Deadline nears for 2012 tour of Holy Land

      “I have been many times and each visit is exceptional,” he said. “I learn something new and gain additional insights every time. There is no way to adequately describe the experience.”

          Jenkins will be joining Bishop Mike Watson and a group from the North Georgia Conference on a 10-day journey to the Holy Land, Feb. 12-21, 2012. 

        “You can read about the places of biblical significance and you can know the stories but there is no substitute to being there,” Jenkins said.

      This 10-day journey will inlcude many of the sacred sites where Jesus walked and ministered. Visitors will go to Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Fish and the Loaves, Caesarea Philippi, and enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. From the Galilee area they will travel to Nazareth, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, and Caesarea by the Sea. The journey will go through Jericho and the site of the temptation of Jesus, and the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem.

     In Jerusalem travelers will see the Pool of Bethesda and the Pool of Siloam, stand on the Mount of Olives, walk the Kidron Valley, pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, walk the Via Dolorosa,  see the house of Caiphas, visit the place of Jesus' trial and Golgotha, the place of the crucifixion. And the group will remember the Resurrection when they visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb.

        They will also visit the Western Wall and the Temple Mount and Bethany, the site of Lazarus' resurrection, and the Dead Sea. 

      In addition to the insight and inspiration he gains on the trip each year, Jenkins enjoys seeing and hearing the reactions of first-time pilgrims.

     “Each year after our trip I hear remarks like, ‘The insights and knowledge I have gained from this experience will change the way I read and study the Scripture’,” Jenkins said.

      One nearly universal reaction: There is no way to describe what it means to be in the places described in the ble and to walk where Jesus walked. 

      Are you interested in making the trip in 2012? A $300 deposit is required to reserve a spot. Final payment is due Dec. 12.

      Round-trip travel from Atlanta is provided through Educational Opportunities, Inc. at an all-inclusive cost of $2,948.  Please contact Beth Barnwell at bbarnwell@ngumc.org or 678-533-1372 for more information or if you would like a copy of the trip brochure.