holy land

Ecclesia with Breaking Bread Journeys: Arrival Day / Tel Aviv

I’m here with a group from Ecclesia Houston led by Pastor Chris Seay and Breaking Bread Journeys on a not-your-average tour of the holy land. Breaking Bread Journeys is the first joint Palestinian-Israeli tour company; they aim to build bridges by “breaking bread.” As you follow along, I’ll take you with us to many places the average tourists do not visit, such as Nablus in the West Bank. But not to worry, we’ll be visiting some of the usual spots as well. However, thanks to Breaking Bread’s desire to take their groups on a “local’s view” of the holy land, even the most usual spots will be revealed in unique fashion. And of course, as their name implies, much our of touring is woven around the dining table as we taste various cuisines and hear from the locals who prepare the meals.

Today the group arrived a bit tattered from the transatlantic journey, but they were back in full force in no time. Before we officially gathered for our first event, I had the chance to walk down to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and grab a few shots before the weather turned quite stormy.

We started the evening with a cocktail reception at which we heard from the founders of Breaking Bread Journeys, Elisa and Christina.

We then made our way to Cafe Jessica for dinner, the food was delicious and the service was fantastic. Chris shared with the group a little about what to expect in the days ahead.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and Chris presented us with special gifts he encouraged us to wear as a mark of our pilgrimage to the holy land. He explained that it’s a tradition which has been practiced for centuries by pilgrims making their way to this special land.

Ecclesia with Breaking Bread Journeys: Sea of Galilee, Magdala, Mount of Beatitudes

Today presented us with several unforgettable memories around the shores of The Sea of Galilee. We started out with a sunrise boating excursion where our guide showed us how fishing was done in the time of Jesus. Pastor Chris Seay shared with us from the account of John’s Gospel describing the miraculous catch of fish by Jesus’ disciples.

Pastor Chris showed us how to walk on water…

After breakfast we headed to an active archaeological site called Magdala, the site of at least two places in ancient Israel mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and possibly a location mentioned in the Christian New Testament. They have discovered an ancient Jewish Synagogue which would have been active during Jesus’ time.

We then made our way to lunch at the Villa Harte restaurant with its gorgeous overlook of The Sea of Galilee. The restaurant is situated above a small beach that has spring-fed pools at its shore. We enjoyed the very cool spring water in what continues to be record-breaking heat here.

We then enjoyed an extravagant meal at the Auberge Shulamit where we celebrated Pastor Chris’ late grandfather’s birthday. Chris’ grandfather was also a pastor and led 30 groups to the Holy Land during his life. The owner of the restaurant personally greeted us and even helped in serving the meals; the staff were all genuinely friendly people.

Chris holding up a photo of his late grandfather when he was around Chris’ age, in the Holy Land…

The owner of the restaurant heard about Chris’ grandfather and had a small cake brought out in his honor.

Because of the heat, we delayed our visit to the Mount of Beatitudes until after sunset. The official site’s gates were closed. Of course we didn’t let that stop us. After walking a trail with flashlights, we found some stones that seemed arranged just for us, and sat there near the site that is believed to be where Jesus delivered the most famous sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Chris read the entire sermon to us as the breeze of the Galilee came as a gift after a very hot day. The lights of the towns on the other side of the lake flickered beyond, creating a beautiful backdrop for an indelible memory.

Ecclesia with Breaking Bread Journeys: Cana, Mt. Precipice, Tulip Winery

August 3, 2015. Today we visited Cana, where, according to John’s Gospel, Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine for a wedding celebration. Married couples from our group took the opportunity to renew their wedding vows in a very moving ceremony in one of the chapels of the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana.

Later we drove through Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood home, to visit nearby Mount Precipice. For lunch we spent the afternoon hearing the beautiful story of Tulip Winery. The Israeli winery employs special needs adults who make their home in the village of Kfar Tikvah where the winery is located. We met some of these wonderful people whose lives have been transformed through the healing of having a job they love, where they are appreciated and valued.

First, some images from The Franciscan Wedding Church in Cana…

Next we made our way to Nazareth where we visited the peak of Mt. Precipice. It is believed by many to be the site of the Rejection of Jesus described in Luke 4:29-30. The people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah tried to push him from the mountain, but “he passed through the midst of them and went away.” The views were quite stunning. We could see Mt. Tabor (Mount of Transfiguration) in the distance.

By then, after walking in record-breaking heat, we were ready for lunch and a wine tasting at Tulip Winery. We were blessed by our host Lital who you could tell was very passionate about the cause behind Tulip, which employs 35 special needs adults who live in the village where the winery is located, a former kibbutz. The village’s name means “Village of Hope.” We were also able to meet the winery’s founder, Roy Itzchaki.

Finally we wound up back at our hotel in Tiberias on Galilee, where we ventured out for a night stroll in the market. Even at the late hour it was still hot and we were exhausted, and the whole day was a blur…

Ecclesia with Breaking Bread Journeys: Arrival Day, Tel Aviv, Jaffa

August 1, 2015. Today was our arrival day, it was mostly a free day so I took a walk in Jaffa before meeting up with the rest of the group. Then we all met up at the hotel and were introduced to the founders of Breaking Bread Journeys, which is the first joint Israeli-Palestinian tour company. After sunset, we then took a walk to Jaffa Port for dinner.

We started out on the rooftop of our hotel where Pastor Chris Seay welcomed everyone…

We had the afternoon off so I met a local friend and fellow photographer Arnon Orbach who showed me around Jaffa. Here’s a little of what we found…

Next we had our cocktail reception where we met the founders of Breaking Bread Journeys, Lisa and Christina…

We then took a walk to Jaffa Port for dinner, managed to get a few night shots here and there along the way…

Jerusalem Old City: Doors and other Discoveries

I built in two days of recovery after the Ecclesia tour with Breaking Bread Journeys to visit with dear local friends before heading onward to Uganda. I had the chance to wander a bit more in the Old City, and here are some treasures I discovered along the way.

Ecclesia with Breaking Bread Journeys: Jerusalem Old City, Garden of Gethsemane, Holocaust Museum, Bethlehem

Today was my 6th and final day of shooting for Ecclesia Houston on our Holy Land tour with Breaking Bread Journeys. Our day began with a visit to the Church of St. Anne in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and the adjacent ruins of the Pool of Bethesda and an ancient Byzantine Church. We then made our way just east of the Old City to the Garden of Gethsemane and the church beside it, The Church of All Nations. Next we arrived at the Holocaust History Museum for a profoundly moving experience. After that we crossed back into the West Bank for a visit to Bethlehem. There we enjoyed shopping for handcrafted olive wood products made by local Palestinians. Also in Bethlehem we feasted on an unforgettable lunch of local cuisine and then made a quick visit to the Church of the Nativity. Not pictured: we concluded our amazing week with a traditional Shabbat dinner in the home of a local Jewish family who were very gracious hosts. This concludes my blog series for the Ecclesia Holy Land tour. It’s been a very enriching experience for all on the journey. Thanks for following along!