Takeoff! The trip begins with a really long flight. Sorry about that.

Welcome to Israel, a complicated and fascinating land. We will land in Tel Aviv and head for Jerusalem, where we will drive up to the Mount of Olives and orient ourselves to this famous city before heading to the hotel and crashing. And boy do we have a great hotel - the stunning Notre Dame, located literally 100-feet from the New Gate of the Old City.

Our first full day on the ground. We will walk through Jerusalem’s Old City streets, visiting the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a paralyzed man, and then making a key pilgrimage stop at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church dates back to the 4th Century and is built over the likely site of Golgotha. Top it off with a time of reflection in the idyllic Garden Tomb and we have quite the opening day.

Sunday in Jerusalem. We start with a time of devotion and worship in the Garden of Gethsemane (it’s one of those “I can’t believe we get to do this” experiences). Then we head up on the Temple Mount. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to enter the Dome of the Rock and possibly even the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is one of the three most holy sites for Islam. Next, we’ll visit the archaeological site up against the Temple Mount complex, where you can literally walk where Jesus walked on 1st Century steps. We end the day with a visit to the Pool of Siloam.

This morning, we head to Yad Vashem, the Israeli holocaust museum and memorial. Any responsible trip to this land must include facing the story of Jewish persecution and attempted annihilation. From there, we visit an outdoor model of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus, before visiting the church built over the likely site of the dungeon that held Jesus before his crucifixion. We end the day with free time to wander the wonders of the Old City streets.

Today we start in Bethany, where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Then we head to the Dead Sea for lunch and sun-soaking on the water. We’ll meet with two extraordinary men in Jericho, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin. Their daughters were murdered in the conflict, and they use this loss as fuel to build a better future. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River—always a highlight of every tour.

Starts on a heavy note and ends on a joyful one. We will tour the embattled city of Hebron in the south of the West Bank, alongside former Israeli soldiers who are breaking the silence about what they were required to do during their service. We’ll see the burial place of Abraham and the patriarchs, visit Hebron’s famous glass factory, and then meet with a fascinating initiative called Roots—Palestinians and Jewish settlers in dialogue with each other. Got tough questions about the conflict? This will be a place to ask them. This day, we move hotels from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.

This day is packed with goodness: first to the Church of the Nativity, which dates back to the 4th Century. Then to the Al Basma Center for the Developmentally Disabled, run by Christian and Muslim women. We’ve taken every group here over the last 10 years, and it’s always a favorite. In the afternoon, you’ll be able to do some shopping at an exceptional store filled with olive wood and mother of pearl, owned by friends of our family. After, you’ll be able to do a walking tour of the Separation Wall and visit the Banksy hotel and museum before a rich cultural experience in the Aida Refugee Camp.

A travel day with lots of great stuff along the way. We will see Jacob’s Well (where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman) in Nablus and listen to the powerful presentation of an American Palestinian. We’ll exit the West Bank and re-enter Israel, visiting two key sites in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, before arriving at our lakeside hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

A light day after a packed itinerary through the West Bank. Enjoy an entire morning of leisure and reflection along the waters of the Sea of Galilee. In the afternoon, we will take a boat across the sea, remembering the ministry of Jesus. We’ll then visit some of those ministry sites, like Gergesa and Magdala before returning to the hotel for a free evening with optional activities like hiking Mount Arbel, taxiing back around the sea, or walking the seashore in Tiberias for the end of Shabbat.

Our final day will begin with what will certainly be one of the highlights of the whole trip: a Sunday communion service on the Mount of Beatitudes. We will then visit Peter’s home at Capernaum before making our drive across Israel, through Haifa, to the First Century port city of Caesarea, where we will watch the Mediterranean sunset from an ancient Roman aqueduct. Dinner of seafood in Old Jaffa before heading to the airport from the long flight home.

Home again, home again. An incredible trip comes to an end, but the resulting transformation is just beginning.