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DISCOVER ISRAEL
February 13 - 24, 2012
Tour Hosts: David Clifton & DeWayne Coxon
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TOUR SUMMARY
We will spend quality time traveling in Jerusalem and northern, central, and southern Israel. We will walk where Jesus walked, pray where Jesus prayed, and visit the places where Jesus ministered in Jerusalem and the Galilee and also go to the desert for rest, relaxation, prayer and study. We will experience many aspects of life in Israel, and we can get our hands dirty at Biblical Tamar Park by working in archaeology and restoring the ancient city walls, or planting trees, repairing buildings, or other tasks. We will bless Israel in as many ways as possible and we will also learn more about the great historical significance of Tamar and other sites.
Just imagine how you will view the Bible and the Lord's return after seeing some of the special sites and as you enjoy the other special privileges made available: a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee; an opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River; a communion service at the Garden Tomb and rebuilding an ancient city wall at Tamar.
TOUR HOSTS
Dr. David Clifton is president of the David Clifton Ministries Inc., which is a part of The World for Jesus. The ministry is located in Edgewater, Colorado and is a non-profit organization. The national ministry focuses on "feeding the hungry" and is representative of the words of Christ. The World for Jesus is located in countries throughout the world. Projects include a leprosy feeding program in India, soup kitchens and famine relief in South Africa and Swaziland, orphanage support in Burma and Pakistan, and evangelistic efforts throughout North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Dr. Clifton has a remarkable testimony and ministry and will be sharing with tour participants both on the bus microphone and also in the evenings in the Galilee and Biblical Tamar Park. You will not want to miss his tour.
Dr. DeWayne Coxon is the founder and president of Blossoming Rose. He has visited Israel well over 150 times in the last 40 years. His knowledge of Jewish, Christian and Muslim history gives him a unique perspective on contemporary events taking place in the Middle East. Ministry and worship leaders will assist him in devotions, prayers, and Bible studies during this tour. He is the author of the book, "The Crumbling Walls between Christians and Jews." www.blossomingrose.org
TRIP ITINERARY
 Day 1: Monday - February 13 USA to Israel
We will begin our journey as we board our flight to Israel. (We must be at the airport three hours prior to the flight.) Meals will be served during our flight.
Day 2: Tuesday - February 14 Israel - Jerusalem
We will land at Ben Gurion International Airport where our tour group will be greeted by Jimmy Ahoub, our bus driver. We will head out for Jerusalem where we will have dinner and then spend our first night at the Dan Jerusalem Hotel near the Mount of Olives.
 Day 3: Wednesday - February 15 Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Temple Mount, Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem
The day will begin with a panoramic, breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We will descend to the Garden of Gethsemane and then look across the Kedron Valley to the old city walls of Jerusalem. The Western Wall will be next and then we will go to the Temple Mount, down the Via Dolorosa, through the Old City of Jerusalem, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and to the Jaffa gate. We will walk on to the Cardo, the Upper Room, and to David’s tomb. Lunch will be on your own in the Old City. The most recent excavations in the City of David near the Temple Mount will be of special interest to us. After taking the time to shop in the Old City, we will go to the modern city on Ben Yehuda Street before returning to our hotel for dinner.
 Day 4: Thursday - February 16 Garden Tomb, Qumran, Ein Gedi, and Tamar
We’ll start our day with another great Israeli buffet breakfast and then board our bus and go to the Garden Tomb for communion. This could well be the actual place where the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb and we will celebrate his resurrection together. Driving down to the Dead Sea will remind us of the history dating to the time of Lot, the nephew of Abraham and to the burning of Sodom. We’ll stop at Qumran, the city of the Essenes and the place where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. The will walk up to the waterfalls at Ein Gedi being reminded of the time David hid from King Saul. We will continue our drive alongside the Dead Sea and arrive at Biblical Tamar Park in the late afternoon where we will be welcomed by the Park Manager and the on-site workers.After a wonderful, hot, American meal in the dining commons we can relax in our comfortable beds.
 Day 5: Friday - February 17 Masada, Dead Sea, tel Tamar tour, and Shabbat dinner
After breakfast, we’ll have a time of study (history lesson) accompanied by praise and worship. Then we’ll board our bus and go to Masada, the fortress built by Herod the Great. It is known today as the site where 960 religious Jews died rather than going into captivity under the Romans. When we leave Masada, we will go down to the shores of the Dead Sea at Ein Bokek, where there are luxury hotels and shops, and float in the warm waters. After a quick shower, we’ll go back to Biblical Tamar Park where we will tour this historic city which dates back to at least the time of Abraham. We will learn more about the 25,000 artifacts that have been unearthed at Tamar and about the plan for a museum and welcome center for visitors. The vision for a prayer center for people to come and pray for the “peace of Jerusalem,” will be shared. We’ll end the day with a good Jewish meal of chicken.
 Day 6: Saturday - February 18 Sabbath Rest, Bible Study, and Free Time
After we awaken and feel the stillness of the desert and see the sun rising over the Jordanian mountains and hear the small desert birds as they seek their food, we’ll meet in the dining hall for a cup of American coffee. After some praise and worship, we’ll have a bible study that focuses on the “God of Abraham” and where this man and his family lived. All who are ready, willing, and able can climb Prayer Mountain, to the west of Tamar or spend time in the ancient Turkish/British building on the top of the tel that is now a prayer room. This is truly a home away from home, a rustic center in the desert.
Day 7: Sunday - February 19 Tamar Archaeology and the Desert Experience
After breakfast Sunday morning, we’ll have a Christian praise and worship service, and then we have the option to all work with Dr. Tali Erickson digging in the Roman quarter of tel Tamar. Some may wish to do other tasks and will be free to work on projects according to their gifts and skills. There are several landscaping duties to beautify the Park and there are housekeeping duties, cooking, painting, carpentry work, plumbing jobs and all kinds of tasks that are readily seen by the creative minds of many. For those who choose, there can be times of fellowship, prayer, study, praise and worship. The significance (and needs) of this great historical site can sink right into our bones.
Day 8: Monday - February 20 Archaeology or Eilot, Aquarium, Snorkeling, Taba, Shopping
There have been several requests to go to Eilot and especially to be able to snorkel in the coral reefs and to visit the aquarium. Therefore, we are going to have the bus available for those who want a day in Eilot, either on the public beach, shopping, reading (several book shops) or going to the national park for a snorkeling experience at this beautiful private beach. There will also be the option to go into the Sinai and have lunch at the Taba Hilton. If you do not want to go to Eilot, you are welcome to stay at Tamar for a day of quiet leisure and freedom.
 Day 9: Tuesday - February 21 Beersheva, Caesarea, Mt Carmel and Megiddo, Nazareth, and Tiberius
Our bus and bus driver will be waiting for us after our last breakfast at Tamar. At 8 a.m. we will bid everyone who stays at Tamar goodbye. (They will feel lonesome even before we get gone, hoping that we will return in another year.) The bus will snake its way up out of the Arava and into the Negev and we will be on our way to Caesarea. The city of Caesarea will loom up before us and we’ll go into the amphitheater and walk the length of that great city, departing through the Crusader’s fortress. Then it will be on to Mt. Carmel and the Carmelite Monastery to look at Megiddo, across the valley from where the battle of Armageddon may one day be fought. We will continue on into Nazareth where Jesus lived and stop at the Church of the Annunciation. The sun will be setting as our bus delivers us to the beautiful Leonardo Club Hotel in Tiberius where we will move into our rooms for the next two nights.
 Day 10: Wednesday - February 22 Baptismal, Katzrine, Golan, Lebanon, Syria, Caesarea Phillipi, Mt. of Beatitudes, the Galilee Boat Ride
We’ll meet in the hotel lobby after a huge breakfast, and board our bus for the Jordan River and our baptismal service. After that, we’ll continue on around the Sea and up into the Golan to Katzrine, the Jewish capital, and then on to the borders of Syria and Lebanon where we can pray for God’s safety for this area. Caesarea Philippi will be our next stop and then we’ll return to the areas Jesus loved: the Mount of Beatitudes and Capernaum. As the sun dips lower in the west over the Mountains of the Galilee, we will enjoy our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and then our last free evening in Israel.
 Day 11: Thursday - February 23 Beit Shean, Gilead's Springs, Jericho, Jerusalem, Harrari Harp Shop, Ben Gurion Airport
We’ll board our bus at 8 am make our first stop at Beit Shean, the ancient Roman city and the place where King Saul’s body was hung after his defeat. We will continue on to Gideon’s springs where so many famous battles took place and Gideon drank from its waters. Then it will be on to the walls of Jericho and some lunch. It will then be time to head for Jerusalem for last minute shopping and to choose between the Old City, Ben Yehuda Street or other places of interest in Jerusalem. Our last stop in Israel will be to visit Micha and Shoshanna Harrari in their harp shop. After our fellowship we will leave for the airport in the evening to check through for our overnight flight to the USA.
Day 12: Friday - February 24 Israel to USA
We’ll leave on our midnight flight and arrive back in the USA in the morning where we will check through customs and head home.
TOUR COST
$3,995 - Departure from Denver, Colorado
Single Supplement $595 (if available)
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