Eight local men, all members of Cariboo Christian Life Fellowship (CCLF) at the 108 Mile Ranch, had what they dubbed a “trip of a lifetime” when they journeyed to Israel together last November.
“We went to learn, to listen and to lend a hand too,” says CCLF pastor and trip organizer Rick Barker.
“A major portion of the trip was learning history, both ancient and recent. We went to dozens of significant historical sites, archeological digs, and places where we knew events took place in the Bible. It was fascinating.”
The crew also took time to lend a hand in cleaning up the third floor of a five-storey building in Haifa, Barker says, adding a congregation uses it to run a soup kitchen, a school and a gathering place, as well as for serving Holocaust survivors.
The third floor had been closed for several years, but broken windows gave entry to pigeons, he adds.
“You can imagine the mess. So we donned our gloves and cleaned it up, and some of the guys also re-did the rooftop with plaster.”
Says Graham Allison, one of the men who went on the trip: “It was a real eye-opener to learn so much history. I will never be the same after visiting the Sea of Galilee; an 18th century Canaanite Gate, the oldest complete arches in the world; visiting the City of Jerusalem and, of course, Masada where all the inhabitants committed suicide than rather fall victim to the Romans.”
He also recalls cleaning up pigeon droppings on the third floor in Haifa.
The 12-day journey, which was hosted by former 108 Mile Ranch residents and CCLF members Marty and Sue Shoub, was highlighted by a visit to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus of Nazareth spent many days in prayer, including some agonizing hours just before he was arrested and brought to trial, Barker says.
“We just pushed pause on the remote controls of our life, so to speak and we contemplated those last days of Jesus’ life here. It hit us all that what he went through, he did it for us, and it happened right where we were standing. It had a huge impact on all of us.”
A more humorous highlight was a wrong turn into hell, he adds, referring to the Biblical name given a valley called Gehenna, a Greek translation of a Hebrew word literally meaning “hell” or “Hades.”
“We drove through hell. It wasn’t pretty.”
Barker says the team ended up in a “sketchy” situation in an Arab neighbourhood considered dangerous, similar to the downtown eastside of Vancouver.
He adds they were led out by some nice Arab men when they found out the guys were Canadian tourists who took a wrong turn.
On March 16, Barker and his wife, Marci, just got back from leading another small team to the Middle East.
Meanwhile, a group of 28 folks from CCLF went to Mexico on a short-term mission and arrived home on March 19.