Just One Week Until Jerusalem!

Here is a quick update as the NCO District Work and Witness team prepares for the upcoming project in Israel. The team will assemble at Mount Vernon First Church on Sunday March 15 to load up the vans, enjoy the morning worship service and then head straight to the airport.

Every trip has it's particular travel challenges and this trip will be no exception. On most international trips we are allowed two check bags. That allows each team member to check a bag and a tub of food or supplies for the trip. This year the airline is not allowing the second check bag so we will not be able to take nearly as much of our own food. So many team members are working at packing light so they have room and weight to spare for food and supplies. I personally have great motivation to pack light since I need to save space and weight for our precooked bacon. I know I have an odd sense of humor, but I find great humor in being the barer of bacon to Israel, a place populated by two ethnic/religious groups that do not eat pork. So Jerusalem is a bring your own bacon destination:-).

Please be praying for the team as we prepare to depart next Sunday. I know Connie Sharrock has invested countless hours of work in getting things prepared for this trip. She has been working closely with the missionary in Israel who is making preparations there for our arrival, our work and travel in and around Jerusalem.

On previous trip blogs I have tried to provide some pretty specific travel information as well as itineraries for our work and travel and bios for the missionaries we work with. For safety and security reasons I will not be posting specific daily logistical details or our future plans as we go along. However, I do intend to give regular updates with pictures about the previous day's activities all through the time we are there. The frequency of the updates is largely dependent on the availability of reliable Internet access. It appears that this will not be a problem while in Jerusalem so hopefully I will be able to give updates and post pictures almost daily. So stay tuned!

I took a virtual tour of Jerusalem on Google Earth last week and found that the place where we will be staying and working is a short walk from about every major holy sight in and around Old Jerusalem. So I am excited to be working close by and able to visit so many historically significant places just minutes away in our free time.