On their first full day in the Holy Land, the rescued Chilean miners and their wives found a tranquil respite from their hectic schedule and the media frenzy surrounding them when they spent time in quiet reflection in the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

After a tour of the gardens where many believe Jesus was buried and rose again, the Chilean miners who made the trip to Israel along with their wives, rested and took communion together.

“This was like a souvenir, a gift,” Jose Henriquez told Travelujah. “The prayer here today was like a new commitment with God, a spiritual renewal.”

When the miners arrived on Wednesday night, Henriquez said at a news conference that it was a privilege for them to be in the Holy Land and be able to thank those who prayed for their safe return.

“We are here in awe, it is honor to be here and we hope we can comprehend fully what every place means and that we take this experience home with us,” he said. “It is a blessing to be here, in the place of the origin of God, to whom we prayed so much while being inside the mine.”
 
In fact, the men prayed twice daily as a group every day that they were trapped. During that time, Henriquez became a spiritual leader, holding two daily prayer meetings and encouraging the men. Now, 25 of the 33 rescued miners are visiting Israel as part of an eight-day trip sponsored by Israel’s Ministry of Tourism. The miners spent 69 harrowing days in the bowels of the earth last fall, trapped in a collapsed mine. Many have not returned to work since then.

Another miner, Mario Gomez, told Travelujah that this opportunity to be in the Holy Land was the ultimate experience of all of the miners’ honorary trips including one to Disney World in Florida.

“This is more important because this is spiritual,” he said. “The other trips were fun, but this is about spiritual enrichment and becoming closer to God.”

The time in the peaceful oasis of the Garden Tomb was in stark contrast to the media frenzy that followed the men and their spouses in the Old City. The Chilean entourage was greeted in the Old City by church leaders at the Holy Sepulchre and later by Western Wall Chief Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch who invited the miners to place a note of prayer between the stones of the Western Wall.

Henriquez said that coming to Israel is a natural extension of being a Christian.

“From the moment you accept Jesus as your Lord, going to Israel is part of the process. As a spiritual person, you are always ready to come and be a part of this and pray here,” he said.

Richard Meryon, director of the Garden Tomb, said he hoped the miners would find peace and healing while reflecting at the East Jerusalem holy site.

“We have something to put back into their lives,” Meryon said. “Whilst many have had healing in their physical bodies, they may need spiritual and emotional healing. Only the Spirit of God can heal the spiritual damage done in their lives. We hope that by them coming today that we will be part of that healing process.”

After communion, the Israel Bible Society distributed Spanish Bibles with olive wood covers and DVDs to each family .

In the coming days the miners will also visit Nazareth, Tiberias, the holy sites around the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and Masada and will be invited to participate in a baptism ceremony at the  Jordan River. They will also travel to Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity.

“For you this may be in part an opportunity to express a kind of thanksgiving,” said Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov. “For us it is a unique opportunity for a close encounter with a truly unique group of people with a spirit of endurance. The Holy Land with all its sacred sites provides visitors with a moving, spiritual and religious experience, for believers of all faiths."

Nicole Jansezian, Travelujah