Help support our friends in Israel in their time of need.
Israel Study Tour
March 13-23, 2017
Led by Troy Thomas, Marshall Holtvluwer
Subscription options are no longer available for this tour.
Trip Blog Posts
Our Last Day in Israel
posted on Thursday March 23 2017 at 12:53 am UTC
I am amazed how fast this trip has gone, every day feel very long and yet the time has flown by. The first place we went today was the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. This is the most holy place for Jews because it is the closest place to where the Holy of Holies used to be before it was destroyed...
To Walk Where Jesus Walked
posted on Wednesday March 22 2017 at 12:54 am UTC
Our day began on the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemene, which both face the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. The view was incredible and the Eastern Gate was where Jesus was taken into Jerusalem to be tried and crucified. Jesus spent a lot of time on the Mount of Olives, namely in the Garden of...
The Assent to Jerusalem
posted on Tuesday March 21 2017 at 12:22 am UTC
We have made it to Jerusalem!! But before we got here we had a few stops along the way. Our very first stop after we left the Sea of Galilee was Beth She’an, which was an ancient Roman-Byzantine city. Beth She’an is mentioned in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. It is mentioned in...
Life in Israel in Jesus’ time
posted on Sunday March 19 2017 at 10:19 pm UTC
Today was another big day, starting first with a devotion beside the Sea of Galilee. We talked about how Jesus crossed the lake to the non-Jewish side (which we were sitting on) in order to heal one man. In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus goes to the region of the Gerasenes and meets a demon possessed man whom he...
Full Circle
posted on Saturday March 18 2017 at 9:48 pm UTC
Today was our longest day so far with multiple stops all around the Sea of Galilee. The very first thing we did was get onto a boat and ride across the Lake. In the middle we stopped and turned the motor off so it was silent…we were one of two boats on the lake this morning. Marshall taught a lesson...
Living Water and a lesson in obedience
posted on Saturday March 18 2017 at 12:54 am UTC
Today was another great day!! Our first stop was En Gedi, which is a beautiful desert oasis with some pretty incredible waterfalls (best known for as the place where David fled and hid from King Solomon). As we traveled north along the Dead Sea, the stark contrast in landscape was noticeable. Quite suddenly,...
Legacy
posted on Friday March 17 2017 at 1:24 am UTC
Shalom! I have to say today was my favorite day so far! After a morning devotion on the beach of the Dead Sea, we drove straight to Masada. Although Masada is not a Biblical place, it has a fascinating history. A group of eight of us decided to hike up to the top on a series of steep switchbacks called...
Greetings from the Land of Israel!
posted on Thursday March 16 2017 at 1:17 am UTC
Today was our first full day here in Israel, and we saw A LOT. After a long flight and really no major complications, we arrived late last night and spent our first night in Jerusalem. Some of us slept better than others, but we were all up and ready to go at 7am. Our first stop was a place called Kiriath...
And we're off!
posted on Tuesday March 14 2017 at 1:04 am UTC
Greetings from the snowy Chicago Airport!! We are all excitedly waiting to see if our flight will take off on time. The snow is flying outside but we are hopeful! Even though we are still on the ground, there is culture all around us…different languages, clothing, and, nationalities…just a...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Sunday March 12 2017 at 12:00 am 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,...