After spending 11 days in Israel this summer and visiting historical sites, such as the Valley of the Elah, the Garden Tomb and Garden of Gethsemane, Grand Canyon University student Brielle Field returned with a new perspective.
“I think I’ll never read Scripture the same,” Field said of her trip with GCU’s Spiritual Life group. “I’ve just been reading the Bible since I’ve been back. Wow. I literally can say to you that I can picture in my head what I’m reading.
“It will change me forever.”
This marked the second consecutive summer a group of GCU Spiritual Life students traveled to Israel with Passages, a United States-based nonprofit that arranges trips for Christian college students.
The number of students traveling to Israel this time around swelled from 15 to 50, and they traveled as two groups instead of being mixed in with students from other U.S. colleges.
“It felt a lot more unique and tailor-made for our group to experience,” GCU Worship Manager Jared Ulrich said. “Just that difference alone from last year made a ton of difference.”
Ulrich expected this year's trip to be similar to last year’s. But “we got to see more stuff, and having it be our group really changed the dynamic and spirit of the trip. It was great.”
The group visited Galilee, which was hit by a rocket last summer.
Still, precautionary measures were in place because of ongoing conflict. Field said her group stopped at the Nova Music Festival massacre, where nearly 400 people were killed in an attack, and they could hear bombs in the distance.
“If something was to happen, you had only 15 seconds to get to a shelter,” Field said. “And anywhere else you were in Jerusalem, you had one minute, 30 seconds.”
Nevertheless, locals seeemed appreciative that a group of GCU students came to their country for the second consecutive summer.
“They all welcomed us with open arms,” said Associated Students of GCU President Tucker Hudson. “I don’t know if I’ve very met someone more excited and welcoming as Israelis. They were getting excited to see we were willing to learn proper culture and their walks of life.
“Nowadays, many noted tourism is low because of the conflict, so they were ecstatic to have us there. ... They were very kind people with strong hearts for the Lord and very kind, very welcoming.”
Field’s first “eye-opening” moment was on the first full day of the trip, when the group visited the Valley of the Elah, where David defeated Goliath.
She recalled standing at the top of Azekah, a town overlooking the valley and reading Scripture and visualizing David’s historical victory.
“Wow, I’m in Israel, and this is where this stuff happened,” Field said.
The beauty of the Sea of Galilee captured Ulrich’s attention as much as the historical sites where important events in Jesus' life happened, such as Jesus walking on water and calming a storm.
“We got to ride on a boat in the middle of the lake, and it was just beautiful,” Ulrich said. “Very significant and inspiring.”
The group visited Capernaum, Magdala and Tabgha – towns where Jesus spoke while accompanied by His disciples.
Those towns were in the proximity of the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.
“It’s such a beautiful place,” Ulrich said.
Field was emotionally moved by a stop at the Garden of Gethsamane, where Jesus prayed before He was captured and eventually crucified.
“We had about 30 minutes to sit and pray and really feel the Lord’s presence,” Field said. “After that, we took Communion as a group, and it’s something I’ll remember forever – being able to sit where Jesus prayed the night before He was about to be crucified and taking Communion and (thinking), 'Wow, Lord, You did this for me. This is representing You.’ ”
Hudson absorbed as much as he could during the entire trip.
“Going into it, I just was hoping God would let me see the Bible through a new lens, and it totally did that in terms of letting me physically see the places the Lord once walked and the amazing culture, the rich history,” said Hudson, a senior communications major who is minoring in sports and entertainment management.
“There are monuments there that they say that are more modern but about are 500-plus years old. What’s old for them isn’t old for us in the U.S. It’s cool getting to see and visualize different stories famously told in the Bible and a true blessing. I don’t regret it at all. I’m glad I got the opportunity to partake in this. Not many people get to see that, especially at my age. I’m very appreciative about it.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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