Bible Lands Tour Completed
Lewis Mikell
On October 21st, a wonderful group of Christians from six states met at Dulles Airport for the purpose of touring Israel and Egypt. Among the group were three gospel preachers and three elders. We soon passed through security and boarded a Lufthansa German 747 Jet for Frankfurt, Germany. This plane seated 420 people in such comfort; we hardly knew we were flying. After a brief stay in Frankfurt, we flew to Tel Aviv, Israel. This was about a 14-hour flight from the U.S. to Israel.
Israel has made much physical progress in late years. All hotels are new and have the best of food. They now have 4-lane highways but not enough roads for the traffic. Gasoline is $8.00 per gallon. Inflation is double what it is in the U.S. We saw only one fender bender. Many tour groups were there.
While in Israel we had impressive visits to the mount of Olives, where our Lord ascended back to the Father in Heaven, Acts 1:9-11. We strolled the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem. On Mt. Zion, we remembered that many years ago the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit. These men preached Jesus and the terms of salvation. Acts 2:37-41. As a result, “They then that gladly received the Word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” Acts 2:47. We had impressive visits to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ; Bethany, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead; and then to the Hill of Calvary and traditional tomb of Christ. A sign on the door of the tomb read, “He is not here; He is risen.”
We had a very impressive Lord’s Day worship in our hotel overlooking the Dead Sea.
From the Dead Sea, we traveled to Nazareth for a tour of the boyhood town of Jesus, then to Tiberias and a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. What an experience this was, thinking of all the miracles Jesus performed in and around the sea.
Some of our group exclaimed, “Now I will better understand some passages of scripture!”
From Israel, we flew to Cairo, Egypt, for a two-day tour. Our home was the Nile Hilton Hotel and the Nile River was right in front. We remembered baby Moses was hid in the ark on the Nile to escape Pharaoh’s threat, was adopted by the king’s daughter, and cared for by his mother. Moses became one of God’s greatest and humblest servants and was selected by God to lead Israel out of bondage. Later we drove to Old Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt, then to see the great Pyramids, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. A visit to the museum was beyond words to describe - the treasures of King Tut, one of the Pharaohs.
My 14th. tour of the Bible Lands was completed with one of the finest groups I have ever taken. We became one great family.
Profits from the tour were donated to Mid-Western Children’s Home. Brother Dwight Hesson said, “This money supplied a great need in caring for the children.” James 1:27. –P.O. Box 302, Gallipolis, OH 45631.