sleeping areas. The last hotel we stayed in was Dan Jerusalem Hotel. It boasted large patios with spectacular views of Jerusalem.
Each day we would leave from the hotel and travel to local tourist spots including the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Old City, and the Garden Tomb.
We also visited the Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity, and the Shepherds’ Fields in Bethlehem. I learned that the village of Bethlehem is not part of Israel but rather, Palestine. Our Israeli tour guide was not allowed to join us as we crossed through the border patrol. He explained that a new guide would meet us on the other side. The wall reminded me of historic pictures I’ve seen of the Berlin Wall patrolled by guards holding machine guns.
It wasn’t until we had returned to Israel hours later that I felt I could relax again. I breathed a sigh of relief only after we returned to the now familiar roads of the Holy Land and once again picked up our tour guide.
But the sense of relief was nothing compared to when our plane landed at Pearson International Airport in Canada. The familiar sights of Toronto—the signs, the language, the people—all reminded me that I arrived home. And a few hours later, I felt intense relief to lie in my own bed with my familiar pillow.
Going on a trip is wonderful and I learned a lot that I’ll never forget, but after ten days away, I felt ready to come home.
It makes me wonder how I’ll feel when I’m called to my eternal home. This life is temporal, 100 years at best. I have an ache that will never be satisfied by any place or anybody here on earth. Only God can fill the hole in my heart. I ache to return to my final home. Heaven is where I will be forever in the company of my Lord. I’m looking forward to spending eternity with no more pain, suffering, or tears.
Someday I will say goodbye to my temporary home and exchange it for my forever home in heaven.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24 NIV).
Flora in Israel
Visit my website for more photos of my journey
http://www.kimberleypayne.com/holy-land-journey-day-1/
Bonus gift: YouTube video photo show of my journey to Israel http://youtu.be/Qdy-G0QUbDg
View of Jerusalem
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Many blessings!
Kimberley Payne
Sunset over Jerusalem