Update from our last blog: We still haven’t found Lucile. But more exciting news is that in just four days, the Joshua class of 2017 will be sleeping in another country! Most of us don’t know what to expect, but the excitement of leaving for Israel is building! We are so excited to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, to see with our own eyes where the stories of the Bible actually took place, and to be able to experience the Hebrew culture and customs firsthand. This experience will forever change the way they we read our Bibles and the way we see Christianity. Personally, I (Russell Woo) am excited to return to Israel, to float in the Dead Sea, and hopefully see some of my old friends in the Galilee! After watching Masada, the cheesiest movie we’ve ever seen, we anticipate a strenuous and exhilarating hike up the cliff side to the fortress of Masada. Many of us are also excited to dance the hustle in the middle of the Sea of Galilee! Not to mention the scrumptious delicacies that Kelsey has been raving about! There are many meals we are looking forward to; some of these include: falafel, shwarma, authentic hummus, fried tilapia, and much more! Caitlynn heard that we get to eat bagels in Bethlehem! She is excited to eat holy bread in the Holy Land!! We are also so excited to see some of our classmates get baptized in the Jordan River. We will get to place our hands on the Western Wall of the Temple when on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. We will get to walk through the desert of Qumran, and see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. But most importantly, we get to experience all of this with our Joshua Mispocha (Family), and we wouldn’t want it any other way. At the beginning of the year they told us that Israel would be here before we knew it, and alas here it is. It’s crazy how time flies so fast, but we are all so grateful to be able to go on one last trip with each other. You could say that it’s our last “Harrah”.
Hazak Hazak Veni ‘Kheze
(Strong, Strong, Together we are Strong)