Israeli excursion

Our home base in the north was a kibbutz hotel in Galilee and a Jerusalem hotel in the south. I always felt safe – the only point of hesitation was traveling into the West Bank, which required security and bomb checks.

There were great learning experiences such as getting lost in a dangerous area, drinking unsafe water because the “do not drink” sign was in Arabic, and learning we were staying in a hotel where a public official was recently assassinated (don’t tell my mom).

I loved learning the history, geography and culture of the land in order to better understand the Bible and visiting holy sites firsthand – like the Mount of Beatitudes, Church of the Resurrection, old Jerusalem, Qumran and the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank.

Swimming in an oasis and in the Dead Sea, tea at the King David Hotel and making new friends along the way, whom I stay in touch with, rounded off a perfect trip.

The Israel-Lebanon conflict occurred shortly after we returned, surprising us all. As much as I love to travel, experiences like these and working for a compassion organization (Convoy of Hope) with efforts in more than 50 countries, make me increasingly grateful to have been born in America.

—Kristin Kubitschek, Convoy of Hope