Israel Study Tour with Riverside Community Church
June 20 - July 4, 2016
Led by Scott Heare
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Trip Blog Posts
So that we would not have to...
posted on Sunday July 03 2016 at 3:55 am UTC
Wow! Today was a powerful day! We went to the Mt. of Olives and walked the Villa Dolorosa, the path that Jesus carried His cross to Calvary. If we had lived during this time, what would we have thought? People had heard that the Messiah was coming to overthrow Rome and the evil empire, and to save His...
Broken places that need restoration
posted on Thursday June 30 2016 at 4:03 pm UTC
If you've been reading thIs blog you know by now that our days are long and FULL. Today was no exception! We began the day with a short hike to the banks of the Jordan River. The flow of the water provided a quiet, soothing backdrop as Scott began his teaching in Genesis with the story of creation....
To hear and to understand
posted on Thursday June 30 2016 at 12:41 am UTC
Everyday I am reminded how the context and cultural thought process is so important to how the scriptures are read and interpreted. The Jewish culture emphasizes committing the Torah to heart and making it a part of who they are. Over and over Jesus uses our own language to speak to us; certain wordings...
Climbing Prayer Mountain
posted on Wednesday June 29 2016 at 12:34 am UTC
What do you think of when you think of prayer? A nice quiet setting, serene music… dim lights? My mind used to go to pictures and places like that… NO MORE! Mt. Arbel, Prayer Mountain, is a main route between towns and places that Jesus traveled. We started at the bottom and traveled, or should I...
Day 7
posted on Tuesday June 28 2016 at 3:22 am UTC
Wow! Today was definitely a full day. Starting with hiking around the Sea of Galilee, we got to visualize where 80% of Jesus’s ministry took place. On the mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the sermon on the Mount, we discussed the miracles that took place at that time. He fed the 5000, after...
Day 5
posted on Tuesday June 28 2016 at 3:20 am UTC
Home of the Essenes- Today we visited Qumran, which is located in the West Bank of Israel, next to the Dead Sea. As we approached Qumran (desert), I was amazed at the sheer rock facings so close to the water. How did these people get water out here? As we entered the Tel, we found multiple mikvahs (Jewish...
Day 3
posted on Friday June 24 2016 at 3:14 am UTC
Today we started the day with a visit to an Israeli memorial for an astronaut who was on the space shuttle that broke apart upon reentry into the atmosphere over Texas and other states. Afterwards we traveled to a place called Timnah which is close to the border of Egypt. It was still desert like yesterday,...
Day 1
posted on Wednesday June 22 2016 at 3:04 am UTC
Today was awesome and amazing and hot! We made our way through what is called the Shephelah, which means low hills. It is also a place where a ton of battles took place, battles that include David and Goliath, and Senacherub. Our theme for the day was confronting evil. We though bible as we went through...
A Long Flight Ahead
posted on Monday June 20 2016 at 11:33 pm UTC
After many months of anticipation, our study tour is upon us! We'll be departing tonight evening on our two-leg journey to Israel. If you want to follow along with our flights, check out the links below. Newark, NJ to Tel Aviv, Israel ...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Wednesday March 16 2016 at 10:21 pm UTC
Our trip to Israel will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground in Israel, we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our travel experiences online with you, our friends and family,...