Time.
Only one more week!! I am beyond excited to go and study the Bible in the land of the Bible! All my preparations are made, I've practiced packing in under fifty pounds, and I'm itching to be on my way.
Only one more week!! I am beyond excited to go and study the Bible in the land of the Bible! All my preparations are made, I've practiced packing in under fifty pounds, and I'm itching to be on my way.
Thanks to everyone that made this trip possible by their generosity. You all rock! In the letter I sent to everyone (that "please give me money so I can do such-and-such" letter that everyone just loves getting? Yeah, that one), I promised to keep everyone who helped me out updated on a regular basis. This blog is the weapon of my choice. I will be posting updates here and sharing them via Twitter and Facebook so that everyone can keep up with my adventures in the Holy Land! Well, at least the ones that I remember to publish on time.
For those of you who are scratching your heads thinking, "Since when is Beth going to Israel," let me fill you in. (For those of you who aren't thinking that, you can skip this paragraph.) I'm going to Israel through the Master's College IBEX (Israel Bible Extension) program. The program allows students to study abroad in Israel for a whole semester. Students stay at Yad HaShmonah (east-northeast of Jerusalem); the official Master's extension campus. While in Israel, I'll be taking classes on the land of the Bible, learning biblical Hebrew, Jewish thought and culture, and the life of Christ. Instead of sitting in a classroom learning about Jesus' Galilean ministry, students sit in the actual places where Jesus taught. We will see the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem, the wilderness where Israel wandered for forty years, Shilon (where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before the Temple was built), and the Sea of Galilee. Imagine snorkeling in the Red Sea, crawling around Qumran (the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered), swimming in old cisterns, and hiking all over the Judean hills. All these amazing experiences are just part of the classes! As you can tell, I'm pretty much out of my mind stoked for this. Check out Master's IBEX website for more information.
Okay, so now you're probably wondering if I'm crazy. Why on earth would I want to go to Israel at a time when there is so much unrest in the Middle East? For me, the answer is pretty simple. When it comes to Israel, someone is pretty much always shooting at them. When my parents went to Israel in 1992, Hezbollah was firing missiles into the Golan. And that was during the Intifada. They had a few restrictions on where they could go, but they had a grand time and loved every second of it. They're honestly not worried about me. A very large amount of Israel's economy stems from tourism. Because of this, the Israeli government is dedicated to keeping tourists safe. Secondly, Master's has been sending students to Israel for eighteen years. The faculty living in Israel reports that the majority of Israel is living in peace and is unaffected by the conflict with Hamas. After some serious consideration, the Israeli and American faculty decided that it was still safe to go, and that the trip would go on as planned. I am fully confident in their judgment.
One last thing. I want to ask for your prayers as I embark on my journey. IBEX is said to be the most challenging but amazing semester of college. I obviously want to do well academically, but I also want to grow spiritually. IBEX has the potential for some insane spiritual growth, but it's not automatic the second I set foot in Ben Gurion airport. I don't want to get so bogged down in academics that I miss the ultimate importance of the land of Israel. I don't want to go into shut off mode because I'm busy. Please pray for me as I go to the Holy Land. Pray that I would be attentive to what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. Pray that I won't squander one of the greatest opportunities for growth in my lifetime. Pray that I wouldn't miss out on the spiritual journey God has in store for me. And pray for the peace of Israel.
For those of you who are scratching your heads thinking, "Since when is Beth going to Israel," let me fill you in. (For those of you who aren't thinking that, you can skip this paragraph.) I'm going to Israel through the Master's College IBEX (Israel Bible Extension) program. The program allows students to study abroad in Israel for a whole semester. Students stay at Yad HaShmonah (east-northeast of Jerusalem); the official Master's extension campus. While in Israel, I'll be taking classes on the land of the Bible, learning biblical Hebrew, Jewish thought and culture, and the life of Christ. Instead of sitting in a classroom learning about Jesus' Galilean ministry, students sit in the actual places where Jesus taught. We will see the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem, the wilderness where Israel wandered for forty years, Shilon (where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before the Temple was built), and the Sea of Galilee. Imagine snorkeling in the Red Sea, crawling around Qumran (the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered), swimming in old cisterns, and hiking all over the Judean hills. All these amazing experiences are just part of the classes! As you can tell, I'm pretty much out of my mind stoked for this. Check out Master's IBEX website for more information.
Okay, so now you're probably wondering if I'm crazy. Why on earth would I want to go to Israel at a time when there is so much unrest in the Middle East? For me, the answer is pretty simple. When it comes to Israel, someone is pretty much always shooting at them. When my parents went to Israel in 1992, Hezbollah was firing missiles into the Golan. And that was during the Intifada. They had a few restrictions on where they could go, but they had a grand time and loved every second of it. They're honestly not worried about me. A very large amount of Israel's economy stems from tourism. Because of this, the Israeli government is dedicated to keeping tourists safe. Secondly, Master's has been sending students to Israel for eighteen years. The faculty living in Israel reports that the majority of Israel is living in peace and is unaffected by the conflict with Hamas. After some serious consideration, the Israeli and American faculty decided that it was still safe to go, and that the trip would go on as planned. I am fully confident in their judgment.
One last thing. I want to ask for your prayers as I embark on my journey. IBEX is said to be the most challenging but amazing semester of college. I obviously want to do well academically, but I also want to grow spiritually. IBEX has the potential for some insane spiritual growth, but it's not automatic the second I set foot in Ben Gurion airport. I don't want to get so bogged down in academics that I miss the ultimate importance of the land of Israel. I don't want to go into shut off mode because I'm busy. Please pray for me as I go to the Holy Land. Pray that I would be attentive to what the Holy Spirit is teaching me. Pray that I won't squander one of the greatest opportunities for growth in my lifetime. Pray that I wouldn't miss out on the spiritual journey God has in store for me. And pray for the peace of Israel.