“At different times, I (Bill) talked about how interesting it would be to see the land of Israel, but I never thought I’d ever really be there. However, for our 35^th wedding anniversary, our kids gave us a tenday trip to Israel. It was in the month of January. It was nice there, not too hot, not too cold.

        “The sun was just coming up when we landed in Tel Aviv after a long flight from Canada. We were all pretty tired, but I looked forward to the next few days when I would view places in a land that I’ve been reading about in the Bible for the last forty years.

        “Jesus Christ is very real and personal to me. I worship Him, not the ground He walked on. One of the first places we went to on this tour was the Mount of Olives. From some point in this area the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:11). As sure as He went up He will come back. He will actually come back in body to this mountain just a little east of the city of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:4).

        “A lot could be said about the whole area regarding its past and a whole lot more exciting things will take place when Jesus comes back to rule on earth. I talked with both Israelis and Palestinians and found some of them very friendly.

        “Some of the places of interest where Jesus walked with His disciples I had seen previously in pictures. These were places like Jericho, Joppa, Caesarea, Tiberias, Capernaum, Cana, Jordan, and others. 

        “We had a short boat ride on Lake Galilee. While on the boat I borrowed our tour guide’s Bible as I had left my New Testament on the bus. When I gave it back to him he asked me what I had read. I told him I’d read the part about Jesus walking on the water. He said that it was probably further up the Lake as it happened after He did the miracle of feeding a multitude. That is where we then headed.

        “After that, it was on to Nazareth and Cana. Bethlehem is close to Jerusalem. You are hardly out of the city and you are in Bethlehem which is itself not ‘little.’ 

        “I’ve had a lot of teaching in prophecy, enough to under­stand that God had promised this land to His people, Israel.

         "We toured mainly central and northern Israel. I saw Megiddo and the valley or plain of Jezreel, the focal point of the coming Battle of Armageddon. Israel will go through a time of persecution, then Jesus will come back to take up His rule on earth, having His headquarters in Jerusalem. 

        “I appreciated the few days we had in Israel. I am praying for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. I had been reading through the Psalms. I do not think it was just coincidence that on January 17, 1993, the day we left for Israel, the passage of Scripture that we read for devotions was from Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. 

        “The sun was just beginning to set that evening when we visited the Garden Tomb. There wasn’t much to see, just an empty tomb. But it was there that Jesus’ body was laid to rest. On the third day He was gone. Jesus was alive again. An appropriate verse hangs inside the tomb. “He is not here, He is risen.” The Lord Jesus is not dead. He is a living Savior Who can be with us no matter where we travel on earth. He hears our prayers and loves us. 

        “Other places that I have gone to, I had not read about prior to going. With Israel I did. It makes the Bible more than just history. It is also about the future, the land, its people and what God will do there.”

        The Jackson children honored their parents’ 35^th  wedding anniversary in other ways, too. For example, Randy composed the following song to celebrate the occasion. 

To some they are people that they call good friends,
‘Cause there’s a time in memory that’s precious to them.
To others they’re examples of the living truth
That they’ve taught and lived
Since the time of their youth. 

But I know them as the ones who love me,
They’ve seen us through the good times and the bad;
Though you might recall them as Bill and Shirley
It’s been much better
Knowing them as Mom and Dad. 

The year they made good Chevies was 1957,
That’s the year God also made a marriage in heaven.
They’ve lived their lives for others,
cause it’s Jesus they live for,
They’ll long be remembered as two who love the Lord. 

        At a special anniversary celebration supper attended by family and friends, Kene and Milly, Randy and Vangie joined voices to celebrate their parents’ happy union and add one more memory to the rich store of blessings God has lovingly bestowed on Bill and Shirley.