Hi friend!
Am back with the second installment of GSCC’s Israel travel diary series.
Last time I shared highlights from the Holy Land and this time is all about what surprised me while I was over there!
If you’ve been curious about visiting Israel, or even simply love the Lord, I have a feeling you’re really going to enjoy this post.
Let me know what you think & would love for you to share these posts with friends & family that might enjoy them, too <3
xo!
Alexandra
Here’s what surprised me on my trip to the Holy Land:
So much is accessible! With the significance of the sites, I expected much more to be roped off or out of reach. However, that was definitely not the case. It made me think about how accessible Jesus is… that connection truly made me smile.
The bond you feel as people from all around the world walk with you is so special. You are all at home with Jesus in Israel. It gives you a glimpse into what heaven will look like.
About 75% of the people who live in Israel are Jewish. About 22% are Muslim and then about 2% Christian (it’s a small percentage!). I was surprised that such a small amount of Christians resided in the Holy Land. But then also wasn’t, as Jesus encourages us to go to the ends of the Earth to share about Him.
I expected to be completely overcome by the Lord’s presence unlike ever before. And honestly, the experience was so incredibly special but I will say… I’ve felt Jesus’s presence just as strongly right at home… the Holy Spirit is so real.
The Holy Land is Old Testament heavy! I went into the trip thinking the pastor would lead us the entire time. However, we had a Jewish tour guide (who was awesome and I’m definitely happy to share his info if you’d like!) who calls Israel home, and did an amazing job sharing the history of the Holy Land. He was a pivotal part of the trip, but I’m also grateful for my husband’s leadership in reading the word each evening prior to visiting sites to refresh ourselves on the relevance of what we were seeing, in light of Jesus.
As mentioned, I expected to experience Jesus so powerfully while I was there. But what I didn’t expect was to feel the presence of God in such a big way. I was reminded of the Lord’s power and sovereignty. I was feeling so thankful for Jesus but also completely reminded of and in awe of the Lord’s sovereignty.
The construction in Israel totally blew me away.. was in awe of what was created and how it’s withstood the test of time. The perspective was so helpful too. I think about silly things like how fixing my printer or figuring something out on the computer can drive me up the wall (anyone?!), yet architecture was created thousands of years ago & has withstood the test of time.
Israel is the land of milk and honey... but it’s not what you think. When I was over there, I learned that the milk actually comes from not cows, but sheep & goats and the honey is not from bees as one might assume, but pressed dates!
And speaking about dates… they actually grow on beautiful palm trees! Who knew?! (P.S. Grace Space Christian Coaching’s logo is actually a date palm- inspired by my trip to Israel! And more.. You can read all about it on GSCC’s homepage :)
Ok friend, so that’s another Israel post in the books! I hope you learned something new and had fun reading this one :)
And what’s exciting is there is even more to come :) What’s next is sharing about what I wish I knew… the best tips to prepare for a trip to Israel.
Joyfully in Christ,
Alexandra