We are at the end of our time here at JUC (Jerusalem University College). Over the past two weeks we have found ourselves in a different sort of adventure each day, whether looking out at the battlefield of David and Goliath, sitting on the side of Mount Carmel, or floating in the Dead Sea.

Scripture has truly come alive to me as we have not only been studying but also experiencing this land.  The stories that we have read and discussed in specific locations take on a new meaning.  For example, as a group we have constantly been revisiting the ideas of shepherding, farming, and fishing.  The imagery so often used throughout the Bible of these three things makes so much sense as you are looking out into the dry and arid Judean Wilderness, hiking down into the lush Sorak Valley, or out on a boat on the Sea of Galilee.

As we move from JUC, I hope to not only remember what I have experienced here, but to forever allow this land to be a part of me and transfer this information into the different contexts of my life, and ultimately that through it all I may come to know God more. (Jeremiah 9:23)

-Ellie Barnhart