I know that many people go to Israel to focus on the holy sites and the historical and Biblical richness of the area. And while those were certainly important parts of my experience, I was also interested in capturing images of the people who live there. What a wonderful and rich variety I found.
Here is a dad, waiting with his children for the school bus, certainly a universal theme.
I loved the fact that this mom stopped to pose for a picture with her daughter.
Mothers the same, the world over.
This little guy in Israel was no different from the little guys I know in the United States. Give them a set of wheels and they are happy.
It was especially interesting to observe the people of Israel in their daily jobs.
This fellow got to chatting with Steve and ended up giving him a peacock feather which Steve carefully carted home with us.
His co-worker believed in his product so strongly that he wore it on his head!
This shot is for my mom who wanted to see someone ride a camel. This is a fellow pastor from our tour group. (Hi, Mom!)
We stopped for a quick lunch at a convenience store and watched the cooks whip up our meal.
Chicken shawarma topped with falafel balls. Delicious!
I loved watching this guy at work; he was so passionate about his job.
It was wonderful to see the bounty of fruits, vegetables and bread.
It would have been easy to have overlooked this hard-working man and his donkey from a distance–they blended right into the rocky landscape.
But a cropping of the photo brings their labor into focus.
We got to tour behind the scenes at an olive wood-carving business.
The man with the microphone is one of the owners of the shop.
Steve and I purchased this piece from the store, one that we will treasure.
We saw many people involved in the police and military. In Israel, military service is compulsory–three years for men and two years for females, starting at age eighteen.
Tourists enjoyed getting their photos taken with them.
At the Western Wall.
Steve spent some time talking with this woman at the Jordan River–one of his gifts is making conversation with strangers.
The main job we got to witness while in Israel belonged to our tour guide, Leo.
He spent 8 to 10 hours with us every day, imparting to us all manner of information and historical background without ever looking at any notes. And even though dealing with twenty-four Americans was sometimes like herding kittens, he never lost his equanimity, good humor or patience.
And if Leo was wonderful, our bus driver (whose name I didn’t hear) was doubly so.
This looks like a quiet, mild-mannered fella, right?
Well, not so much. Leo told us that there were some drivers who were unwilling to drive to some of the places he wanted to go because they weren’t comfortable wheeling enormous vehicles over miniscule roads.
This particular road was so narrow that when we met a car coming the opposite direction, it had to stop and back up quite a way to let us through. I can’t imagine what would happen if two tour buses met.
Our driver was equally comfortable with crowded city roads with all manner of traffic flying at us. A few times I looked out the window and had the urge to squeeze my eyes shut while waiting for the imminent collision. Somehow though, we were always whisked safely on through.
I’m thankful for the great team our knowledgeable tour guide and plucky driver made.
Apart from specific jobs to observe, there were plenty of general people-watching opportunities which of course, I loved.
One of those opportunities took place at the Jordan where several people from our group were baptized. It was exhilarating to be a part of the swirl of nationalities and languages all around us. This woman saw me taking pictures and sent a cheery wave my way, effectively bridging any gap between her language and mine.
Also, taken at the Jordan. I loved the feminine gracefulness of this woman in blue.
Our group leader and his wife making friends with a local boy.
A few more people shots . . .
Amazing land. Amazing people.
Health Update: Neither Steve or I felt well enough to go to church this morning. Steve had scheduled someone to come and preach and lead worship in our place but late yesterday afternoon, we got a call saying that he had also come down with the flu. So there was a little bit of scrambling to be done but our church folks stepped up to make sure everything was taken care of for the service. They have also dropped off several meals for us over the past few days which has been a huge help since my energy level is below zilch. Looking forward to feeling better soon . . .
Love all the pictures! You sure did have a great tour guide and bus driver too. Happy you are both starting to feel better. That flu is sooo nasty this year. Just rest and get better.
Wendy,
Yes, we had an incredible driver/guide team. I was truly in awe of them both.
These are such great photos! I really love the way you see things and that you share it with us. 🙂 You and Steve have been in my prayers. This darned flu is so yucky and so contagious. It’s a good thing that Sarah is away at school! Hope you both feel better soon!
LeeAnne,
One of my favorite things in life is to try to see things through a photographer’s eye–even if I am not taking a picture at the moment. It reminds that there is so much beauty in even the simplest, plainest things.
Becky, what a wonderful “view” of your visit. If there was anyone who would appreciate the fact that the people of a land make the land, it would be you. Those photos are stunning of such a beautiful, richly human country. Thank you for your perspective. I also have an olive wood carving from my sister’s visit. Hope you are feeling better every day but take all the time you need, I know too many who have rushed it and relapsed. Take care.
Mary,
“The people of a land make the land . . . ” What wise and true words.
Praying for better health for both of you. Beautiful pictures Becky. Thank you for sharing even though I am sure you probably could have been trying to sleep this off rather than use your energy to put up the blog post.
Mel,
Glad you enjoyed the pictures! After a while, I started to get a little bored lying in bed so posting gave me something to do that didn’t involve too much physical activity. 🙂
I love the photos, the focus on the people is wonderful. Thank you for the stories behind them. I’m impressed you were able to post at all. Get well soon!
Lesley,
I loved looking at the all the people, too–such a rich diversity.
And getting “topped off” with fluids and oxygen went a long way toward helping me drag myself out of bed and to the recliner. And once I got there, I didn’t something to do! 🙂
What an amazing journey! Great photos. Praying for your healing and renewed strength. Thank you for sharing.
Karen–thanks for the prayers
So glad you enjoyed the photos; I feel blessed to have people to share my pictures with.
Continued prayers for you both to be feeling better. Such an interesting place to visit! So much of the architecture is so ornate. Mmmmm, I love chicken schwarma. Are the fruits and vegetables those that are grown there? They all looked very large and very fresh.
Kari,
Yes, Israel does have some very ornate buildings. I love ancient buildings and there were certainly plenty of those.
There are over 40 kinds of fruit grown in Israel. It was so so cool to see it so colorfully stacked.
Hoping you both feel better soon. Beautiful pictures!
Thank you, Michele! I actually went into work a couple hours today so that was progress.
The pictures are beautiful, the color of the fruits just pops. Glad you have gotten meals from your church. The ladies in my Sunday School class as well as neighbors have kept me well fed since my fall. It has definitely been a blessing. Hope you and Steve will soon be feeling better.
Phyllis,
When you have neighbors and Sunday school class members in your life, you are a blessed lady, indeed. I hope you are continuing to recover well!
Continuing to pray for healing in both of your bodies. What wonderful pictures – almost felt I was there too. You do a great job of showing that folks are the same around the world – even though they are in a different country and language. I bet the ladies wash the dishes the same we do – (if they don’t have a dishwasher).
Sharyn,
Yes, it is good to be reminded how very much alike people are around the world. All all of us human and all of us with struggles and joys.
Becky, hope you & Steve are feeling better soon. Thanks for the great pictures. I just need to check, isn’t that a peacock feather? The college I attended mascot is the peacock and that really looks like a tail feather. Thanks for sharing.
Karen,
Ha! My fevered brain was obviously playing tricks on me. Yes, it IS a peacock feather and it is sitting just a few feet from me. 🙂 I will go back in and change that. Thanks for the catch!
loved the photos! I am now in awe of bus drivers since I now take the Brookdale bus five times each week. One driver is a petite lady who, I imagine, must feel quite powerful behind the wheel.
sure hope healthier days are in store for you and Steve.
Mrs. Pam,
I used to drive a 54 foot rig back in our road days but I didn’t do it down narrow mountain passes like our intrepid driver.
And yes, I imagine your petite driver DOES feel rather large and in charge driving that big vehicle!
Prayers for you both. Enjoyed the pictures. I am so glad you got to take the trip but sorry Steve was sick two days while there. God bless.
Thank you, Ann. I do hope Jim is feeling better with each passing day.
Beautiful pictures, Becky……what a diverse and fascinating part of the world, I hope you and Steve are feeling better soon.
Dale,
Diverse and fascinating are the perfect words!
Beautiful pictures! Prayers for you and Steve to feel better soon!
Sue Ellen,
So far, it’s been a very slow recovery. Looking forward to feeling somewhat normal again!
So sorry you have been sick. Hope you are better soon. Thank you so much for the pictures and the story behind each one.
Sharon,
Glad you enjoyed the stories and the pictures. Such a great richness of experience to get to go to that country.
Beautiful captures of sights and diversity of people, Becky! The fruits look luscious and I would get baptized in the River Jordan in a heartbeat! Did you visit the Valley of Megiddo?
I just learned there are 2 types of tours, one being a familiarization tour. What type was your group on?
Guerrina,
We were on the familiarization tour which is shorter and more jam-packed. (8 days as opposed to 10) The price is somewhat discounted for pastors in the hopes that they will bring groups back in the future. (Although since, thankfully, our trip was a gift, the price wasn’t an issue this time around.)
No, we didn’t get to visit Megiddo; I think that was included in the longer tour. But as badly as Steve and I felt toward the end of our tour, we may not have lasted that long.
Becky, beautiful pics and people and place!! Wow! One day I can hope to go there. It must of been great therapy knowing Jesus walked there. I would’ve been in such awe and wonder. Like I am at the ocean. It’s amazing God’s handiwork. Hope your feeling better. You and Steve. Hugs to you both.
Catherine,
The ocean and Israel. Two great places!
Amazing pictures. hope you and Steve are feeling better and are on the mend?
Nancy,
Slowly, slowly mending. The positive side of being sick is that it’s giving me time to work on blog posts. 🙂
Love how you captured the day to day life! Also, thanks for a picture of a camel rider. Hope you guys start feeling better!
Donna,
Glad you enjoyed the camel. I would have gotten on there but we would have needed a crane and no one’s got time for that! 🙂
Wow! These pictures are just great! You’ve done a superb job at capturing people at just the right time. Looks like an amazing place!
Continuing to pray for both of you!
Krista,
I’m just thankful the photos turned out since I took most of them on the fly! Thanks for your prayers.