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Israel Study Tour with Orchard Hill Reformed Church
July 14-25, 2019
Led by Bob Karel
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Trip Blog Posts
Lamb of God
posted on Thursday July 25 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
We are first introduced to the name, Amnos tou Theou, in the Gospels of John. John the Baptist saw Jesus and exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 A fitting reminder going into our final day and the perfect set-up to lead us into the culmination...
We are living stones
posted on Wednesday July 24 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
This mornings devotional featured David’s words from Psalm 91 that tell us that God is our fortress and our strength. This seemed fitting to remember as we were going through many man-made structures in the City of David and Jerusalem, that while they once were magnificent structures they have...
Jerusalem
posted on Tuesday July 23 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
Today was our first day in Jerusalem! This was another big day for our group. Our first stop was the Temple Mount. This is the region where the story of Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac took place 4000 years ago. Our guide Ronen, gave us the rich, but very complicated history that has unfolded over...
For all who believe
posted on Monday July 22 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
Starting out today on the east side of the Lake of Galilee, the land of the pagans. These Roman cities had gathering spaces not for worship of the Lord, but instead for “self-oriented” activities such as theater, sports and self improvement. We began at the city of Susita/Hippo where we met...
Come Follow Me
posted on Sunday July 21 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
We started another beautiful day by the Sea of Galilee with devotions and another new word for God - Rabbi, Teacher. Hearing our God calling us to “Come Follow Me”. It was a BIG DAY and we stopped at several areas in the Galilee region where Jesus did most of His ministry. We first...
On This Rock
posted on Saturday July 20 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
This morning we woke up next Sea of Galilee. Today our theme was the the Lord is our Living God (El Chay). First, we traveled to Katzrin. Here we “time traveled” to an ancient Roman city. A highlight was crushing grapes with our feet and making grape juice. At Tel Dan, we learned about the...
Living Water
posted on Friday July 19 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
Day III began with devotions along the shore of the Dead Sea. As we left there and continued our second day in the Negev (desert) we talked about the importance of water, both to the people who live here as well as to the land itself. We journeyed to Ein Gedi where we saw David's waterfall, in the area...
Hospitality in the desert
posted on Thursday July 18 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
We can start by saying that we spent day number 2 in the desert on the hottest day of the year. Per our tour guide Mr. Ronan the Negev desert was up to 125 degrees F. Since our hike to Masada was closed we took the gondola to the top where we learned about Herod the Great, his sons, the splitting of...
No amount of preparation
posted on Wednesday July 17 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
I’ve realized over the last two days that no amount of preparation can get you ready for the holy land. On the way to the hotel last night it hit me, I’m in the place where Jesus lived, did his ministry, and died! Woah! So today, day one, we started out our journey at Yad Hashmonah. This...
A Long Flight Ahead
posted on Monday July 15 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
After many months of anticipation, our study tour is upon us! We'll be departing today on our two-leg journey to Israel. If you want to follow along with our flights, check out the links below. Chicago to Istanbul Istanbul to Tel Aviv ...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Monday March 18 2019 at 11:54 pm UTC
Our trip will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground 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, to not only bring you...