christian union universities
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Israel Experience
Student’s Faith Invigorated by Christian Union Holy Land Tour
by francine barchett , cornell
’20
Takeaway 1: Israel revels in history
When we trekked up a mountain on our first
day, we were greeted by biblical views from every
direction. Adrian, our tour guide, pointed out Naz-
areth, then the mountain where Deborah attacked
Sisera’s troops, the place Saul consulted a witch,
Gideon’s battlefield, and even Armageddon! The
artifacts we encountered seemed endless, too. “Did
you know that archaeological finds have never dis-
proved the Bible?” Adrian posed. “The more we dig
here, the more critics ditch their anti-biblical theo-
ries.” This was the underlying motivation for the
archaeologist we met at Mt. Precipice, who showed
us the largest unexcavated site in the country.
Takeaway 2: Israel is culturally vibrant
This trip made me realize how strongly Jewish
culture and the Bible overlap; as we read Bible pas-
sages at each site, this recognition became all the more
poignant. At Old City Jerusalem, we learned about
Jerusalem’s temple tax tradition, which led us to dis-
cover that Peter was the only disciple over 20 years
old. We went to a synagogue and learned about the
Next to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and
writing a book, visiting Israel was at the
top of my bucket list. Because my grand-
parents had an unforgettable experience, they would
often tell me, “Francine, if you ever get a chance to
go to Israel, by golly go!” Like King Arthur questing
for the Holy Grail, like an intrepid explorer jour-
neying to his ancestors’ homeland, this would be
my once-in-a-lifetime, spiritually awakening, Chris-
tian pilgrimage. Little did I know this trip, which I
imagined occurring decades in the future, would
happen this past summer, following my freshman
year at Cornell!
In June, I joined 83 students and four Christian
Union ministry fellows for the Passages: Experience
Israel trip. We drew on the nation’s biblical founda-
tion and modern development. We traveled far and
wide, from Christ’s ministry headquarters in Caper-
naum to the Dead Sea, sampling rich Middle East-
ern foods, wandering traditional marketplaces, and
hearing guest speakers from around the country.
While what I learned those 10 days could easily fill
a novel, I thought of five main takeaways:
22
Christian Union hosted a trip to Israel for students from some of the nation’s top universities.