Childrenandyouth.org.uk

Encounter the Holy Land
“Come and See”

The Children & Youth Team is excited to be partnering with Amos Trust to run an
alternative pilgrimage to Israel & Palestine from Monday 13th to Monday 20th May 2013 for
children’s and youth workers.
Sarah Rose of Amos Trust will be leading the trip alongside Meg Prowting, Youth
Development Officer and Sam Taylor, who visited the Holy Land during his time as Youth
President last year.

Application forms for the trip wil be available online and need to be returned by SUNDAY
27th January 2013
Email:
The situation in Israel and Palestine has been discussed and debated at conference for the last few years and the Church has passed resolutions taking actions aimed at promoting a just peace in the region. We are offering the chance for children’s and youth workers to visit the Holy Land, hear the stories of the people who live there, see the situation on the ground and visit the sites where Jesus lived, walked and talked. The Christian community in the Holy Land has invited Christians from around the world to “come and see” and we know that the welcome we receive; the stories we hear; the sights we see and the chance to walk in the footsteps of Jesus wil make this a fantastic life-changing experience that builds our understanding and chal enges and deepens our faith. Amos Trust

Amos Trust is a Christian human rights charity committed to working towards a world
where all communities have equal rights and the value and dignity of al is upheld.
At Amos Trust we
• Chal enge injustice • Build involvement • Create change Working alongside and learning from creative local partners from around the world. Amos Trust having been taking groups to visit the Holy Land for 20 years and we are confident that your visit wil be a challenging, inspiring, learning and fun fil ed experience. We cal our trips “encounters” as they are al about ful y encountering the places we visit and, most especially, the people and our partners who are working for justice, peace, reconciliation and hope on the ground. The trip to the Holy Land wil give you the opportunity to see and experience the land where Jesus was born and lived and places that wil bring the bible to life. However, this amazing place is only a small part of the story, the main focus of the trip is to meet the people who live in the land today, hear their stories and share their experiences. These are the “living stones”. You will know that the holy land is a place of historical and present conflict. We wil encounter friends and partners from al communities and hear stories from all perspectives. We wil be hosted by the vibrant Christian community in Bethlehem and the trip wil be run on the ground with our partner organisation Holy Land Trust. For this trip, our focus wil be to introduce you to local young people their leaders and teachers to give you the opportunity to learn directly from them their reality and hear their hopes and dreams for the future. At the heart of the trip will be encounters with young people and organisations from all communities who are working for justice, peace and reconciliation and who are absolutely committed to obtaining these goals through non-violence. Amos Trust would join with the Christian community in the Holy Land in inviting you to “Come and See”. Useful Information
• Passport - make sure your passport is at least 6 months in date, let us know if you
have any stamps from Muslim majority countries (Egypt & Turkey are fine). • Travel insurance – you wil need to obtain your own travel insurance, make sure it
covers travel to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (the West Bank), most policies do. We wil not be going into or near The Gaza strip. • Personal/contact details - make sure you have completed a personal details form.
• Accommodation – we will be staying in a hostel run by the local Christian
community in Bethlehem. Rooms will be shared. • Food - is great and lots of it! Al of your breakfasts and evening meals are covered
in the trip costs. You will need to pay for your own lunch each day (al ow between £6-8 per day). Some days we will have a picnic • Money - You wil need Israeli shekels which you can get at the airport (either end).
We wil visit a local bank in Bethlehem early in the trip to change some of the larger currency you wil be given at the exchange into more useable smaller denominations. There are cash point machines in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Al entrance fees for group visits and donations to organisations giving talks etc. are covered in the trip costs. The overal cost of the trip wil be £995. Unfortunately, we are not able to subsidise this, however we will do al we can in supporting you to get funding from your local churches, circuits and districts for the trip. If you wish to join the trip, you will have to pay a deposit of £200 • Shopping – There will be opportunities to shop at various points. We encourage you
to spend your money in the West Bank as the occupation has a devastating effect on the Palestinian economy. There will be the occasional street vendor and the souks are quite lively. A polite no thank you is normal y enough and our guides wil look after you. • Weather – It is likely to be reasonably hot (high 20’s C). We would recommend
wearing a hat and using high factor sun cream. We wil nag you about drinking plenty of bottled water which is freely available to buy. Our days are full and busy and it is al too easy to get dehydrated. • Medical – We would recommend sticking to drinking bottled water. Bring some
• Clothes – We wil be visiting Churches and other holy places where arms and legs
need to be covered. We are staying within a general y conservative society where modest dress is the norm so we need to be cultural y sensitive. Men are better wearing long trousers or long shorts and women should avoid low cut tops and short skirts/shorts. We will be doing quite a bit of walking so comfortable shoes are a must. Some places we visit are quite stony. • Safety & Security – You wil need your passport with you at al times. We have found
during our long experience of travelling in and around the West Bank that the people make you very welcome and you feel very safe. Our guides are trusted and experienced friends who know what they are doing and wil react swiftly should any situation arise. We always need to do what they say immediately and ask questions later. Normal rules apply with regard to keeping your passport and money safe i.e. don’t flash it around!

Source: http://www.childrenandyouth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/meth-yc-workers-info-pack.pdf