This summer James' parents took the whole Winder family (John & Arliss, Brandon & Melanie, James & Melissa, Greg & Tiffany, Jordan, and Beaver) on the trip of a lifetime! We spent ten days touring Israel with a group led by Dr. David Galbraith. He was an incredible tour guide, as he was the director of BYU Jerusalem for many years and lived in the country for about 20 years. There were 25 people in the group, and we made up ten of them!
We started the trip in Tel Aviv and headed north through Nazareth and many Old Testament sites before arriving at the Sea of Galilee. We had a very spiritual day filled with discussions of Christ's life as we rode a boat on the Sea of Galilee and walked on the Mount of Beatitudes.
We also spent time on the Syrian border, on the Mount of Transfiguration, in the ruins of a beautiful Roman city called Bet She'an, in the city of Jericho, and at Lazarus' tomb in Bethany before we reached Jerusalem. Our first night in the city was Friday, and sundown of that day starts the Jewish Sabbath. Dr. Galbraith led a small group of us through the Old City and to the Wailing Wall, during which we saw hundreds of Orthodox Jews walking to or from the wall, dressed (as they always are) in black with side curls. It was an incredible cultural experience! 
We went to church at the BYU Jerusalem Center, which has a beautiful campus and a chapel that overlooks all of Jerusalem! Then we spent time in Bethlehem an
d on a field where the shepherds might have been on the night of Christ's birth. The following day was spent on the Temple Mount as we visited the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall.
d on a field where the shepherds might have been on the night of Christ's birth. The following day was spent on the Temple Mount as we visited the Dome of the Rock and the Wailing Wall. We also visited Masada, the top of a plateau in the middle of the desert where Roman soldiers laid seige upon a group of Jewish zealots. We had a refreshing float in the Dead Sea before heading to Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found).
All of us took the opportunity to ride a camel around the parking lot, which was awesome!
Our last day w
as the most incredible as we walked through the Old City of Jerusalem, retracing the last week of Christ's life. We visited the Upper Room, Caiaphas' Palace, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, the Pool of Bethesda, the Antonia Fortress (Pilate's palace), Golgotha, and th
e Garden Tomb. We sang hymns, read the scriptures, took in the wisdom of Dr. Galbraith, and had a very spiritual and uplifting day. It was the perfect way to end our trip!
Our last day w
as the most incredible as we walked through the Old City of Jerusalem, retracing the last week of Christ's life. We visited the Upper Room, Caiaphas' Palace, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, the Pool of Bethesda, the Antonia Fortress (Pilate's palace), Golgotha, and th
e Garden Tomb. We sang hymns, read the scriptures, took in the wisdom of Dr. Galbraith, and had a very spiritual and uplifting day. It was the perfect way to end our trip!
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