EXPERIENCING THE HOLY LANDS OF ISRAEL, PALESTINE, AND JORDAN
Sunrise over Jerusalem as seen from Bethlehem Traveling to the “Holy Land” was not high on my list of potential destinations. Jordan, and a visit to Petra, was, but I wasn’t so enthused about visiting Israel and its holy sites. I definitely wasn’t interested in going there with a large religious group. Even though I am a Christian, too much overt religiosity is not my style. I am more of an intellectual than emotional Christian focused on faith-in-action. But I jumped at the opportunity to go on this trip for three reasons: first, it was to be led by my friend, Deborah Hutterer, the ELCA Lutheran Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod (Arizona and southern Nevada); second, it promised visits with Palestinians and an exploration of issues related to Palestinian/Israeli relations; and, third, there was an optional post-tour extension to Jordan and Petra. As a bonus, the price was reasonable. Prior to leaving on this trip, we had several Zoom meetings ...