Holy Land Update
June 8, 2011
Written By Jim Goddard- Tour Host on the Holy Land Classic (5/24/11-6/7/11)
Let me briefly introduce myself, I am a United Methodist clergy who has served with Holston annual conference for 37 years. This year I'm retiring, and plan to lead several pilgrimages to the Holy Lands over the next decade.
I want to take just a moment and share with you a bit of our experience in the Holy Lands especially our extension to Egypt and Luxor.
First of all, I took my entire family with me on this pilgrimage. My wife Kim, and daughters Annie and Lindsay were positively impacted in such an amazing way. For them, actually seeing the places of the Old and New Testaments become alive was amazing.
In addition to my family, we had another family that included a mom and dad and their 15-year-old daughter travel with us.
If there had been any reservation on my part related to security in Egypt, I would have never taken my family or the Brummett family with me.
Following the toppling of the Mubarak regime, the people of Egypt realized that there was need to reestablish tourism in their country, in that between 15 and 20% of their economy is generated from tourism. We felt totally secure and our travels throughout Egypt and our extension to Luxor.
We must keep in mind that there are more media reporters in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt, then in any other area of the world. So, if anything happens in a tiny corner of any of these countries it becomes first line news on the newspapers and television reporting in the United States.
Traveling with Educational Opportunities, is by far the most secure way to visit the Holy Lands. Their 37 year track record is outstanding. There is however, no guarantee of total security when you travel anywhere in the United States or around the world, by yourself or with a tour group.
Given all the extenuating circumstances, I would without reservation leave tomorrow on the exact same 15 day pilgrimage.
God bless you as you travel to the Holy Lands, and experience the ”Fifth Gospel”
Pastor Jim Goddard
May 5, 2011
Front Page article from The Alleghany News (Sparta, NC) Click Here
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March 31, 2011
Update from the Holy Land by Ed Crump
I write this from the Holy Land where my wife Sara and I are spending 3 fruitful, inspiring months in our spiritual homeland. I have a love affair with this land (as have many of you); the wonder of it never fades.
One of our great joys is the fellowship we share here with many of you on these spirit-filled journeys. In our meetings there have been a multitude of heartwarming personal witnesses, and much excitement expressed about future EO journeys.
A journey to the Holy Land is filled with an abundance of "serendipities"; perhaps in the spiritual realm the best word is "hallelujahs." Those moments have blessed so many this year.
Here are 2 that stirred me:
Sara and I were invited to go with Johnny and his family to their church in Beit Jala one Sunday, and then to their home for dinner. We hear so much about the dwindling number of Christians in the Holy Land; and this is tragically true. But Johnny's Catholic Church was excitedly alive. There must have been 400 people at worship, about half of them were children and youth; there was an air of spiritual zeal alive throughout the entire worship. When the priest lifted up high before the altar the new born baby, and the singing swelled, it was indeed "a hallelujah moment." The service was in Arabic; I understood only three words "Jerusalem", "Bethlehem", and "Hallelujah"; we could join in singing "Hallelujah". God was present in that hour, and these dear people, who made us so welcome, were vibrantly alive.
The other "hallelujah moment" came when at a site someone was reading from Mark 11; when he read verse 24, a truth I have long believed became alive in a "wow, this is it" way. One of my majors in college was English, I was even a geek who loved grammar. But I never thought that a "verb tense" would become theological for me.
Look at Jesus' words: "I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you HAVE received it, and it WILL BE yours." Notice it doesn't say, "Believe that you will receive."
Now - this is "seed faith", the power of the positive. This is faith and works united in action! That moment I asked myself the question, "How positively do I envision the future? How do I match my visions with my actions?
"....believe that you HAVE RECEIVED and it WILL BE......."
Grace and Peace,
Ed Crump |
March 28, 2011
This weekend saw all of our groups in the country touring as scheduled. On Friday, the first Jerusalem marathon snarled traffic in areas but our adept guides and drivers managed to work their way around this challenge. The weekend is always a busy time for our educational program with lectures in Jerusalem on both Saturday and Sunday evenings at multiple hotels.
Our biggest challenge of the weekend turned out to be one of our guests who fell from a camel that she was riding. The incident excited two other camels ejecting their riders. All three of our guests made it to Hadasah Hospital for examination and treatment. There were no broken bones thankfully. I spoke to the husband (and one of the other injured guests) of the most seriously injured rider who reported that all was well and that they would have some good stories to tell including one about the 45 minute ride through Jerusalem in a speeding ambulance.
Sometimes I get notes questioning what our hospitality staff does. One of their most important duties is to assist our guests who may have fallen or become ill on the course of their journey. While no one goes on our journeys to become ill or injured it is most helpful to have someone there to assist. Our hospitality teams are tremendous caregivers and are there for situations like these.
We have one group photo from the weekend although I expect more today.
Blessings.
James E. Ridgway, Jr.
March 25, 2011 - Jerusalem Update
On March 23 in the late afternoon, a bomb exploded at a busy intersection in West Jerusalem near the International Convention Center and main bus station of Jerusalem. Sadly there was one fatality of a British "tourist" who was living in a nearby suburb and studying at Hebrew University along with a number of injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to these individuals.
None of our pilgrims were near the area at the time of the bombing, and this is not an area visited or passed through during our tours in Jerusalem. All of the sightseeing has continued normally for our groups in the country. It was the first bombing in Jerusalem in a number of years, and there has yet to be a claim of responsibility. Simultaneously there has been a spike of cross border fire from the Gaza Strip. This has been a regular happening in the past years and a protracted conflict occurred during the winter of 2008/2009. Because of the limited nature of the range of these rockets, these events do not endanger our normal touring. In fact even during the conflict a couple of years ago, all of our touring continued normally and without incident. Finally, while there has been noteworthy protests in neighboring countries like Egypt, Israel has not seen any protests in their democracy and in the West Bank where groups visit Jericho and Bethlehem hopefully plans have been made to conduct unified Palestinian elections later this year. In the West Bank, the economy has been strong and life more "normal" than it has been in years.
We remain vigilant even during the perceived peaceful times for the security of all of our guests. Some of these measures include:
We have local offices in Jerusalem to assess the situation on the ground at all times.
Hotels that we use in Israel have guarded entrances with armed guards.
We use East Jerusalem buses to keep a low profile.
All of our guides and drivers have cell phones for instant communication.
Many of our guides have worked for us for 15+ years and all of our guides have been guiding for at least 10+ years.
We have worked with the hotels we use for the vast majority of our groups for 10+ years, and are in constant contact.
We have hospitality teams of Americans living through the end of this month in 3 of our busiest hotels in Tiberias and Jerusalem. Teams have been at these hotels from January through March. They help our guests with questions, medical ailments, directions, etc.
Even with a couple of high profile cases recently, Israel remains one of the safest countries to visit.
As there is a heightened concern, we will continue to update on postings here in this area. I anticipate pictures of our groups in Jerusalem coming later in the week as more make their way from the Galilee south. Also we will be gathering security comments from our nearly 800 guests who will be in the country this week.
March 23, 2011 - Jerusalem
The following email was received from one of our wonderful suppliers in Israel. All our suppliers work on behalf of our passengers to make their pilgrimage the most perfect journey possible:
Dear Friends,
Shalom. I hope that this message finds you well.
I am sure that you have heard about the bomb that went off this afternoon in Jerusalem and I want to take this opportunity to let you know that we and our more than 2000 tourists in the country are all fine.
It is important to understand that this was an isolated incident and not a suicide bomber and was not on the bus itself. Thanks be to G-d, there are few injuries and all are being treated in our local Jerusalem hospitals at this time. Let’s all continue to pray for the wounded.
It is also important to note that we have many tourists in the country at this time. They are traveling freely throughout the country and enjoying their time here. The weather is terrific, the countryside green and there are many wild flowers blooming in the Galilee.
We are of course sorry for any and all incidents of this kind but want to encourage people to put it in the proper perspective. There is no reason for us to fear that this will be a new trend. The Palestinian leadership themselves (other than Hamas) have all declared that they do not want to see an increase in violence. The Palestinian economy is currently doing very well and the leaders as well as the public, do not want to return to the days of conflict.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We look forward to seeing you and those traveling with you back in Israel in the coming weeks and months.
With best regards,
Amir
Sar El Tours
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February 1, 2011 - Lakeland, FL
The Educational Opportunities staff has worked around the clock during the last few days to assure all travelers made it out of Egypt safely. Initial calls made to the state department were futile with the Egyptian Officials stating their first priorities were to get all state officials and diplomats out, followed by persons with disabilities. That did not stop the EO team from seeking other arrangements. Although many Egyptian communication portals were down, EO kept in touch with staff in the area through American phone lines that were still up. Within 48 hours after the riots beginning in Egypt, Educational Opportunities had plans in action to get all passengers in Cairo and the surrounding areas to safer ground. At 1:33 pm on 1/31 word was confirmed that the last plane carrying 4 EO passengers had landed in Rome. EO has set plans for the group to enjoy a tour of ancient Rome on Tuesday along with first class hotel accommodations in Rome before their return flight on Wednesday (barring a setback by the winter storm hitting the U.S.).
January 31, 2011- Passengers in Egypt when the revolution began:
Joyce S. Lucas- Universal City, TX
This was my first time to travel with EO and I was truly impressed with how well we were taken care of. Like many others we were “caught” in Egypt during the first week of protests. Tim Brown did a remarkable job in keeping our emergency contact informed. I, along with my 15-year old granddaughter who was also on this trip, want to thank you for all you did to get us home, the complimentary trip to Athens, the extraordinary guides and drivers, and, of course, Lowell Stime. I truly have no words to express my satisfaction. The trip was a dream come true and a blessing to all of us. I have already recommended EO to several friends and hope to travel again with you in the future.
Sincerely,
Joyce S Lucas
Bob Phelps- Whitefish Montana
Hello, James:
On Friday, February 4, my wife Alita and I returned home to Whitefish, Montana, from an Educational Opportunities "Holy Land Biblical Discovery" tour in Israel, which was followed by an add-on EO "Nile Cruise" in Egypt, and then an unscheduled two-day visit to Rome, Italy. As we want to express our gratitude to EO for safely hosting us on all three of these tours and have learned that you serve in some kind of executive capacity for the EO organization, we gratefully offer you this e-mail to express our gratitude for what turned out to be for us a life-changing experience. Our particular Holy Land tour ran from January 17 through 26, our Nile Cruise from January 26 through February 1, and the surprising gift of an additional tour of Rome, Italy, from February 1 through February 4. Thanks for everything that your EO organization did to make these experiences happen.
Hearing the story of our safe exodus from Egypt, numerous friends have asked if we were ever afraid. Our consistent answer is, "Anxious, yes, but not really afraid. We knew that over long hours all of our EO guides were bending over backwards to take care of us. They kept assuring us that our security was their number one preoccupation. And of course, EO's subsequent gift to us of a couple of days in Rome, when some doors were closed to us for visiting in Egypt, was icing on the cake. To find an EO rep on hand and waiting for us at Rome's airport was truly a sight for sore eyes! Therefore, if there is any way that you are in position to pass along to these guides our thanks for all of their expert kindnesses we would be very grateful. In Israel our guide was a man called Avi Ben Joseph. For the Egyptian bus ride through the Sinai to Cairo and then, the next morning, on to the plane from Cairo to Aswan, it was a man whom we can only remember by his anglicized name of "Harry." Up river from Aswan to Luxor our daily guide was "Nouby." And then back in Cairo in the frantic environment that met us in and around the airport, our guide's name was Yasar. We will count these people as friends for life! Is there any way that you can help us find mailing (or e-mailing) addresses for these four gentlemen?
Mindy Shanks- Bridgewater United Methodist Church, Bridgewater, NJ-
Dear Mr. Ridgeway and Tim Brown,
I believe you are the gentlemen who were in constant touch with our pastor, the Rev. Vicki Brendler, while we were in Egypt starting in January.
I want you to know that I personally was very impressed with the concern you showed for our group and the lengths you went to to get us out of Egypt and then on to two wonderful days of touring in Rome. Our guide in Egypt, Yasser, and his boss Yasser, went to heroic lengths to assure our safety while there also. We were concerned that Yasser was putting us ahead of his own safety and that of his family. I know he was relieved to see us on the Egypt Air flight to Rome on 1/31/11! I hope you can somenow get word to these two gentlemen that we are so very grateful for all their help. I can't imagine that we would ever have secured a flight from the airport were it not for the two of them.
Thank you, thank you, and God bless you all. I will recommend EO to all my friends.
Mindy Shanks
Vicki Brendler- Senior Pastor Bridgewater United Methodist Church, Bridgewater, NJ-
Just wanted to say a heartfelt word of thanks to James Ridgeway and Tim Brown (as well as Yassar 1 & 2) who were WONDERFUL in helping our group find a way out of Cairo in the midst of the frey last week...Also, we really appreciated the time in Rome...it helped us unwind from the events of Cairo and end our largely wonderful journey to the Holy Lands on a positive note rather than a sour one! Again, thank you soooo much for your helpfulness and accessibility! We really felt you cared well for us. Blessings, Vicki
Dr. Lowell Stime- Trinity Lutheran, Sammamish, WA
Dear Tim Brown,
Lowell Stime here. Still tired and fighting a cold, but no worse for the wear!
On behalf of the “Refugees from Egypt”, I want to thank you and EO for all that you did to get us home. I let my sister-in-law Lynette Stime be the phone contact with you because she had a cell phone with and I didn’t. Our guide in Egypt Essam Zeid was most helpful throughout the whole process and having him as our advocate along with EO made it easier for everyone. Even though he wanted to be with his family during the turmoil in his country, he stayed with us until we were through the first checkpoint in the airport Sunday morning. After that he stayed in phone contact with Lynette and continued to support our plight, returning again to the airport on Tuesday to see what he could do. What was most frustrating for everyone was the lack of information that Egypt Air was able to give us. Due to the turmoil outside the airport, their staff was very short handed and very confused as well. It seemed like no one knew what to tell us once we were through security and sitting at the gate waiting for what we felt was a “phantom flight” to nowhere. I’m not sure what flight we finally got on or how we got on it, but we finally did get to Athens. I know that you, and EO, and God were all watching over our group.
We were so happy when we finally arrived in Athens – we knew then that we were in good hands. Your Athens representative was so kind and helpful. We want to thank EO and you for the hotel accommodations and the two tours that we were able to participate in while in Athens. They were received as a gracious gift by the group of 21 and helped us over the bad feelings of the previous two days and night. We were able to have a brief worship service at Corinth where we celebrated Holy Communion in a place where the Apostle Paul visited. That was a wonderful way for us to end our travels together, and again I want to thank you on behalf of the entire group for that gift! This whole experienced helped us to realize the advantage of traveling with an organization such as EO. And if or when I do it again, you can be sure that I will choose JCBS and EO again. You have served us well and we are so grateful.
I need to ask if there is anything else that I need to do as Tour Host and Leader of this trip in light of how it all turned out? If there is please let me know. Otherwise, again, I express our deep appreciation for all you personally did for us during our escape from Egyptian bondage and in bringing us safely back to the arms of our loved ones.
Sincerely,
Lynette Stime
Hi Tim,
I just wanted to echo Lowell's well-stated appreciation of your staff/organization for all the efforts made on our behalf during our recent tour of the Holy Land and Egypt.
We always felt we were in good hands, but hearing from others during our long stretch at the Cairo airport, your company's "stock" skyrocketed! We heard very sad stories from others, about how their tour company had just abandoned them. One (tourist) was reassured at least a week into the Cairo protests that "there was nothing to worry about." (She was on her 4th day in the airport, having had NONE of the trip she paid for.)
So, we are singing God's praises of course, but also E.O.'s, every chance we get. I know we were all humbled by Essam Zeid's faithfulness to us/his employer, etc., when he was emotionally torn out of concern for his young family. We are very grateful and I hope you can convey our gratitude to everyone who helped us.
Blessings,
Lynette
Lynette Stime
6/02/10
Update on the Gaza Situation from EO's President-James E. Ridgway, Jr
We have received a few calls and emails regarding the recent floatilla in Gaza. We will continue to monitor the situation. At this time, "all is calm and tourism is at record levels. Groups are proceeding normally."
1/23/09
Update on the Gaza Situation from EO's President-James E. Ridgway, Jr
To further update all of our passengers and tour hosts: A ceasefire between the state of Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip has gone into effect as of January 17, 2009. As of January 20, Israeli troops have withdrawn from Gaza. Both conditions are pending a mutual agreement on a more permanent ceasefire. As I mentioned in the December 30th update, the hostilities had no impact on our itineraries including visits to Jericho and Bethlehem and sightseeing has continued as normal throughout January, and our passengers have not felt any unusual sense of alarm during their journey. Of course, security in Israel remains constantly elevated, and we remain diligent in our monitoring of the situation in all parts of the Holy Land. To date, we have hosted over 800 pilgrims in the Holy Land in 2009, and have another 300 to arrive next week. Currently we have 8 staff or hospitality workers from the U.S. in Jerusalem or Tiberias to look after our pilgrims. Our founder will be visiting Israel beginning on Sunday.
Is Anyone Traveling to the Holy Land Right Now?
Yes... EO has groups in the Holy Land in January!
As long as groups stay on the Christian Pilgrim Trail,
they are far from any current conflict.
How can we say this?
Tiberias (at Sea of Galilee) is in the north of Israel, far from Gaza.
Jerusalem is far from Gaza and is a sacred site to Muslims.
Bethlehem is just south of Jerusalem and is a Muslim town.
12/30/08
Update on the Gaza Situation from EO's President-James E. Ridgway, Jr
To update all of our passengers and tour hosts on the Gaza situation, on Saturday, Israel began an intense retaliation for mortar and crude rocket attacks launched from the militants in the Gaza Strip into the State of Israel. In fact, militants launching rockets and Israel retaliating via air strikes has been going on for at least 8 years now. Hostilities have been and are confined to the Gaza and a surrounding 20 mile radius. It is tragic that civilians on both sides of the conflict have been harmed and killed and the grievances on both sides are long and complex. We have been and continue to be supportive of any just resolutions to the ongoing conflicts in the region.
While the current hostilities have received extensive press coverage particularly with a new administration coming into office within 3 weeks, the situation in and in the small area around the Gaza Strip is not new. While careful attention must be paid at all times to any security situation affecting Israel, our tours have continued to operate normally even with ongoing hostilities in the Gaza during these many years. This situation differs from the Lebanon War of 2006 in that much more sophisticated rockets were fired from Lebanon into many parts of our touring route by a much more sophisticated military force. This current conflict is much more localized, following a familiar historical pattern, and does not represent challenges to any of our itineraries. Airline carriers continue to service Tel Aviv normally and there has been no change in aviation or hotel policies related to this conflict.
Thus, at the current time we are continuing to operate all of our tours as scheduled. All of the sightseeing has been unaffected including visits to Jericho, Bethlehem, and the Mt. of Olives.
For over 35 years we have had the privilege of hosting over 300,000 pilgrims in the Holy Land, and we have a spotless security record with our passengers. Security in the airport, at the hotels, and around Jerusalem as always remains very tight. Buses and guides are in communication with our local offices at all times. EO ground staff will be present in Jerusalem and Tiberias hotels from January through March. Safety of our passengers and our staff is our first priority. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully and take the appropriate course of action as events warrant.
12/30/08
Official Press Release from the Israel Ministry of Tourism
What’s happening where?
The Israel Defense Forces’ action to put an end to the firing from Gaza is taking place entirely within what is known as the Gaza Strip. This is an area under Palestinian control that is customarily not visited by visitors to Israel.
Yes, but what’s happening in Israel?
Rockets fired from Gaza have landed in several areas of southern Israel – places that are mostly far from tourist routes.
How does all this affect my travel plans?
It doesn’t. Conditions in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Netanya, the Galilee, the Negev, Eilat and the Dead Sea are completely normal. The tens of thousands of tourists who came to Israel for Chanukah and to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem are still here and their travel plans continue unchanged.
Yes, but surely…?
There is no sense or anxiety or crisis – life goes on completely unchanged. Shops, restaurants, beaches, clubs, schools, hotels are open throughout Israel and are operating entirely normally.
Yes, but surely…?
As hard as it may seem to comprehend from thousands of miles away, the current action has no affect on daily life in Israel proper. More than 70 airlines are operating their normal schedules to and from Israel, and today, as every day, close to 20 flights are operating nonstop between the United States and Canada and Israel, and vice versa.
So what do I do?
Absolutely nothing.
Yes…but…
Tourists and tourism are very important to the State of Israel so it would be foolish and reckless of us to endanger you. If we felt there was the slightest risk, or that it was inappropriate for you to come now, we would ask you not to.
If you’re already in Israel you know there’s nothing to be concerned about. And if you’re on your way, “Bon Voyage.” We look forward to greeting you.