Catching Up and Taking Off!

Hello, and welcome back!

Many things have happened in the six months since I last updated this blog. I've graduated high-school, begun full-time college work online with Thomas Edison State University and through testing and have now over 75 college credits, and I got accepted to Baptist Bible Translators Institute in Bowie, Texas, a 9 month training facility for prospective Bible translators and overseas missionaries. Whew! BUSY. Oh, and.......

I'M GOING TO ISRAEL!!!!

 This opportunity was given, given - for free, to me by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, president of Ariel Ministries and leader of Camp Shoshanah, Keeseville, where I have been working for the past three summers. Needless to say, I am incredibly excited! I will experience 5 weeks of life in God's Holy Land, walk where Jesus walked, and make new and deeper connections to Old and New Testament Biblical history. 

The purpose of telling you about this trip is so that you can experience it with me! My goal is to update this blog weekly with information and pictures, as I am able, during this tour. Hopefully this will be an encouraging and informative blessing to you all. 

Though this tour opportunity certainly is an incredible blessing, there are several things that I would like to ask for prayer about concerning it. This will be an intensive, 5-week-long, study tour. I and my group of over twenty others, led by Dr. Fruchtenbaum, will be doing a lot of hiking as well as reading and taking notes on lectures during this tour. However, I will simultaneously be taking two online college classes. This was an unavoidable decision, and though I tried to choose classes that will require a minimum of attention, I am still apprehensive about the amount of work to be done while in Israel. Also, though it is apparently stable enough in Israel for us to take this tour, Israel is still a dangerous place. My flight leaves at 7:00 p.m. from JFK on Sunday May 15th, and I would appreciate your prayers for the following:

• A stream-lined boarding process through JFK El-Al Air terminal, a smooth flight, and easy transition through Israel customs

• The discipline and strength to keep up with my schoolwork, while also learning as much as I can from Dr. Fruchtenbaum's teaching and getting the most out of my experience in Israel 

• Safety for myself and the team

Thank you in advance for your prayers! I am excited about sharing more information with you as my trip progresses! 

Until then - Shalom! :)

Happy Graduate of June 2015