We began our early morning in Jerusalem. I didn’t expect to see so many road construction crews and traffic jams, but our bus finally made it out of the city and headed to Jordan.

Crossing into the new country at the Allenby Bridge (or King Hussein Bridge if you’re from Jordan) was quite the challenge–we were given two pieces of paper for a visa and entrance permission, underwent a passport check, and passed through several checkpoints with armed security guards. And we also had to change buses because Jordan doesn’t allow Israeli buses in their country. Additionally, a “tour policeman” had to join our group to ensure we didn’t steer off our itinerary. Yikes!

We saw our first glimpse of the Dead Sea from afar, then wound our way up Mt. Nebo to the top–the celebrated spot where Moses first looked into the Promised Land. Four church renovations (actually built on top of each other) are near the summit, and some original mosaics have been discovered under centuries of architecture. I could envision lots of quilt patterns!

After visiting a mosaic school to see handicapped people painstakingly working on placing stone chips into intricate patterns, we ate a late lunch at a nearby restaurant, enjoying more Mediterranean cuisine.

Then we headed to the Moabite region of Jordan, the city of Madaba, where St. George Greek Orthodox Church houses more intricate mosaics and paintings of saints.

Just after sunset we arrived in Petra, checking into the Panorama Hotel, which promises to be quite a view in the morning.

After an almost-eleven-hour flight from JFK, we arrived in Tel Aviv. While the airport itself is quite modern, I was struck with all the security and barbed wire fencing surrounding it. Shalom has not yet come to Israel.

All the luggage for 40 people arrived safely, and although we found each other at baggage claim after going through passport control, I think we all felt like herded sheep as we made our way through the building to our tour bus.

We drove an hour, arriving in Jerusalem at dusk. Along the roadway and at the checkpoint in the West Bank, we saw many small communities along the rocky hillsides, distinguishing the Palestinian settlements from the Jewish ones by the lone minarets arising from the center of towns.

After checking into an eclectic hotel, we enjoyed a buffet meal of Mediterranean delights. The desire for sleep weighs heavily on my eyelids. So from the city on a hill nine hours ahead of my fellow Coloradans, good night!

Why I awakened at the alliterative 4:44 a.m., I’ll never know. Everything had been packed and placed by the front door last night, and I ran through the mental checklist in my mind. I even remembered one of my quilting friend’s words, “Pack a roll of toilet paper and wear Depends!” It made me smile, although I didn’t feel very good. Waking up with a headache and scratchy throat is never fun. But I remembered the pastor/pilgrimage leader’s three rules of travel:

1. God is good and in charge.

2. Everything is subject to change except Rule 1.

3. God can be glorified if we remember Rule 1 when Rule 2 is happening.

The three hours of travel to JFK in New York City passed quickly. I sat next to another lady named Linda, and she was a Jewish woman from Long Island who expressed her jealousy over our group trip. She couldn’t help but notice all the purple and white striped ribbons on 40 passengers’ luggage!

We are now awaiting another flight to TelAviv in several hours, but we don’t mind the six-hour layover. John and I were able to eat a nice dinner at the Paris Cafe in the recently renovated TWA Terminal. If you ever have a layover at JFK, run by the place! It’s next to Terminal 5 and can be reached via the Airtrain. With sixties music playing in the background and red/white decor all over, the nostalgia is palpable. There was even a Lockheed Constellation (“Connie”) plane on the tarmac that housed a bar. Definitely worth a visit!

We’ve been planning to take this trip for months now, and even though we usually like to set up our own arrangements, this particular excursion will be best done with a group. The Middle East can be a scary region to visit right now, and as I write this post on Labor Day exactly 14 days before the planned departure, I’m soberly thinking of the news that Hezbollah fired missiles into northern Israel within the past 24 hours. They were retaliating against Israel for killing two of its commanders in last week’s Israeli air strike into Syria. The confrontation was intense but over within an hour. We continue to pray for peace, and especially now with our journey imminent!

Cherry Creek Presbyterian in Denver has almost 70 people signed up for the pilgrimage, and it will be pastor/leader Brad Strait’s tenth trip to Israel. We have appreciated all the meetings in preparation, and the deep-dives into history lessons have been especially enlightening.

I’ve never “practiced” packing two weeks before heading on an overseas trip. But in this case, I think it may be wise so that I have enough leftover space for purchases. John researched and ordered two duffel bags that each have a hard case on the bottom. They are surprisingly roomy, but I will need to show restraint and edit the luggage. I’m hoping to be as good with editing “stuff” as I usually am with words….