For the next couple weeks we will be pilgrims through Israel and Palestine on a Footsteps of Jesus tour with our dear friends and mentors, Bob and Pam Rognlien. After years of saying, “Next year in Jerusalem,” we are finally here with our daughters!

Israel is amazing! A tiny sliver of land with limited natural resources. It is historically where the trade routes from Africa, Asia and Europe crossed, so empire after empire has competed for control of the land. Further, Jerusalem itself is a holy city for three of the world’s largest religions: Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam. Being so tiny, it is almost ridiculous for it to be so vital in world history, but this region was and is pivotal.

The land and cities are layers of civilizations. The rocks are ancient and tell stories. Those stories sound different depending on the one who tells the story and the ears that hear it.

We will have oh so many stories to learn and share (wifi permitting), but we’ll start with some pictures from our first days in Jerusalem.