Well we're back on Canadian soil. That past two days have been absolutely bittersweet. All of us were excited to get back home and see our loved ones and stop living out of a suitcase, and yet none of us wanted to leave.
Day 10 was our day of travelling. We woke up at 12:30am, and were on the bus and on the way to the airport by 1:30am. Our flight was at 5:30am and we got to Frankfurt, Germany a few hours later. We had a 7 hour stopover in Frankfurt, so Christian Journeys organized a bus tour of Frankfurt. Most people went on that, a couple stayed back, and I think it's safe to say that by the time we were boarding our second plane to get back to Canada, all of us were excited to touch down on home soil - not because of anything bad, but because we were all very tired, cold, and cramped from all the travelling.
After an 8 hour flight, we touched down in Toronto around 7:45pm, and from the time we left our hotel to the time we reached Toronto, we had been travelling for over 24 hours...and some still had a bit of a ways to go to get home (I feel for you!).
I have only one regret this entire trip, although there was not much I could do about it. We arrived at the airport last night, got our luggage, went through customs, etc, etc... I had a big problem though. My foot had been sore from all the walking the past few days. I really got painful from walking around the Frankfurt airport, and on the 8 hour flight back to Canada, it swelled massively. It was so large and so painful that my wife had to push me around the Toronto airport in a wheelchair. When we got through to the front gate to meet up with our ride, I was in so much pain that it was all I could really think about. I also knew that our ride was circling the airport with our 11 month old son in the car (and it was WAY past his bedtime), so I only said goodbye to a few people before leaving. At the time there was nothing I could do, the pain was overwhelming and I (stubbornly) didn't want our last memories to be me of me in a wheelchair. Now though, I feel the bitter part of the bittersweet - I am so sad that I did not get a chance to say goodbye properly, and waking up this morning, my thoughts immediately go to Israel, our tour guide Raffi, and the group that I just spent 10 days with. That being said, here's my foot this morning. This picture is after the swelling went down quite a bit from last night...I'm still hobbling but at least it's better.
So now here I am on day 11, back in Canada, sitting in my parent's living room at 7am (I've been up since 4:45, but actually got out of bed at 6am...jet lag!). I'm conflicted, not knowing what to do or feel this morning. I am so thankful and thrilled for our trip, and for the incredible friendships that were formed (which I hope will last well beyond the trip!) and I'm thrilled to see my son again. But I'm heartbroken for what I described above, and for the trip being over in general. It's like when you come back from camp, or from a vacation with friends and family, or when summer vacation is over and you had an awesome one...all you want to do is go back, and you don't want to face getting back to reality. That's my conflict this morning. Thank you Jesus for such an amazing trip.
My final words about the trip - Christian Journeys' slogan is "Visit Israel, you'll never be the same." I think I can agree with that. It's day one of being back, so I'm still processing everything, but I hope and pray that my Israeli experiences in the Holy Land will shape my life. One thing I know for sure - and that's already happened - is that I'll never read my bible the same way again. It's one thing to read about the places in the bible, it's another to have walked them yourself. It brings a whole new perspective. I am praying and asking Jesus that I will be changed forever.
To Christian Journeys, LIFE, our incredible tour guide Raffi, our fearless driver David, and all 33 people that joined me on this trip, I say thank you for everything. Words cannot express my feelings at this moment. Here's our guide Raffi on the left, and our fearless driver David on the right (Glen Sye, from LIFE, is in the blue)
To God, I say thank you for the opportunity to go, thank you for teaching me so much, and please help me to implement it everyday from here on in. And to you the LIFE listener and reader, thank you for following along, and for your encouragement and prayers. I hope that one day you can experience what I've just experienced, you won't regret it.
Day 10 was our day of travelling. We woke up at 12:30am, and were on the bus and on the way to the airport by 1:30am. Our flight was at 5:30am and we got to Frankfurt, Germany a few hours later. We had a 7 hour stopover in Frankfurt, so Christian Journeys organized a bus tour of Frankfurt. Most people went on that, a couple stayed back, and I think it's safe to say that by the time we were boarding our second plane to get back to Canada, all of us were excited to touch down on home soil - not because of anything bad, but because we were all very tired, cold, and cramped from all the travelling.
After an 8 hour flight, we touched down in Toronto around 7:45pm, and from the time we left our hotel to the time we reached Toronto, we had been travelling for over 24 hours...and some still had a bit of a ways to go to get home (I feel for you!).
I have only one regret this entire trip, although there was not much I could do about it. We arrived at the airport last night, got our luggage, went through customs, etc, etc... I had a big problem though. My foot had been sore from all the walking the past few days. I really got painful from walking around the Frankfurt airport, and on the 8 hour flight back to Canada, it swelled massively. It was so large and so painful that my wife had to push me around the Toronto airport in a wheelchair. When we got through to the front gate to meet up with our ride, I was in so much pain that it was all I could really think about. I also knew that our ride was circling the airport with our 11 month old son in the car (and it was WAY past his bedtime), so I only said goodbye to a few people before leaving. At the time there was nothing I could do, the pain was overwhelming and I (stubbornly) didn't want our last memories to be me of me in a wheelchair. Now though, I feel the bitter part of the bittersweet - I am so sad that I did not get a chance to say goodbye properly, and waking up this morning, my thoughts immediately go to Israel, our tour guide Raffi, and the group that I just spent 10 days with. That being said, here's my foot this morning. This picture is after the swelling went down quite a bit from last night...I'm still hobbling but at least it's better.
So now here I am on day 11, back in Canada, sitting in my parent's living room at 7am (I've been up since 4:45, but actually got out of bed at 6am...jet lag!). I'm conflicted, not knowing what to do or feel this morning. I am so thankful and thrilled for our trip, and for the incredible friendships that were formed (which I hope will last well beyond the trip!) and I'm thrilled to see my son again. But I'm heartbroken for what I described above, and for the trip being over in general. It's like when you come back from camp, or from a vacation with friends and family, or when summer vacation is over and you had an awesome one...all you want to do is go back, and you don't want to face getting back to reality. That's my conflict this morning. Thank you Jesus for such an amazing trip.
My final words about the trip - Christian Journeys' slogan is "Visit Israel, you'll never be the same." I think I can agree with that. It's day one of being back, so I'm still processing everything, but I hope and pray that my Israeli experiences in the Holy Land will shape my life. One thing I know for sure - and that's already happened - is that I'll never read my bible the same way again. It's one thing to read about the places in the bible, it's another to have walked them yourself. It brings a whole new perspective. I am praying and asking Jesus that I will be changed forever.
To Christian Journeys, LIFE, our incredible tour guide Raffi, our fearless driver David, and all 33 people that joined me on this trip, I say thank you for everything. Words cannot express my feelings at this moment. Here's our guide Raffi on the left, and our fearless driver David on the right (Glen Sye, from LIFE, is in the blue)
To God, I say thank you for the opportunity to go, thank you for teaching me so much, and please help me to implement it everyday from here on in. And to you the LIFE listener and reader, thank you for following along, and for your encouragement and prayers. I hope that one day you can experience what I've just experienced, you won't regret it.
Thanks so much for faithfully writing about our journey every day! You wonderfully captured the highlights and brought memories flooding back. I agree with you when you say that you'll never read the Bible the same again. Taking a pilgrimage to Israel is something I recommend for everyone! Thanks to Life 100.3 and Christian Journeys for making this dream a reality for me.
ReplyDeleteHi TIm and Roz, Thoroughly enjoyed my trip (by proxy and your fine reporting) THANKS. Seems like some of those locations would draw forth not only words but hymns of praise! Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!
ReplyDeleteThank-you so much for keeping us updated with your blog! My mother (Cheryl) and grandmother (Barb) were on this trip and I really enjoyed following along through your blog during the 10 days! I hope your feet are feeling better now and that you and your wife are feeling more rested. God Bless!
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