Eretz Yisrael

Coming Home

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:05:35 -0400

Here’s a random rambly post because I don’t have anything better to do.

I’m sitting in the airport, waiting for our plane to depart. My laptop is downloading software so that I can hack it to run the Kindle Reader App so I can read stuff on our eleven hour flight. Said flight has been delayed by 30 minutes. Part of me is glad; I don’t want to leave.

This trip has been amazing. We’ve seen so many places and learned so many things. I can’t wait to share all the pictures and information with people, but it won’t compare to actually being here. It’s sad that we’re leaving. We’re all really good friends and we’re going to miss each other a lot. Going back to everyday life will be odd at first, I think.

At the same time it will be good to be back. I can’t wait to start studying the Bible with my class and teaching it at church. We’re all going to read the Bible differently from now on. We’ve got pictures, vivid pictures, in our head of all the places we’ve been. They’ll come to mind whenever we read a related Biblical text.

If you ever have the opportunity to come to Israel, you should take it. Don’t worry if you can’t, though. We’ll all be spending eternity in Jerusalem when the King comes back.

David Mikucki
Freshman
Undeclared Major
Bible and Israel Class

(Posted on March 24 at 10:05am Israel time)

ahooba Ben Yehuda who?

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:09:36 -0400

Well hello again,

you haven’t heard much from us because of the non-existent wi-fi at the hotel…yeah…but besides that the Mt. Zion hotel is incredible. It really blends so well with the area, the couches are so pretty haha. that stuck out to me…and they have great mints at the front desk..i was dissapointed when i found no no bath towels folded into camels….i decided i would try it on my own…it went…well?

well, our schedule here has been…to say the least….busy. We walk literally all day. Its so worth it though with what we get to see. For example, Jerusalem in general is a heaping pile of history and it doesnt matter where you walk…youre walking somewhere with importance. seriously.

I could type out every place we went to but, I would rather just tell you how amazing this trip has been because of what God has blessed us with. Not only are we here….we are experiencing so much! I can’t even explain to you how awesome this group is. I didnt think it was possible to mesh this well with a group like this, every different age and walk of life….I can say that I love these guys like family. Its amazing how the love of Christ can bring so much unity in such a short amount of time.

Tonight we all shared our favorite parts of the trip or something that affected us, and it was such a great time of fellowship. You could see the love people have for God and how much they want to grow in their relationship with Him. Being in Israel makes me feel more than a picture of the life of Christ ,but the promise that one day we will all bow before Him as one body. I got a taste of that this past 12 days being with this amazing group. I don’t ever want to loose this community and i want to bring this home to my family and friends.

God is amazing, and Its going to be a long time to download all that has happened on this trip. He has made a change in my heart, and Im excited to see where this change takes me.

Ill be in touch! Our plane leaves in the morning for Newark! 12 hour ride here we come!

love you all! God bless!

- Emily

{be still}: We haven’t had Internet access at mount Zion hotel, but we have been...

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:16:13 -0400

{be still}: We haven’t had Internet access at mount Zion hotel, but we have been...:

esperamialma:

We haven’t had Internet access at mount Zion hotel, but we have been having a fantastic time in Jerusalem. We have done so much! And we have been going out into the city at night and shopping and exploring and getting gelato :) they have amazing gelato here! Haha! but we have seen so many sites…

(Posted on March 23 at 3pm Israel time)

We're Alright

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:52:19 -0400

Some of you already know this, but a bomb went off in Jerusalem (where we’re staying). Everyone here is fine; we weren’t near it. We are still planning on returning at the same time. The hotel has given us free wifi, so you may see some extra posts go up today.

(Posted on March 23 at 9:51 Israel time)

Arrival in Jerusalem

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:23:37 -0400

This has been one memorable week. For me personally being in the nation of my people is one experience I will never forget. Coming from a Jewish background and seeing how the Bible is coming alive provides for a more meaningful significance in both what being Jewish means to me and what being a Christian means from a Jewish perspective. Now that we are in Jerusalem, the best is yet to come as we see more of the Bible coming alive. This week will be full of new adventures and new experiences.

Elana-Beth Rosen

Graduate Student

Masters in Bible

Living too long takes more than time.: The Cave

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:33:13 -0400

Living too long takes more than time.: The Cave:

myowncatharsis:

As most reading this (who know me) may know, I am an avid listener of the band Mumford and Sons, and have been for quite some time. Something about their music really reaches inside of you, and I’m not quite sure what it is, but apparently about half of the rest of the world and myself have…

{be still}: up to Jerusalem.

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:49:14 -0400

{be still}: up to Jerusalem.:

esperamialma:

We left the Dead Sea this morning and started for Jerusalem! But we made a few detours along the way! We pretty much drove a giant U and went south to come back up north to Jerusalem. We left the hotel and drove south into the Negev. We have seen so many different types of climates and topography!…

(Posted on March 21 at 6:48am, written the night prior)

o my salty goodness.

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:47:18 -0400

I’m sorry to say this is my first blog of the trip! It’s unbelievable how exhausted you are at the end of each day! This trip has been more than i could of even imagined. I know it’s expected to hear that from anyone that has the oppurtunity to come to Israel, but It’s so much more than just “meeting my expectations”.

God has brought us here not just to learn and understand His land better, but to really let it sink in. Sometimes I think we accept our faith so quickly that we forget that God has left endless amounts of evidence for His existence and the validity of His word. This year has been full of papers, homework, and long days in the b.i. room, but I finally see how helpful it’s been. I’ve learned so much, and realize that i still have so much more to understand.

Well, on a lighter note…here’s something to brighten up your day… I have officially stepped in Israeli cow poop…yeah… the whole way down Mt. Arbel…

We are currently at a little cafe next to our hotel on the Dead Sea, playing dutch blitz, drinking some form of coffee, and …someone is trying to blog…and it’s taking her 40 minutes….

so, i’m going to end it here„,because i’m overtired….and should not be allowed to be posting anything to this site.

Emily/אמילי York
Undeclared Major
Bible and Israel Student

(Posted March 19th at 9:46pm Israel time)

Photo

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:32:43 -0400

Untitled: DREW WHO?

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:32:00 -0400

Untitled: DREW WHO?:

sbnn:

So my last post I was preparing to climb/run up Masada and beat Drew’s record up 22 minutes; I’m am happy to announce that I made it in 21 minutes. I am even prouder to announce that Freddie ran up it in 15:25, a record that will probably be there for a long time. Masada, in terms of beauty and…

(Posted March 19 at 9:32pm)

People You Should Follow

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:53:34 -0400

A lot of our bloggers are writing personal posts, not all of which are being posted directly to this Blog. If you’re interested in following the personal blogs of some of the people on this tour, here are the people you should be following:

We might be missing some here, but we’ll update and add more if that turns out to be the case. Thanks for following us!

{be still}: our last day in Galilee.

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:44:23 -0400

{be still}: our last day in Galilee.:

esperamialma:

Tonight is our last night in Galilee here at the Ma’agon Kibbutz. We leave tomorrow morning to start heading south towards the Dead Sea. We will drive along the west side of the Jordan river and make a few stops along the way. I’m a little bit sad to leave Galilee because it’s beautiful here!

Sam posted some photos. (Posted on March 18 at 9:40)

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:41:02 -0400

Sea of Galilee

Arbel

Prof. Hardesty Ponders life

Looking for artifacts

Sam posted some photos.

(Posted on March 18 at 9:40)

CookieofDoom: Natural Revelation

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:39:41 -0400

CookieofDoom: Natural Revelation:

thecookieofdoom:

Psalm 19 is frequently used by theologians (not just Wayne Grudem) to categorize the ways in which God reveals Himself and His will to His Creation. The first part of the Psalm is typically called “general revelation” and the second part is typically called “ Special Revelation.” Special…

Untitled: The Big Move

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:36:07 -0400

Untitled: The Big Move:

sbnn:

Hey all,

We’ve moved from the lush highlands of Galilee to the arid dessert of the Dead Sea 1300 ft below sea level; feels like home (Iraq); weird feeling. We’ve visited so many ancient sites it is starting to melt together; nonetheless it is wonderful. But, I am finding that sometimes you get…

(Posted on March 18 at 9:35pm.)

myowncatharsis: All this is the deliciousness we are...

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:52:31 -0400

Typical Israeli Breakfast

Local Tilapia from Capernaum

Pistachio Gelatto (SO GOOD)

Schnitzel (Chicken on a roll or pita)

myowncatharsis:

All this is the deliciousness we are experiencing in Israel. Yum. Be jealous. Please.

Carol J. Small

Sophomore

Biblical Studies/Liberal Arts

7:50pm Israel Time

thecookieofdoom: These are some pictures from the last few...

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:47:32 -0400

The First Century Boat (Mar 15)

The Sea of Galilee (Mar 15)

The Cliffs of Arbel (Mar 16)

Cows of Bashan (Amos 4:1) (Mar 16)

Gamla (Mar 17)

thecookieofdoom:

These are some pictures from the last few days.

Untitled: March 15th Update

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:52:07 -0400

Untitled: March 15th Update:

sbnn:

Hello all,

I wrote out an intricate blog with detail and all, and then my computer crashed, so here are the spark notes of the day. I played Legion the Demoniac at Kursi; I believe I was picked for my rugged good looks. We saw the house of a 1st century Jewish Mother-in-law (Peters) at Capernaum;…

{be still}: two days in one...

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:45:39 -0400

{be still}: two days in one...:

esperamialma:

So yesterday was a super busy day, and last night the internet connection was a bit slow, so now I have to get two days in one on here! Haha!

Okay so yesterday… our day started out with a visit to Kursi. This is the traditional site for the story that occurs in the gospels where Jesus expelled…

It was very important that this be posted. It’s so...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:25:59 -0400

It was very important that this be posted. It’s so important, in fact, that I didn’t edit the footage at all. It’s just Ben blowing a shofar. We won’t really be able to upload long videos until we get out of Galilee. Hopefully we’ll have a better connection in a few days.