By Clare BruceWednesday 14 Mar 2018Station NewsReading Time: 2 minutes
Listen: Deanna wins her trip to Israel, and later chats to Clare Bruce about the prize.
Photo: Hope 103.2 announcer Dan Jones (L) with Josh & Deanna, and Hope journalist Clare Bruce (R).
When Hope 103.2 announcer Dan Jones called Blacktown mum-of-three Deanna to break the news that she’d won a trip to Israel, he started off with the cryptic line: “Have you got the bags… for when you go on the trip?”
It was a confusing moment for Deanna, who’d just arrived in Brisbane to attend a wedding, and indeed had packed bags sitting right in front of her. After a bit more explanation, it dawned on Deanna that her name had been drawn in the Israel Trip competition, and that she’d won the trip of a lifetime.
She was speechless for a while with laughter and excitement.
Deanna is the busy parent of three children, along with her husband Josh, who is the pastor of Blacktown Baptist Church. The couple entered the Hope 103.2 “Quizmas Quiz” for their chance at winning, and their names were selected at random to win the prize.
In March 2018 they’ll join a “Holy Land Tour”, sponsored by JC Travel Professionals, and hosted by Bible teachers Joel and Victoria Osteen and Joseph Prince. The couple will visit Biblical sites where Jesus lived and walked, including Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, as well as Mount Nebo where they will see panoramic views of the Jordan River.
They’ll also view the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Israel Museum, attend worship services in Jerusalem, and swim in the Dead Sea.
Excited: Josh and Deanna, chat to Clare Bruce from Hope 103.2 about their upcoming trip to Israel.
After the couple came home from Brisbane we caught up with them in person, and Deanna told Clare Bruce she was “excited, surprised elated” about their prize.
Josh said the trip would be “the last thing they would prioritise for themselves”, and considered it “a gift from God at Christmas time”. “We’re very, very happy,” he said.
The part he’s most looking forward to is seeing the Sea of Galilee: “I just love the imagery of the call of Jesus to the disciples so I’d just love to be able to step on that shore and put myself in the place of the fishermen.”
Hope 103.2 thanks JC Travel Professionals for sponsoring the prize; anyone interested in joining the Holy Land tour can do so through JC Travel.