Experiencing the history and natural beauty of the “Holy Land” during study abroad in Israel.

– Chikara Parks, SPC Student, Israel Program, May 2019

Israel! Let me start off by saying, it was everything that I expected and more. For me, the experience went deeper than the Biology class. It was spiritual. I remember arriving at the airport and seeing a huge sign that said, “Welcome to Israel.” I couldn’t believe that it was really happening, I was really in Israel– “The Holy Land.”

I had done all of my own biblical research on the country and all of its Holy spots. However, we (as a class) had also done our biological research, which made things so much more wonderful when seeing these trees and plants in person. As part of the class, we took water samples to test salt levels and it was actually pretty cool. We went places like The Dead Sea, The Red Sea, Jordan River, Sea of Galilee, we did a couple of Springs and many more. It was just great to get out of my comfort zone and have an open mind.

Jerusalem, for me, was everything. The best part for me, was going to visit so many legendary sites on the Sabbath Day. We were visiting the places where Jesus blessed and healed people…on this day–the Sabbath day! It was beyond beautiful. We visited the Garden Tomb, where they believe that Jesus had risen on the third day. This was such a beautiful place. There were flowers all over and so many places that made you aware of how things were back then. It was really unbelievable. Before we went to the Garden Tomb, we visited the 14 stations of Christ. These sites were a combination of Christ being nailed to the cross, Christ being removed from the cross and so many more very intimate moments.

I am new to Christianity and don’t really know as much as I probably should. Upon arrival, I thought that everyone in Israel would be full of happiness because it is the “Holy Land.” I was wrong. I would smile at people all of the time and they would look at me like, “why are you smiling at me?” I just couldn’t understand why there were so many serious faces. I later learned that because of the separation (of Israel and Palestine) and different things that are happening all over Israel, it causes tension between different religions. I also didn’t understand seeing so much trash on the beaches there. Thank God for the good Samaritan we had in our class. He would grab a bag or whatever he could find, and he would pick up as much trash as he could.

This trip was beyond belief, the views were unbelievable and the whole time, I constantly stated the fact that “pictures will do none of this justice, you would have to see it for yourself.” Whether you are a biologist or just a person that loves the Lord, this trip is life changing and it has changed my entire life.

– Chikara Parks, SPC Student, Israel Program, May 2019

Thank you for sharing Chikara!

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