As I said this is a day at leisure, so i thought I’d post some pics from our previous days. I realize you don’t always know what you are seeing - we’ll explain later - they all come fast and furious while we are touring.
By the way - if you’re enjoying the pictures, hit the comments button below and leave us a message.
I’m doing the same thing you are - checking my lists, trying to make sure I don’t forget something. Saturday evening - 6:30 - a cookout at Forest Park so we can all meet and everyone will have a chance to say goodbye.
If I’ve neglected to tell you anything, it’s probably too late now. The last thing I will say is PASSPORT! - can’t go anywhere without it.
Terry
See you then.
Here’s a site with a few phrases you may find useful in Israel. It also provides the pronunciation. I have some of these phrases printed out for you when we get together Saturday.
The Immediate and the Important
I’ve been sick. Sick enough that I went to the doctor. When that happens, you can bet I was in rough shape. I’ve heard from all of you about business issues, family problems, death and now there is a hurricane bearing down on some of us. This is just the way life is - we can’t stop it because we have something else planned and we don’t want it interrupted.
Today I’m praying that this important thing that you have paid a lot of money for, set aside 2 weeks for, packed, planned, and bought stuff for will not be overshadowed by the immediate concerns of life. I am praying that you will get everything out of this trip that you hoped for - rest and relaxation, see new sites, meet new people, spiritual insight and regeneration or just to escape the daily grind.
I hope you’ll all take a few moments to pray for each other - that we don’t forget anything important, and that nothing else happens to hinder anyone’s complete enjoyment of this trip.
Looking forward to seeing you Saturday evening.
Here’s what you should know about money - tipping, exchange rates, credit cards, etc.
Our guide will help all along the way with all these issues, but it’s good to be informed ahead of time.
We’ll be able to exchange currency in our hotels, so there is no need to do it before we leave the U.S.
Sorry to be slow on the updates, but a tragedy this past week has affected some of our travelers. Debbie Thomas passed away sometime Friday morning in her sleep. She is the sister of Ronnie Caswell and the sister-in-law and friend of Judy Sapp who will also be going with us.
Needless to say Debbie’s passing was an unexpected shock to everyone and while it undoubtedly saddens us all that she will not be with us or get to experience this trip herself, it’s a reminder (at least to me) of the priveledge it is to be able to visit these places.
Visitation for Debbie will be 2:PM to 8:PM Tuesday and Wednesday 9/2 and 9/3 at:
Kraft Funeral Services
2776 Charlestown Road
New Albany, Indiana 47150
I had a question from someone about vaccines required for the trip, so I thought I’d check to make sure the requirements had not changed in the past year. I contacted the University of Louisville Travel Clinic and the Centers for Disease Control and they have not changed - there are NO requirements for any vaccines and you need NO documentation for your childhood vaccinations. However, there are reccomendations for health precautions. Here is the link to the CDC notices:
The only reason you may need any kind of vaccine documentation during our trip is if you have, or will be, traveling in a country where Yellow Fever is present. You would need proof of a Yellow Fever vaccine in that case only. The countries where this is an issue are sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of South America.
Although yellow fever is not a disease risk in Egypt, the government requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. If you will be traveling to one of these countries where yellow fever is present before arriving in Egypt, this requirement must be taken into consideration. See Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements and Information on Malaria Risk and Prophylaxis, by Country for more information.
Over on the right hand column is a large link to emergency contact information - let your family know how to find it if they need to.
Everything else is on this website too - itinerary, hotels and hotel phone numbers, etc.
Here’s a page of our pictures so we can start to put some faces on our travel companions.
The places we are going are significant in and of themselves, but spending 2 weeks together will be impactful too. Everyone I’ve talked to has a story of how they came to be on this trip. I’m guessing God has a story and a reason you’ve ended up here too and I’m sure He has something in mind for each of us to contribute.
Can’t wait to see what it is.
There are a few pictures missing - I’ll post them as soon as I get them and let you know they are up.
Click for a larger photo
Victor Himbaugh Cheryl Himbaugh
Mary Brumback Linda Johnston
Terry Steiden Ronnie Caswell
Don Bledsoe Derema Bledsoe
Carey & Bonnie McDaniel
Debbie Thomas Judy Sapp
Tammy Kotaska Donna Brandenburg
Teresa Lundine Donna Cole
Here are some handouts from the meeting: Trip Information, Travel Checklists , Debbie’s Checklist
Commissioning Service: Saturday evening at 7:00 PM we’ll have a commissioning service at Forest Park for our group. Be sure to be packed in advance so you can enjoy a time of fellowship and prayer.
Daily Devotional: We’ll start out our day with a short devotion. Anyone that would be willing to give a devotion, please email me and I’ll give you a date for yours unless you have a specific day in mind. To end the day, we’ll have a share time as well – just a short reflection on the day from each person.
Special Services: We’ll have opportunities for some special service at different sites also; communion, baptism, worship, etc.
Travel Insurance: Check the previous post for more info. Travel insurance can cover a wide variety of things. You are not obligated to use this company, but we recommend you purchase some kind of insurance.
Health: Drink bottled water – our hotel foods will be prepared with purified water, so this should not be a problem, but we will encounter different foods that could cause some discomfort. Debbie and Dr. Bonnie Lazor recommend broad spectrum antibiotics if needed, but to avoid Imodium.
Also, to avoid gastric problems, it’s helpful to begin eating yogurt each day for the week before we leave – it has probiotics which help protect the stomach – if you don’t like yogurt, acidophilus tabs will do the same job.
I’m going to send you an email asking for a list of the medications you are taking, the name and phone # of your physician as well as a brief medical history. This information will not be shared with anyone of course, unless there is a medical emergency during the trip.
Money: Debbie suggests carrying cash in your passport wallet or money belt. Credit cards and debit cards are widely accepted. Getting cash from a machine will dispense local currecy, but your transaction will show in US dollars, so it’s good to know the exchange rate.
Call your credit card company to let them know you are traveling – they have been known to cut off cards being used in several different cities on successive days.
Clothing: Debbie says that for the most part, shorts are not acceptable for public touring and women should have their arms covered to below the elbow. At the hotels, there is no “dress code”. Some sites will not even allow access to people not dressed appropriately.
Anyone not at the meeting, please feel free to contact some of the women that were there for clarification on any of these points – there was a lot of discussion about clothing options and I lost track after “no shorts”.
There are not many laundry options beyond washing something in the sink unless you want to pay the hotel an exorbitant fee. There will be hotel pools, possibly swimming in the Dead Sea and an opportunity for baptism in the Jordan, so bring a swimsuit or appropriate clothing for those occasions.
Beyond this, Debbie advises packing light, plan on washing out some things to re-wear, and to bring NOTHING but comfortable shoes or sandals.
Communication: Sim cards from your cell company are often unreliable, but you can contact them if you want to try it. What seems to be more effective is to rent or buy a “world phone” which can be used anywhere and charges you only for minutes used rather than buying a sim with minutes that you may not need and may not work. Here is one option: www.mobal.com.
Most of our hotels will have wifi so you can use your laptop and/or a computer center you can use for email.
Judy Sapp and I will both have a world phones for emergency contact – BE SURE to leave these numbers with your family in case they need to reach you. (I will send you these numbers at a later date). I will have a laptop with email access as well with a contact address for your family.
Checklist: Debbie provided this checklist in addition to the others here – there are a few extra items you may want to consider:
If you think of anything else, let us all know by replying to “reply all” from one of your emails.
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