Connell woman's Israel pilgrimage to Israel set as highlight for PAWS
OTHELLO — Persons who would like to know more about the origins of Christianity and the stories of the Bible would serve themselves well by attending the Nov. 9 meeting of the Presbyterian Adult Women Society.
Karen Baumann of Connell will present “My Pilgrimage in Israel.” She visited that country about a year ago and described the experience as life-changing.
The monthly PAWS meetings are not about the Presbyterian Church. They are fellowship gatherings for the entire community, especially senior citizens.
The PAWS meetings are held at the Othello First Presbyterian Church. They start at 11:30 a.m. and end at about 1 p.m. They include lunch.
“Visitors are welcome,” PAWS leader Nancy Briggs said.
Baumann is well known throughout this area for her outstanding work in photography. She describes herself as a hobbyist and is “passionate” about the art she has been practicing for the past 11 years. Her presentation for PAWS will include a video slide show.
Baumann was invited to join a group of pilgrims from the Episcopal Church Diocese of Wyoming, under the leadership of The Right Reverend John Smylie, her brother-in-law, and his wife Jill Smylie.
“We flew into Tel Aviv and, from there, we journeyed by bus,” Baumann said. “We spent three nights at the Sea of Galilee, experiencing the Holy Eucharist and biblical teachings on the very ground where Jesus taught and fed the multitudes.”
The pilgrims went to the Mount of Beatitudes, Peter’s Primacy, Mount Tabor and Nazareth and spent time in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. They drove to Caesarea at the Mediterranean Sea and then down to Bethlehem, where they spent two nights, taking in the birth place of Jesus and going to Shepherd’s Fields.
“We spent our last four nights staying inside Old Jerusalem, where we walked the Via Dolorosa on our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” Baumann said.
“We visited many of the holy sites around Old Jerusalem; one of the most touching in my journey was looking out over Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, and then walking down to the Garden of Gethsemane below,” Baumann added.
The pilgrims also traveled to Jericho, saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and took a float (no swimming) in the Dead Sea.
“We were invited to surrender our own perceptions and identity to Jesus and allow ourselves to be transformed into permanent pilgrims instead of passing tourists,” Baumann said. “I encountered Christ in a new and personal way during this journey, and I am giving praise and thanks to God for this chance to be forever changed.
“I was blessed to photograph many sacred places in the Holy Land, gaining new insight into God’s historic land, where much of our Christian foundation was formed,” Baumann added. “The scriptures are much more meaningful from walking and seeing the very sites where Jesus lived and where He healed and taught so many people.”