It was a three month adventure she won't soon forget.
Local Minister Faye Greer recently returned from Israel and she's brought back a wealth or memories and a new understanding for a culture that exists a world away.
"I was on sabbatical beginning in September," details Greer, who pastors at the Westview United Church in Yorkton.
"I participated in a program at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem."
The Institute is situated on the main road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem and serves as a welcoming place in the Holy Land for visitors from all over the world.
Greer was one of 15 from around the world and one of just three Canadians to have had the opportunity to take part in the recent initiative.
"It was a phenomenal experience," she says. Apart from daily lectures and programs she had the chance to explore and to see a completely different culture from her own.
"We talked about not just the biblical topics but about the land, geography, geology, the churches, the different religions... we had a number of field trips to holy sites... we also had some free time and the opportunity to go on our own in small groups to see the areas we were interested in. It was a totally exciting experience."
The United Church of Canada has a policy that when a minister has been in place for five years they are eligible for a sabbatical and Greer says when she saw the information on the Tantur Institute she knew this was her calling.
She has toured Israel previously on her own but she says this stay was much more intense and an experience she wasn't quite ready to leave behind.
"The thing that was a new awakening for me was the Palestinian/Israeli relations situation. Israel and the Palestinian areas are separated by a huge, ugly wall. We came face to face with that wall everyday. If we wanted to cross over to Bethlehem, which we did quite often, (there was superb coffee in Bethlehem she says) we would have to go through a check point.
"It was easy for tourists to get through but not for others... it was a very awareness raising experience and I've come back I think with still a lot of confusion about Palestine and Israel but also more insight into the dynamics that are happening over there..."
As a visitor she says she felt safe at all times, but also that she has gained a great appreciation for the country she calls home as a result of witnessing some of what she did.
Among her most vivid memories will be the people she met both from the country and those who were visiting. "We became a close group and I'm hoping we'll maintain contact. Just having that experience with people from churches throughout the world and sharing thoughts was amazing..."
She also quite enjoyed the archeological and historical aspects of the country.
"I visited a place that was called the 'School of Joy.' It was a school for children ages 6-16 that if a priest and sister had not started, these children would have ended up on the street...
"Many of them were slow learners that the school system did not know how to deal with. The school has taken them under its wing, providing them with education, skills and meals... to me that was such a warm and yet heart wrenching experience."
So much so Greer say she is taking on the cause as a local congregation lenten project.
"The plight of the Palestinians has really grabbed my heart and my soul so I'm often thinking of what can be done to help."
For those who want to hear Greer's full story and to view her momentos, the opportunity is around the corner. She is making a public presentation this Sunday, March 27 beginning at 2 p.m. at the Westview United Church. Everyone is welcome.
