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:
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washcloths - Debbie found some hotels in Israel did not provide them,
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Bible – Duh!,
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Strong tape or cord - for broken suitcases, etc.,
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plastic bags,
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flashlight,
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sink stopper – to wash out clothes in the sink,
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pre-printed address labels for postcards – print them at home and just stick them on,
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laundry soap,
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flashlight – unlikely electrical outage,
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addresses,
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email addresses,
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journal & pen.
If you think of anything else, let us all know by replying to “reply all” from one of your emails.
