Impression of Israel before traveling?
I had fathomed Israel as an ancient place, fitting into the ancientness of the Bible. But on getting to Tel Aviv, I found a cosmopolitan city like London or Paris such that I did not believe I was in a holy land until I got to the historical sites.

I was very shocked when I saw their girls in skimpy dresses. You get so distracted by this that you wonder, skimpy dresses in a holy land? Some people around dressed like Muslims but I was not really surprise because I knew we were in the heartland of Arabs. But I was surprised about the skimpy dressing in a holy land that I was asking myself intermittently that are we really in a holy land?

Security:
Before we left Nigeria, I had asked if we would get to Gaza and they said no, so I was at peace. But really, I was not afraid because I have no business with them; I am not a politician to warrant their trouble. On getting to Israel, we have no reason to be afraid because we did not see any gun totting men around, no police presence to show the age long tension with Palestine, though we were told that the police men were around but in mufti.

What was another surprise you had?
That was in Bethlehem . When going there, we were told to come along with our passports. That was the first time we were told to do that. Coming from the Israeli side, there was no tension but on getting to the bother with Palestine , insecurity was palpably felt. You could sense tension in the air.

On entering the town, it was so deserted and quiet. When we asked why, the guide said it was not really deserted but on Fridays, everybody goes to the mosques. He said almost everybody in the town is a Muslim. Nobody was in sight; we were the only ones around. Everybody gone to the mosque in Bethlehem where Jesus the Father of Christianity was born? It was unbelievable to us all. The guide said less than 30,000 people here are Christians. Many of them have left because of persecution. The remaining are still under serious persecution. Nobody employs them, they can't go to just any shop to buy things.

The guide said he too would have left but he just had a baby girl for whom he is still processing her papers. As he was discussing with us, his eyes were darting all over the place because he was being watched. In fact, two policemen were so close to us, listening to what he was saying. Not until we got into a church that he was relaxed.

We felt for him, and wondered why Christians must be persecuted in Bethlehem . We prayed that God will take over the place from the Muslims. The only church there, the Church of Nativity was said to have been used as a mosque for over 50 years as a mosque. But to God be the glory, it has been converted into a church and now being used for worship by different denominations at different time of the day. The tension in Bethlehem was more palpable than in Jerusalem .

With all you have seen, do you still see Israel as the cradle of Christianity?
Unfortunately no. Even while moving around, you could hardly see churches. In Nigerian where Christianity was introduced to, there are churches all over the place. You then expect that almost every house in Israel must be a church, but that is not so. In fact, one of us observed that he has not even seen any church since we've been going through the streets but I saw only two and that was because I was very observant. I don't see Israel as the cradle of Christianity, unfortunately though.

Places you got to and impression it left on you?

Garden of Gethsemane : This was where Jesus was arrested. The garden is still there, with all its Olive trees. One interesting thing is that one of the trees there was said to have been there since the time of Jesus. This was very fascinating to me. What came to my mind there was that ‘so Jesus was actually arrested in this garden? Standing where I am standing? At that point, the Holy Bible migrated from being a story, read in Africa to being a reality unfolding right in my presence.

Bethlehem : getting to the very spot where Jesus was born was awesome to me. I laid down flat on my belly just as the others also did. At this point, it was not a story anymore that Jesus came here.

The Wailing Wall is a remnant of the temple built by King Solomon, and it's popularly believed that no prayer said there will not be answered. This is the busiest spot for spiritual tourists. People come with their prayer requests written in papers. This is squeezed into crevices on the wall and it is believed that the requests disappear after sometimes. People who come here cry, and you can hardly afford not to. I suspect that is why the place is called the Wailing Wall.

Different sects of Christians were found here. The wall is demarcated into two for males and females. You say your prayers facing the walls with your hands raised up. At the wall, I saw some people who having said their prayers began to walk backwards still facing the wall. Some of our people joined them but I did not because I did not know why they did just that.

Another breathtaking place is the Mount of Transfiguration, where Prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal had their battle. Climbing the mountain was a big challenge because it is very unmotorable and so narrow for two vehicles at a time. I was baffled about path to the top of the mountain because it is very dangerous, yet, a church and three alters dedicated to Jesus, Moses and Elijah were built there. How this was done is baffling. I kept wondering how were blocks, gravels and sand were carried up there to build the church? Probably with an helicopter. We were warned about the road and I made up my mind that if other people had gone up there, I would.

The church is decorated with chandeliers and other beautiful ornaments. If you were the most sorrowful person on earth, getting here would melt the sorrow away.

River Jordan was another place we got to. We started from the source, a mountain from where the water gushes out. The water is as cold as ice water and very clear. It took us two hours to get to the point where Jesus was baptized. At that place, the water had gotten so coloured, perhaps dirty, may be from pollution having gone through the city. Getting baptised at the river was a fulfilling experience for me.

Mount Sinai and Jericho : We did not get there because the mountain has been ceded to Egypt and we shall need an Egyptian visa. For Jericho , it was cordoned off so nobody could get there.

Fulfillment:
I had a great spiritual fulfillment over the fact that my Christianity has mowed from literature, pictures and imaginations to candid experience and reality.

The sore point here is that the Israelis do not appreciate what they have. People come from all over the world to see what they have and yet, they dont not know the value of it. I am sure that if Israel were to be a place in Nigeria , every Nigerian Christian would have been there but I'm sure there would be so many Israelis who have not seen those historic sites right under their noses.

There is this joke someone told us while there: If Jerusalem is called the city of God , then speaking with God there is like using the intercom, from one room to the other in the same office. But when you are back home, speaking with God is like making an international call. So it's an advantage to pray in Israel because of proximity to God. If I am blessed enough, I shall be going there every Sunday to say my prayers and return home.


Bukki Iyanda could be reached at buksiebaby@yahoo.com

Have you been to Israel on pilgrimage? Share your experience with us pls.

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