We headed south from Jerusalem on the hilly road to Bethlehem, stopping near the point where it is believed Jacob buried Rachel. Right on cue a small herd of sheep ascended a nearby hill, reminding us of the Bible’s only shepherdess, a woman whose name means “ewe”: Rachel.
Standing in what shade we could find, I taught from various passages—Genesis 29:16-20; 30:1; 30:22-24; 35:16-20—recreating the story of the young matriarch who demanded of her husband, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” Both requests were answered in the years that followed, resulting in the births of Joseph and Benjamin, before Rachel’s untimely death by that very roadside.
Time for a happier story! We moved to a spot overlooking Bethlehem, where I had the blessing of teaching Ruth 2:1-12, which describes her meeting Boaz while gleaning in his barley field. As we listened and learned, we gazed upon those same fields and, in the distance, the mountains of Moab, Ruth’s homeland.
First, Hedva provided some of the historical and geological context for us. Once again, we had the perfect spot for teaching, for listening, for sightseeing in our ever-amazing Israel!
And check out these wild, windswept trees that stretched across the hilltop. My camera wasn’t crooked…the trees were!
Some of our group went on to Bethlehem for a brief tour, while the rest took camel rides. No photo exists of me riding a camel because, beloved, there is no way I was going to let the owner break his back trying to hoist me onto that poor camel! But I was happy to serve as our official photographer. Wave to Jerusalem, sis!
Back to the Old City Market we went for a final round of shopping. I chose a pair of silver candlesticks, a hand-painted tambourine, a wooden mezuzah, a silver pendant, and ten scarves to share with Facebook followers. When darkness fell, we made our way through the Armenian Quarter for our farewell dinner at Boulghourji, another fabulous Mediterranean restaurant, before heading to the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for our overnight flights home.
In a lifetime of traveling, this was truly the most amazing journey I’ve ever taken. Now I’m on a mission to tell every believer, “Go, go, GO to Israel!” Why not begin with a visit to GoIsrael.com? In the meantime, we’ve loved having you “travel” with us on our Women of the Bible Tour of the Holy Land!
