By Gray Hurley
HUQOQ, Israel — As I boarded my flight for Tel-Aviv, Israel, I was anxious about the week to come and dreaded it a bit. I was about to be in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people to practice an unfamiliar trade. On the bus ride from the airport to the guest house in this remote Israeli village, however, my expectations were shattered.
My faith has been important to me for my entire life. I grew up going to church every week and saying my prayers every night. Many cultural Christians will tell you, however, that when you are raised in the church, your faith must become your own. This is not something that happens overnight, and I will fight the fight and run the race for the rest of my life. With this being said, Israel allowed me to strengthen my faith and take a step toward pursuing Christ in a more whole-hearted way.
The landscape in Israel is incomparable to any other place I have ever been. The breathtaking countryside is covered with rolling hills that seamlessly transition into deep valleys as far as the eye can see. When I applied historical context to what I was seeing, I developed an even deeper appreciation for the land in front of me.
As we passed landmarks with historical and religious significance, I began to piece together scenes from the Bible with a new visual interpretation. This new visual interpretation changed my outlook on the trip as a whole and allowed me to make the most out of my time in Israel.
One of the first places that we visited in Israel was the Sea of Galilee. I was immediately overwhelmed by the size of the body of water. It covers over 64 square miles and is over 100 feet deep. I can see why it was considered to be such a source of vitality and sustainability. I also noticed that there were no boats on the water which allowed me to imagine the area as it was in the time of Jesus. The Sea of Galilee is one of the most significant places mentioned in the Bible. It is where Jesus first met and commissioned many of his disciples and where he preached to thousands on many occasions. The possibility of walking where Jesus walked was an exciting and spiritual experience for me that I will never forget.
Visiting The Jordan River was also an amazing experience. Thousands of people travel to the river every year to be baptized in the place that is believed to be the baptism site of Jesus by John the Baptist. It is considered to be one of the holiest sites to Christians in the world. I was able to be baptized in the Jordan River with many of my new friends that I just met this summer. While I do not believe that baptism itself is the key to salvation, I believe that it is an important symbol of one’s dedication and subservience to God and his will.
For me it was a symbol of my will to become a better man and a more sincere follower of Christ. I never expected a trip for academic and professional experience to be so life-changing and transformative.
My trip to Israel changed my outlook on my faith as well as the way I will read the Bible. From now on, I will have a clear picture in my head of the places and the people I am reading about. Words can’t express how grateful I am for the experience provided to me by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism. I think that everyone should go to Israel, especially if they are looking for a way to strengthen and explore their faith.
