A Life Changing Journey

On July 5th, 2010 a group of 15 6th in their country straight away. “The Israelites plant in the Jordan River,
form students and 4 teachers from Elim trees along the boarder “God spoke to us approximately around the
Christian College, went on a 2 week The next day they visited the Mount to show they do not want area Jesus was baptised.
trip to Israel. For five years now, a very of Precipice, a Nazareth village and to fight but the Lebanese all and we were
lucky group of the 6th form students at visited two national parks. do not plant any trees each touched by “This was an incredible
Elim have had the along the border as they
opportunity to go and are expecting to fight. the Holy Spirit.” experience and one none
tour the holy land and “The first few days challenging
“The first few days were
because we This really opened our
of us will ever forget.
God spoke to us all and
visit the significant were challenging were all suffering from eyes to what is really happening over we were each touched by the Holy
sites of the Bible. jet lag and we all had to there and made us realise you can not Spirit,” Ashley said. Whilst being
because we were adjust to the very hot always trust the media,” said David Hill, baptised in the river, the students said
When the students temperatures,” who went on the trip.
arrived in Israel, after all suffering from said Ashley Treeby,
there were little fish that would nibble
at your toes as you stood in the water,
another 12 hour flight,
they were greeted by
jet lag and we all a student who went On the fourth night they stayed in a but as you went under the water when
on the trip. beautiful hotel called the “Ron Beach being baptised, they stopped straight
their tour guide, Yaron, had to adjust to Hotel” which was right on the Sea of away and did not bite them again. The
who is a messianic Jew Galilee, which Ashley and David both students all found this amazing and
and was with the group the very hot Throughout the trip agreed was “One of the nicest places unexplainable.
the whole way on the
trip and their Arabic bus temperatures.”
the students visited the we stayed in while in Israel.”
Lebanon border where The group then went to Mount Carmel
driver, Yuri, who drove where they took part in a church service
them all over Israel. The students all they learnt of the different attitudes On the fifth day, they drove to Yardenit
the Lebanese and the Israelis have (“little Jordan”) which is where the at Kehilat HaCarmel.
said they were both such amazing
people and made them feel so welcome towards the war. students and teachers were baptised
They all enjoyed this a lot as they
experienced a different way of
worshipping. Ashley said she was
amazed how the whole congregation
would jump out of their seats and dance
around the church, linking arms and
some were using purple flags to dance
with.
On day eight the group visited the Mount
of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the
Western Wall, which the students all
put a prayer in to and the Davidson
centre (the temple mount excavations).
The students also went shopping in the
markets of the Old City of Jerusalem
which was they described as being a
very different experience. “The markets
had beautiful, amazing things but we all
had to be very careful and stick in big
groups,” said Ashley.
“Israel was a life changing experience
that is still affecting us all today.”
They also visited the Garden tomb and
Golgotha, skull hill, where Jesus was
thought to have been crucified. Seeing
both Golgotha and going inside the
Garden tomb was described by the
students as being incredible because
it made the bible stories of Jesus’
crucifixion and resurrection come to
life as they could picture where it all
happened.
The group went swimming in the
Dead Sea, the next day. Ashley said
swimming in the Dead Sea was a very
weird feeling as they did not have to try
to keep themselves a float but she said
it was a lot of fun. They then drove to
a near by Bedouin village where they
had a camel ride, which was a definite
highlight for all of the students.
On the last night the group went to David Hill a 2010 group member closed
a very nice restaurant for a farewell the interview by saying. “The trip was
dinner with Yuri and Yaron and the an absolutely fantastic experience and I
next day flew back to Seoul and then had such a fun time.
home to New Zealand.
“We all grew very close as
All the students agreed that they would
recommend the trip to anyone thinking a group and really grew
of going to Israel in the future. Students
who went on the 2009 trip to Israel all
in our faith with Jesus,
said they still fondly remembered their as we saw the Bible
time in Israel, even a year on.
come to life everyday and
When the 2009 group was asked if
they would want to go back to Israel
constantly felt so close to
again one day they all agreed that God.”
they would definitely want to go back
quite soon. “Israel was a life changing
experience that is still affecting us By Holly Muller
all today,” said 2009 group member,
Hannah McClean.