Author: Sue Brown
After a pilgrimage to Italy with our parish priest, my husband and I became very open to going on a trip to the Holy Land, but we only wanted a pilgrimage, not a tourist trip. We wanted a Catholic experience with daily masses and Catholic reflections. When we had the good fortune of finding out about Chris' trip and attending his information session in Saratoga Springs, we felt "very called" to go. Chris' experience of taking people to the Holy Land, his knowledge, enthusiasm and his contacts in Israel were all factors that made us feel very trusting about going with him. The fact that priests had gone with him several times really sealed the trust!
The Israeli-Lebanon Conflict was going on the summer of 2006 when we were due to leave in October.The news in the paper really scared me and I had great concerns about going. Chris was frequently in touch with his contacts in Israel and we were frequently in touch with Chris and I truly believed that Chris would cancel the trip if he did not think it would be safe for us to go. As it turned out, I never felt any fear while we were there and I felt more fear about moving around in certain places in the US. Security is tight in Israel. Several weeks before we left, Chris gave us "thumbs up" and the trip was a go. We never looked back. This was Chris' 40th trip of taking religious and lay people to Israel.
It would be next to impossible for me to put into words what I got out of the trip. It was the best trip I have ever been on. You take the unique person you are, expose yourself to what you see, hear and experience and you become transformed in an indescribable way. Every day was better than the day before as you travel this spiritual journey.
The trip enriched my inner life will forever change who I am. When I first returned and heard the scriptures read, I about jumped out of the pew. I was there..the very places that are being read about. I was there and felt God's presence. I walked, stood, kneeled and prayed where Jesus spent his life, suffered, died and rose again.
The Holy Land trip with Chris Cross is one of the best balanced trips I have ever been on. He is an exceptional person who makes the trip flow. His spirituality is contagious and he is also a very funny person.
We all prayed together, laughed together and even cried together.
On the practical side, the accommodations were very comfortable and the food was very good.
I would tell you, if you have the chance to go to the Holy Land with Christopher Cross, GO!
From Sue Brown, Greenville,SC
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