Cindy Powell

Ever wanted to go to Israel? If so, maybe this is the right time!

On several occasions I’ve taken small groups (no more than twelve people) to Israel. These aren’t your “typical” tours of Israel–think of it more as a journey. A journey of getting to know not only the land and the people,but even more importantly, getting to know Jesus’ heart for Israel–past, present, and future. We will, of course, always visit many biblically significant sites (while staying away from the overly religious and overly commercialized ones) but we will also visit several significant places  that aren’t on the map for most tour guides, including the opportunity to connect with other ministries (including several houses of prayer) and believers in the land. 

The first time I went to Israel, I did the big church Bible study tour. It was an amazing experience, but it was also WAY too fast. We zipped all over the place  without hardly a minute to take any of it in. I’m a “selah” kind of girl so it was information overload! I was so ridiculously blessed to have gone, but we did too many things that didn’t  matter and didn’t get to spend nearly enough time in the places that did matter.

The second time I went to Israel couldn’t have been more different! I participated in a large international  gathering to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) that was hosted by the ICEJ and then stayed on for several weeks with a friend in an orthodox neighborhood in the heart of Jerusalem. I told the Lord that I had already seen the tour guide’s Israel, now I wanted to see His Israel.  I did … and I’ve never been the same. 

Since those first two trips, my heart in bringing people to Israel is to create an experience that builds a bridge between my first trip and the second one. When people travel all the way to Israel there are certain sites and places you need  to see–especially if it’s your first time. But there are also a multitude of other great places to go and the tours will never take you to those places. Places that are significant for intercession (which is always one of my biggest focuses when I go to Israel) — places that allow you to glimpse what Jesus is up in the land today — or places that are just plain fun and give you an authentic taste of the culture and the people.

The cost of doing a trip this way is typically considerably less than the big, first-class, all-inclusive trips, but a bit more than the budget tours. The benefit with a smaller group is flexibility, the trade off is not having access to the discounts the big tour operators have.

This type of trip isn’t for everyone, but if it is the kind of trip you’ve been longing for, fill our the contact form below or email me at Simplefaith247@gmail.com. If I don’t have any current trips planned (I don’t as of this writing), I’m willing to discuss creating a custom trip for groups of 8-12 (less than 8 becomes cost prohibitive; over 12 limits flexibility).

Shalom aleichem!