Hallelujah.
I finally had some time to slump into my comfy bed with a laptop on my lap to write one of the most memorable trips of my life. My recent trip to Israel was indeed life-changing. This journey to the Middle East is unlike any of my other overseas trips. My sole purpose for this trip is to see God and his precious son, Jesus. It was my heart’s desire to visit Israel, and I know that 2018 would be a perfect opportunity for me to embark on this Christian Pilgrimage. This year also happens to be Israel’s 70th birthday. The timing seems perfect, and indeed, it has to be one of the most memorable trips of my life.
I hope to share with you my whole journey to Israel. And here’s the full itinerary provided by Omega Tours. I signed up for their Hope and Grace Tour with TBN where Pastor Joseph Prince and Pastor Joel Osteen would be preaching live. Pastor Prince is our senior pastor at New Creation Church, and it was awesome seeing him preaching live in Israel. Check out which are at the sites and attractions which we’ve visited during our stay in Israel!
Day 1: Singapore to Tel Aviv
(Read about my Thai Airways flight experience here.)
|
We flew via Thai Airways and El Al Israel Airlines. We had a 6-hour transit at Bangkok where we also did the security checks conducted by the Israel custom officers. The long-haul flight from Bangkok to Tel Aviv took us about 11 hours. It was an overnight flight, and as you would have guessed, it wasn’t comfortable sleeping on economy class seats. But we pulled through anyway. At least, the flight from Singapore to Bangkok via Thai Airways was pretty impressive.
Day 2: Jerusalem
(Read the full post here.)
There were 46 of us in a bus. I overheard that there were about 20 over buses of our own church members! It was a big group, and we sat in large tour buses. The tour agency in Israel that took us around is Sar-El tours.
For the next seven days of the trip, we stayed at Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem. It was a decent hotel with nice and clean rooms. We have no qualms about our accommodation. On our first day in Jerusalem, we started exploring biblical sights like Tel Beth Shemesh and Valley of Elah.
- Tel Beth Shemesh
- Valley of Elah
- Road to Emmaus
- Yad Hashmona Biblical Garden
- Catholic Church
Read about my journey for Day 2 right here.
Day 3: Jerusalem
(Read the full post here.)
We started to explore the heart of Jerusalem on our third day of the trip. Things were definitely getting a little more interesting as we took a long walk through the city to soak into the sights and sound of the living quarters. One attraction you can’t miss is the Temple Mount which is one of the most controversial and hotly contested sites in the world. It is also a sacred religious grounds for the Jews, Muslims and Christians.
- Temple Mount
- Dome of the tablets
- Southern Steps
- Western Wall
- Jewish Quarter
- Hezekiah’s Broad Wall
- Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum
- The Garden Tomb
Read about my Day 3 journey right here.
Day 4: Jerusalem
(Read the full post here.)
The Bible comes alive as you walked the footsteps which Jesus took about two thousand years ago. Jerusalem might have changed since then, but some of the oldest relics are still there. Other Christian pilgrims were visiting Israel to discover Jesus as well. I was also super intrigued by the Middle Eastern culture as I walked through the narrow paths of the Arab Quarters. A few shops were selling beautiful handcrafted ceramics.
- Mount of Olives
- Dominus Flevit
- Garden of Gethsemane
- Church of all Nations
- Pool of Bethesda
- Via Dolorosa
Day 5: Jerusalem
(Read the full post here.)
Since we were attending a live service that day in the late evening, we only managed to visit a couple of sites during the day as we need to reach the service venue earlier to settle down. The Holyland Model gives you a good overview of how the city of Jerusalem looks like from a bird’s eye view. It is a perfect place to visit right after you’ve covered all the sights and attractions within Jerusalem.
- Holyland Model
- Israel Museum
- Live Service at Southern Steps
Day 6: Dead Sea
(Read the full post here.)
The day out at the Dead Sea was super fun as we did a short hike at Ein Gedi and dipped ourselves in the Dead Dea waters with Dead Sea mud smeared across our faces. It’s one of those places which I would love to visit again. Not forgetting the sandstorm which we experienced at Wadi Qelt where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights out in the wilderness under the temptation of the devil.
- Bethabara
- Ein Gedi
- Qumran
- Dead Sea
- Wadi Qelt
(Read the full post here.)
Tiberias is another scenic spot which has a different terrain from the Dead Sea. The boat ride at the Sea of Galilee was yet another highlight for me as sang and worship the Lord on the boat. Not to mention that our church leaders also tested the natural acoustics at Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached to the masses using His still voice purely. During the life service, we even managed to get good front seats too!
- Sea of Galilee
- Capernaum
- Mount of Beatitudes
- Live Service
Day 8: Jerusalem
(Read the full post here.)
Day 8 was surprisingly not too pack as it was Saturday where the Jews celebrate Shabbat. It is a day of rest for them. Shabbat starts from Friday evening to Saturday night. Thus it was a quiet day, and we only covered a few places. It was one of those days where we could also rest after travelling intensively for the past seven days.
- Upper Room
- Church of St.Peter in Gallicantu
- Bethlehem
Day 9: Caesarea
(Read the full post here.)
This marks our second last day in Israel before flying back to Singapore the next day. I guessed that many of us have enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the time of fellowship together with the Lord. The live praise and worship ended on a high note as we continued singing praises to the Lord till the sky darkens. It was dreadful standing in the cold, but we had God to warm up our hearts.
- Tel Megiddo
- Caesarea Maritima
- Live Praise and Worship
Day 10: Tel Aviv
(Read the full post here.)
On our last day, we had some free time to purchase some souvenirs back home and take photographs of the beautiful city in Tel Aviv. We had our last good meal together before taking the flight back to Singapore! We exchanged goodbyes with our awesome tour guide and a bus driver who really took care of us during our nine days in Israel.
- Mount Scopus
- Joppa
- Tel Aviv
Day 11: Tel Aviv to Singapore
That’s a total of 11 days and it was well-spent. And there’s 46 of us we experienced God together as Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
Stay tuned for the upcoming post with more details of this Israel trip!
Hi Deenise,
Praise the Lord! Thank you sharing your trip. I am planning to go once it is available.
May I know how much the package cost per person?
I know the price will change (most likely more expensive) but it will be a good gauge to help me plan my budget.
Thank you once again and God bless.
John
Hi John! Thank you for dropping by. I could not really remember the cost of it. Maybe it is about USD 5000 for a trip itself? That’s because it is a special TBN trip.