I’m now sitting at home after the successful visit of Mr. Tony Blair to the Fauzi Azar Inn and Jesus Trail. Thinking about today’s excitement, stress and relief, I can describe this long anticipated visit as a tornado storm that hit the Fauzi whose long-term results are yet to be seen.

We were preparing for this visit for the last week, making the inn as beautiful as it can be and writing a program where everyone will know what to expect. I was getting ready and preparing the message I wanted to deliver. As the date came closer, I got more and more anxious and must confess that I didn’t get much sleep the night before.

Working six years transforming the Fauzi Azar Inn from a small seed and PowerPoint presentation to what it has become has been challenging with its ups and downs. Having Tony Blair, the former Prime Minster on the UK, visiting my creation, the inn, offered a rewarding reassurance to the time, energy and resources I have invested in the process.

The visit itself was like a storm. It started after a thirty-minute delay with Suraida and I waiting at the street entrance to the Fauzi. We received signs from the security person standing 10 meters ahead of us as Mr. Blair and his entourage were getting closer and closer.

Finally we saw crowds of photographers leading the way and Mr. Blair himself in flesh and blood smiling and coming to approach us.

We became part of the eye of the storm, loosing track of place and time while surrounded by dozens of photographers, Blair’s staff and personnel, people from the Nazareth municipality including the Mayor and his deputies, police staff, high-level security, Fauzi Azar Inn guests, volunteers and staff and special friends we invited for the event.

From the second we shook hands with Mr. Blair we were on the mission of staying in the storm’s eye while many others trying to get the same spot for themselves. Mr. Blair was acting naturally keeping both Suraida and myself next to him and at the same time interacting with the crowd – waving, smiling, shaking hands and exchanging a few words with some of them. The eye of the storm was moving up the stairs where Mr. Blair cut left to shake people’s hands, and I was trying to follow the rhythm by introducing him to our volunteers and guests.

The storm’s eye entered the Fauzi hall where we placed a board with Jesus Trail map (very wise idea!) and the Jesus Trail Guide book.

Suraida was pitching the Fauzi Azar story brilliantly with the storm swirling around and above.

Then it was my turn.

I had so much to say but was told by the great Stefan Szepesi (Thanks you Stefan!) that there is only one minute left, I heard voices from all over advising me what to say: “To encourage people to visit Nazareth”; “Ask for money”; “Support the Jesus Trail” and more that I can’t recall.

I remember saying that: “I was born in Israel and that after backpacking around the world for a year I learned that tourism can be a great force that bridges between people from different cultures, religions and nationalities and in the same time contributes significantly to local communities. Also, I have witnessed how it can support local businesses, change an area’s image and empower and raise the self-esteem of the local people.”

“Here at the Fauzi Azar Inn and the Jesus trail we are using existing infrastructure and local resources to encourage interaction between people and to create a shared interest between the different communities of the Galilee – Jewish, Christian & Muslims.”

I gave Mr. Blair the Jesus Trail guidebook and kept fighting to stay in the storm’s eye. I showed him on the Jesus Trail map how Jesus Trail, the first trail in Israel that targets international tourism is creating a share interest between the diverse community in the Galilee.

Then someone shoved me the Fauzi Azar guestbook and I asked Mr. Blair if he would be willing to sign it. While knowing that we had used all the time that we had and that the storm must go elsewhere, I called all Fauzi Azar staff and volunteers for a photo up. We got great photos!

And then in two seconds the storm was over. It was very powerful and energetic.

Afterwards, Fauzi Azar Inn staff celebrated Norhan’s 20th birthday, and we began in making the inn ready for today’s arrivals. My wife went home to take the kids and I returned later on by public transportation.

And yes, I also shared my vision for tourism with Mr. Blair –

In my vision, I’m booking our guests in Nazareth at their next accommodation in guesthouses in not only in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Amman but also in Beirut and Damascus.

Hallelujah!

Following close in the footsteps of Jesus Trail’s oldest hiker, Merrill, students from Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia converted the Jesus Trail into an outdoor classroom. The 17 students hiked the trail as part of a three-month semester abroad program in the Middle East. Led by Professor Linford Stutzman, the students had already studied Arabic in Syria, traveled around Israel and Jordan, and were on their way to Athens and Rome. Even after their previous adventures, they still counted the trail as a highlight of their travels.

As the students skirted mud, visited ancient sights, and ate their packed lunches, Professor Stutzman would stop the group to give a history, culture, or geography lesson. He said, “this is the ideal place to be challenged as you sweat and walk through mud and dust and feel the rain or the hot sunshine and think of Jesus, because you have time to think with your whole body instead of just your brains.” While seeking to bring the history of Jesus alive in narrative form, Professor Stutzman mentioned that “most of our understanding of the biblical story is the information that we get from the text or imagination… add location and participation in that mix, and you have a realistic imagination.” “To me,” he said, “that is one of the beauties of the Jesus Trail.”

Those hiking in the group also had much to say about their four-day experience on the trail and staying in local guesthouses. The group not only visited historic sights along the trail but also enjoyed a Shabbat meal at Yarok Az organic goat farm and shared in a baptismal service at the Sea of Galilee. Other highlights included the Mt. of Beatitudes, dipping their feet in the Sea, the Horns of Hattin, and the cliffs of Arbel. Andre, upon arriving at the Horns of Hattin said, “You look back to see where you’ve been and you can also see Capernaum, so it kind of puts into perspective what you’ve done the past few days and what lies ahead of your journey. It’s a metaphor for life.”

After hiking the trail, what advice did these 19-21 year olds give? Joel said, “The trail really has two parts. There’s the actual walking part where you hike and need to be prepared with normal good footwear and water. For the other part you just need to think, spend some time while you’re walking just thinking about what you’re doing, where you are, and what it all means.” Allison’s advice was, “Be prepared for anything!”

Read students’ reflections on the Eastern Mennonite University Cross-cultural Blog:

http://emu.edu/now/crosscultural/2011/04/11/nazareth-village-and-the-jesus-trail/

Betsy and Philip Fisher Rhodes hike the 60km/40mi Jesus Trail attempting to re-create 1st Century life as authentically as possible as they journey. This includes (among other things): eating only foods available in the Galilee in the first century; cooking over fires; traveling the route on foot; sleeping in tents; and wearing first century dress. Watch this mini documentary following their journey from Nazareth to Capernaum.

All morning we heard the bells. Other than their ever joyful clang, the streets of the Old City were quiet on this warm Sunday morning, but as we sauntered down the deserted avenues in our Sunday best, trickles of well-dressed families joined our descent towards the Basilica. Suddenly we came out onto Casa Nova street with a burst of sunlight and a blaze of bagpipes. We joined the hundreds of Nazareth Christians and international tour groups straining to see over heads to the parade of bagpipes, flags and young people playing drums. A procession of children holding large palm fronds reminded us what we were celebrating. Across the narrow street our local Catholic friends waved to us. Needing interpretation for the events around us, we squeezed through the crowd to join them.

Palm Sunday in Nazareth, along with Good Friday, welcomes the largest annual crowds at the Basilica of the Annunciation. We joined the multitudes including little children in white dresses and suits carrying candles and flowers. This festive occasion is a celebration of children and grandparents, we were told. After following the procession, including palms, bagpipes, and priests, we crushed into the largest church in the Middle East for Mass. Built to hold over 800, the Basilica overflowed as local Christians came to celebrate the days before Jesus’ crucifixion.

Two thousand years ago, Christians believe Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, stepping on the palm fronds laid by those who hoped this miracle worker would be their king. In this peaceful way, he began a week long journey towards Easter called Passion week. Today we walked, in our black shoes and high heels, over palm fronds from local trees. We held olive branches blessed for peace. After the celebration, each of us returned home carrying this symbol of peace for another year.

Merrill Ohlson of San Diego, CA becomes the oldest Jesus Trail hiker at 91

Climbing from the Old City of Nazareth, out over muddy paths, onto Zippori, a group of Jesus Trail hikers straddled rushing water in the path, knocked mud off shoes, stopped for lunch under rain clouds, and kept hiking. But this was no ordinary group of hikers. Among the hikers, Merrill Ohlson walked along at a steady clip. Ninety one years old and hailing from California, USA, Merrill came to walk where Jesus once traveled. Although Jesus was about a third of Merrill’s age when he traveled these dirt paths between villages, Merrill did not keep this fact from deterring him. When encouraged by surprise and admiration from his fellow hikers, Merrill just said, “Praise the Lord!”

As he paced along (in the lead many times when on level ground), I asked Merrill why he came to hike the trail. He simply said that he was interested in Israel; he had good vibes about this place that he believes Jesus had lived in and will return to. Extensive reading on the area led him to the Jesus Trail blog. Because he had come to travel the land in a traditional tour several years ago, he wanted to try something different this time. So, he began hiking around his university town weekly in preparation. While tramping over stones and mud outside of Cana, Merrill explained his weekly regiment: 3-5 miles every Saturday. Of course, he said, this walk took him on paved sidewalks around campus and town, but he didn’t let this training keep him from hitting the backcountry paths of the Galilee, or from completing the 60+ kilometer Jesus Trail from Nazareth to the Sea!

All those who shared the path with Merrill were encouraged by his steady pace, his positive attitude, his fortitude and imagination to live life as it comes. On one occasion, another hiker was wondering about the day to come. Merrill said, “One day at a time.” With a hiking pole in one hand and a water bottle in the other this 91-year-old hiker mentioned that his four-day hike on the Jesus Trail might be the last time he does this, but his positive attitude left even that up for debate.

Merrill’s Post-trip Interview at Capernaum

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I don’t like hot drinks. If I want to drink something, I do not want to sip it cautiously – knowing that any sudden move could spell ruin for my previously capable taste buds. It is true that I could let the drink cool, but by the time it is drinkable, I could have already lost interest. Why make life more complicated?

Last year as I traveled throughout the Middle East, I was frequently offered hot tea or coffee. Even though I was dreading the actual beverage, the smile on the face of my host begged for my acceptance and I didn’t want to be culturally insensitive. And while I never grew to appreciate the flavor (especially of coffee), I did grow to appreciate the hospitality.

This year, as I transfer luggage from guesthouse to guesthouse on the Jesus Trail, my own constructs of hospitality have been eternally challenged. Specifically, the family that owns the guesthouse in Cana has unknowingly showed me deeper meaning behind scalding hot, flavored water. Almost without fail, I am offered tea or coffee (from a small cup that reads “Happy Serving You”) and some sort of cake whenever I stop in to pick up or drop off luggage. At first, I assumed this was merely a cultural banality bordering on compulsory. However, as I spend more and more time accepting their hospitality, I find it more and more genuine. Saud may be busy preparing a meal for 10 people or more that evening, but it never seems that she is too busy to not sit with me as I try to hide how scared I am of burning myself on the drink. And as we talk, her with limited English, and me with even more limited Arabic, all of our cultural differences, perceptions and misconceptions seem to disappear. All that remains is people.

I also experience similar hospitality at all the guesthouses on the Jesus Trail. Hospitality is a medium by which we deconstruct whatever preconceived notions our own culture, media, theology, or ideology projects on us. It is at this point that we are no longer Arab, Jew, American, Swiss, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, poor, rich, conservative, liberal, etc.; we are only and commonly human.

So, now when I am offered a hot drink, I like to think of it as an extended invitation to share stories – to realize that we are more similar than different. And, because I am terrified of burning my tongue, I also like to pretend that my host finds me particularly interesting because it takes me twice as long to finish my tea.

The Jesus Trail crew was excited to welcome Backpacker Magazine senior editor Dennis Lewon and acclaimed photographer Jason Florio to the trail this March.  The two came to walk the trail for a story for Backpacker Magazine scheduled to come out in 2012.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather for the six days of exploring, walking and photographing the Jesus Trail.

Dennis is an experienced and seasoned journalist, editor and adventure traveler who has worked with North America’s outdoor industry-leading magazines Backpacker and Outside.  Jason (www.floriophoto.com) captures amazing images from all around the world, including taking portraits of local leaders on his 900-km trek around the perimeter of the Gambia, and documenting Somalian pirates and Burmese freedom fighters.  We really enjoyed the opportunity to learn from these experienced adventurers, and also to share the sites and friendships along the trail that we value so much.

Each day we were met with friendly faces from across the diverse ethnic and religious spectrum that makes up the Galilee.  At one point, Jason mentioned that walking the Jesus Trail feels like being inside of a “cultural washing machine,” with new diverse experiences each day.  From the beginning we’ve believed that the Jesus Trail is a world-class hiking route, and continued experiences such as the ones we shared with Dennis and Jason only confirm this to us.

We’re looking forward to seeing the story in print in the coming year.

Highlights of the journey:

• Two days in Nazareth, visiting the local sites including Nazareth Village, the Basilica of the Annunciation and the White Mosque and hearing the story of the Fauzi Azar Inn and other local businesses.
• Walking to Cana via Zippori, enjoying the ancient Byzantine mosaics and the hospitality of Arab Christians Sami and Suad Bellan in Cana.  Several couples from various continents were renewing their wedding vows at the Catholic Wedding Church at Cana.
• In Ilaniya, the privilege of meeting with local historian Estie Yankelevitch, who took us to ruins of the Arab village Shejera, and showed us an ancient synagogue, wine presses, and tombs including an ancient tomb with a menorah on the wall from the Jewish town during the Roman era.  We shared a Shabbat meal with Avie and Estie’s family at Yarok Az Ecolodge.
• Walking over the Horns of Hattin with a marvelous clear view and explosion of wildflowers in every direction.
• At the Nebi Shu’eib shrine we met with Shafiq Tarif, a Druze leader, who told us more about his little-known religion.  Nearby at the ruins of the village of Hattin, a Christian family from Bar’am was having a barbecue.  They invited us to eat a pork sandwich with them– the first pork those of us who live here have eaten in a long time!
• At Shavit’s Arbel Guesthouse, owner Sara Shavit told the story of her parents’ miraculous escape from the Holocaust and shared her pride and happiness in now having a large family of her own and a family made up of the guests she hosts daily at their B&B.  Her husband, Israel, prepared a sumptuous feast of lamb casserole and many fresh and tasty salads and spreads.
• The final walking day took us down Arbel cliffs where we met a friendly group from Sakhnin also hiking, who invited us to visit their village.
• We finished the walk at the Sea of Galilee, with a visit to several churches and the ruins of Capernaum.

View photos from Backpacker Magazine’s visit on Facebook

If you stay for long in the Old City, you may begin to talk about “my” baker, produce vender, or shop owner. Sellers offer the visitor and the local resident a quaint, bustling community where one can find slippers, shampoo, onions, potatoes, cabbage, crackers, sweets, and fresh bread. If you wander early enough, you are likely to enjoy the early morning bustle of farm grown produce. You might step around village women selling all kinds of greens, farm fresh eggs, even farm cheeses in plastic tubs. Zigzagging past mats of greens on the cobblestones, the early morning shopper will also find the secret to local school childrens’ active brains: the shop selling pita pizzas to students on their way to school.

Traveling past the White Mosque the curious visitor will find winding streets with a variety of scarves, shoes, olives, books, umbrellas, suitcases, kitchenware and more. No need for a Mega shopping center here. Each owner proudly sets his wares out early each morning and by three in the afternoon is closing up and going home.

If you wander even farther afield, a cobbled street will bring you to the paved road that slips between a cemetery and a small door off the street. The door looks very unimposing. Many have walked by without curiosity, but one glance into the little door and you will be hooked. El Babour, an old mill, continues to offer baskets of teas, herbs, nuts, spices, dried fruit, lentils and grains of many kinds. You will want to find and enter the little door if only to soak in the delicious smells and cavernous, old world atmosphere available so close to the Old City Souq!

As you wind around the cobbled streets, you will find local restaurants also opening their cozy interiors and fabulous food for the hungry. During the bustle of the daily market, the curious may find walnut and cheese pancakes for sale right in the heart of vegetable stands, but after the vendors have locked away their produce and the baker has gone home for the evening, you can still find unique restaurants in several converted Arab mansions around the Old City. Old City food and charm welcome the visitor back again and again.

One never knows what an adventure will include.  Perhaps that is why we go looking for them.  Often, however, they find us before we are prepared to fully process them.  I find that my imagination and expectations are often too narrow for the fabulous adventures of daily life.  The Jesus Trail provides a framework for adventures, especially cultural, spiritual and physical ones, but the route varies from person to person, from day to day, from season to season.  I have found that the trail becomes an adventure in daily living; the trail becomes not so much an extraordinary out-of-life adventure, but a way to experience my real life by walking through the unexpected with curiosity and expectation.  All along the way I am being handed lenses with which to view my world differently.  However many times I walk the trail, the lenses reveal something unique each time.  Take Cana as an example.

Cana is the first night’s stop on the Jesus Trail.  A delightful guesthouse stands right on the path.  Only a few hops up the courtyard steps and one finds a house full of beds and delicious food.  From the balcony guests look right over onto the roof of the Catholic Wedding Church.  Some Christians believe the modern day town of Cana may be the site for Jesus’ first miracle, water to wine.  The Catholic Church and the nearby Orthodox Church each celebrate this miracle.  On a recent visit to Cana I followed a small group interested in seeing these sights.

As we walked across the cobbled courtyard, we followed tour groups from various countries, all excited to get their pictures taken where a miracle took place.  Following them into the church and down some stairs, we entered a room carved in the rock and housing a large but simple stone urn.  Money, prayers, and photos floated over the walls of the glass case and lodged in the stones of the cellar walls.  For many the thought of miracles brought mystery, renewed faith, and excitement.  Ascending once more into the church above, my husband and I were greeted by a lady speaking Italian.  We do not understand Italian, but gradually we realized she was fervently inviting us to come renew our wedding vows with about ten other couples gathered before the priest.  We declined, but watched with interest as the couples shared space with one of the most famous weddings in biblical history.

Our cultural experience was just beginning, however.  We stepped outside as the chimes rang along with the singing of “Ave Maria” by excited worshipers.  Rounding the corner of the church we found another group interested in marriage.  Not only were Catholics renewing their vows, but a group of Protestants were being challenged by their own marriage seminar in the courtyard.  Couples laughed and gazed into each other’s eyes while sharing a rose.  We debated whether or not to stay for the reception to follow (baklava, wine, and roses) but felt that we were outsiders at this wedding bash.  No water into wine that we know of, but our time at the Wedding Church provided us with new lenses with which to view cultures, faith, and the ever-continuing trail.