Professor, Friend

This summer I had the opportunity to go to Israel with other Point students.

INCREDIBLE!!!

Years of making up cartoon-like movies in my head as I envisioned the stories I read in the Bible have come to an end because I got to walk where Jesus walked and see the things he saw. While riding across the Sea of Galilee I could imagine Jesus speaking to a crowd on the hillside. Hearing our guide, Gilla's, voice echo across the water's surface helped me understand why Jesus would sit in a boat to teach. I got to see the kinds of toys Jesus would have played with as a child. I always assumed that children in Jesus' day played with sticks and rocks, but they had toys, like wooden animals on wheels pulled with a string. Countless archaeological digs I explored proved that the stories in the Bible are factual. I was able to experience a culture much closer to Jesus' than my own. My interactions with members of the Jewish faith have advanced my understanding of the religious mindset of Jesus' audience and opponents. I was able to see the political position of Israel from an Israeli's point of view.

My experience in Israel was life-changing and faith-defining. I wish I could explain all that I learned and all that I saw. Point is planning a trip to Israel during Spring Break 2013. You should go!! Everyone should experience Jesus' homeland in such a tangible way.

Before the trip to Israel I was expecting to see Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem and so much more. I got those things, but I also got some things I was not expecting. John and Emma Morris, professors for the Access program at Point, led the trip. Before the trip I knew who Emma and John were, but I was intimidated by them. That was not a problem for long. Immediately Emma and I hit it off. The two of us were always trailing behind the rest of our group taking pictures of everything, literally. We came back from the trip with inside jokes and countless pictures to discuss.

That's something I love about Point. Professors know your name. They care about you. And they might just even be your friend.

John and Emma