Itinerary

Want to see where we are on any given day? Check the trip itinerary below...

Day 1 – Thursday, March 8 Phoenix – London

Day 2 - Friday, March 9 London - Cairo
Early afternoon arrival in London, change planes and then onto Cairo. Late evening arrival and check-in to hotel in Cairo, Egypt

Day 3 – Saturday, March 10 Museum, Pyramids and Sphinx
Start the morning with a tour of the magnificent collections of antiquity at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Then continue on to the Pyramids and Sphinx. Return to Cairo for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Sunday, March 11 Abu Sriga, St. Catherine, Mt Sinai
On the way to St. Catherine's, visit the Hanging Church and Abu Serga (Mt 2:13). Arrive at St. Catherine's and check in. Dinner and overnight at St. Catherine’s.

Day 5 – Monday, March 12 Mt. Sinai, St Catherine’s, Aqaba, Petra
For those who wish to make the climb, we start after midnight to climb Mt Sinai (Ex. 19) via camel and foot to reach the top to see the sun rise. We descend from the mountain using the ancient Monk’s Trail. At the base of Mt. Sinai there is time to visit the ancient buildings of St Catherine's Monastery. We board the bus to travel to the Port of Nuweiba on the Red Sea and catch the ferry to Aqaba, Jordan. After clearing border control in Nuweiba we bid farewell to our Egyptian guide. We depart our boat after a several hour ride and meet our Jordanian guide in Aqaba (Ezion Geber – 1 Kings 9:26). Boarding the bus it’s on to Petra for dinner and overnight.

Day 6 - Tuesday, March 13 Petra
Depart after breakfast we begin perhaps one of the most amazing walks in the world down the narrow, winding gorge known as The Siq which leads to the hidden city of Petra “ Biblical Sela” (Isaiah 16:1, 1 Sam 23:28). The final turn reveals the magnificent facade of the 'Treasury' Time will be devoted to an exploration of the magnificent Tombs of the Nabatean Kings as well as the Central City with its amphitheater, Main Street and temple.
The final portion of our visit to Petra is devoted to the spectacular ascent of the multicolored stone staircase leading to El-Deir (“The Monastery”). This amazing structure, carved out of the solid mountain, overlooks the Dead Sea basin, and is a panorama well worth the climb. As we descend back to the valley floor our view of the city of Petra is unforgettable. Dinner and Overnight in Petra.

Day 7 - Wednesday, March 14 Jordan River, Mt. Nebo, and Bethlehem
After breakfast we depart Petra and travel north and stop at Bethany on the Jordan in the afternoon for a reaffirmation of baptism (Matt. 3:5-17) at the Jordan River. Next we continue to Mt. Nebo, a windswept hill overlooking the Jordan valley and Judean desert below. Mt. Nebo (Deut 32:49-52 and Deut 34:1), is the site where Moses stood and had his only look into the Promised Land and where you can enjoy a remarkable view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea (Num. 34:12). We will celebrate worship in the ruins of a Byzantine church atop Mt. Nebo. According to tradition it is here that Moses is buried, perhaps near the 4th century Church found here. It is easy to understand how Moses saw the Promised Land from here. On a clear day, you can see as far as the church-towers of Jerusalem from on Mt. Nebo.

This afternoon we cross the Jordan River at the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge. Our Jordanian host bids us goodbye, and our hosts from the other side of the river greet us and help us with border formalities, then we head through the Jordan Valley past Jericho (perhaps the world's oldest city) conquered by Joshua (Josh 5:10 and Josh 6:1) and travel to Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 8 – Thursday, March 15 Bethlehem
Visits to various Christian organizations such as the Dara al-Kalima School and Health and Wellness Center. After a time of fellowship and lunch, we visit the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherds Field. There will be time at the end of the day for shopping in Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 9 - Friday, March 16 Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights
Travel from Bethlehem to Galilee and take a boat from Tiberias to Capernaum (Mark 2:1 and Luke 4:31) a main center for Jesus’ teachings on the northern slopes of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1 and John 21:1). Reflection and time of worship in the new church built on the top of the remains of Peter’s mother-in-laws house. Nearby, see the synagogue (Mark 1:21) where Jesus taught, and the seashore where he called his disciples to become “fishers of men” (Mark 1:16-20). Visit the sites of the Primacy of Peter and the Mount of Beatitudes (the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount - Matt. 5:3-12). Think about sitting on the hillside where Jesus said “Blessed are the poor in spirit”. Lunch of St Peter’s Fish lunch. In the afternoon go to the Golan Heights and Caesarea Philippi where Peter said "Thou art the Christ". Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Day 10 – Saturday, March 17 Cana and Nazareth Village
Start the day a visit to Cana, where the water was turned into wine. Time for renewal of marriage vows. End the day at Nazareth Village where the sites and sounds of the First Century come to life. Experience a traditional first century lunch, Nazareth Village style; consisting of many of the foods that Jesus and the Disciples would have dined on. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Day 11 – Sunday, March 18 Nazareth
We celebrate Sunday worship with a local Nazareth congregation, followed by fellowship and lunch. Afternoon visit to Mary’s Well and the Church of the Annunciation. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.

Day 12 - Monday, March 19 Megiddo, Haifa, Caesarea, Jerusalem
Start the day with a visit to Megiddo (1 Ch 7:29), one of Solomon's Chariot cities and see the excavations there and walk through the water shaft. Then drive through the Carmel range to Muhraka for a wonderful view of the northern region. On to Haifa and Mt Carmel (1 Kings 18:19). See the view across the Mediterranean, the city of Haifa and the bay. Then on to Caesarea a major seaport during New Testament times. We visit the famous amphitheater and aqueduct, and see the remains of Roman and Crusader times. Philip preached here (Acts 8:40); Paul used its port (Acts 9:30, 18:22, 21:8) and was imprisoned here (Acts 23:23 - 26:32). Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 13 - Tuesday, March 20 Mt Olives, Gethsemane and Garden Tomb
Drive to the Mt of Olives (Matt 24:3-14) for a wonderful view of Jerusalem. See the Ascension and the Pater Noster Church and view the Palm Sunday Road. At the foot of the Hill see the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:22-54) with its ancient olive trees and the Church of All Nations. Drive down the Kidron Valley (John 18:1) and see the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7-9) and St. Peter in Gallicantu (Mark 14:72) built over the Palace of the High Priest Caiaphas (John 18:13). Visit the Garden Tomb. Finish the day with a communion service at the Garden Tomb (John 19:41). Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 14 – Wednesday, March 21 Old City and Mt Zion
Drive to the Western or Wailing Wall and the Temple Area. From there continue on to Mt Zion (2 Sam. 5:7) to see the Tomb of David, Upper Room where the Last Supper (Luke 22:14) took place and the Church of Dormition. In the afternoon, walk down the Via Dolorosa past the Zion Sister, Pools of Bethesda (John 5:2) and the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 15 – Thursday, March 22 Masada – Qumran – Dead Sea
Departing Jerusalem we will take a day trip through the Judean desert to Masada. At Masada we ascend by tram to visit the remnants of Herod’s Palace, and the place where the Zealots made their last stand against the Romans in 73 AD. On our return trip we stop at the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in 1947. Descend to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, for a quick dip, or a climb to the falls at Ein Gedi. (1 Sam. 23:29, 1 Sam 24:1) and a hike back into a canyon waterfall where David wrote many of the Psalms. Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Day 16 – Friday, March 23 Tel Aviv - Phoenix

This is Petra, one of the sites we'll be visiting on our trip.

Guest Speakers

While Sandy and I are in Israel the pulpit at PCC will be filled by...
March 11 - Destin Garner, Pastor of Students at PCC
March 18 - Cordel Robinson, Executive Pastor at Austin Christian Fellowship
March 25 - Robert Nordstrom, Missionary with OMF International

Anticipation

The big trip to Israel is about 3 weeks away and Sandy and I are getting very excited!