Walking Where Jesus Walked (And Paul, Too!)

I’ve got some super-big, fantabulous news to share. Drum-roll, please….

This fall, I will be going here:

Photo Credit: Geographic Guide

ISRAEL!

I’ll be walking where Jesus walked! SO.COOL. Places like the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Garden of Gethsemane,  Pool of Bethesda, Garden Tomb, etc.

And I’ll also be going here:

Photo Credit: World Guides

GREECE & TURKEY!

Yep, I’ll get to visit Paphos & Cyprus (Paul’s first missionary journey), get to see the historic Acropolis and Mars Hill in Athens (where Paul preached to the skeptical Athenians) and even visit Corinth (yes, THAT Corinth).

We’ll even get to wander into Turkey for a bit to visit the ruins of Ephesus where–you guessed it–Ephesians lived and worshipped. (I’ve been told the ruins are even more spectacular than Athens.)

How excited am I?? BEYOND excited. Chalk it up to what we Evangelicals like to call “a God thing.” Not only is The Husband getting to live out his dream, but our ENTIRE family is getting to go! The Husband will be co-teaching with another pastor or else there’s no way this could have happened (financially or logistically). 

I’m so excited for myself, but for my children to be able to actually SEE the familiar places of scripture, to comprehend how thousands of people could actually hear Jesus preach on a mountainside (it makes a natural amphitheatre), and to better understand the people/cultures of the middle east that are constantly making news these days….PRICELESS.

We are going to get quite the education this fall. Actually, we are going to begin studying this summer. I’ve already checked out mounds of library books, added videos on ancient Greece/Israel to our Netflix queue and we’ve already begun watching the PBS series The Greeks.

Of course, we all know things are unsteady in that part of the world. In fact, we were supposed to visit Egypt on this trip as well, but that got axed as soon as the uprisings began. (I was pretty bummed about it and first, but I’ve made peace. LOL.) So, who knows…a lot could happen between now and then, but for now, I’m giddy with excitement! I can’t wait to share the journey with you (of course, I’m packing my laptop and a camera)!

All you teachers, homeschoolers or history geeks: can you do me a favor? If you know of any great resources that would help us learn more about ancient Greece and Israel (especially written on a 9-12 year old level), would you let me know? Books, online games, web quests, printables, WHATEVER…I’d love to hear about it.