Leo&Ed's Holy Land Pilgrimage March 2019

Key message: The Bible is real. We saw it with our own eyes.

Leonor "Leo" & Ed's Top 20 Holy Land Experiences:

1. 5 AM Mass IN the Holy Sepulcher tomb. I touched the tomb. Click HERE 4 video

2. Via Dolorosa Stations of the Cross walking through Old Jerusalem singing "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" Click HERE for video

3. Renewed marriage vows at Cana - surprise Ave Maria played - a sign from my mom in heaven. If couples "have no wine" Jesus can make wine. Click HERE

4. Sailed on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of the Jesus Boat- "I will make you fishers of men." Click HERE

5. City of David - 2 hr tour with an archaeologist through huge & narrow caverns deep in the earth discovering ancient clay seals and more. Click HERE

6. Touched the Nativity Star- place where Jesus was born. Click HERE

7. Renewed baptism at the Jordan River - our sons are named after the river & John(Sean)the Baptist Click HERE

8. Put prayers in the Wailing Wall- Click HERE

9. Church of the Annunciation -Mary images from all over the world Click HERE

10. Gethsemane Garden & the Basilica of the Agony -Ancient Olive Trees & Rock Jesus Prayed On Click HERE

11. Dead Sea swim, discovery of the scrolls &an unexpected connection to John Baptist Click HERE

12. Pater Noster Church - multilingual Our Fathers Click HERE

13. Touched Calvary where Jesus died on the cross Click HERE

14. Mt. of Temptation in the desolate Jericho desert Click HERE

15. Miracle of Fishes and Loaves feeding 5,000+ Click HERE

16.Church where Lazarus was resurrected & Mary/Martha story Click HERE

17. Widow's son raised from the dead by Jesus- Church at Nain -foreshadowing of Jesus' own death & realization that his mom would soon be a widow Click HERE

18. Church of the Transfiguration high on Mt. Tabor with chapels for Moses and Elijah. A steep climb. Click HERE

19. Chapel of Ascension where Jesus ascended to heaven Click HERE

20. Challenging Hike- a locked gate-swarm of bees- to get to-St. John of Desert Church for mass Click HERE

Daily Masses with locations, homilies & readings that made the Bible come alive! I was in the Gospel!

See tabs under Holy Land to see YouTube videos, pictures, the Pilgrim's Prayer we prayed each day, the list of 16 sacred sites I collected Holy Water from so I could bless my family and friends in Christ, detailed itinerary and the Custodia Terre Santae tab with info about the Franciscans caring for the 21 Holy Land sites for the last 800 years.

I faced many of my fears (claustrophobia, heights, crowds, stairs & steep inclines with a bad knee and even a swarm of bees). I did things I did not think I could do physically, mentally and spiritually. God's presence & love was so powerful and so overwhelming that my heart raced and I cried not usually with sadness but with disbelief that I was blessed to be there. Jesus made my heart race and took my breath away. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe, be calm and not be afraid. In my mind I kept hearing, "Do not be afraid", "Trust me", "I am here" and "You are loved"

Our Franciscan Spiritual Director, Fr. Ben, gave us all headsets so he could guide us, keep us safe and make the Scripture come alive as we followed in the footsteps of Jesus. He was like the Good Shepherd and we were the sheep. He modeled Christ with his deep faith, patience, gentleness and joyfulness. Just the way he was challenged me to not complain about difficult hikes and dense crowds. Seeing him and hearing his teachings helped me focus on where I was and why I was in the Holy Land. I was there to walk in Christ's footsteps and bring Him back to you.