My two cents: Favorite sites from 12 days in the Holy Land

Sierra Baker, Kara McMurray, Andrew Chambers and Carver Blackman stand at the temple steps in Jerusalem. The temple steps, which served as the southern entry to the temple, date back to the first century and are one of the only sites still intact from Christ’s time.

Awesome, amazing, magnificent, surprising, incredible and life-changing are just a few of the words found in my journal from the past two weeks to describe my experiences as I traveled through the Holy Land. Words can hardly be put to the experiences, and they will barely begin to cover the surface of the experiences and all the emotions, feelings and sights that accompany them.

I have returned a new person with countless memories and equipped with new friendships, not to mention many souvenirs and jet lag.

At the airport in Tel Aviv, our tour group of 47 met up with our local tour guide, Sam, and bus driver, Emil. Both are native Israelis, and I think it is safe to say the consensus among the group is that Sam is one of the most knowledgeable people we have ever met and Emil could drive through solid objects without batting an eye. We could not have been in better hands.

The first few days of the trip are honestly a blur for me. One of the things that really impacted the first morning of the trip, though, was when one of our tour guides, Melissa, shared with us an experience she had at the grocery store the morning we departed for the trip. She had told the cashier she would be traveling to Israel that day, and the cashier told her, “Wow, that’s my dream trip.” Melissa encouraged each of us to not take for granted the opportunity we had to make our dream trip a reality.

As a recap for my trip, I could not possibly cover each and every thing we saw, but rather will instead list some of my favorites.

On our first morning in Tiberias a couple of days into the trip, we boarded a boat on the Sea of Galilee and went for a ride.

While on the boat, we discussed the story of Jesus calming the waters and sang “Master, the Tempest is Raging.” We further discussed the time when Jesus walked on water and bade Peter to come to Him.

Our boat captain, Peter, cast a net over the side of the boat so we could catch some fish, and he let me pull up the net on his first try.

Unfortunately, our efforts were fruitless on both tries.

It was an incredible experience to be on the Sea of Galilee and have the stories related to Jesus here come to life before my eyes.

We also learned the dance to “Havanagila” and had a blast on the boat as we danced to it and eventually formed a conga line!

Beit She’an National Park, located in the Northern District of Israel, showed the ruins of the city known as Decapolis in Biblical times and later as Scythopolis.

It was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 A.D., and archaeologists have excavated much of the site.

We saw public bath houses, ruins of ancient toilets, an amphitheater, pillars surrounding the former main street and a model of what the city would have looked like in Christ’s time.

There was also a hill on the site that we were told archaeologists have discovered conceals 18 buried civilizations.

This place, as did others, showed us how big of a role excavations play to learning and unearthing the history of the country.

The land really is full of so many stories, and I can only imagine how many stories must still be buried.

Masada, which is the second most visited tour site in Israel, is another place where a story was buried.

It sits atop a rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea and was one of several sites where Herod the Great built fortresses.

In 73 A.D., Romans sieged Masada, and when it became clear to the people there they were about to be conquered and forced into slavery, their leader convinced them a mass suicide was better than slavery.

They burned much of the area – with the exception of their food supply to symbolize they did not perish from hunger – and killed each other in turn.

In the mass suicide, 960 people were killed, and only two women and three children survived by hiding in a cave.

As solemn as that story is, it was still an incredible place to visit.

The views alone are worth it, but to be able to explore the history of a site that has been largely excavated and even rebuilt in parts was very eye-opening.

Moving into Jerusalem, where we spent the final five days of our trip, my favorite things to see were Caiaphas’ House, underground tours of the Wailing Wall and Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Holocaust Museum, the temple steps, Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb, though this barely scratches the surface of all the things we saw and did in the city.

Caiaphas’ House is the traditional site – meaning this is the place it is largely agreed upon this event occurred – of where Peter thrice denied Christ and where Christ was imprisoned before His trial.

I did not expect to actually like this place, but I was overwhelmed here with gratitude for Christ and all He has done for me.

Something spooky that happened here was hearing a rooster crow nearby, quickly bringing to life the story of Peter denying Christ three times before the rooster crowed.

We saw chambers here similar to what Christ would have been imprisoned in, and as we were down in one of the chambers, all 47 of us sang the first verse to “I Stand All Amazed.” It was a very solemn feeling to stand there and imagine what Christ would have gone through and felt as He was imprisoned for my sins, for the sins of all the world, though He had done no wrong.

Our underground adventures at the Wailing Wall and Hezekiah’s Tunnel were definitely some of our fun highlights.

The Wailing Wall is the western wall to the temple where many Jewish people pray daily for the return of their temple.

Excavations beneath the surface now have unearthed much of the original wall, which must have been massive in Christ’s time.

It was an interesting look at history and a great lesson in the Jewish faith, as our local tour guide told us much of the symbolism of the wall and what the Jewish believe.

The other interesting look into history was nearby at the City of David.

Archaeologists have unearthed what is believed to have been King David’s palace, and a massive underground water system has been discovered there.

The water system is believed to have been a back-up supply used during times of war and one that was a well-kept secret.

We were able to go through the water tunnels, where we stood knee deep in the water.

This was a massive, impressive water system.

It took us about 40 minutes to walk the entire length of the tunnel, and it was well worth it, though my six-foot-four travel buddy, Andrew, may not entirely agree.

The ceilings were low, about five-foot-six in most places, though lower and a little higher in others.

The tunnel is definitely better suited for those on the shorter side.

The Holocaust Museum is something I now consider to be a must see, though it was not something I even initially wanted to visit.

Everything from the architecture to the layout and the exhibits is symbolic.

The final room in the museum acts as a mass grave for the victims of the Holocaust.

A giant cone at the ceiling has images of many of the victims, and binders lining the circular wall are full of stories of the people of the Holocaust.

Below the cone, a large pit sits symbolic of the tombs of the victims.

Outside the museum, a special building has been erected memorializing the children killed during the Holocaust.

Five candles burn in the building, and those five candles, with the aid of mirrors strategically placed all around the building, give the illusion of walking through thousands and thousands of stars.

Our museum tour guide said each star in the building represents a child victim of the Holocaust and the lives that could not be as a result of these children not being able to create multi-generational families.

At the beginning of our tour, the guide told us that there is an actual copy of Schindler’s List in the museum, which we later saw, and she said just a few weeks ago when she gave a tour, one of the tour members stepped forward and said, “I am number 123 on Schindler’s List.” When she later checked this, she discovered it was true.

The man told her the Jewish people do not seek to get physical revenge for what was done to them, but he instead pointed to his revenge: his family.

Being able to build multi-generational families back up, for the Jewish, is the greatest revenge for the Holocaust.

My final favorites in Jerusalem were the temple steps, Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb.

The temple steps sit at the southern entrance to the former temple site, and the former gates are now sealed.

What is unique about these steps is they are one of the only remaining original items from the first century, meaning it is one of the only places in all of Israel where it can be 100 percent certain Christ stood and walked.

I expected this site to be cool, but I did not expect to become emotional here.

I was caught off guard by the way I felt here, and I could have spent hours there.

Unfortunately, we only had about half an hour before moving to the next site, but if I ever find myself back in Jerusalem, this will be one of my first stops because of the peaceful feelings of love that encompassed me.

On the final day, we made our way to the Garden of Gethsemane, where we were allotted an hour in a private area.

For one of the first times on the tour, it was just our group in an area.

I think that made it extra special.

The group of eight younger people on the trip, myself included, sang a children’s song titled “Gethsemane”, and as a large group we all sang, “I Know My Redeemer Lives.” After some discussion at the site, we were given time to ourselves in the garden to ponder, pray and explore.

For me, this was a very special time.

I could not help but be overwhelmed with intense gratitude for Christ as I sat in the place where he begged the Father for the bitter cup to pass and where He began to feel all the pains and sins and sicknesses for every person who ever lived and who ever will live.

My friend Andrew made note cards for several of his friends, listing their names on the card, and took a picture of each individual name in Gethsemane.

He later sent a message to each of those people, stating, “your name was in Gethsemane today.” Many people were touched by this gesture, and as he wrote out the cards the previous day, I heard him mutter with every name, “How did He do it all? How did He do it for all of these people?” Those people who Andrew wrote cards for barely represent a percentage of the people Christ suffered for, and in Gethsemane I had trouble comprehending how He was able to do what He did for every single person ever.

“Intense gratitude” barely even scratches the surface of how I really felt there.

The final stop was the Garden Tomb.

Different groups differ as to the location of Christ’s actual tomb, some believing His tomb is at the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, others believing it is at the Garden Tomb location.

From what I learned at both places, I am more inclined to believe His tomb is the Garden Tomb, but I will not discount what anyone else thinks.

This site, though, was very special.

We spent more than three hours here, and I am thankful for every minute of it.

It was the perfect way to end our tour, as the tomb stands as a testimony to Christ’s resurrection and our own hope for the resurrection and eternal life.

Each of the tour members also had a chance to bear their testimonies of Christ as we sat in the gardens here, and we also sang the first verse to “I Stand All Amazed” – the perfect end to our 12 days walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

Before the trip started, each of the tour members were told, “you get what you pray for on this trip.” As I look back at the journal entry I wrote on the airplane ride to Israel, I can see how I gained what I prayed for, the list including things such as a deeper relationship with God and Jesus Christ, an increased understanding and awareness of Christ’s Atonement and the scriptures, a deeper sense of who I am and who God wants me to become, eternal friendships and a continuous conversion.

I will be forever grateful for this experience, and I will be forever changed by it. If there is any desire to visit the Holy Land, I highly recommend it, especially by joining a tour group. The trip was worth every penny and then some.

Shalom!