Tuesday, March 8: Travel, Introductions, Netanya

Walking in the Light of Jesus

"I am the Light of the World."

John 8:12

After 24 hours of traveling that went very well, we arrived at The King Solomon Hotel in Netanya, Israel just as it became dark. Our rooms overlooked the Mediterranean Sea, giving us the soft sounds of waves that we could not see breaking on the beach with great anticipation of what the view will be at sunrise.

Our Pilgrimage’s Rabbi, Rev. William Vanden Bosch, and his capable assistant, wife Linda (Lyn), convened an introductory meeting. We were introduced to our in-country guide who shared the four elements of his preparation for serving us on this pilgrimage – born an Arab; raised a Palestinian; became an Israeli citizen; and is now, with his family, a Christian.

The team introduced us to what lay ahead for our pilgrimage. Bill stressed three key elements for our journey – first, experiencing the Holy Land as Jesus likely did to aid our understanding; second, translating the Light that Jesus shared into understanding of how God continues to work throughout time; and third, identifying how God expects us to walk in the Light that He gives us from this pilgrimage. On a cautionary note, Bill alerted us to the likelihood that, at times, this journey will become a struggle for each of us as we attempt to better understand God’s calling from this experience for each of us.

– Ken Steensma, for the 2016 Holy Land pilgrims