"Duggars Last Stop" Recap

On tonight's episode of 19 Kids and Counting: World Tour, "Duggars Last Stop"...

• After visiting Scotland, Ireland, and London, the Duggars fly to Israel, the last stop on their overseas adventure. Visiting the Holy Land has been Grandma Duggar’s lifelong dream.
• Their first activity is a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. (To prevent motion sickness, Michelle brings Sea-Bands.)
• The Duggars then head to the Jordan River, where Jim Bob, Grandma, and eight of the kids are re-baptized. Amy is baptized for the first time and is thrilled to have her Uncle Jim Bob do the honors.
• “I really love Amy,” says the dad of 19. “She’s a lot of fun, and I’m so glad she was able to go on this trip with us.”
• At a restaurant in Golan Heights, the crew enjoys homemade felafel and fresh bread. “It was fascinating watching the woman sitting on the floor and making the bread,” marvels Michelle.
• At Genesis Land in the Judean desert, all of the Duggars—except Michelle, who is expecting—experience a camel ride.
• “This is actually really fun,” says Anna, a bit nervous. “It’s the ride of a lifetime, and it might be the last ride of my lifetime!”
• After braving the camels, the Duggars grab their Wholesome Wear swimsuits and head to the Dead Sea (Did you know that the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the face of the Earth?)
• While Jill and Jessa are floating in the salty water, they inadvertently attract the attention of a male swimmer. “As my girls have gotten older, they have also gotten more beautiful, and they have started attracting a lot of guys that are interested in them," says Jim Bob.
• To prevent the situation from becoming uncomfortable, the father of 19 intervenes. “I’m Daddy,” he introduces himself.
• The ladies take advantage of the health and beauty benefits of the Dead Sea by giving each other mud facials. Grandma even bags up the miracle mud to take home. (Surprisingly, the gooey sludge makes it through Customs!)
• Next, the crew heads to the market in the old city of Jerusalem to shop. They even pick up some Israeli-style pickles! (The Duggars love pickles so much that they consume over 200 jars each year!)
• “I love to wheel and deal and negotiate,” says Jim Bob. In contrast, Michelle is not a bargainer. "I just want to know what it costs and the best price," she says.
• On the family’s last day in Israel, Josie wakes up congested and is examined at a local clinic. “For anyone else, a cold would just be a cold,” explains Michelle. “But for Josie it’s a different thing because of her little lungs.” 
• Meanwhile, everyone else heads to the Garden Tomb, the site where it is believed that Jesus rose from the dead. 
• Josie is discharged, but the doctor does not recommend that she fly home until she has recovered from her fever. Mama and Jill stay behind with the preemie, while the rest of the family departs for the airport.
• “My mother’s heart was just really struggling with all of my kiddos and Dad headed off,” says Michelle, in tears as she says goodbye.
• After an extra week in Jerusalem, Michelle, Jill, and Josie return home. To err on the side of caution, a doctor accompanies the trio on the airplane. 
• "Overall, the experience was great," says Michelle of the entire trip. "Most definitely one of the memories of a lifetime for our whole family." 

Have you been to Israel? If so, how was it? If not, would you like to?

"Royal Duggars" Recap

On tonight's episode of 19 Kids and Counting: World Tour, "Royal Duggars"...

• Upon arriving in London, the Duggars head to the extravagant 51 Buckingham Gate hotel, built to accommodate royalty. The children enjoy playing in the bidet. "This my sink," explains Johannah, pointing to the regular sink. "And this is James' sink," explains the little Duggar, as she motions to the bidet. 
• Jim Bob and Michelle practice driving on the "wrong" side of the road with "fixer" Kelly, who admits that she is a bit nervous. (A fixer is someone who coordinates film and television shoots.)
• According to Michelle, Jim Bob is a much better driver, but she is more cautious. "Michelle was excellent," praises Kelly.
• Meanwhile, the children enjoy traditional English high tea. "I don't think we did it the right way," admits Jill. "This is a disaster. The Duggars do not do high tea," jokes cousin Amy. 
• While gathered around the breakfast table, Jim Bob and Michelle give their kids a reality check. "Be extremely grateful to everyone that you see here," reminds Michelle. "This is not normal. This is a very special way to be treated...We need to make sure to express gratefulness." 
• "This is not real life," reinforces Jim Bob. "In just a short time here, we will be back to Arkansas, and we will be cutting grass and scrubbing toilets." 
• The family piles into a double-decker bus to sight-see. First stop: Buckingham Palace. Can you believe that the royal residence is 100 times the size of the Duggar home?
• "London is one of the prettiest cities we've ever been in," says Jim Bob. 
• A highlight for the ladies is a trip to the Hectic Hat Hire. This eccentric hat rental shop has designed hats for Kate Middleton, the royal wedding, and Hollywood movies. Everyone has a good time trying on different hats and practicing their British accents.
• After braving the London Eye, the Duggars enjoy a traditional English meal at the Wheatsheaf Inn. On the menu are Bangers and Mash, Bubble and Squeak, and Toad in the Hole. "Maybe it's the sounds of the animals that we're going to eat?" suggests Josiah, jokingly.
• Despite the Duggars' apprehension, the food turns out to be delicious. "It was some of the best...I've ever had," says Anna.
• The last item on the agenda is Stonehenge. After conducting an engaging tour, archeologist Jilian C. Richards surprises the family with a VIP walk through the center of the stones, which were arranged over 4,000 years ago. 
• Next Sunday: the Duggars in Israel!

Have you been to London? Did you visit any of these places?

"Duggars Abroad" Recap

On tonight's episode of 19 Kids and Counting: World Tour, "Duggars Abroad"...

• To prepare for their 20-day trip overseas, the Duggars pack 26 suitcases of clothing. Before leaving, they head to the store to stock up on some last-minute necessities. "Jim Bob's biggest phobia is running out of socks and underwear," explains Michelle.
• With a crew of 26 (Jim Bob, Michelle, and the children, plus Josh, Anna, Mackynzie, Michael, Grandma, and cousin Amy), the family heads to the airport. (This is the first plane ride for both Josie and Michael.)
• "The main thing is just getting all of our kids on the plane with passports in hand, and if we forget a few things, we'll pick them up along the way," says Jim Bob. 4,000 miles later, they arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland. 
• "The first morning when we got up in Scotland, we were all tired and suffering from a lot of jet lag," declares Jessa. After a short night's sleep, the family heads out to sight-see. 
• The first item on the agenda is the Royal Mile, where everyone is shocked to watch a street performer swallow a sword. Then it's off to Edinburgh Castle. Jim Bob describes the historical landmark as "absolutely beautiful."
• At the Blairgowrie and Rattray Highland Games, the Duggar family--renamed the Mac'Duggar Clan--takes part in a community-wide tug-of-war contest. 
• While at the Games, Jim Bob is seized by a group of Scottish men and forced to wear a kilt. He is not too thrilled about the idea, but when the men pull out their swords (all in fun), he complies. 
• The Duggars hop on a ferry and travel to majestic Ireland, where the highlight is visiting the Causey Farm. The family receives a lesson on how to make traditional Irish Bread and then heads outside to experience a working farm. 
• Amy and Joseph participate in a pig riding contest. While Joseph does pretty well, Amy has a harder go of it. "Amy was really brave to get on that huge pig," says Jinger. "She was like hanging on, and it was running her into the fence."
• After watching Patch the sheep dog in action, the Duggars enjoy their homemade bread and then depart. 
• Onward to England! Tune in next week to hear about their trip.

Have you ever been to Scotland or Ireland? Or maybe you live/have lived there?

"Do Good Duggars" Recap

On tonight's new episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Do Good Duggars...

• The Duggars--as well as 125 other Discovery Communications employees--partner with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes destroyed by the recent tornadoes in Birmingham, Alabama. 
• Jim Bob and the older kids hammer away, while the little ones decorate pots to cheer up the families who have lost everything.
• The Duggars are always up for a little friendly competition! This time they go head-to-head with the crew working on the house next door, who just happen to be the stars of  Discover Channel's Storm Chasers! Some of them actually witnessed the tornadoes that ripped through Alabama. 
• During one of the days, temperatures hit 90 degrees, and the humidity reaches a stifling 76%. Dripping with sweat and having worked up an appetite, the Duggars head to Niki's West. Almost everyone orders more than they can eat, especially Josh. "I didn't work hard enough to be able to eat this much today!" remarks the eldest Duggar after his meal. 
• According to his sisters, Josh has been saying for a while that he needs to cut back. (Like father like son, right?) Jessa jokingly puts it this way: "If he wants to go on a diet, fine. If not, there's just more of him to love!"
• While in Birmingham, the Duggars meet Dave Salmoni from Animal Planet (a channel that the kids enjoy watching when they have access to network TV). Dave asks two-year-old Jordyn if she knows how to install drywall. She nods her head. "Well that's good," says Dave. "So you'll be able to give me some tips, teach me how to do some stuff?" Completely serious, Jordyn replies with a "yep."

Have you ever built homes with an organization like Habitat for Humanity?