Holy Land Holy People Blog Day 2: 

Today was our travel day. After a delayed flight, running to our connecting flight, and waiting for what seemed like forever, we finally took for Israel on a 10-hour flight. We’re now en route to Bethlehem, where we will be staying (in pairs) with host families. I can honestly say it’s now starting to sing in - this whole trip and what it could mean.

At the commissioning service Thursday night, we sang the words, “Take your candle and go light your world.” This couldn’t be more fitting for our trip. We are literally coming over here to educate ourselves, immerse ourselves, and take in all that is the Holy Land, including the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Honestly, I don’t feel like I know enough to be on this trip, but then again, isn’t that what this trip is for? As we drive from Tel Aviv to Bethlehem, I’m trying to take in the scenery, looking at all these old structures and wondering what stories lie within the walls. Carla told us to be on the lookout for “living stones” this week. This could be someone we encounter, a site, a moment, or even someone on our team. To make a visual of this, she had each of us draw a stone from a bag. Each stone had a different word on it and our task for the week is to either find that characteristic in ourselves or in someone else. Before the bag was even passed around, one single word danced on my tongue: love.

Sure enough, when my time came to pick a stone, the one I chose said “love.” This wasn’t the first stone I touched; this stone was probably the smallest and smoothest of them all. Love has been a word that has always had significance for me. I believe love is at the very core of my being. To be Christian is to share God’s love with others the way He loves us - agape.

So I asked myself: Why did I pick this stone? What is God trying to tell me? I believe it’s to share this agape love with all those we encounter this week.

I’m looking forward to the new experiences and conversations held this week. I’m hopeful for a fruitful experience while we’re here in the Holy Land.

-Jordan Schriefer