Israel: The birthplace of Christianity and land I love

Faith Okrafo-Smart recently travelled to Israel for the seventh time. She writes about her love for the country, its impact on her life, and her faith and experience visiting historic biblical sites.

I was elated when I was offered the opportunity to travel to Israel – a country with which my faith and spirit have a strong affinity. In addition, the trip would involve visiting sacred sites chronicled in Scripture and pertinent to my faith.

This would be my seventh trip to Israel in nine years, and my joy of returning to the land that has changed the trajectory of my life and illuminated my purpose was simply indescribable; I couldn’t wait to go back!

The trip itself was relaxed, compared to my last visit in March 2025. I had travelled on my own, and the country was waiting to exhale, in relation to peace.

On that occasion, I spent my time at the Leonardo Hotel Jerusalem, totally focused on completing my second book, Chronicles of An Abstinent Woman (which was launched on my birthday last year). The atmosphere across the country was very sombre, compared to my five previous trips.

My arrival in Israel last November was a totally different experience from my trip earlier in the year. The atmosphere was quite tranquil, and I felt a sense of placidity the moment I disembarked the plane. I also met the other delegates, comprising of Christian leaders and media, who were my travelling companions for the six-day trip.

During my journey from Tel Aviv airport to the ‘Holy City’ of Jerusalem, I could see that a sense of peacefulness had returned. There was a feeling of easygoingness which had been absent during my March visit.

The delegation stayed at the Orient Hotel in Jerusalem for two nights – one of the most beautiful hotels in Jerusalem. Our first dinner outing was at the Dolphin Restaurant, a quaint seafood spot with fantastic ambience and great food.

The itinerary for day one of the trip was full on. The first landmark we visited was Mount of Olives, also known as Mount Olivet. For Christians, no mountain holds more far-reaching importance than Olivet. This is the place where Jesus spent a significant amount of His time during His mission in Jerusalem: teaching His disciples, prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, and weeping over its fate. 

Walking down the slopes of Mount Olivet was a new experience for me, and the path led to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in agony before His arrest and crucifixion. This monumental site always brings me to the point of great understanding of total surrender. It was in this place that Jesus wrestled between His divinity and humanity, with His purpose winning over His flesh; and where He totally submitted to the will of Abba Father to die for the sins of the world. 

We also had an opportunity to pray at the Basilica of the Agony (the Church of All Nations), the church based on the grounds of the Garden of Gethsemane. I always leave this location tearful and in awe of the love of Christ Jesus – that He would die for me and the entire world. 

Next stop was the Garden Tomb, located in a quiet enclosure just outside the Damascus Gate. This is the place of Jesus’ burial. We visited His tomb, and Golgotha, the site of His crucifixion. 

After that, we visited the Old City of Jerusalem, which is encapsulated by ancient walls. Within its environs is the Via Dolorosa – the Way of Suffering – the path on which Jesus carried His cross, then we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, sited on the path the Saviour trod on the way to His crucifixion.

My last stopwas the Western Wall, aka the Wailing Wall, which, for me, is one of the most important sites every Christian should visit. It is the holiest site in Judaism, and the only remaining remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. 

People all around the world visit the Wailing Wall to pray. It’s a place I visit all the time during my trips to Israel. And I pray there. I pray for my family, the members of my church, world problems, and my work as CEO of Melqosh Mission International, a charity and outreach ministry that supports the war amputees and victims of the Blood Diamonds (civil) war that took place in Sierra Leone. The God of Israel has answered many of my prayers for provision and guidance.

The next five days of my visit were a kaleidoscope of not only touring Jerusalem, but also going to the Dead Sea, Nazareth, Galilee, Caesarea and back to Tel Aviv, along with enjoying dinner with the delegation at the various hotels and restaurants. 

The other sites we visited included:

• Masada, one of the fortresses built and fortified by Herod the Great, situated above the Dead Sea, along with the Qumran Caves, famous for housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered in 1947
• Qasr el Yahud, the Jordan River site where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist 
• the Church of Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel is believed to have announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus
• Mount of Beatitudes, the sitewhere Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount
• Capernaum, a village situated on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus met His first disciples Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew
• Tabgha, the lakeside site on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus miraculously multiplied loaves and fishes
• Caesarea, the city built by Herod the Great in 20 BC
• Jaffa, the ancient port city of Israel, now part of Tel Aviv. Simeon the tanner lived in Jaffa, and Apostle Peter stayed at his home whilst there and received the vision that led to the inclusion of Gentiles into Christianity

One evening, the delegation had dinner at the David’s Harp Galilee Resort, a newly established hotel in Galilee. It has some of the finest cuisine I have ever tasted in Israel. And on the last night in Israel, the delegation enjoyed their ‘Last Supper’ at the Yulia TLV Restaurant in Tel Aviv. 

The delegation party included Pastor Oladipo Oluyomi, CEO and Resident Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre; Bishop Paul Rochester, General Secretary of the Free Churches Group; Reverend Canon Samuel Robert Thomas Boyd, Rector, Glendermott Parish Church; Reverend Hayley Adams, Senior Minister of Lea Valley River Church and Reverend Nigel John Cairns, Minister of Religion, Londonderry St Augustine, Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.

We sat and shared reflections of our time in Israel and the sites that had impacted us the most. We all came to the same conclusion: we will visit Israel again.

Visiting Israel brings Scripture alive in an unprecedented way. For me personally, my life and the various ministries God has entrusted me with – the churches, charity and other Kingdom assignments that I oversee – have experienced a significant shift since 2016, when I began my annual pilgrimages to Israel. In fact, most of these assignments – apart from Melqosh – were conceived in Jerusalem. And every year I visited, God inspired a new Kingdom assignment for me to undertake. This is why Israel holds a special place in my heart; this is where I am filled, inspired and rejuvenated unto greater purpose. 

I am looking forward to visiting Israel again in 2026. It will be a full decade since my first visit to Israel, which is truly God’s Holy Land – a nation blessed beyond description and a blessing to all. 

You’ve got to visit to understand my statement, and I recommend that everyone visits Israel, for that once-in-a-lifetime experience of being in the land where Christianity was birthed.
 

FAITH OKRAFO-SMART
Church leader, author and founder/CEO of www.melqoshmissioninternational.org
This trip was taken courtesy of the Israeli Tourist Board.