withPastor Peter Shurley

Life Christian Church Tasmania

HOLY LAND TOUR

18 FEBRUARY – 2 MARCH 2020

the plain where the 800 Australian Light horsemen rode into history with their famous charge. Continue north east through the Valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath, (Time permitting visit the location of the Tel and Caves of Adullam on the southern end of the Ellah Valley) following along the ancient pilgrim’s route to Ein Karem where we stop for afternoon tea break. Ascend the Judean Hills ‘up to Jerusalem’. Overlook from the Haas Promenade for your first breathtaking view of the Holy City. Overnight Jerusalem. (BD)

Day 9: Wednesday 26 FebruaryStand on the Mount of Olives to view the Golden Gate and the Old City of Jerusalem. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus down the Palm Sunday Walk, past Dominus Flevit Church to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations. Enter the Old City through St Stephens Gate, also known as the Lion Gate. We visit the Pool of Bethesda, St Anne’s Church, and Ecce Homo Convent built over the Lithostrotos (Roman Paving) considered to be where Jesus suffered at the hands of the Roman soldiers, and where the trial by Pontius Pilate took place. There is also an ancient cistern and the pavement with the ‘game of the kings’ played by the Roman soldiers, cut into the stone. Meander through the Via Dolorosa on lively bazaar streets, passing the ‘Stations of the Cross’, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Refreshment awaits at the Middle East’s oldest Protestant Church, the Christ Church, where we visit the synagogue orientated Chapel and learn of the history of Christ Church. Free time to lunch and explore the Old City independently. Remember the epic entry of General Allenby’s troops into Jerusalem and his speech from David’s Citadel, surrounded by Australian and New Zealand Soldiers. Visit the Citadel Museum before having dinner in the Armenian Quarter. Tonight, we will be treated to a Sound and Light Spectacular at David’s Citadel. Overnight Jerusalem. (BD)

Day 10: Thursday 27 FebruaryStart the day early with a visit to the Temple Mount (security permitting). Our Jewish Quarter experience will include the Cardo, the original colonnaded Roman Road through the Old City, a visit to the Temple Institute, featuring authentically recreated Temple instruments, and the Wohl Museum, a window into time past. Walk through the Western Wall Tunnel that exposes a further 485 meters of the Wall constructed by Herod in 19 BC and contains one of the largest blocks ever lifted by human ingenuity, without machinery. Explore the Biblical City of David where archeology confirms the Bible exiting via the dry tunnel to other locations of Biblical Archaeological interest: Davidson Centre, Huldah Gates, Southern Steps of the Temple. Overnight Jerusalem. (BD)

Day 11: Friday 28 FebruaryPhoto stop at the Knesset (Israel’s House of Governance) Menorah. Visit Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and Memorial. View the Dead Sea Scrolls housed in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum. The ¼ acre Scale Model of Jerusalem, including the Temple, as it appeared during the time of Jesus provides perspective on the layout of the Old City. Free time before welcoming in the Shabbat at the Kotel, (Western Wall) of the Temple Mount, a place of prayer and the most holy place of worship for the Jewish people. Celebrate a traditional Shabbat dinner in a Jewish home. Overnight Jerusalem. (BD)

Day 12: Saturday 29 FebruaryBethlehem, the city where Jesus and King David were born. Celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the World in the caves of the Shepherd’s Fields. Visit the grotto at the Church of the Nativity where St Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate. Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus at the Garden Tomb. This ancient garden site complete with tomb and water cistern is a special place to recall the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Spend time in these peaceful garden surroundings in prayer, song, fellowship and communion. Free time before checkout at 3pm. Farewell dinner at Notre Dame overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight home. (BD)

Day 13: Sunday 1 MarchIn Flight. Arrival to Bangkok with the opportunity to purchase a 6 hour time frame to rest in the airport transit hotel.

Day 14: Monday 2 MarchArrival to Melbourne with connections available to Devonport or Launceston.

HOLY LAND TOUR PACKAGE PRICEAUD $6154 Per Person Twin Share*

Single Room Supplement Additional AUD$1250 (Payment of single room supplement is required if travelling as a single and there is no available same gender roommate)

*Price is subject to a minimum of 20 full paying adults, currency fluctuation, flight changes or airfare increase - conditions apply.

PRICE INCLUDES:• Return economy airfares from most Mainland

Australian cities/Tel Aviv return• Accommodation 3-4 star hotels with meals

(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner as indicated BLD)• Tipping & Gratuities for arrangements included

in the tour itinerary• Transportation - bus and driver for touring

and group transfers to and from airport• Entrances fees - Historical sites, Museums, Parks etc• Guide - English speaking licensed, Christian/Messianic

where available

PRICE EXCLUDES:• Travel Insurance - Mandatory, if you are not choosing

the option offered by Olive Tree Travel a copy of your policy is required

• Drinks with meals• Individual activities on free days• Individual Airport Transfers apart from the group• Single room supplement ($1250 additional to tour cost)• Wheelchairs• Visas (for Israel, obtained free of charge on arrival for

Australian and New Zealand passport holders)

WHAT TO DO NEXT1. Obtain a booking form from Trish Cortizo

0421638453/1300 550 830 or trish@olivetreetravel.com.au

2. To secure your place a deposit of $400 is required.3. Final balance will be due by 15 December, 2019

Arrival home with a new understanding of the Hebraic roots of the Christian Faith and Israel’s prophetic and

central position in the Modern World.

Featuring: Jerusalem Galilee Bethlehem Nazareth Tel Aviv Jaffa Caesarea Marittima Mt Carmel Caesarea Philippi Samaria Masada Dead Sea Qumran Beer Sheba Ellah Valley Ein Gedi

Tour Focus: An ideal trip for those visiting Israel for the first time to see places of Biblical significance, places where Jesus walked and to appreciate the roots of our Judeo/Christian heritage. A wonderful opportunity to experience the Land and culture and to enrich your faith.

Day 1: Tuesday 18 FebruaryDepart Melbourne to Tel Aviv on Thai Airways and El Al Israel Airlines via Bangkok, Thailand.

Day 2: Wednesday 19 February Early morning arrival to Tel Aviv, Israel. To enable us to best program our body clock to the new time zone we make our way north along the coastal ‘Via Maris’ route, to the Mediterranean Port of Ancient Caesarea, site of Herod’s Palace, home of Cornelius and where Paul was brought to trial. Enjoy brunch in the Port Café before returning to Tel Aviv for check in at our hotel. Overnight Tel Aviv. (BD)

Day 3: Thursday 20 February Stroll through the old-world laneways of Jaffa, home of Simon the Tanner, and where Jonah embarked on his eventful voyage. Travel to Mt Carmel location of Elijah’s challenge and defeat of the Prophets of Baal. The summit a spectacular view over the Jezreel Valley. Pass by Cana, location of Jesus’ miracle of turning the water into wine. Experience life as it was in the time of Jesus at Nazareth Village. Enjoy a traditional Biblical lunch with full explanations. Enter the ancient Synagogue Church of Nazareth said to have been built over the original Synagogue where Jesus recited from the Hebrew scrolls. Revel in the magnificent view from the Mount of the Precipice over Tabor Mount. Catch your first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee from the surrounding hillside, before entering Tiberias and checking in to your hotel. Overnight Tiberias. (BLD)

Day 4: Friday 21 February Morning devotions, a time of reflection and praise as we sail on the Sea of Galilee on board a boat crafted according to ancient design. Disembark at the Nof Ginosar Kibbutz to view the remains of a 2,000-year-old fishing boat. Visit the ruins of Capernaum, the home of Jesus as well as the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John and the tax collector Matthew. Celebrate the miracle of multiplication at Tabgha on the shores of the Sea. Stand on the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Return to Tiberias to lunch at leisure and enjoy free time. Overnight Tiberias. (BD)

Day 5: Saturday 22 FebruaryAt Magdala, home town of Mary Magdalene, view a recently unearthed first century synagogue and the archaeological remains of the 2000-year-old city of Magdala. Drive to the picturesque Upper Galilee to the Aramaic Christian village

of Gush Chalav. As an introduction to the Aramaic Maronite Christian community in Israel, meet with Shadi Khalloul, the president of the Aramaic Christian Association and, the driving force behind the revival of the Aramaic language and recognition of the Aramaic people as a unique cultural group in Israel. Having served in the Israeli Army himself, Shadi also encourages the recruitment of Arab Christians. From a suitable vantage point look across the border of Israel into Lebanon. Explore Caesarea Philippi at the headwaters of the Jordan River and base of Mt Hermon, remembered as the location where Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah. Lunch at ‘Dag ha Dan’ before a hike through the Dan National Park to explore Tel Dan incorporating Abraham’s Gate, and the location of the Northern Tribe of Israel’s alter of idol worship. Overnight Tiberias. (BLD)

Day 6: Sunday 23 FebruaryOur journey takes us south through the Jordan Valley passing Beit Shean before climbing up to Samaria. From the Lookout on the Biblical Mount Gerizim, Mount of Blessings, look across to Mount Ebal, Mount of Cursing. View over Ancient Shechem, modern day Nablas, the Tomb of Joseph and Jacob’s Well, known for the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. (John 4:4-42) Walk through the ancient excavations of the Biblical city Shiloh to visit the exposition “Until Shilo Comes” and where the Children of Israel set up the

Tabernacle which remained in situ for 369 years. Drive down from the Mountains of Samaria to the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea. Optional walk to Ein Gedi Falls. Overnight Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel. (BD)

Day 7: Monday 24 February Free morning to enjoy the gardens of the Ein Gedi Kibbutz, the hotel Salt Sea spa facilities, or venture to the Dead Sea to ‘float’ in the medicinal waters. After lunch visit Qumran, displaying archeological evidence of the Essene Community and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a shepherd. Close by is Bethany on the Jordan, the site where John baptized Jesus. Overnight Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel. (BD)

Day 8: Tuesday 25 February Transported by cable car we ascend to the mighty fortress of Masada, Herod’s winter palace and the site of the last heroic resistance of a small band of Jews, against the Roman occupation. Enjoy the far-reaching views of Jordan, the Rift Valley and the Dead Sea. Walk down the Roman Ramp to meet the tour bus. Visit Beer Sheba, site of Abraham’s well, Park of the Australian Soldier and the British Cemetery where Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers lay at rest together. See Tel es Saba where the NZ Mounted Rifles and some Australians took the high place of Chauvel’s Hill and