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This 10-13 day trip (see "residential" add-on below) is the merging of intellectual learning, spiritual formation experiences, and mentoring in pastoring on location as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Israel. Vineyard's female pastors and senior leaders are invited to join Dianne Leman, leader of Vineyard Women with 18+ years as co-lead pastor at the Church of Central Illinois, Urbana, worship leader to recruit, and Kim Frolander, president of Ruth Israel Initiative & administrator of Well-being of Pastors Initiative on our inaugural journey together to the Holy Land. (All this and you'll only miss one Sunday in your city!)
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The Flexible Itinerary PlanMonday, June 20, 2022
Take off from your port city and fly, fly, fly. Perhaps you'll have a fun layover in a European city. Tuesday, June 21, 2022 Arrive in Tel Aviv (TLV) TIME TBD between 11 am and 4 pm. Gather your luggage, exchange some dollars for shekels and meet our guide and bus driver at the Aroma Coffee Shop to the right of the main exit from baggage to the lobby. (not all the way outside.) We will bus into Tel Aviv/Joppa for a short walking tour and see the home of Simon the Tanner and to stretch our legs before driving south to our David Dead Sea Resort Hotel (2 nights). Upon arrival you may choose to take a refreshing and relaxing or go directly to a delicious all-you-can-eat dinner and then soak before bed. Wednesday, June 22, 2022 We start with a bountiful Israeli breakfast with lots of Israeli coffee and fresh juices. To beat the heat we will have an early departure around 8 AM to Masada. Then head over to Ein Gedi, where David hid from King Saul. We will hike up to David's Waterfall and you can take a little dip in the pools along the way if you choose. From here you can see the desert blooming with life, according to the Word of God. Depending on time we will either go back to the resort for an hour or two of downtime, or drive deeper into the Negev Desert to Kfar Hanookdim where we have the option of a 1-hour Abrahamic camel caravan ride in the desert. For our lunch we will enjoy Bedouin hospitality and local cuisine. In the evening, you'll have a moment to see the same sky Abram did when God first made Covenant promises to him, then we will head back to our resort for dinner and a comfortable night sleep. Thursday, June 23, 2022 We will enjoy another bountiful Israeli breakfast and load up the bus to drive north toward the Galilee today. Along the way we will make several stops. Qumron, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 is our first stop. Then we will drive by Jericho on our way to see St. George's Monastery (video) from the top of a mountain. It is the traditional site of both Jesus' temptation and the Psalmist's Valley of the Shadow of Death. Continuing north, we will stop and you can put your feet into Gideon's Spring. Depending on time, we will choose either the ruins of the ancient Decapolis baths city, Bet She'an or perhaps Gan Hashlosha for our last stop. When we arrive in Tiberias, we will check into the Ron Beach Hotel (3 nights) and you can explore the Sea of Galilee area or head right to dinner. Friday, June 24, 2022 After breakfast we will stop at the Jesus-related sites and towns around the Sea of Galilee. Today will include a Jesus Boat ride and worship experience on the water; the time we are assigned for our 1-hour ride will influence the timing of the rest of our stops which include: Mount of Beatitudes, Magdela, St Peter's Primacy (site of restoration), Capernaum, Gamla nature preserve, Ein Gev Kibbutz, Jordan River Baptism (optional $10 for convenient gown and towel rental). Dinner back at our hotel. Saturday (Shabbat) June 25th, 2022 Enjoy a "late" morning departure after breakfast. We will visit Caesarea Philippi ("Who do you say that I am?" site) and have a stair-step hike down to a waterfall at Banias. A Druze snack of a large tortilla filled with fresh cheese cooked in front of you can be purchased on site if you're hungry. We have an option as a group for the afternoon to go on a short easy-paddle rafting trip down the Jordan River. We will finish our day at Mount Bental/Mount Hermon where you can climb into a war bunker overlooking the Syrian boarder (photos) and we'll gather for coffee and intercession in the chalet before we drive back to our hotel for dinner. Sunday, June 26, 2022 This morning we pack our luggage after breakfast and we head west. Our first stop will be at the top of Mount Arbel to wave goodbye to the Sea of Galilee. We continue west to a Monastery on Mount Carmel (Elijah wins over the prophets of Ba'al.) where from the roof, we can see the full Valley of Armageddon. We will stop at Kishor Winery Kibbutz for a wine tasting at a fully inclusive residential kibbutz. Then we make our way into the valley to trek though Tel Megiddo National Park. We will continue on to the massive ancient Port of Caesarea and see the Roman Aqueduct that is still standing. (If you haven't touched the Mediterranean Sea yet, you'll have a minute to put your feet in, though not to swim). We will check into the boutique hotel, West Lagoon Resort, (1 night) right on the Mediterranean Sea in Netanya, one of Israel cute coastal cities and eat there. Monday June 27, 2022 We will leave the Mediterranean Coast and head up to Jerusalem today after breakfast. We will stop for a formational experience in the David and Goliath Field (Valley of Elah) and pick up our own 5 smooth stones if you like. From there, we will leave a lasting impression on the landscape of the Land of Milk and Honey by planting our own tree in the Israel's ground at Neot Kedumim. Then we will stop for a traditional Arab meal (lunch included in price today) at the home of the best pita in the world at Abu Gosh. (seriously, they win awards every year!) Then we will arrive at Yad Vashem, World's premiere Holocaust Memorial and Museum on the outskirts of Jerusalem. After several hours to take it in, we will drive by to give you a view of Bethlehem and perhaps drive by the new US Embassy in Jerusalem to see what all the fuss was about, before we check into our Jerusalem hotel, the lovely Dan Boutique Hotel in West Jerusalem on Hebron Road (3 nights) and enjoy dinner and time to explore on your own if you feel like going out. Tuesday June 28, 2022 Today is all about the Old City of Jerusalem, above it and underground! We start after breakfast by climbing up on the ramparts (walls) and making our way around from Jaffa Gate, over the Zion Gate, to the Dung Gate (yep, that's what it is called!). We will stand and learn on the Southern Steps where Jesus once taught His disciples, then walk over to the prolific, active archeological dig, the City of David (in Jerusalem, not to be confused with Bethlehem, the city of David's family) and change into our water shoes to slosh through the Gihon Spring for a kilometer in Hezekiah's Tunnel (video) to the Pool of Silom. We will visit a replica of the Upper Room and take some time with the Holy Spirit there. Then we move to see and hear the history of the Zion Gate, then enter Caiaphas's house, stepping into the cistern chamber (video) where Jesus is believed to have been held awaiting trial. Then we will head back to the hotel for a scrumptious dinner. Wednesday June 29, 2022 Today after breakfast and yummy coffee we will explore David's Citadel/Tower of David then have a few minutes of shopping time in the Old City Shuk, and grab a light early lunch on your own, before we get a ride to the top of the Mount of Olives, get that iconic Jerusalem photo and some great teaching on the very spot where Jesus ascended and will return! Then we will walk down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations for some silent contemplative time. We will meet our driver again and ride over to experience worship and communion together at the Garden Tomb before stepping into the empty tomb! From there we will get a short ride or walk over to the historic and beautiful American Colony Hotel or King David Hotel for a relaxing and yummy High Tea experience. We will return to the hotel after this and you can explore on your own or take a nap before a later dinner. Thursday June 30, 2022 Today is our final day for the regular tour. So we will need to pack our luggage and load the bus after breakfast. We will take a walk through the Old City and take some time to pray at the Western Wall (a.k.a. Kotel, or the Wailing Wall but please don't call it that, it's derogatory) and then we will go underground again in the Rabbinical Tunnels. Then head over to Saint Anne's Church and perhaps burst into song in the amazing acoustics in the church, we'll also see the ancient Pool of Bethsaida at this place. We will meander back over toward Jaffa Gate for our finale luncheon together at an acquaintance's restaurant, Naro's. We will have a leisurely time of eating, saying good bye and debriefing together. When we are finished, we will have our driver drop off those who are staying for the Residential Experience bonus time at our Air BnB/Vrbo in Jerusalem (we will go out to a grocery store and buy breakfast foods and find a restaurant for dinner on our own). The driver will drive everybody else to the airport to catch their flight home and the tour guide will brief you on what to expect for security. Dinner will be on your own at the airport if you don't want to wait for the dinner included on your flight. (Keep scrolling down if you are participating only in the 10-day tour, there's important info after the Resident Experience bonus) Optional "Residential Experience" BONUS DAYS Friday July 1, 2022 the main group will arrive home in the US. The bonus-stay group will have time to relax, hang out in cafes, do some shopping, walk or take a taxi to revisit a favorite site, catch up on your journaling. Everything begins to close around 3-4 PM for Erev Shabbat (Friday night), and we will gather at one apartment and cook Shabbat dinner together and hang out for the evening. (Restaurants in Jerusalem are closed this night). Saturday July 2, 2022 Jerusalem is closed, so there will be a lot of rest and hang out time. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience of Shabbat in Jerusalem. You can walk in parks, or just do nothing. Once everything opens back up (45+ minutes after sundown) we can go out to a late dinner (like 9:30/10 PM) dinner or go shopping, or just stay in and eat leftovers--just like at home. Sunday July 3, 2022 Today bonus folks will need to straighten up their Air BnB in the morning and we can store our packed luggage. (Book you flight home for around 11 PM-3:30 AM on July 4th). You can explore sites today, or shop, etc. There is an option to attend a Christian Church service at 5PM at King of Kings Assembly. We will have dinner out at a restaurant if you'd like and then return to one Air BnB which we will keep for an extra night to keep our stuff and have a place to wait for our ride to pick up up, and clean up before the flight.) Monday July 4, 2022 This bonus group should arrive home in the afternoon or evening of July 4th (watch out your airplane window once you're over the US for fireworks from above! so amazing). Exciting details for this Women Pastors' TripWe will be gone 10-13 nights in the Land of Israel. There is lots of walking involved in this kind of learning and experiencing tour. We suggest that you start training your body as you train your heart for this trip so you will be able to fully participate in it with your teammates. This trip is personalized for Vineyard women pastors and limited to 20 people. We have specially arranged for Sonia Waters a Cambridge-trained, bi-lingual guide (Spanish & English) who loves prayer and intercession! Our small-team size allows great access (& faster bathroom stops). Beyond the pastor mentoring that Dianne Leman will be doing, each Ruth Israel Initiative Journey of Understanding Trip incorporates spiritual development & formations, prayer activations, spiritual formation exercises, and "Friendship with Jesus" strengthening and deepening at nearly every location stop in the Land. The Lord usually shakes some things up in our hearts in a beautiful way.
Be sure to check out all the ways you can start preparing for this life-changing (not an exaggeration!) trip that will cause the Scripture to go from black and white to Living Color forever as we visit the places where it all took place! B-4 You GO link!
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Most recent update: 2-17-21-new brochure below. hotels added
This exclusive mentoring experience is limited to 20 women at this time, to ensure a best-experience for all. We recommend if you are mentoring another leader or have been mentored by someone, that you invite her to participate with you. However, if you don't have a roommate, we can pair you with someone.
Meet our tri-lingual (Spanish, English & Hebrew guide: Sonia Waters. Check out some of her teaching on her YouTube channel.
Costs & Payment Plan
10 days in Israel $3897 + your flight per person/double occ. Single-room supplement= $990 $500 down payment due with your application
$1000 due Nov 1, 2021 Plan to purchase your flight ticket in December/January and send a copy of your itinerary. Balance ($2397 or 2787 for bonus days) due April 1, 2022 (~ 75 days before trip.) 9 nights of very nicely appointed accommodation, air-conditioned transportation, driver, tour guide, mentor, tour leader, worship leader, 9 breakfasts, 9 dinners, 1 high tea, 2 lunches, 1 wine tasting, A Spiritual Journey Through Israel book with journal space, and Unbroken Cord, a book to study ahead & a chance to share with the group on your favorite site.
Not included, but recommended: Flight, lunches, insurance (medical & trip interruption), tips for your driver and guide ($3-7/day each), bonus-days food & sites, food in transit, and souvenirs. Optional: Jordan River Baptism runs $10-12 USD on site. The Resident Experience
Bonus Add-on Several of us are staying on for some bonus free-time in a Jerusalem Air BnB/Vrbo apartment. We will design groups of 4-6 ladies in each apartment who are interested in time to process or explore on your own. All meals and site entrances will be at your own discretion and expense. June 30-July 3 bonus time= $390 with a minimum of 6 ladies. (Kim will be in staying for questions, helping with plans, show you the grocery store, make sure no one gets lost, and get us back to the airport.) Team meeting on line Monday April 4th to prepare culturally and meet your team. 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 Central/6:30 Mountain/5:30 Pacific (bring your dinner if you need to, and your questions!) DOWNLOAD A BROCHURE TO STUDY AND SHARE
Download PDF application to mail with your down payment
...maybe put a link to survey monkey or a place we can charge for the trip?? 
Wondering what to pack for a summer trip to Israel? Here is a suggested packing list. Two pair of comfortable shoes are the most important!
How can I prepare?
(click thru these B-4 You GO links at your leisure) Entry Requirements Reading Prep Walking Prep Prayer Team Building |
