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Israel-in-Depth with Rod VanSolkema
June 22 - July 4, 2015
Led by rod vansolkema
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Trip Blog Posts
Study Tour Wrap up
posted on Monday July 06 2015 at 9:15 pm UTC
Now that we've returned from our study tour you'll hopefully be able to talk to one of us in person about what we saw, heard, learned, and experienced! Below is a wrap up video that serves as a nice summary of the trip and a reminder of all that we did. Leave us a comment below or head over and...
The last week of Jesus’ life
posted on Friday July 03 2015 at 10:28 pm UTC
As we started our last day here in Jerusalem there was a heaviness that hung about. Maybe it was sadness about the trip coming to an end but I think it was mostly the journey we knew was ahead of us today. By the end of the day we would have walked through the last week of Jesus’ life. So we walked,...
The Jordan River
posted on Thursday July 02 2015 at 1:27 am UTC
Today I was reminded about the privilege we have to be under the leadership and teaching of Rod. So far this trip to God’s country has been shaping. The sight of the numerous different places and how they tie into their biblical stories has illuminated meaning within the bible to depths that I have...
The Shema :: Loving the Lord with my ALL
posted on Wednesday July 01 2015 at 12:08 am UTC
Each morning here in Israel begins bright and early as we all head to breakfast. And breakfast here is a grand affair! No matter what the location, the spread always excites my hungry belly. Laid out for us are the beautiful foods of honey from the honeycomb, yogurt, and dates, fresh vegetables, fruits,...
Galilee
posted on Tuesday June 30 2015 at 12:07 am UTC
We had another great day in Israel, and we continue to be blessed with safety and good weather. We had a steep climb up Mt. Arbel today with an even more exciting climb down! It definitely challenged several people’s fears of heights, but we all made it to the bottom safely. It has been neat to see...
Mount Carmel
posted on Sunday June 28 2015 at 10:52 pm UTC
“You do not support the root. The root supports you.” Our group pondered these words as we stood overlooking a group of olive trees growing on the side of the mountain. The trees thick trunks grew upwards in a disorderly sort of fashion, bending and twisting as they made their way toward the sky....
Mayim Chayim
posted on Sunday June 28 2015 at 12:00 am UTC
To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to write for today’s blog. We’ve seen, learned, and experienced so much over the last few days that this task is beyond daunting. So, for your viewing pleasure, I’m just going to wing this thing. The title of this entry translates to “Living...
Yeshimon
posted on Saturday June 27 2015 at 2:09 am UTC
The head was heavy. I never expected on this trip to hold my best friends brown head in my palm because she had lost control of her neck—because somewhere between A and B her entire body shut off completely. There were commands from the nurses—Move the braid, add the cool neck towel, keep her...
Just Enough
posted on Friday June 26 2015 at 12:49 am UTC
Paul once said, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and hurt with those who hurt.” Romans 12:15. This is just one of the themes that has been discovered of this trip. Right from the get go we have been celebrating our family’s achievements and coming around our family’s sorrows. I say family because...
Standing at the crossroads of culture
posted on Thursday June 25 2015 at 1:02 am UTC
We started out this morning with the question to ask ourselves—Who are you and why are you here? The challenge was put before us, to make that more community minded and ask—Who are we and why are we here? With that at the forefront of our minds we began our first hike. We ended up at Tel Gezer....
Cling to the scripture
posted on Tuesday June 23 2015 at 11:49 pm UTC
Sigh. We’re here. we’re actually here. The team has arrived weary from long flights and bumpy bus rides, but we are so anticipating what God is going to do on this trip. Relationships are already being formed, and lessons already being learned. Libby had said, “half of your journey begins before...
A long flight ahead
posted on Monday June 22 2015 at 10:51 pm UTC
We have a long flight ahead of us! If you want to track our flight, use one of the links below! We can't wait to get there and begin sharing our trip with you! Chicago to Istanbul Istanbul to Tel Aviv ...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Tuesday June 16 2015 at 5:08 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,...