The people are real, the places are real, and this story is real!

Whenever I teach my middle schoolers I always say to them, "This is REAL; these people were real, these places are real, and this story is real." I constantly remind them of that because our Bible can so easily become a fairytale.

I believe that the Bible and the stories in it are real, but that quote that I say to my middle schoolers on Sundays hit me in a whole new way today. This is real.

In the beginning... we started at a garden (see what I did there?). Straight off the bat we got an image of what an ancient town would be like. The ritual bath, the wine press, the olive press, the guard tower, and more. These images made the civilizations of the Bible come to life, I could picture their day-to-day and lifestyle patterns. A great place to start for the trip.

We also got to re-meet some famous people in the Bible and remember some famous stories.

We met the famous Samson (Judges 13) at Beth Shemesh. Guess what, he's real. When I was hit with the fact that he was a real guy with real humanness the story changed. It changed from my favorite Sunday School children's story about a strong, long-haired stud to a normal guy who had his struggles in life. He was called to be set apart as a Nazirite,and yet, he fell to sin and constantly went against his vow. His story was tumultuous and doesn't end with a perfect bow. This realness (not sure that's a word but go with it) makes Samson's story relatable and makes for a great conversation with God about community, accountability, and call.

Later we met two more Bible superstars at Azekah, David and Goliath (1 Samuel 16). Guess what, they are real. As we read the story of the iconic battle we stood on the hill looking down on the valley where the show down took place. Again, i was overcome with the fact that David was a real teenager with real humanness and the story changed. Standing there I thought about the daunting task of fighting Goliath, and David's unusual confidence. Somehow we can all relate to this unlikely warrior: overlooked, unexpected, under-appreciated, average, etc. Standing there I was inspired by David's willingness and confidence. I felt encouraged by this average guy with average talents to accept challenges while proclaiming, "I come to you in the name of the Lord."

To wrap this all up, it was a GREAT first day. I was struck by the realness of it all. When you think of these places and people in the Bible as being REAL they become so much more than a cute fairytale. They become life changing testimonies that create honest, and fruitful conversations with the Lord. I end today feeling inspired and encouraged. So, so excited for the rest of the trip in His land because this is REAL; These people were real, these places are real, and this story is real.

- Sarah Aungst

P.S. Hi Mom and Dad!