by Esther Price
In April this year, a group of 13 people travelled to Israel as part of the Water From the Rock Pilgrims Tour. Water From the Rock – our partner organisation – is run by our founder & patron Femi Oni. Due to Covid and our inability to travel abroad, several of the BTBAB team found that they were available to come on the trip, so it was really special to take some time out and actually have a holiday rather than just working when abroad!
Some of the highlights of our trip include three days in Jerusalem seeing the Mount of Olives; the Western Wall; the Via Dolorosa – the path that Jesus took when carrying the cross to the crucifixion; Yad Vashem – the Holocaust Museum; and my favourite, Hezekiah’s Tunnel a tunnel 530 metres long built under the city in the time of Hezekiah 2,700 years ago.
Following this, we travelled up to Nazareth and saw several biblical sights including the Lake of Galilee where we went on a boat trip. We also took a day trip to Haifa a seaport in the north of the country, before travelling down the east side of the country towards the Dead Sea. We had a special time seeing people baptised in the River of Jordan, before heading to the Dead Sea and visiting Masada the ancient Roman fortress and Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
The Pilgrims Tour was a wonderful experience, everything was arranged for us including our flights, hotels, transport, meals, and schedule along with an enthusiastic Christian tour guide. And unlike many firms that provide tours in the Holy Land, this trip was considerably cheaper due to the many contacts Femi & Maria have from their time living in Israel. There were many of us from different walks of life and it was truly a magnificent once-in-a-lifetime experience for us all. If you want to find out more details about the next trip, please email pilgrims@wftherock.org
