Janyce Warneke flew to Israel on Jan. 17, 2022 to discover the monuments and locations of key Biblical events, and to relive some of Jesus’ experiences.
Due to Covid-19, Israel's borders were closed, but they reopened not long before her scheduled flight on Sunday, Jan. 16. Those traveling to Israel from Nebraska had to undergo various Covid tests and difficulties, including multiple delays of their flight out of Washington DC, pushing their departure to 12:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17. Warneke landed the following Tuesday in Israel at 2:00 a.m, Israel time.
This planned visit to the Holy Land was led by a pastor and his wife from Virginia, and the group that Warneke toured with was led by a man named Yossi. A friend from Orchard, traveled with Warneke, while another one wasn't able to come along. They visited key locations in the Bible and walked where Jesus walked, while experiencing the Jewish culture through what they ate and saw.
Warneke's favorite parts of this pilgrimage included visiting a replica of the Village of Nazareth, participating in communion at the Garden of Gethsemane, and sampling the desserts at the hotel. The cobblestone streets were less enjoyable to her, especially in the rain,
as was her diet of falafel for lunch every day.
Because Israel's borders had been closed until recently, there weren't the usual crowds, long lines and hours-long waits. "Covid was a blessing in disguise," Warneke said, referring to the ease with which her group toured Israel.
After her flight back on Jan. 27 and return to Plainview on the 28th, Warneke told about her trip and presented some of her pictures of it at the Senior Center’s fundraiser in Plainview on March 12.
