Diving into the Bible through a once-in-a-lifetime Israel Trip

Published: March 07, 2023

Gorgeous and cohesive. These are the two words that Aly Fry, a Greenville University theology student, used to describe the Holy Land after her interterm trip to Israel. The people there only use Jerusalem stone for construction, and the tannish, beige yellow glow covers the whole city.

After a 7-hour flight with a transfer in Frankfurt, Germany, students finally arrive at their destination. As most of Israel’s territory was arid or semi-arid, there was not a lot of natural vegetation. Instead, everyone has their own balcony with bunches of plants on it, creating a gorgeous contrast between the beige stone and the lush green shade of nature. Right outside the Old City of Jerusalem, students and faculty stay at the Jerusalem University College campus, which is a 5-minute walk into the Jewish Quarter. Known as one of the four traditional quarters in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter contains the Temple Mount—sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Bible passages appear in real life

This trip lasted for three full weeks with 32 group members, including GU students and professors, recent GU graduates, GU alumni, and others.

Students were excited to visit places where biblical events happened, especially Aly Fry who has done research projects for her major about the ancient city of Lachish, the city of Nazareth, and many more places. Aly got to visit the cities and see the things that she mentioned in her research paper.

“That experience was so cool! I have researched this so obviously I know what has happened here, and to actually physically be there was unbelievable,” Aly said.

In this trip, students got the chance to go to Mount Carmel where the fight between Elijah and the prophet of Baal happened. As GU Professor Aubrey McClain stood on the cliffside teaching, students could picture the miraculous act of God when He brought fire down from the sky under the eye of the Israelites. It is transforming for students to imagine the belief of people being restored through the act of God while standing right at Mount Carmel. Christian students have been reading the Bible for a long time, but not many people get to go to the place where God left His mark on it. (Pictured above, left to right: Emily, Jacob, Moriah, Marissa, Aly, and Keagan).

Field Study

Students mainly used a big, ringed field book with pictures, maps, city outlines, dates, and stories. At sites, professor McClain would have students pull out their field book and maps to go through what was on the pages and how it connects to the sites. She would point out the mountain ranges, the cities, and landmarks (churches and buildings) that students could see and then show them where it was on the map. By the end of the day, students were all able to use maps to identify the mountains that they saw.

Students spent the morning in the classroom learning about geology, road networks, resources, valleys, and more, which gave them incredibly useful background information. In the afternoon, students went out to Jerusalem, following professor McClain to see sites such as The Church of The Holy Sepulchre, the temple steps, the pools of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man, the city of David, and many more places.

“During the trip, we had three exams,” Aly recalled. “We used our field book, our notes from the sites, and information from the short class periods to study and prepare for the exams.”

At first, Aly found it weird to pull out the map every time that professor McClain was talking. Students normally take notes using laptops, but during the Israel trip, students learn to digest the knowledge directly instead of worrying about typing everything out as the professor is talking. Compared to a normal in-class lecture, it might be a challenge, but students get a very special experience as they directly learn about a place in-person, with application straight from the Bible.

Words from participating students

“I recommend it 100 percent. It could be a little bit scary at first as you go to a different continent, a different side of the globe. But after the trip, you get so close with the people you travel with while becoming more independent in an unfamiliar space. This Israel trip is an incredible learning experience and also a fantastic look into another culture. Being a part of something with a bunch of different people, learning so much and traveling so much is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you cannot find anywhere else.” – Aly Fry, GU sophomore, Theology major.

“I believe one of the most positive changes I gained from this trip was how differently I am able to understand the biblical text. We tend to read the Bible and place it in some far-away and myth-like place. Once I was able to actually experience the land itself there is a deeper realization that the Bible was full of, and written by real people experiencing the same aspects of life we do,” Brandon Snow, GU senior, double major in Psychology and Theology

Former GU professor Richard Huston initiated this annual Israel trip based on his personal experience in the late 1990s. Every other interterm, GU offers a trip to Israel in collaboration with Jerusalem University College. It is open to all students along with their families, also alumni, and friends of GU.

For more information about future interterm trip to Israel, contact Aubrey McClain at aubrey.mcclain@greenville.edu