From Paola: One of my dreams was that someday I would be able to visit Jerusalem. The opportunity came, and my husband and I took a ten-day tour to the Holy Land. While visiting the Church of the Nativity, my husband got separated from the group. When I could not find him, I reported it to our guide, who immediately began looking for him in and around the church. I was getting worried because the streets were narrow and crowded with people and shops. There was not much room for parking cars, let alone big touring buses. I asked God to help me keep my mind clear and not to panic, and to watch over my husband. In the meantime, Jim, who realized he had lost our group, had left the church and found his way back to the square, downtown, where some of the buses were parked. He found our bus driver, who took my husband shopping with him, and then brought him back to the bus. When they arrived back at the bus, the driver called the guide and told him that my husband was fine and they would come meet the group. I have asked God for his help and guidance on many occasions, and he has never disappointed me.
From Jim (as told to Rev. Thea): When we were in the Holy Land, I realized how hard Jesus’ followers had to work for their faith. I sat in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and tried imagine getting out and stepping onto the water like Jesus asked Peter to do. It sure didn’t look easy to me! We traveled to see the holy sites on buses, but the disciples walked long distances, up and down the hills. It seemed like every church we visited was up on a hill. I pulled a muscle in my leg just trying to visit the churches in the Old City of Jerusalem. We went to a monastery that was even further up, high on a mountain. The road wound around and around, and got too narrow for the tour bus. I can’t imagine climbing all that way with just a donkey. I learned that we should never take our faith for granted. People went through a lot to keep it alive and pass it down to us.
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