Traveling Companions

Picnic lunch together each day on our field trips

Kirk and I are blessed to be part of a diverse group of 39 people on our trip.  There are couples, singles and widows - a father with two adult sons, a mother with her daughter, and some family/friend combinations.  There are “twenty somethings” and “seventy somethings” and everything in between.  We have a large group from Canada and individuals scattered across the United States. The people also come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds with even wider life experiences and interests.

Maccalester College, St.Paul, MN and Carthage College, Kenosha, WI began the work at this site

One of our traveling companions is an attorney who spent a month in 2014 working on an archaeological dig in Galilee.  We were fortunate today to be able to slip in and see this site in process where there are three periods of buildings from as early as 300 B.C.
Eating, walking and learning together has created this group of strangers in to a community of special traveling companions.

Insignificant pieces of pottery, collected, recorded and discarded

There are other kinds of traveling companions with me, as well.  It was a lifetime dream of my mother to go to the Holy Land some day.  I brought her Bible instead of my own so that I would be reminded of how fortunate I am to live out a dream that she was never able to achieve.  I also carry with me in my heart many people back home whom I know are going through hard times or facing new challenges.  My thoughts include those kind of traveling companions who are in my prayers even when we are far apart.  With All Saints services coming up this weekend, I have been reflecting on the many people who will be named among that group for the first time this year.  I am sorry to miss those services but will be remembering many precious families.   As we traveled along the borders of Lebanon and Syria today, it was also comforting to know that Kirk and I are held in the prayers of many people at home. My traveling companions are numerous - seen and unseen.

And, I am especially thinking about future traveling companions. I am excited for our first coffee gathering on Monday, November 16th when we can begin to start forming our group of traveling companions and shaping the kind of trip we want to put together.  Israel is a place where you can learn so much.  It is for people interested in history, geography, geology, archaeology, theology, sociology, politics, military, construction, manufacturing, engineering and so much more.  But it is also a place for people who enjoy nature, agriculture, food, shopping, hiking, bird watching, and meeting interesting people. This Holy Land is a place where the Bible comes alive, but more importantly, this is a trip for people who want to come alive to the Bible.

A bowl for collecting water or making food

Headwaters of Jordan River from Mt Hermon

Wouldn't want to be a plumber with those pipes!