More and more Christians are finding that their visit to Israel can be rewarding and meaningful when they roll up their sleeves and volunteer to help organizations, projects and individuals rather than merely tour the sites of the Holy Land.

In May, one group did just that. And all 14 members of the group - 12 of them who visited for the first time - were immensely impacted by the trip. Many even wished they had spent more time rolling up their sleeves and less time touring. The 14-day trip was divided between seven days of working and seven days of visiting the holy sites. Without fail, the group's members said the "work days" were the most rewarding.

"It gave more depth to the trip than just coming to see the sites," said Karen Panapa. "Those were our best days."

Panapa explained that when she travels, she prefers personal contact than just visiting the sites, to immerse herself in the culture and get to meet the people of the land. This tour, designed by Travelujah, provided a gratifying balance, she said.

The group, from Edgewater Christian Fellowship in Oregon, worked alongside 85 year old Yehuda Avri in the orchards of Vered HaGalil, a guest farm he created over 40 years ago in the Galilee; met with the Christian community in

Tourism is up in the Holy Land, big time. During 2010, an estimated two million people visited Bethlehem, a record year for the biblical destination. But, like Mary and Joseph so many centuries ago, most of the pilgrims could find no room at the inn.  

Because of the severe lack of hotel rooms - Bethlehem, for instance, has just under 2,000 hotel rooms - very few Christian pilgrims spend the night in Palestinian towns that host some of the Bible's most important landmarks. So, while tourism numbers are up, the Palestinians aren't seeing much increased revenue as most visitors move on to locations in Israel before they have a chance to spend any money.

Jacir Palace Intercontinental Hotel Bethlehem, courtesy Travelujah

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities is looking to remedy the problem, and provide greater convenience for visitors who may want to spend a bit more time in the town of Jesus' birth, or explore the fascinating biblical town of Jericho, which just celebrated its 10,000th anniversary as an inhabited city.

Figures released by the ministry suggested visitors, especially Eastern Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims,

More tourists from Catholic countries visited Israel in January 2010 than in the last two years during the same month, according to the Tourism Ministry.

The tourists themselves were not necessarily Catholic pilgrims, however. Father Athanasius Macora said Old City churches did not report any increase in masses or visitors during January and February. He is expecting a surge during March and April and urges pilgrims to visit the Holy Land any time of the year, not just for the holidays.

"We always encourage people to come because we have the holy places and the holy places help you understand the gospels. We call it ‘the fifth gospel,'" he told Travelujah, the only Christian social network focused on travel to the Holy