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Israel, Jordan Study Tour with Grace Bible Church Houston
December 26 - January 5, 2016
Led by Wes Carpenter
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Trip Blog Posts
Our Final Day
posted on Tuesday January 05 2016 at 12:45 am UTC
Well friends, this is it. The official final day of our GBC Israel trip. And what a day it was! We started today near the top of the Mount of Olives, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, with an incredible view of the city. Wes taught about the Jesus’ triumphal entry a few days before His arrest and crucifixion,...
The Temple Mount and more
posted on Monday January 04 2016 at 12:06 am UTC
Today was a day of lessons, of new steps in unfamiliar places, of uncovering even more lives that we can exemplify. We drove along the cobblestone streets of the city to a vast complex made of stone—the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great. Here we discovered some treasures that are precious to...
The pull of worldly desires
posted on Saturday January 02 2016 at 10:59 pm UTC
Most of us did not know the story of Bet She’an (House of Strength) as we climbed the tel. We were cold, rain was coming down on us….again. We stopped at the top of the hill and learned that this point was a crossroads between the Jezreel Valley and the Jordan River Valley. Behind us was Mount Gilboa,...
Jesus, Initiator and Qualifier
posted on Friday January 01 2016 at 8:26 pm UTC
Today was about as full a day as we’ve had since we arrived. We started our day with a tour of the Yigal Alon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar, where we’ve been staying the last couple nights on the coast of the Sea of Galilee. The Yigal Alon Museum houses a first century fishing boat that was discovered...
On this rock I will build my church
posted on Friday January 01 2016 at 12:29 am UTC
We spent our day north of the Sea of Galilee in the region called Golan Heights, the area of Israel closest to Syria and Lebanon. Our first stop was Qatzrin, an ancient Talmudic village that lived under Jewish Law. Here we learned about the Jewish culture of patri-local living where extended families...
God’s Mercy and Trustworthiness
posted on Thursday December 31 2015 at 12:15 am UTC
Today started off by making a climb from nearly 1,300 feet below sea level at our hotel next to the Dead Sea to the top of Masada, a few hundred feet above sea level. The hike from the base to the top of Masada was around an hour, with about 1,500 feet in elevation gain. We then spent the next couple...
Living Water
posted on Wednesday December 30 2015 at 12:59 am UTC
Today started with a two hour bus ride southwest from our hotel on the western coast of the Dead Sea to a site called Ein Avdat (a.k.a. Wadi Zin) in the heart of the Negev. The Negev (Hebrew for both “south” and “dry”) is the southernmost border region of Israel. It’s vast and beautiful and...
The Source and Story of Our Redemption
posted on Tuesday December 29 2015 at 12:40 am UTC
I woke up this morning just outside Jerusalem, but as I write this, I’m sitting in a sixth floor hotel room on the southwest coast of the Dead Sea. I’m here with about 35 friends, most of them new. If you’re reading this blog, I trust you know and love at least one of these fine folks and are excited...
A Long Flight Ahead
posted on Saturday December 26 2015 at 8:54 pm UTC
After many months of anticipation, our study tour is upon us! We'll be departing this evening on our two-leg journey to Israel. If you want to follow along with our flights, check out the links below. Track our Houston to Istanbul flight Track our Istanbul to Tel Aviv flight ...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Wednesday November 25 2015 at 9:27 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,...