The People Who Flew in Darkness

I knew Israel was far away, but...

Our group from the Lower Susquehanna Synod met on Monday morning at the synod office. There were enough seats in the big mini-bus-coach-like vehicle for all but four of us. John and Caitlin and Scott and I, always thinking of the comfort and needs of others, volunteered to be the four who rode in the limousine. "Limousine,' in this case, was really just a fancy black station wagon; one step down from a hearse. And the back seat would have been very comfortable for two people... but we had three. And I have a dent in my right buttock from an uncomfortably placed seatbelt.

The biggest excitement on the way to JFK was that we got pulled over for speeding. Much like John's lymphoma, it was just a nuisance. I have my theories for why we were pulled over, and I feel bad for our driver, who was keeping up with traffic. Oddly enough, when we got to JFK, the first thing I heard was that several in the mini-bus-coach-like vehicle presumed it was something that I did. ??? As I told one of my fine fellow pilgrims, "Don't believe what anyone tells you about me; my reputation exceeds me."

We stopped for a bit of lunch on the way. There were no tray tables in the "limo," so John improvised. Here's his Sandwich Hat:

We arrived at JFK around 2 PM, just in time to catch our 11:50 PM flight to Tel Aviv. I am all for not rushing to catch my flight, and it was not unenjoyable to get to know the other folks on the journey. But six hours is a lot of time to kill.

While waiting in line to get our boarding passes, I heard someone in the group ahead of us mentioning something that made me thing they were on the same tour. That person was none other than Jessica Crist, Bishop of the Montana Synod and daughter of Trinity, Camp Hill. Along with re-connecting with her, it was also good for me to be reminded that many people had been traveling much longer than I. 

Our flight left in the dark, and we stayed in the dark for a looooooooong time. It was a good

flight, and some folks slept better than others.

The Holy Family, AKA The Zimmanns

And the food was pretty good, too. So far, Turkish Airlines gets a thumbs up!

We had a brief two and a half-ish hour layover in Istanbul before heading to Tel Aviv. This gave folks enough time to get some food or coffee, shop the duty free stores, read the internet...like you do... The line for the Gentlemen's WC was out the door, while there were plenty of open spots in the Ladies'. Angela turned to me and said, "Welcome to the Middle East, where everything is opposite."

The flight to Tel Aviv was short and also in the dark, arriving around 9:50 PM. It was a much more crowded flight, but still pleasant. Along with a quick cold meal, we also got little bags of toasted hazelnuts! 

For most of us, getting our travel visas in Tel Aviv was no problem. The agent John and I spoke to was polite and even showed a couple of smiles. A few people in our group were held for additional screening, but, as our guide told us, "There is nothing to be done about this. We can only wait." So, we waited. Many of us were used to waiting by this time.

And I should say now that this is a completely delightful group of traveling companions. Everyone is patient, as well as punctual, and there have been some good laughs. There are over 50 of us, most of whom are Lutheran pastors or rostered leaders. There have been a couple of times where I have been reminded of Garrison Keillor's Pontoon Boat story, but only in the nicest ways. I can't say for sure that anyone is wearing Hush Puppies, but there are definitely earth tones! 

We left the Tel Aviv airport with Rami, our guide, and John, our bus driver. It was 11 PM. It was dark. We were weary. I understand the drive from Tel Aviv to Bethlehem is quite scenic, but I saw nothing of that. I do know that that I saw signs for cities and villages that I have only heard about on the world news, and usually connected with violence. Rami was reassuring in his introductory remarks regarding the military checkpoints we would be passing though each day. 

We reached Bethlehem and the Paradise Hotel around midnight. Midnight on which day, I'm not really sure. I think it was midnight on Wednesday. Exhausted from our travels, we all retired to our rooms to greet the morning, only 6 short hours away.

I really wanted to step out onto our balcony to sing O Little Town of Bethlehem, but I didn't for three good reasons.

1. Bethlehem is not so little.

2. Bethlehem is not so still.

3. We have no access to our balcony.