DAILY ITINERARY

13 - DAY PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

July 6 - 19, 2023

Day 1 - Thursday (July 06, 2023): Departure IAH (Houston)

Day 2 - Friday (July 07, 2023): Arrival in Amman
Upon Arrival at Amman international airport, we meet our guide and will drive to our Hotel in
Amman, Rest then dinner and overnight.

Day 3 - Saturday (July 08, 2023): Amman – Madaba - Mt. Nebo – Petra
After breakfast, we will Visit Madaba, famous for its 6th-century AD Byzantine Mosaic, showing the map of the Holy Land with visible sights like Jerusalem, parts of the Dead Sea, and River Jordan amid other Biblical sites. Then we visit Mt. Nebo, where the prophet Mousa (Moses) gazed over the Promised Land before he died with overlook views of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Drive to Petra for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 - Sunday (July 09, 2023): Petra – Dead Sea
After Breakfast, we will visit the site of Petra. It is a 2000-year-old Nabatean city that was highlighted in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. We will walk through the narrow passageway up to the Treasury, which is a massive Royal Tomb carved out of solid rock. If time permits, we will visit the Traditional Tomb of Aaron (Moses’ brother). In the afternoon, we continue on to the Dead Sea to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 - Monday (July 10, 2023): Dead Sea – Sheikh Hussein Border - Tiberias
After breakfast, we will enjoy some free time swimming in the Dead Sea. Check out then we will drive
to Sheikh Hussein Border to cross to Israel.

Day 6 - Tuesday (July 11, 2023): Caesarea – Muhraqa – Nazareth – Cana – Tiberias
After breakfast, we will travel by private motor coach to Caesarea, where the Gentiles first heard the Good News from Peter and were baptized. We’ll see the Roman Amphitheatre and aqueduct. Visit Mount Carmel, Muhraqa the Place of Fire, and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. Afterward, we will go to Nazareth where we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, we will also visit the Church of St. Joseph. We end our day with a visit to Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle, and would also have the chance to renew wedding vows. Drive to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 - Wednesday (July 12, 2023): Caesarea Philippi – Mt. Arbel – Valley of Doves – Sea of Galilee
We will start our day with a visit to Caesarea Philippi at the sources of the river Jordan where Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, then we would return to the Sea of Galilee via the Golan Heights with a stop overlooking the Road to Damascus. On to Mount Arbel lookout overlooking the ancient road from Nazareth to Galilee with a possible hike on a part of Jesus Trail. We will then carry on to the Valley of the Doves and travel along the ancient road that leads from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee along the Via Maris. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 8 - Thursday (July 13, 2023): Sea of Galilee – Magdala
We will start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, followed by a visit to the Ancient Boar Museum which houses a 2000-year-old fishing boat found buried in mud on the shores of Galilee. The boat provides a good example of how fishing boats looked like during the time of Jesus.Then we will visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, and see the 1st-century synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue discovered on the shores of Galilee with a stone-carved replica of the Temple and Menorah. We will then take a short drive to Capernaum, the biblical village and hometown of Jesus. Capernaum is closely associated with Jesus and His ministry as described in the Synoptic Gospels. There we will see the house of the mother-in-law of Peter and an ancient synagogue that dates back to the
time of Jesus and where much of His teaching took place. St. Peter’s fish At noon, we will drive to Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000. We will then visit the site known as “Peter’s Primacy” where Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time after His Resurrection. Later we will continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. We will enjoy the view of the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ sermon. We will also have time for prayer and reflection (Worship Service) Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 9 - Friday (July 14, 2023): Jordan Valley - Jacobs Well – Shepherds Field - Bethlehem
After breakfast, we will drive through the Jordan valley, on to Nablus, visiting ancient Shechem saddled between Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim, visit the ruins of the city dating back to the time of Jacob and Joshua where we see the high place of the city and the city gates. Nearby we visit Jacobs well where Jesus encountered the Samaritan women. Drive to Bethlehem to visit Shepherd's fields where the angels appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth. After lunch, we will travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the place where Our Lord was born. check–in at our hotel, dinner, and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 10 - Saturday (July 15, 2023): Augusta Victoria Hospital, LWF - Mt. of Olives – Mt. Zion
We will start our day with Augusta Victoria to witness the work of the Lutheran World Federation in health and education. Later we will enjoy the panoramic view from the top of Mount of Olives then we continue to the Church of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster, and down to Dominus Flevit and St. Magdalene Church. Pray at the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Church of All Nations. In the afternoon, we visit. St. Peter in Galicantu where Jesus was denied by St. Peter. Then we will visit the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper and King David’s Tomb. Back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 11 - Sunday (July 16, 2023): St George Monastery” - Baptismal site - Qumran - Dead Sea
This morning we depart Bethlehem, Drive to wadi Qelt we enjoy a view of St George’s Monastery nestled in the wilderness. Carry on along the ancient road reaching Jericho passing along Herod’s Winter palace where the infamous King died in the year 4 BC and probably was the background setting for the parable of the prodigal son. Prior to visiting Jericho, we head to visit Bet Arabah where John baptized Jesus. The site is also known as the “Place of Crossing”. The Israelites. From Bethabara, We will drive to Qumran and visit the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were accidentally found and the buildings that formed the public canter of the Essenes. Then we will proceed to the Dead Sea where we can enjoy a dip in the relaxing and healing waters of the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 12 - Monday (July 17, 2023): Temple Mt – Yad Vashem – Jerusalem
This morning after a buffet breakfast we drive to visit the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple stood until its destruction in 70 A.D, and see the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. We continue to visit the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum (Included), for a needed reminder of what the Jews suffered during WWII. Back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 13 - Tuesday (July 18, 2023): Via Dolorosa – Holy Sepulcher – Pool of Bethesda - Wailing Wall
We will walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher visiting Golgotha and the Empty Tomb. On to visit St Anne’s church and a visit to nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We will visit the Jewish Quarter and go to the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. we visit the Southern Wall Excavation. We will continue to our farewell dinner in a local restaurant + with folklore dancers and Drive to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight back home.

Day 14 - Wednesday (July 19, 2023): Departure TLV - IAH
Depart from the airport for your flight back home to Houston.