ISRAEL BOUND

Early On

I grew up on the edge of a cornfield. I say that because the corn is what I remember most in the field across Byrd Avenue, although sometimes the crop was cotton, soybeans or wheat. At any rate it was farm country, and my small town of Charleston, Missouri was built on and around some of the most fertile farmland in the country.

But small towns and farms held little for a girl with stars in her eyes. I had discovered early on that I loved to be in front of people—performing—whether it was twirling around the living room for Moma and Daddy’s Canasta Club crew, acting in school plays or singing in the church choir. I always felt at home when the spotlight was on me.

Dream Chaser

With grand plans I exited those fields and that everybody-knows-everybody place a few months shy of 18. Oh, I went back for visits through the years, but I never lived there again. I was intent on making my way in the world—leaving my mark. I chased a dream for several decades that had me traversing this great country of ours from sea to shining sea—literally! But I never went across the pond—the Atlantic or Pacific. I was content to explore America.

Now

Fast forward more years than I care to count. In January, I will be flying high—destined for New York—where I will meet up with a tour group bound for Israel. We will make our way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem visiting countless places of historical as well as spiritual significance—the Sea of Galilee, the River Jordan, The Garden of Gethsemane (pictured), the Mount of Olives, the Wailing Wall, on and on!

Here’s the most amazing part. My brothers and their wives are giving this trip to me! That’s right, all I had to do was get a passport, everything else is on their dime. So, 2019, the good Lord willing, will find me touring The Holy Land—where Jesus actually lived and died and rose again!

I Must Confess

The generosity of my family so overwhelmed me that I had a good cry about it—so humbled by their gift, so grateful that they are who they are, and that, as believers themselves, they recognized how significant this destination is for me. I thank God that He chose these brothers for me and that they, in turn, married such completely wonderful women. On this trip of a lifetime, I have pledged to take many pictures, which I will be delighted to share with them and you.