Family trip to the Holy land

In ancient Irish Celtic Christian history there is mention of “thin places.” These are locations where the distance between heaven and earth collapses and people are able to catch a glimpse of the divine. There are many places on earth that people define as thin places. Some are in nature where the surrounding beauty sings of the divine. Others are holy places. This past October, the Zahn family of Monett visited a thin place, the Holy land in Israel.

This was not the first trip for parents Andrew and Carrie Zahn. “When I was 18 and dating Andrew, his parents were living and volunteering at Bethlehem Bible College. I was invited to travel with Andrew and his sisters to visit them over Christmas,” said Carrie. “With my parent’s encouragement I experienced Christmas in a vastly different and profound way.”

Returning to the Holy land was a

Story by Annie Lisenby Smith

goal for the Zahn family. “Carrie and I had made the trip back in 1994, and we wanted our kids to experience the Holy land,” Andrew said. “My parents have led over 12 trips to Israel, and we wanted our kids to experience it with their grandparents.”

With their children Zella (age 11) and Zurich (age 14) the Zahn family was able to take advantage of one of the perks of Andrew’s job to get them to Israel. “We are so fortunate that Andrew is an airline pilot, which allows us to travel ‘space available’ to lots of places,” Carrie said. “Andrew is the family travel agent so he organized our flights and my father-in-law planned a ‘fluid’ itinerary which included visits to holy sites and time with friends and acquaintances living in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nazareth.”

It was important to the Zahns for their children to have this experience with their grandparents who have many special friendships and relationships in the Holy land. And it was important to the children too. “I was excited to see the places where Jesus was born, lived, and was crucified,” said Zurich.

“I was able to walk where my Savior walked,” said Zella.

“I was also really excited to re-experience this as an adult,” said Carrie. “At age 18, I was dealing with culture shock. The foods and flavors were way outside my Midwest upbringing, and I was seeing all these amazing places where Jesus lived and taught. It was overwhelming. As an adult, I could process it all so differently and with more maturity in my age and my Christian walk.”

In the time since the Zahns first trip to Israel, there had been some changes. A wall has been built around Bethlehem and most of the West Bank, which makes travel restrictive with multiple checkpoints. While it is safe for tourists to come and go, it can be difficult for Palestinians.

“Until you experience it, you cannot understand what it’s like to ‘show your papers’ to leave one town to travel to another,” said Carrie. “We took the kids through a pedestrian checkpoint to leave Bethlehem so that we could each increase our understanding and perspective of those living in walled off areas.”

The experience opened Zella’s eyes to the many cultures and religions all in “a pretty small geographic area.”

Being able to travel abroad can change people’s understanding of places, people, and cultures. “My in-laws have always shared about Arab hospitality, but I was blown away by the warmth of those we were able to visit on our trip,” Carrie said. “Such loving, giving, and caring Christ-like people.”

When asked about how his under- standing of the Holy land changed from this experience, Zurich said, “Seeing in person where Jesus was born, walked and died helped me better understand Bible stories more.

Zella added, “I’ve heard Bible stories, but while in the Holy land I heard more details in those stories that changed my way of thinking.”

There were many highlights to the trip from the simple joys of Zurich’s first camel ride to the more impactful experiences of seeing where Jesus lived and taught. “The most meaningful part of the trip for me was getting to experience the Holy land sites and culture with my children and family,” Andrew said, “but also spending time with local Christian families and dining in their homes.”

A favorite place for Carrie was the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Seeing an olive tree that is 2,000+ years old and imagining my Lord and Savior praying under it as He prepared to give his life for me is beyond remarkable,” said Carrie.

A holy site that Zella enjoyed was in Nazareth, the Church of the Annunciation. “It’s the place believed to be the site of the house of the Virgin Mary, and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus,” Zella said. “Each country provided a work of the Madonna, and I could see their colors, their styles, their outfits, their version of the Madonna and Christ child.”

For Andrew Zahn this trip helped the Bible come to life. “It was color with 3D images, similar to an IMAX but with all five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and wonderful tastes of food.”

Carrie described the trip as humbling and faith affirming. “I think we were also impacted by the friendships we experienced,” she added. Like his parents, Zurich was also touched by the experience saying that it made him feel closer to God.

While a trip like this might seem daunting to some, the Zahn family encourages everyone to go. “Don’t put it off and wear good walking shoes,” Carrie said.

“Make this a bucket list trip and go ASAP,” Andrew added. “My parents are starting to make their next VIM (Volunteers in Mission) trip for June 2023. The VIM trip would be very similar to our experience where you meet local Christians, dine with them, volunteer efforts for part of the time, and visit all of the major Holy sites in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and the Sea of Galilee.”

Whatever adventures lie ahead for 2023, a trip to a “thin place” like the Holy land would be a great place to experience new friendships, culture, great food, and the places where Jesus walked on earth. n