SEE THE HOLY LANDS WITH DANIEL RONA

Dear Daniel,

I meant to get this off to you sooner but things came up and I had to go to Salt Lake City for a time, so forgive me.

I have pondered over the Israel experience with you and the pack filled six days we spent together. My soul is filled brim full. I tried to take in all that you shared...am somewhat overwhelmed by it all. I learned many things if only I can remember them all. The video, the camera shots and the micro cassette tapes bring it all in perspective. When edited and married it will be a documentary of remembrance.

Many queries in my mind over the years were put to rest. New thoughts and evidences challenged my mind. I appreciate your four evidentuary items, scriptures, archeology, traditions, and feelings. You satisfied all four as we went along. My head was briming at the end of the day.

Yes, you gave me, through the experience, a great zeal to pen the book I spoke to you about. The perimeters have been extended and the challenge a great one. I must lean heavily upon the Lord and the Spirit to assist in the task for it is a weighty one.

I enjoyed your wife and staff that personalized our experience plus my fellow travelers for the period.

I hope you had an exciting tour of the Nephite lands and one that brought real satisfaction to you.

Thanks for your encouragement and kindness. I look forward to exchanging thoughts with you as I proceed.

Shalom,

Dale Hansen

Dear Brother Rona and all your wonderful staff,

My sisters and I would like to thank you for another outstanding tour. We didn't think a second trip could be any better than our first, but it certainly was. The "Second Timer" tour that we took with you March 19th was wonderful. Please tell everyone who worked so hard to make our trip memorable that we appreciate them: Betsy, and the Utah staff who answered our million questions with patience and kindness; your lovely wife, Marilyn, and son, Steve, for their planning; Ofer for the running around he does for us; Maher for his expertise in driving the bus safely and providing us with cold water; Roberto for being our special "Shepherd" and looking after us so well; and, of course, you Daniel for your special insights and sensitivity to the Spirit and your unflagging energy. Wow! What a group of talented people!

It is unfortunate that so many are being frightened away from visiting your beautiful country. We never felt in the least bit of danger (even when we were traveling in Jordan.) Our heart aches for the people who are suffering from lack of income. Unfortunately, we have more violence on a day-to-day basis in our country than you do, but the eyes of the world are on you. We met and talked and laughed with people of all nationalities and religions, and they were all wonderful, warm-hearted, and welcoming.

Additionally, we wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed touring with Marvin Goldstein. The concerts (both formal and informal) were outstanding, but even better was being able to get to know the generous, sweet, funny, charismatic man behind the music. When we returned from tour last year and listened to his music, it would transport us back to the Bethlehem hills, or Gethsemane or wherever you had played his music. Now when we hear the music, we will not only be transported to those places, but he will be sitting there with us.

As usual, your interpretations of the cultural background and the names of the places we visited, added an extra dimension to the scriptures we read. Even re-visiting some of the sights we visited on our first tour seemed new and fresh. Our tour last year really helped us in our understanding of the scriptures as we studied throughout the year, and we look forward to an even deeper understanding now.

We pray that you and your family, and your family of co-workers, will continue to be blessed and protected for the wonderful "mission" that you are accomplishing.

With great affection,

Janice Ruesch, Anna Appel, Rae Brown

Dear Brother Daniel Rona,

Time has not permitted me to write this letter until now. My husband and I have been involved in many wonderful opportunities of sharing our Holy Land experiences: sacrament meeting, fireside, peoples homes. We have relived this glorious time over and over again as we have prepared our thoughts and materials. It’s been a joy to share this wonderful spiritual experience with others and have the opportunity to bear witness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There’s been such a beautiful spirit accompanying these opportunities. We had a special experience as we shared these choice memories and deep emotions with our children, during the Easter Season.

Our visit to Israel has been a life changing experience, for which we will be forever grateful. There is not a day that goes by that our lives are not influenced by the heart felt emotions that we experienced in the Holy Land. The scriptures have come alive and our testimonies have been deepened and increased.

Our heart felt thanks and gratitude goes out to you and your staff for creating an experience that allowed the Lord’s spirit to touch our hearts and witness of Jesus Christ. The places, we visited became very meaningful to us, as we listened to the instruction, read from the holy scriptures and were inspired by the touching music. We love the Savior and our feelings have deepened through this experience. Thank you for standing as a witness of Him.

We want to extend a special thanks to you, for your efforts, in going the extra mile for us. We appreciate you finding and returning our scriptures. (That we had left in Joppa) Reid was totally amazed that this was possible. Thank you for finding a talith for us to purchase, also. We appreciated all your many efforts in our behalf.

We are enclosing a couple of pictures of you and your friends. We promised you that we would share a copy of them.

Until we meet again, please accept our gratitude and thanks,

Sincerely,

Reid and Karen Herd

Dear Brother Daniel Rona,

This letter is long overdue, but has given me more time to reflect on the wonderful experience my husband and I had with you in Israel. There is not a moment that passes that I do not think about my time there and the things I learned and felt. In fact, my greatest fear was that upon returning, the memories would fade quickly. But the opposite has happened. Each day, as I open the scriptures, the feelings return along with the images I now have in my mind, and I feel even deeper about those experiences. My testimony of the Lord has increased and my appreciation for his gift to me and all mankind. I study with genuine interest the work of the Lord in Israel, and throughout the world, as he prepares them to one day receive him. I sincerely desire to remain upon the earth to witness their return into his fold.

Please thank all those who work with you. We know it takes the effort of many hands to make such a detailed event go so smoothly. We enjoyed getting to know Roberto and Eli and hope to see you all again.

To anyone who is concerned about traveling to Israel:
I will admit that prior to leaving for Israel I had heard many of the news reports of violence. I listened to them closely and wondered about our safety. I was concerned when I heard that BYU was not sending their students there for this semester. I attended one of your meetings in which you invited some of the people who had been recently on tour with you to speak. They answered many of my concerns and I decided to believe them when they said they never felt in danger. I decided to trust that Daniel would keep us out of harms way, as well as provide a wonderful spiritual experience.

We were in Israel from Feb. 11, 2001, until Feb. 21. My actual experience there was just as these people had told me. I never felt in danger. We traveled through the whole country, and every day we were filled to the brim, as our eyes witnessed the lands where scriptural accounts, that I have read since I was a child, took place. In fact, at night as I tried to make a note to remember what I had felt, I was overwhelmed to know where to begin to describe the feelings I had and the things I'd seen. I enjoyed meeting Jews and Palestinians alike, and witnessing with my own eyes their handiwork as the Lord causes their land to blossom like a rose.

We shopped and bartered with good natured Palestinians, Armenians and Jews, eager to see an American tourist and shouting, "The Book of Mormons are here!", to the shops below. We made wonderful friends with members of our tour group, and even met several from other tour groups. On the Sabbath, we joined the small branch that meets in the BYU center for church, and I could hardly believe where I was as I looked at the city of Jerusalem, and sat upon a mountain next the the Mount of Olives and partook of the sacrament. Unforgettable! I only regret not having more time to listen to every individual of this unusual branch tell their story. Most of all, we walked where Jesus walked and pondered in sacred places. We sat with the shepherds, found Gethsemane, and felt angels still guarding the tomb where he was resurrected. The spirit bore witness many times. If anyone wonders, "Is it worth the risk?" I say, "What risk?" The only risk you will take is that of having a spiritual experience that you will never forget.

Thank you Daniel.

Sincerely,

Sister Janice Harten

Our teacher and guide, Daniel Rona , described part of the Passover Meal. Wine was poured for all, blessed and sipped followed by the breaking and eating of a piece of unleavened bread by each person repeated three times while standing. At the second time, a piece of the bread was wrapped in a red cloth and hidden for the children to find. The fourth blessing and pouring of wine for the dinner was followed by the finding of the hidden piece of bread. Then all sat to eat the meal with the door open to allow Elijah to enter and announce the coming of the Messiah. Daniel noted that the Savior reversed the order by taking the bread then the wine at his Last Supper. We follow that order to this day but only take them once each Sunday in His remembrance with a pledge to follow Him.

I can’t leave this narrative without expressing our heartfelt gratitude for his inspiring leadership on our tour. His efforts to educate us about our Savior’s homeland and the events of his life, have stimulated me to learn more, and more deeply about them. Dan’s wife and sons and the rest of his staff are so helpful, patient and efficient. They deserve our praise. We love them all. This trip was a memorable one. It gave us both a much truer picture of the Holy Lands than the media gives us at home. We have gained greater love for our Savior’s homeland. This was due, in no small measure, to the knowledge of Daniel Rona about his birthplace. His inspiring tutelage and communicative skills enhanced our tour to a great degree. We look back on the vibrancy, vitality, visual beauty and past glories of this land and people. We will never forget this Holy Land and its people.

I commend this trip to feed your eternal soul. As President Kimball always said, "Do It".

Bob Cade

Rockville, MD



	WE WELCOME LETTERS AND COMMENTS FROM OUR TRAVELERS: We would like to hear from any of our guests about their experiences and feelings about the Holy Land. We will occasionally post new excerpts on this page. This will give you all a chance to share your feelings about the Holy land with others. Just send them by e-mail to the address below.