It’s been almost 6 years already since I joined the CCF Holy Land Bible Study Tour (I can’t believe it’s been that long!) but I still get a lot of questions about it every now and then. I’ve decided to make an all-in-one post about my experience in hopes of helping all of you guys who are thinking about joining this year’s trip.
** 2016 Update: My husband joined the 2016 CCF Holy Land Tour and you can read all about his trip here!
What: CCF Holy Land Bible Study Tour
When: April 9-23, 2010
Where: Egypt, Israel, Jordan (Dubai was optional, I didn’t go)
Who: 3 buses full (that’s a lot), majority of them attend CCF!
Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF) is where I attend church and is headed by our senior pastor Peter Tan-Chi. Every year, they organize this Holy Land Bible study tour on April and Pastor Peter himself joins the trip! If you know who Pastor Peter is, you’ll know that to have him on your trip is a huge privilege!
And if the name of the tour doesn’t make this fact obvious, this is a Christian Bible study tour so that means mostly visiting places that are related to Biblical history, stories and events.
Every morning, right after breakfast, Pastor Peter led short bible studies wherein we learn about the places we are going to visit that day, plus how and where they are presented in the Bible. This was one of my favorite things about this tour!
WHAT TO PACK/WHAT TO BRING
To tell you honestly, this trip was one of the hardest trips to pack for. There were days when we couldn’t wear sleeveless and shorts because there were dress codes at the sites. There were times when it was extremely hot, like when we were in Petra, and when it was extremely cold, like when we climbed Mt. Sinai. We swam the dead sea (swimsuits!), climbed mountains (thick jackets and good climbing shoes!) and walked around a lot (good walking shoes!)
My advice: layer your clothes, bring two pairs of shoes and a shawl (for the ladies!)
Layering is good so you can add when it’s cold and remove when it’s hot. Two pairs of shoes, based on my personal experience, because I almost broke mine when we climbed up Mt. Sinai and I got really bad blisters after (I believe this is no longer on the itinerary though!) Shawls are good for covering the arms in case you wanna wear sleeveless tops on dress-code days. They also make for a good mini-blanket when the weather suddenly gets cold and a covering for the head when it’s hot!
And the shawls are cute for pictures. Hehe.
FAVORITE EXPERIENCE
Here’s a list of my favorite highlights from the trip:
- Getting baptized at the Jordan River (well technically, rededicated for me, since I already got baptized the year before)
- Swimming at the Dead Sea
- Singing praise & worship songs with everyone while sailing along the Sea of Galilee
- Climbing Mt. Sinai before dawn then riding a camel on the way back down
- Seeing world wonders such as the Great Pyramids of Giza and Petra
HOW MUCH
The most frequently asked question: “How much did the trip cost?”
During our batch (2010), the base price for The CCF Holy Land Bible Study Tour was $3200, excluding lunch, all visas and taxes. Lunch is an estimate of $10 per meal. Also, tour to Dubai is optional and comes with an additional cost. I didn’t join the Dubai tour because the trip was already pretty costly for me! This year, it’s $3750++. Better to inquire directly to get the actual costs.
Obviously, this was not a budget trip at all; we flew Emirates and stayed at mostly 4-5 star hotels (host country’s standards) This was what was included in the package and there was no cheaper alternative. You can get cheaper Holy Land tours elsewhere, I’m sure, but there are many different reasons why I personally chose to go with this tour, despite the price.
WHY I CHOSE TO GO WITH CCF
Choosing this tour was a personal (and sentimental!) preference. CCF has been my church since I became a follower of Christ and it has been like a home and family to me. To have the opportunity to travel the Holy Land with the people who have journeyed with me in my spiritual walk (from the pastors who have inspired me from afar, like Pastor Peter, to the friends I’ve made there over the years) is irreplaceable. Honestly, the option to join a different tour didn’t even cross my mind during that time.
I joined this tour with my best friend Lor, a lot of my friends from church ministry and a number of my friends’ families who have been like our spiritual family as well. I have no regrets at all and I wouldn’t have wanted to go on any other tour aside from this.
If you’re considering taking this same trip but you’re still unsure if it’s a good investment, I’m here to encourage you and convince you that it most definitely is! In those two short weeks, I was humbled, I was blown away, my faith was tested and I grew in so many ways. To simply say that the experience was life-changing would be an understatement.
18 Comments
Charles Sy
April 21, 2016 at 9:54 amlooking forward to more travel-related posts!
Yan
May 12, 2016 at 5:59 amGoals! I’ve always wanted to join Holy Land tours but it’s too expensive for me right now. Will keep in mind that CCF offers this yearly! Thanks for sharing! ;D
Sheena Sy Gonzales
May 12, 2016 at 11:55 amThanks Yan! Yes, they have it every year! Hope you can visit next year; it’s a trip you won’t forget.
Connie
June 12, 2016 at 12:18 amWhen is for next year? Oh i am not a CCf member but i follow Pastor Peter online. Can i go? Where can i check for the next schedule?
Sheena Sy Gonzales
June 12, 2016 at 7:52 amHi Connie, they just finished the Holy Land Tour this year (my husband went, so I’ll be writing an entry about that soon; keep posted on that!) so I’m not sure when next year will be. Usually they start announcing it early on at the start of the year. You can check online at http://www.ccf.org.ph for announcements. And yes, you can go even if you don’t attend CCF!
Chot Li
December 26, 2016 at 1:51 pmHi Sheena. Do you still have a copy of the itinerary?
Sheena Sy Gonzales
December 26, 2016 at 6:07 pmHi Chot, sorry I don’t have it anymore but if you call CCF they will probably provide you with the latest one that they have.
Chot Li
December 26, 2016 at 10:14 pmok. thanks!
Maimai
January 12, 2017 at 8:47 amThis is really at the top of my bucket list and I’m working on it. Hopefully.. Really want to travel here above all other beautiful places. God willing!
IG: @heyangeey
Sheena Sy Gonzales
January 12, 2017 at 11:14 amGod willing soon!
TeeNy
March 20, 2017 at 4:58 pmhello. im joining the holy land tour this year. are we allowed to wear dress during the tour?
Sheena Sy Gonzales
March 20, 2017 at 9:48 pmHi Teeny, I was able to wear dresses on some days but not on all, so maybe it’s safe to bring just 1 or 2. Unless they’re long dresses!
TeeNy
March 23, 2017 at 11:13 amthanks
Lency Arabelle Cruz
January 21, 2019 at 2:22 amI have been renewing my relationship with the Lord lately and having inspired by your illustrations before i my life went in ruins, this post just makes me happy. CCF has been helping me reconnect with Jesus again and im happy to see that u CCF is your church. No wonder your faith is so strong. ?
Sheena Sy Gonzales
January 21, 2019 at 3:02 pmHi Lency, praise God you’re renewing your relationship with Jesus. It’s the best decision 😉
Pam Amarillo
March 19, 2019 at 6:07 pmIsrael is #1 on our travel bucketlist So nice to see this post and that your church offers these too! Our church also has an annual tour to Israel and we always say going to Israel is the trip of a lifetime!!
Sheena Sy Gonzales
March 19, 2019 at 9:39 pmYou should definitely join when possible!
Lezlie Logo
December 2, 2019 at 10:54 pmWhat a great experience to go there.