APMF HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE

TOUR JOURNAL
By Rachel Angiwan

With all the places we visited and
people we met on our trip to Israel,
my actual full journal is about 19
pages and thats with no pictures! Ill
try then and condense all of that into
this article. Our trip was from May 14-
25, 2014. The tour was hosted by
Roger Walkwitz, led by Ted Franco
and guided by Rami Danieli of Tour
Your Roots.
There were a total of 45 pilgrims on
this tour. 41 from the Philippines, 2
from Canada who are both Filipinos
and Lolo Rog and Ron Walkwitz from
the US. There were supposed to be 2
more Filipinas from Canada but there
was an unfortunate incident that
prevented them from coming on the
tour.
Day 1 May 14, 2014
We left Manila on time on PAL on
May 13, connected through Bangkok
on El Al and arrived at Ben Gurion
International Airport in Tel Aviv at
about 8:00 AM of May 14.
Day Summary: We first visited Old
Jaffa in Tel Aviv where we saw the
traditional site of Simon the Tanners
house. We then went to the Diaspora
Museum also in Tel Aviv where we
saw the history of the Jewish people
in the Diaspora. We then passed by
the Valley of Ayalon where Joshua
commanded the sun to stand still on
the way to the Tank Museum in
Latrun where we were guided by a
female soldier. We then made our
way to our hotel in Netanya. After
dinner, we met with Asher Goffer and
family. Asher is married to a Filipina
and they converted to Orthodox
Judaism when they moved back to
Israel. Asher is a friend of Lolo Rog.
Impressions: A good quote in the
"Community" portion of the Diaspora
Museum from Rabbi Israel Salanter:
"A rabbi whose community does not
disagree with him is not really a
rabbi, and a rabbi who fears his
community is not really a man". The
Diaspora Museum brought home to
me that it is only by God's design and
grace that the Jewish identity was
kept and maintained while they were
dispersed. This just reaffirms how
essential the Torah is to preserving
the Jews and fulfilling God's plans.
Both my buddy (roommate) Manang
Claire and I wished that we could
have stopped at the Valley of Ayalon
and in the middle of the valley also
tried asking the sun to stand still.
Day 2 May 15, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving our hotel in
Netanya, we first visited Caesarea
(Qasaryya) with its Roman
amphitheater and hippodrome. We
then drove by Mt. Carmel on our way
to Haifa and the Clandestine
Immigration and Naval Museum.
From Haifa, we went to Acre (Akko)
and visited the Acre British Prison
Museum. We then ate our first
Falafel or Shawarma lunch for
NIS30.00. From Akko, we went to
Moshav Tsipori and Ellis Goat farm
owned and operated by Tal and Adi
Ellis, Messianic Jewish friends of Lolo
Rog. From Tsipori, we drove to the
Galilee for our 4-night stay in
Tiberias. On the way, we drove by the
suburbs of Nazareth and through
Cana. Unfortunately, these cities are
now Arab. After dinner and a short
group meeting, Lolo Rog showed me
the 4
th
floor patio where we could
see the full moon over the Kinneret.
A great end to a great day!
Impressions: Gods faithfulness in
building the State of Israel despite the
machinations of the enemy as seen in
the Clandestine Immigration
museum. At the Ellis farm, Tal told us
the story of how they got the land for
the farm and what struck me is their
great faith as well as their
perseverance in continuing to run it.
Tal related that even as his vision for
the farm has not yet been realized in
the 25 years they have been running
the farm, they still feel that God has
called them to the land and will
continue to work it even through the
disappointments.
Day 3 May 16, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving our hotel, we
prepared for a full day of touring the
sites where Yeshua taught in the
Kinneret area. We drove by Mt. Arbel
and the Arbel pass where Yeshua and
his disciples would have passed
through to go up to Cana. We also
drove by Migdal, the village where
Miriam Magdala is from. We drove by
the Mt. of Beatitudes where the
topography causes a natural
amphitheater so that when Yeshua
taught both at the top of the mount
as well as on a boat in the Kinneret,
his voice would have naturally carried
through and be heard by the crowds
as related in Matthew. We arrive at
our first destination of the day,
Capernaum. It is actually Kfar Nahum
(the village Nahum like the prophet
Nahum). The site is now a Catholic
church. There we saw an ancient
synagogue and the site of Simon
Peters mother-in-laws house where
Yeshua taught. We then went to
Korazim and saw the Seat of Moses.
From there, we went to Vered Hagalil
(the Rose of Galillee), a Guest Farm
started by Yehuda and Yoni Avni that
raises horses. We then went back to
Tiberias for lunch then on to Rami
and Gabys house in Poriya wehre
Gaby played the harp and sang for us.
We visited Gabys Galilee Gallery and
did some shopping. We ended the
day with a boat ride on the Kinneret
to feel how the disciples must have
felt when they were on the Kinneret
and a storm came.
Impressions: The design of the
synagogue in Yeshuas time, as
evidenced in ruins found in Kfar
Nahum, is that there were benches
all around the room so that those
attending faced each other and
interacted with each other. A
mezzanine or second floor would
have been an area for more people or
visitors to sit if the main area was full.
Women were not separated at the
time and they sat with their husbands
when they went to synagogue with
their husband speaking on their
behalf and the women listening to
their husbands. On the boat ride,
learning from the disciples reaction
and Yeshuas rebuke, the best way is
to trust Yeshua through the storms of
our lives instead of asking Him to
make the storm stop.
Day 4 May 17, 2014
Day Summary: Shabbat! Since it was
Shabbat, we took the day slow and
started late. We attended a Shabbat
meeting in Poriya then had our own
group fellowship in the afternoon.
After the group meeting, we had
dinner then went down to the
Kinneret for the Galilee experience.
The Galilee Experience is owned by a
believer. We saw a movie showing
the history of the Galilee then did
some shopping at their shop.
Impressions: Unfortunately, like Lolo
Rog said, the Shabbat meeting was
church on Saturday. At the Galilee
Experience, boy did the group shop!
We finished at 10PM and our poor
driver Roni got a bit annoyed by how
late we were. After this, Rami now
calls us his shopping group. He says
we even beat the Americans he has
guided with how much shopping we
do.
Day 5- May 18, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving our hotel, we
went to the Ancient Galilee Boat
Museum, which Rami also calls
Yeshuas Boat Museum. The museum
displays a 2,000-year old boat found
in the 1980s by 2 amateur
archeologists during a drought and
the Kinneret was very low. From
there, we drove by the Jordan River
and the Valley of Bethsaida to go up
the Golan Heights where we first
went to a lookout that looks over the
Kinneret. From the lookout, we drove
to Moshav Kanaf and the dairy farm
run by Ilan and Ruhama Matalon. We
were met by Shmuel Evens, a pioneer
of Puyat Strawberry farms in Baguio.
His daughter is Ruhama. We saw the
dairys fully automated and
mechanized operation. After the
dairy farm tour, we drove up to the
ancient synagogue where we met
Pearl who lost her son Ashi in the 2
nd

Lebanon War on August 9, 2006. We
went to the park that his wife created
as a memorial and that the moshav
maintains. Leaving Kanaf, we drove
some more on the Golan and saw the
fenced-off fields that are still full of
land mines from the 6-day war. We
drove to a lookout to see the
ceasefire line and the border with
Syria. We actually saw some Syrian
villages on the Syrian side of the
border. There is also a UN base for
peacekeepers on the Israeli side.
From the lookout, we went to Banias,
also called Caesarea Philippi. We
then drove through Druze villages on
the edge of the Golan near Mt.
Hermon. We also drove by Nimrods
Fortress, ruins of a fortress from the
Crusader era. We continued driving
through the northern tip of the
Galilee and Israel and saw Lebanon.
We also drove by Tel Dan (but didnt
see the headwaters that feed the
Jordan) and the Senir (the second of
the 3 headwaters that feed the
Jordan River). We also saw Mt.
Hermon but it didnt have any snow.
We also saw Qiryat Shmona, Israels
northern-most city. After a long day,
we drove back to our hotel in
Tiberias.
Impressions: After a long day, what
impressed me most was how
technologically advanced the dairy
farm in Kanaf was. Also, we had very
good teaching from Rami in Banias
about Peters confession of Yeshua as
Messiah. It was great to be in the
place where it actually happened.
Lastly, only 7% of Mt. Hermon (which
is actually a mountain range) is part
of Israel. Fortunately, this is the most
strategic part.
Day 6 May 19, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving the hotel in
Tiberias, we bid goodbye to the
Kinneret and drove for our day in
Megiddo and the Israeli/Jordanian
border. On the way we saw Mt. Tabor
(story of Deborah, some believe to be
Mt. of Transfiguration), the Nazareth
mountains, Mt. More (story of the
Shunnamite woman and Elisha and
also Yeshua and the widow's son),
and Mt. Gilboa (story of Gideon). We
drove by the Jezreel Valley/The Valley
of Megiddo (Armageddon). At Tel
Megiddo, we saw a short video about
the site and also toured it a little.
Rami then gave a very good teaching
on Rev. 16:12ff at a lookout. We then
went to Mt. Gilboa and En
Harod/Gideon's Spring then to the
Bet Alfa synagogue. An archeological
find where they found a mosaic floor
with both Jewish symbols and the
zodiac. We drove on the border with
Jordan and the so called PA territory
of Jericho on the way to the most
likely baptismal site of Yeshua on the
Jordan River. Kuya Ted, the Lagdao's,
Manang Emily, Mike, Kuya Louie,
Auntie Rose, and Kuya Ray immersed
themselves in the Jordan. We drove
through the Judean Wilderness on
the way to Jerusalem. We went to a
lookout on the Mt. Scopus campus of
the Hebrew University to have our
first look of Jerusalem. What a view!
After, we went to our hotel for the
night.
Impressions: As we learned in
Megiddo, Rev. 16:14 does NOT speak
about a Battle of Armageddon but a
battle on that great day of God
Almighty. v.16 only says that
Megiddo is where they will GATHER.
v.15 which talks about nakedness and
exposing our shame brings us back to
Adam and Eve who were ashamed
when they realized their nakedness.
They were initially clothed with the
Shekinah glory as Paul says that we
are clothed in Messiah. It is quite
fascinating to me really how literally,
Israels enemies are just a stones
throw away. I mean you just stretch
out your hand and its in another
country. After seeing Syria and
Lebanon so close yesterday and
Jordan today, we need to keep in
mind that these are HOSTILE
neighbors to Israel. I think it really will
be only God that will be able to save
Israel when these nations declare
war. Up to Jerusalem! Rami played a
song as we entered Jerusalem that
really gave us a feeling of
homecoming and love for this very
special city.
Day 7 May 20, 2014
Day Summary: We left our hotel and
on the way to our first destination
saw the Knesset on Government Hill.
We also saw the house of the PM
when he is in Jerusalem. - We then
drove by the Hinnom Valley, also
called Gehenna or the Valley of Hell.
We finally reached the City of David
and watched a 3D movie of the
history of Jerusalem and saw the
ruins of the city that King David built.
The visitors center/gift shop actually
stands atop the ruins of the
citadel/tower of David. After the
movie, we went down to the
entrance of Warrens Shaft. We went
down Warrens Shaft and to an area
underground that they are still
excavating and developing. We then
walked through Hezekiahs Tunnel.
The water for the majority of the
tunnel came up to mid-calf for me so
I didnt get too wet. The tunnel was
quite narrow and low in some places.
My shoulders could touch both side
of the tunnel. We came out to what
archeologists first thought to be the
Pool of Siloam but later found out
was not as the stones found there
were only dated to the Byzantine era.
Further excavation later revealed the
actual pool which is dated to Yeshuas
time. One of the archeologists on that
dig was there. Rami gave a short
teaching beside the pool then the
group walked up to another
archeological road dated to King
Davids time. After Hezekiahs
Tunnel, we went to the Western Wall
Plaza and proceeded to the Western
Wall and prayed there. I inserted my
prayer in the wall. After praying, we
went to the Western Wall
Tunnels/Rabbis Tunnels. The tunnels
run under the now Muslim Quarter of
the Old City and along the entire
length of the Western Wall. In
Yeshuas time, this area used to be a
bustling street and marketplace. We
came out of the tunnels and had
lunch at a small Arab restaurant
where we ate Falafels! After, we
exited the Old City through the Lion
Gate. Rami explained that the walls of
the Old City are actually quite young
and dated to the Ottoman Empire
only. On the way to the Jaffa Gate to
visit the Jewish Quarter, we drove by
Gethsemane and the Mt. of Olives.
We also drove by the 3 closed gates
on the southern side of the Temple
mount. Also on this side are the
southern steps of the Temple where
Rami believes Yeshua would have
driven away the money lenders and
businessmen. We entered the Jaffa
Gate to get to the Jewish Quarter
where we saw a lady playing a harp.
In the Jewish Quarter, we saw some
of the preserved ruins of the walls
built from the time of the Kings of
Judah to Yeshuas time and up to the
Byzantine era. We then went to the
Cardo. The Main Street built by the
Romans when they conquered
Jerusalem. We saw a Raven while
sitting in the Cardo listening to Ramis
teaching. We saw the newly built and
refurbished Hurva Synagogue, the
biggest synagogue in Israel. We also
saw the menorah built by the Temple
Institute in readiness for the 3
rd

temple. On the way out of the Jewish
Quarter, we saw part of the walls
originally built by King Hezekiah. We
then went to the Arab market to do
bargain shopping. After dinner, we
had a meeting with David Friedman.
He shared that the Messianic
Community in Israel is still quite small
(less than 10,000) and the number of
Torah-believing Messianics in that
number is even smaller. His prayer
request is that younger men will be
found who love Yeshua and His Torah
who are willing to teach the current
generation.
Impressions: At the Western Wall, for
me, this was one of the places where
I became emotional. Being able to put
my prayer in the wall, you could
almost believe when Rami says its a
local call to God in Israel. Seeing the
people, touching what would have
been the wall to the Temple
courtyard and knowing the history
was quite emotional. At the Cardo,
Rami explained the origins of the
word Palestine. In 132 CE during
the Bar Kokhba revolt, Roman
Emperor Hadrian, in order to crush
the revolt, changed the name of the
LAND to Palestine. During that time,
it was actually the Jews from
Palestine who were called
Palestinians! The Arabs in the area
refused to be called Palestinian. Of
course now, the whole thing has
been turned around. The enemy is
quite clever that way in deceiving
people and saying something is black
when it is white. At the meeting with
David, he also told the story of their
conference called Crossroads that
aims to inform Jewish and Arab
believers of the Torah. He related
that there are Arab speaking
believing communities in Turkey,
Tunisia and Nice, France that follow
Torah and love Israel. He and his son
have been to the one in Tunisia. He
also related that he saw a poem that
a grade 7 Palestinian student is
supposed to memorize that says their
only purpose in life is to blow
themselves up and kill many Jews. Oy
vey!
Day 8 May 21, 2014
Day Summary: From Jerusalem, we
went to Genesis Land in the Judean
wilderness. It is a park that recreates
the time of Abraham and where we
rode camels! After Genesis Land, we
drove through the Judean wilderness
down to the desert and Qumran. At
Qumran, we saw a short movie about
the Essene community that lived
there during the 2
nd
temple period. It
is also of course in the Qumran caves
where the Dead Sea scrolls were
found. The scrolls were found in 11
different caves and they had portions
of the Torah and Apocrypha, other
Rabbinic writings and the complete
book of Isaiah. After Qumran, we
went to the Ahava laboratory where
we watched a short movie about how
they harvest the minerals from the
Dead Sea. Rami said that Dead Sea
minerals is the number one economic
income generating industry in Israel.
Tourism is only about 4
th
or 5
th
. We
went to En Gedi and walked up to the
highest and 3
rd
falls and to what was
like a semi-cave. Rami read the story
of David hiding from King Saul in 1
Samuel 24. He explained that the
rocks on the ground now would have
been the ceiling of the cave back
then. Most likely an earthquake
opened up the cave. From En Gedi,
we drove by Masada on the way to
our hotel on the Dead Sea. After
checking-in to the hotel, we put on
our bathing suits and walked to the
Dead Sea to float. We even ran into
some Filipino caregivers working in
Israel taking a day-off in the Dead Sea
who knew some of the people in our
group like those from Metro Strata
and Mt. Zion.
Impressions: Riding the camels on the
edge of the Judean cliffs was both fun
and a little scary. At the second falls
in En Gedi, Rami pointed out the rock
shelf that looked like a big shade and
read from Isaiah 32:2 that exactly
described what we were looking at.
On the Dead Sea, it was really weird
because you really would not sink. I
was sitting like I was on a deep
cushion with my feet up. Fun!
Day 9 May 22, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving our hotel in
the Dead Sea, we travelled on to
Masada which we had seen from the
road the day before. Rami did not
allow anyone to make the climb up
the mountain fortress (actually a rock
plateau) on foot as it was too hot.
Masada was built up by Herod the
Great as a mountain fortress due to
its strategic location. We toured the
fortress and saw a house, the store
houses, Herods palace, the bath
house and sauna, saw a silo and
simple mikvah, and finally the
synagogue. Leaving Masada, we
made our way to Arad for lunch and
tree planting with Yoel Berkowitz.
Yoel explained that the city of Arad is
expanding the public park with fruit
trees. The goal is that when the trees
mature and bear fruit, those less
fortunate in the area will be able to
go to the park and pick fruit from the
trees for them to eat. Manang Claire
and I worked together and the first
tree we planted was a peach tree. We
then moved to another area and
planted a pomegranate tree. From
the park, we then proceeded to
Ramis surprise site. We went to
the house of a sculptor named Rick
Wienecke where his sculpture The
Fountain of Tears is displayed. It
relates Yeshuas crucifixion and his
last seven phrases (seven panels) to
the Holocaust. From Arad and on our
way back to Jerusalem, we drove by
the Shefela Judean Foothills which
had some important places
mentioned in the Bible: Lachish, the
Valley of Elah and Bet Shemesh. We
then entered Jerusalem again with
Rami explaining the meaning of the
word Jerusalem.
Impressions: At Masada, Rami taught
us from Ezekiel 37: the Valley of Dry
Bones passage. He interprets the
breath going into the bones as the
Ruach. The picture of the bones rising
from their graves is Israel dispersed
into the nations (from the four winds
north, east, south, west) and
coming back to Israel. During the tree
planting in Arad, I thought that the
soil/sand would be soft like the
desert in Abu Dhabi but the soil/sand
was packed pretty hard and difficult
to dig up. It is truly a wonder how
Israel has been able to make the
desert bloom! Definitely only by
Gods grace. About the name
Jerusalem, the Hebrew should be
correctly Yerushalem instead of
Yerushalayim as known today.
Yerushalayim means two cities or two
Jerusalems like the Old and New or
the Now and the Future. Yerushalem
is from Yah and Shalem. This
instance of Yah is imbued with the
meaning of God as Provider as in
Jehovah Jireh and Shalem of
course, like Shalom, with its root
meaning peace God will provide for
Himself that will cause peace.
Day 10 May 23, 2014
Day Summary: Leaving our hotel, we
made our way to the first stop of the
day: the Mount of Olives. We went to
the top of the hill and saw a great
panoramic view of the Temple
Mount. Rami taught us from Luke
19:28-44. We made our way down
the Mt. of Olives through the Jewish
Cemetery where Rami explained
Jewish burial customs. We exited the
Jewish cemetery and went to the
grounds of a Catholic church where
we saw a tomb carved into the hill.
From the tomb, we walked down to
Gethsemane. The church (Catholic) in
Gethsemane was closed so we just
went around the garden and saw the
oldest olive tree they have. It is
believed to be about 2,000 years old.
We then drove to the traditional
location of Cayafas house. It is now a


Catholic church called Peter in
Gallicante, since it was in the
courtyard of the house that Peter
denied Yeshua. In the building,
before reaching the dungeon, we
entered a room where people would
have been disciplined by the priests.
There were holes in the ceiling and
wall where they would have been
tied. Rami emphasized that this room
would have been used for discipline
and NOT torture. This would be the
room where Yeshua would have been
flogged. From the room, we made
our way down to the dungeon where
Yeshua would have been kept for
about 3 hours before being brought
out. From Cayafas House, we made
our way to Yad Vashem (Holocaust
Museum). The name Yad Vashem as
explained by Rami, is taken from Isa.
56:5. We saw the Historical Museum
and Childrens Memorial. We also
went to the grounds and looked at
some of the trees planted for the
righteous Gentiles who helped Jews
during the Holocaust. From Yad
Vashem, we proceeded to the
Garden Tomb, one of the places
believed to be where Yeshua was
crucified and buried. It is run by a
Christian British volunteer
organization. The guide first brought
us to where Golgotha or the Place of
the Skull is believed to be then to the
actual tomb. From the Garden tomb,
we went to Yad Hashmona, a moshav
started by Finnish believers. All the
residents of the moshav are
believers. We visited their Biblical
garden which has a synagogue and
ancient olive and wine press. After
the short tour, we were met by Bill
Schlegel of IBEX, the Israel Bible
Extension program of Masters
College in the US. Bill explained the
importance of Biblical geography
since it proves what the Bible says
and show in his terms, facts on the
ground. We said thank you and
goodbye to Bill S. and boarded the
bus for the trip to our Tel Aviv hotel.
We had a farewell dinner with Rami.
Gaby and their son met us at the
hotel so they joined us for the
farewell dinner and picture taking.
After dinner, Manang Claire and I
walked to the beach about 5-7
minutes away. We dipped our feet
into the Mediterranean and took
some pictures. We walked some on
the promenade to see what Tel Aviv
and the beach is like at night then
walked back to our hotel for our last
night in Israel.
Impressions: Seeing the Temple
Mount from the Mount of Olives, I
reflected that Yeshuas prophecy
about Jerusalem was quite sad. In
about 37 years, the temple and
Jerusalem would be destroyed.
Really, in the words of Yeshua, If
you, even you, had only known on
this day what would bring you peace
but now it is hidden from your
eyes. But I guess it was His plan all
along so that we, the Gentiles and the
rest of the nations, would find out
who the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob is and His Son Yeshua. At the
dungeon in Cayafas house, it was
quite moving and emotional to be in
the place and imagine Yeshua there.
It brought tears to my eyes thinking
about what Yeshua suffered just for
me. Another emotional place of
course was Yad Vashem. The
Holocaust is just one of those things
hard to explain. We just trust that
God is sovereign and in His wisdom,
these things happen for a reason.
Day 11 May 24, 2014
Day Summary: Since it was Shabbat,
we started the day with breakfast
first then a meeting at 10 AM. Lolo
Rog facilitated and taught from
Ezekiel 36. After our Shabbat
meeting, we went for lunch and a few
of us ended up having lunch at a
Chinese dim sum place near the
hotel. Dinner would still be at 6 and
we had already checked-out of our
rooms so most of us just waited
around or took a nap in the lobby.
Some visitors/relatives arrived at the
hotel to greet some from the group.
At around 4:30 PM, Meir and Shlomit
Lavi with 2 of their 3 sons showed up
at the hotel to greet us. They are
friends of Roger he met at the
Banaue Hotel. Right before dinner,
we met as a group and shared our
testimonies about the trip. We
wrapped up the meeting, had dinner,
retrieved our bags and boarded the
bus to go to the airport. Since Rami
was no longer with us, Kuya Ted
became the head of the group and I
became the tail. Oy its difficult to
corral 45 adults! Sheesh! It took some
time, about maybe an hour in line,
before it was our turn to go through
security and the questioning portion.
Unfortunately, there were some
problems with overweight luggage
and too many carry-ons for some of
the group. Again, sheesh! Anyway,
we finally all made it through security
and check-in just in time for the
boarding call of our flight. When we
got to Bangkok, our flight was
delayed and we ended up waiting for
about 5 hours. That was a long wait.
Our plane for Manila finally arrived
and we left at about 9:00 PM Bangkok
time. We arrived in Manila at about
1:00 AM, May 26 and went through
immigration, baggage claim and
customs pretty fast. As soon as I got
my luggage, I was out of there. I think
I was the first one out of the airport.
Finally, home sweet home. Or at least
Manila for me.
Impressions: From our Shabbat
discussion: our Abba Father takes it
personally when Israel is persecuted.
This applies also to you and me.
Yeshua will take it personally. Lolo
Rog also emphasized the importance
of studying ALL of scripture and not
just parts. During the testimonies
meeting, the comments from those
who had already been to Israel
before was that it was better than
their other tour since we were able to
go to some unique places and meet
some real Israelis. Manang Euli also
shared that she was grateful they
were included in the tour even if they
arent related to APMF. She said she
learned a lot and is thankful for
Ramis guidance.
CONCLUSION
- Thank you to Lolo Rog, Kuya Ted and
Rami for a great experience!
- This trip for me was definitely life
changing and faith affirming. It
brought the Bible to life and made
what we read and believe even more
concrete and tangible.
- Having Rami as our guide made a big
difference. Him being a believer in
Yeshua and a Torah-observant
believer at that, made the truth of
the Bible leap out before our eyes.
- I now agree more fully that you
cannot confess to believe in Yeshua
and reject Israel. It is impossible.
Those who claim to believe in Yeshua
as their Messiah but reject Israel, I
would have to question the
genuineness of their faith because
the Bible clearly shows Gods love for
Israel. As Rami says, faith in Yeshua
and Israel are a package deal and
cannot be separated.
- Definitely, something every believer
should do outside of Israel is visit
Israel. When Lolo Rog says that going
to Israel is not a vacation but an
investment in your life, I
wholeheartedly concur.
- This trip made me even more
appreciative of what Yeshua did for
me. This trip made the Bible not
something that you just read or
something abstract but it made the
truths in Gods Word something you
can touch, see with your own eyes
and something you can smell and
taste. Its something that as mere
humans, sometimes our faith flags,
but this trip made me realize how
awesome and great our God is and
how compassionate and full of grace
in sending his Son Yeshua
HaMashiach to die for us. Amen!

TESTIMONIES FROM THE APMF
HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE TOUR

From Gay Douglas:
Adonai be praised indeed for the
more than amazing recent tour our
roots in the faith at the Holy Land.
Overall impact is very, very good for a
group of 45! Credit goes to our
excellent tour-guide and teacher
Rami, how every place & sight he
points goes with an insight of the past
and present events that made every
visit and captured scene awesome,
alive & something of importance;
how he cared for us like a shepherd
cared for his flock and his
fitting/invigorating/good-feeling
address to us as "Beloved/
Sweethearts"; his hilarious jokes, to
the left and to the right...11 o'clock, 3
o'clock turns, etc. made that part of
our lives really, really unforgettable
to make us smile as we
remember and want more...a part 2
perhaps.
Of course, kudos to the organizers as
well, headed by you Roger & Naomi,
Ted and Rachel that did all the
details/processes to make things
happen as it deed from beginning to
end, without which nothing
started...in circle too. We appreciate
your efforts..t'was not in vain, you
were the brains behind the success.
And to rest of the team including me,
we created new friends/
acquaintances, ...special
appreciation to my buddies Emily,
Euly & Jurgen.. sorry for our near-
miss experience in the bus... our
shopping experiences, our salvation
of the flesh, our exodus at the desert
lands, ruins, masada climb, etc... I
appreciate and thank everyone's
contribution, from the youngest
Joshua... to the oldest Roger, that
made our team tour really worth
more than the money we paid. Lets
make a way to share the Holy Land
experience.
To God be the Glory! Toda rabah
everyone, see you all someday..who
knows, to the other places un-
punched in our guide postcard.

From Josie Cablog
I would like to share a bit of my
experiences on our Tour in
Israel. First and foremost, I thank
God for the privilege of allowing me
to visit "His Land." Secondly, I thank
Deborah for shouldering all my
expenses, a spiritual investment on
her part. I enjoyed hiking and eating
green foods, especially yogurts and
olive fruits. Rami was an excellent
Tour Guide. He didn't miss a bit
explaining to us the Torah in its
context. If only he could bring us back
in history, I think he will do it. Good
job, Rami! What struck me most was
the lesson in En-Gedi, the cave where
David hid from King Saul. Why was
King David so special to God, the man
before His heart? Yet he committed
adultery and murdered the husband
of Bathsheba. He is just like us, a
sinner. Oh no, He forgave and forgot,
He pays good for evil. He loved King
Saul regardless of his evil plans
toward Him. That was a good shot
from the Torah. I know my Bible. I
read it and teach it to students, but
when I saw the placethat caveI felt
ashamed. I have a long trail to walk
and lessons to learn. I would like also
to thank Sir Roger for his undying love
and concerns to the people of the
Philhe is indeed our great spiritual
mentor. I bless Adonai for the
Tour. Toda Raba!

From Edith Tria
May13-25, 2014 The APMF
pilgrimage to the Holy Land was the
most unforgettable sightseeing tour I
have ever experienced. It may serve
now as my benchmark for any future
tours. The educational benefits along
with the exciting, fun and enriching
life changing experiences during this
trip to the Land of the Bible will never
be forgotten. It was so thrilling to me
that I am still elated and enthusiastic
upon arrival back home.
Even though I experienced serious jet
lag and felt a little hung over, I
managed to post all 2000 photos I
brought home in my 2 digital cameras
to my Facebook page under my name
and
under the name of our Bible study
group called Metro Strata Learning
Center. For those interested, you are
invited to see all those pics posted for
each day of our tour.
I recall how I was encouraged to join
this because I had met our tour guide,
Bro. Rami Danieli, when he was our
APMF conference speaker in Baguio
City, April 2013. Rami is an extra
miler, exceptional, superb teacher,
wholly knowledgeable of Torah/Bible
scriptures, history, culture and the
Land of Israel. The way he custom-
designed and guided our tour of the
Holy Land gave us a Messianic Jewish
perspective on those sacred Biblical
sites. He re-enforced in me the
importance of the study of the Bible
is best way to understand and
experience travel to Israel. It really
was a spiritually-enriching time that
deepened my Faith and connected
me to my Hebraic roots as we see the
Bible in a whole new light by seeing
the scriptures come to life. Visiting
the Biblical sites of Israel gave me a
visual and tactile experience as I
envisioned myself with my Messiah,
Yeshua in the Mount of Olives,
overlooking the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. It was truly awesome to
have walked those paths and stand in
the same places where God worked
and Yeshua walked. The tour was
chronologically designed and
generated in me a new Love and
Passion for Israel, its land and people;
and the desire to bring others to
experience what I have experienced.
I yearn to come back here again with
much joy in anticipation for Part 2 of
this Holy land trip. I wish again to
enrich my walk with the Lord, love for
Yeshua my Messiah and the
knowledge of Gods Word, as I
encounter the truth of Scriptures on
location.
The extra pluses of this tour were the
visits to some Messianic families in
Moshav/Kibbutz and various Jewish
couples. The visits were so well-
coordinated by our team leader Bro
Roger Walkwitz, that I have been
blessed all the more as they shared
with us their life testimonies; how
they were instrumental to the love
and care for this holy land, and the
people who live here. Such
encounters with them, though short-
lived, were enough to encourage us
all the more to love and bless Israel.
Finally, it was indeed a privilege for all
of us on this tour, to be a part of the
Tree Planting project in the desert of
Arad through our former APMF
speakers Berkowitz family. I pray
that the trees we have planted will
grow to be tall, soaring and mature,
and it is my hope that I can be like
such trees in the future.
For all my co-tourist friends and
acquaintances on this trip, lets
continue to pray that we can attend
the Part2 tour with our Beloved Rami
and his nice family in the future.
Whereas, for our beloved families
and friends, lets urge and appeal that
they attend the Part1 Holy land
pilgrimage like us, so that their lives
will never be the same. Baruch
Hashem!