February is missions month at our church. Every year our pastoral team chooses a focus country and a project in that country for special attention and fund-raising. The decision of which country and project to sponsor is made many months in advance of the upcoming February. Thus the decision to choose ISRAEL as the February… Continue reading February’s focus on ISRAEL
North Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewn, Canada (Photo © 2022 by V. Nesdoly) It's almost Canada Day and today, when some Canadian rivers are in the news due to the danger of flooding, I share a poem celebrating these beautiful waterways of Canada. CANADIAN RIVERS Headwaters drip from snowy melt of mountain glaciersgurgle down glistening rock faces… Continue reading Canadian Rivers
Jerusalem Encounter On Wednesday and Thursday, June 19 & 20, we took in the morning and evening sessions of the Jerusalem Encounter Conference. Having seen the Israel of the past, this conference was our window into the Israel of the present. It featured worship by Aaron Shust and Miqedem band, presentations from members of the… Continue reading Israel Trip – Days 10-12 (Jerusalem Encounter & Home)
Day 9 on our itinerary was a “Free Day” with no scheduled tours. Our tour guide had the day off and offered anyone interested a several-hour walking tour to places in Jerusalem we had not yet visited. Hubby and I jumped at this opportunity. Our guide took us first to view some tombs from the… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 9 (Jerusalem on foot)
Monday, June 17th was our eighth and last official tour day. We headed out of Jerusalem by bus early for Masada, Qumran, and the Dead Sea. Our drive to Masada took us past miles of date palm groves. Soon we caught sight of the Dead Sea, gleaming oily blue in the distance. Masada At Masada… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 8 (Masada, Qumran, Dead Sea)
Our day of exploring the King David’s City part of Jerusalem (Sunday, June 16) began at a beautiful brass harp sculpture. Our guide explained the layout of the land, the need for a water source, and the importance of Gihon Spring. He told of how at least two tunnels have been dug to bring water… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 7 (Jerusalem and Bethlehem)
We started Day 6 (Saturday, June 15th) of our “pilgrimage” at the top of the Mount of Olives From this vantage point we got a panoramic view of the Kidron Valley, with its generations of tombs directly in front of us with, above that the Dome of the Rock and the city. From here I… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 6 (The Jerusalem of Jesus’ passion)
We began Day 5 (Friday, June 14, three weeks ago today) boarding our bus with all our luggage for a day of sightseeing and a move to Jerusalem. Yardenit Our first stop, a very short one, was at Yardenit, a baptismal site on the Jordan River. No one from our group had requested to be… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 5 (Galilee, Jordan Valley, Jerusalem)
We left Banias, with the road taking us farther up into the Golan Heights. From the bus window I captured these Golan Heights vistas with terraced olive orchards and other gardens—quite beautiful. Vistas of terraced hillsides in the Golan Heights (Photos © 2019 by V.Nesdoly) We stopped for a late lunch at Alsultan Restaurant where… Continue reading Israel Trip – Day 4 (Golan Heights)
Capernaum Capernaum (“Capharnaum, The Town of Jesus”) was our next stop. It was to Capernaum Jesus went after his native Nazareth rejected Him (Matthew 4:13). Capernaum was the centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the site of many of His miracles. Again, there were many ruins. Remains of Peter’s house, where his mother-in-law was healed… Continue reading Israel Trip -Day 4 (Capernaum, Caesarea Philippi)
Violet Nesdoly 