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Letter
to the Maranatha co-hosted group, March 10 - 16, 2004
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April
2004
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Shalom! What
a diverse group we were: aged 25 all the way to 78(!), hailing from
Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,
Texas and Washington State. And |
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And
we came from all walks of life. We were law enforcement officers,
high tech project directors, four pastors, a truck driver (that's
Helen!), a structural engineer, two nurses, an aide to the mentally
challenged, a prison minister, a retired radio broadcaster, a travel
agent, and |
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For
five glorious days we walked in the footsteps of Jesus, sang songs of
praise throughout the land - and on the Sea of Galilee, and let the
spirit of the holy sites sink into our souls.
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Let's
remember some of the highlights.
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| After an early wakeup - now who ordered that five o'clock wakeup??? - we headed up the coast through Joppa, following the route of Peter to Caesarea. Here we are, some of us, next to the big foot outside the theater of Caesarea where Paul appeared before King Agrippa. Bill Kolb with his deep resonant radio voice quoted King Agrippa, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian," and Pastor Dee Schlecht read a portion of Paul's speech. | ||||||
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| After visiting Mount Carmel and Megiddo (Armageddon), we gathered at "Mary's Well" in Nazareth. Jermaine Francis led us in "Amazing Grace" and Jan Kolb in "Mary's Song." | ||||||
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| The following morning we awoke to a pastoral view of Galilee. Shane Cioffi and David Hustid sat by the water's edge to reflect on God's creation, with Dave reading Psalm 23. | ||||||
| Dee, after a dawn swim in the Sea of Galilee, poses with Barbara. | ||||||
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Another highlight was surely the Sea of Galilee boat ride. Reverend Min Kwon Ok was thinking about "fishers of men." He's one himself! As the group sang, "All Hail King Jesus," Paula Litton was stirred by the thought of the winds coming up. |
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And let's not forget the St Peter's fish. Jeff Robinson loved the fish, but was disappointed that he wasn't as lucky as Peter, who found a shekel in the fish's mouth. |
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| Pastor Dee is about to be baptized by pastors Randy and Jerry. In the foreground the group is singing, "I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, No turning back. Though none go with me. Yet I will follow." | ||||||
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There
were so many precious moments in Jerusalem: at the Upper Room, the Garden
of Gethsemane, the Stations of the Cross, the Pool of Bethesda, and
of course, the Garden Tomb. Here we are on Palm Sunday Road singing
"This is the Day."
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| Here's me and Randy in front of the Eastern Gate. It's the closest to the gate I've ever been photographed. I always peek, to check if the gate's beginning to open, just a bit, for that will proclaim the "great day" prophesized by Zechariah.` | ||||||
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| Here's
our Dead Sea float and mud fun. Judy Ok has been looking forward to this
since day one! |
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| I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming to the Holy Land at this time and contributing your fellowship, friendship and insights. I hope this pilgrimage has given you a lifetime of memories and spiritual energy. | ||||||
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Your friend in Jerusalem, |
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| Gila
Yudkin |
itsgila@yahoo.com | |||||
| To the Maranatha Co-host Photo Gallery |  |
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