A group of 5 students and one alumna spent 10 days in Israel in the second half of November doing their missions practicum. Their host in Karmiel, the director of One Middle East Agency (OMEA) in Israel, Dr. Moshe Loewenthal and his team warmly welcomed our group, and guided them on their practicum trip, which divided equally between opportunities for serving and on-site learning opportunities around Israel.
The group got to learn about how history and geography influence the faith of Israeli Christians, their hopes for the future, and current battles. They served predominantly in Northern Israel, Galilee, and Jerusalem, handing out humanitarian aid to immigrants and war refugees, helped build up community relations, and learned about what it means to be a follower of the Messiah in modern-day Israel.
The language of communication on-site was English, which was a required language to go on the trip. However, since there were many Russian-speaking families among those who received humanitarian aid, speaking a little bit of Russian was helpful.
When not doing ministry, the group was free to discover mor of the Holy Land: the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, Capernaum, Nazareth, the Mountain of Beatification, Jerusalem Old Town, the Garden of Gethsemane, etc. Finally, they were able to take part in a Saturday (Sabbath) worship service in a Hebrew-speaking congregation.
The practicum trip was partially funded by Erasmus+.