The DBU Tennis team served in Israel during August 2018, as part of the Dallas Baptist University Global Sports Mission Initiative program. Below is a daily recap detailing the teams' service in Israel.
DAY ONE RECAP
Our first day is Israel was a busy one. After a night to recover from our full day of travel from Dallas, we started our journey in Jerusalem. Our hotel is just inside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem through the Jaffa gate. We made the short trip from our hotel to the City of David to begin our tour. We enjoyed a beautiful view of the city and walked up to what is believed to be the foundation of King David's palace.
After our view of the city we made our way to Hezekiah's tunnel where we enjoyed about a 30 minute hike through the wet caves that were hand carved to divert the main water source to inside the city. This tunnel dates back to the 8th century BC to be pivotal to withstand the impending siege from the Assyrians.
As we exited Hezekiah's tunnel we reached a newly discovered area that was the entrance to the pool where it is believed Jesus healed a blind man. We then started our journey up hill, through a tunnel that was where the road to the temple was, just outside the walls of the City of David. This led us to the Southern Steps, which lead up to the ancient temple. It is at this location where Peter preached the gospel after receiving the Holy Spirit and 3,000 people were saved. Around these steps were pools where the disciples could have baptized the new believers just outside of the temple.
As our first day of touring neared its end, we arrived to a location near where the upper room would have been, which is where the disciples first received the Holy Spirit. We then visited the Saint Peter in Gallicantu Church, which was built on top of the house of Caiphas. As we made our way down to the bottom of the Caiphas house, we entered into a dungeon that gave us incredible insight into where Jesus would have been held prior to his trial. We had a time of prayer and reflection inside of this dungeon and made our way out to the garden where Peter denied Jesus.
Every inch of Jerusalem is covered in history and has a story to tell. As we debriefed at the end of the night, it was apparent that we all are beginning to see the Bible in a different way. The stories that we have read throughout our lifetime have new life. Our journey is just beginning and we are excited to see what comes next!
Brendan Smith
Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
DAY TWO RECAP
Day two of our trip began on top of the Mount of Olives, which provided a beautiful view of Jerusalem. We prayed over the city and made our way towards the Dominus Flevit Church. This walk and view gave us a good picture of what Jesus saw when he made his entrance into the city on Palm Sunday.
From there, we visited the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed before he was turned over to authorities to be crucified. The oldest olive tree in this garden dates back 1,000 years. From the garden we could see the path that the soldiers along with Judas might have traveled on their way to capture Jesus. This was a reminder that Jesus could have easily fled, but instead was willingly captured on his way to enduring the cross.
We then left Jerusalem for the first time to head to Bethlehem and saw the shepherd's fields and went inside a cave that would have been similar to the one where Jesus was born. It was humbling to see the conditions that Jesus was born in, a reminder of his humility.
Our afternoon started at Skull Hill, the place that some say is the location of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified. The Garden Tomb is also located in this area, which is a 1st century Jewish tomb that represents what a tomb in Jesus' time would have looked like. As we toured the area, a Christian group from Indonesia also touring the area gathered together and began to sing hymns in their native language. After their songs ended, another American group began to worship as we went to a private chapel to take communion together. It is hard to put into words just how special these moments were- a reminder that the love of Christ crosses all cultures, languages, and nations.
After dinner, we had the opportunity to visit the Western Wall and have a tunnel tour that took us underneath the city. The highlight of the tour was getting down to street level of a market just outside the original Western Wall that would have been in the vicinity where Jesus was when he turned over tables in the temple.
We will finish up in Jerusalem on day three before leaving to spend a few days in Nazareth. We are tired but continue to be amazed at the history we are experiencing!
Brendan Smith
Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
DAY THREE RECAP
We left the hotel headed east towards Ein Gedi Nature reserve to spend some time hiking and taking in scenery. Our guide, Andre, educated the group regarding the parable of the Good Samaritan, told by Jesus in the gospel of Luke. The relevance was, this road we traveled on was a very dangerous road back in ancient times. The lesson was also relevant to show that anyone in need is our neighbor in Christ.
The amount of trees decreased quickly as we passed into the desert terrain. We were also reminded of when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil in the book of Matthew. This was pretty harsh desert area.
We passed by the city of Jericho in route as well. We kept passing signs on the side of the road telling us how low below sea level we were going, until we reached our final destination, the lowest place on earth.
Hiking in Ein Gedi, we observed man made caves similar to the ones David found refuge while hiding from King Saul, Psalm 142. We hiked to small areas that were shaded and had waterfalls and swimming areas. The group had a great time in this little oasis right in the middle of the desert.
Then we proceeded to our next stop, the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found back in the 1940s. We observed the cave where the most scrolls were found in this location, which is important because it's one of the pieces of concrete evidence that the scripture we look at today is real. The complete book of Isaiah was found here. It is one of the most important caves in the world and the views from this area were absolutely stunning!
We then stopped by the Dead Sea to take a dip in the water. The amount of salt present was so thick and some of us took the advice of our guide and spread some mud on our skin. Because of the richness of minerals, it ended up with a very smooth feeling afterwards. It was an unforgettable experience as we floated in the unsinkable water.
Lastly, we headed to the baptism site on the Jordan River ( Yassir Al- Yahud) where John the Baptist is believed to have done a lot of his work. It is also where the Jewish people crossed into Israel. Something that stuck out to me personally, were the massive amounts of palm tree groves. As explained by our guide, palm trees represent the Jewish freedom, the leaves represent the hands opening up worshiping God, and the roots represent the feet standing strong, rooted in the faith. These trees were growing high in the middle of the desert.
After all of this, we trekked to Nazareth to check into our hotel for the second leg of our trip. There is a definite impact being felt among the group. We are all becoming closer and it is showing, truly an unforgettable experience.
Wade Morgan
Head Men's & Women's Tennis Coach
DAY FOUR RECAP
Day four was our first day in Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. We began our tour at the top of Mt. Arbel, which overlooks the Sea of Gaililee. Many scholars agree that Jesus would go alone to this mountain to pray. We had an hour and a half hike down the mountain and certainly felt the heat that Jesus would have felt.
Once down the mountain, we traveled to Mt. Beatitudes where Dr. Jonathan Kim delivered the Sermon on the Mount from memory (Matthew 5,6, and 7) on the same mountain where Jesus gave his most famous sermon.
After a stop for lunch we then ventured to Capernaum, where 21 miracles from the Bible took place. We saw the synagogue where Jesus taught and Peter's house which is the site of the first home church. Jesus found rest and comfort here. This site also drives home the importance of going through life with others as Jesus loved staying in community.
Our final stop was the Sea of Galilee where we saw an original 1st century boat that was discovered 30 years ago. This boat was the same style of boat that Jesus and his disciples would have used. We then got to take our own trip on the Sea of Galilee for a time of worship and reflection. We got a small sense of the wind and waves that the disciples would have experienced when Jesus was asleep on the water and reflected on the power of Jesus on the water that He walked on. This was a wonderful reminder that even the winds and waves obey Him.
We have been gone from Dallas for almost a week now and recent DBU graduate and new graduate assistant tennis coach
Cannon Jones shares his thoughts on today's journey:
"It was an absolutely unbelievable experience to hike Mount Arbel because even though the location is not of the greatest importance when it comes to following Jesus; it is still amazing to have walked where Jesus may have walked and prayed. After that, sailing on the Sea of Galilee was a great way to end the day. it is an absolute blessing to be on this trip, so I can finally visualize everywhere Jesus walked as well as visualizing the actions of other biblical characters as well."
Brendan Smith
Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
DAY FIVE RECAP
Our fifth day in Israel began with a short bus trip from Nazareth to the town of Caesarea, founded by Herod the Great in 22 BC. Ceasarea was one of earliest seaports in the world and was the first artificial seaport in history. We stood in an ancient theater and got a sense of how important entertainment was in the Roman culture. This put the words of Jesus into perspective when he called the Romans hypocrites...literally telling them not to wear masks (as the actors on the stage would do).
Ceasarea is also the location where the apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years. Paul, a Roman, appealed to be heard by Ceasar (Acts 25). He then sailed from Ceasarea to Rome where he was tried and eventually killed.
Acts 10:44 says "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word." This was in reference to Ceasarea where it was understood that the gospel of Jesus was not just for the Jewish people, but for the Gentile as well. Our tour guide, Andre, called this the location of "Gentile Pentecost." It was remarkable to stand at the place where the gospel was made known to be for all the world.
Most of our morning was spent in Ceasarea, exploring the ancient sites and taking in the beautiful beaches.
In the afternoon we made a short hike to Mt. Carmel which is the location where the prophet Elijah killed and conquered the prophets of Baal. We also had a look down on Armageddon Valley, which is referenced in the book of Revelation.
We continue to experience God in new ways in Israel. We have a couple of days left to tour the city of Nazareth before we head to a local Baptist camp to serve.
Current DBU junior and tennis player, Riley Smith, has been impacted by his time in Israel:
"This week has been more than I could ever have imagined! It is breathtaking to see the places where the events happened that we read about day in and day out. My prayer for this trip is that it would make the foundation in my faith stronger and that the places we see would make Jesus Christ more of a reality than just a story I read in the Bible, that it would really make an impact in my life. My favorite thing so far has to be swimming in the Dead Sea. Just to be able to float there and do nothing is so comforting. I think of the Dead Sea like this, no matter how much weight we take on we still float. Just like Jesus, no matter how heavy our hearts are, Jesus will continue to lift us up and comfort us. A saying that I heard on one of our tours when seeing numerous Holy sites that will stick with me forever is, "it doesn't matter where it all happened, it just matters that it did happen." Overall the group of people that I'm blessed to be with have already made an impact in my heart and my faith and will continue to do so. Many lifelong friendships have already been made and will continue to be made!"
Brendan Smith
Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
DAY SIX RECAP
We started the day in Nazareth village, which is a life size replica of what a 1st century village would've been like. We learned details about the location within the different time periods. Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth and we gained insight as to the day to day life in the village for people in ancient times. We also learned about the formation of the village and had the opportunity to view some replicas of armor and weapons of the time period.
Our guide made reference to the book of Hebrews when talking about the word of God being sharper than a sword. This was an eye opening experience as we also learned about the different methods of being put to death, and the actual original purpose of the cross. Touring the village gave great insight to life in the 1st century, and was something very neat for the group to enjoy together. Some of us had fun trying to pet the sheep they had in the stable there.
We next visited Mt. Precipice, which speaks to the story of Jesus, when the people tried to push him from the mountain after speaking in the synagogue, but he passed right through them. Although we were not at the actual location, it was amazing to look out over the 360 degree view of the valleys of Israel and observe the many routes Jesus traveled in ancient times.
After lunch we visited Zippori National Park and walked an ancient trail overlooking Nazareth, known as the ornament of Galilee. We spent the afternoon exploring the ruins of the Roman period and observed many of the excavated mosaics under the ground. It was particularly interesting because we were able to wander around and find pieces of pottery and stones used to create the many giant masterpieces.
The group is enjoying every minute of the experience. Lasting relationships are forming as we learn together and walk in the footsteps of Christ. Throughout the past week, we all definitely have more of an appreciation for American food, although it's been fun to try the local cuisines. We are ready to go to camp to serve for the second leg of our trip!
Wade Morgan
Head Tennis Coach
FINAL RECAP
What an incredible journey it has been! After 15 days away from home, we have arrived back in Dallas safely and are becoming acclimated again to American culture. We return home with full hearts that have gained invaluable perspective when it comes to our faith.
After a week exploring Jerusalem and Nazareth, the final week of our trip was spent serving at a Baptist camp near Tel Aviv where hundreds of teenagers attended. Our primary purpose was to serve the camp staff so that they were free to serve the students that came for the week. We spent time building relationships with Christians from Israel who had given their time to work as camp counselors. As these relationships grew, we were extremely encouraged by the faith that was all around us.
Most of these volunteers worked tirelessly from as early as 6:00 am to as late as 3:00 am. They slept in the cabins with students, provided home cooked meals, and created fun activities every day during camp. With these demands, our primary goal was to support them through serving in several tangible ways. We all became very efficient at setting up and tearing down the main meeting space to prepare for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as the morning and evening worship services. We are all now expert dish cleaners, which the camp staff reiterated was a huge blessing for them. We worked to keep the campgrounds clean and a few of us even lent a hand in the kitchen.
While getting to know the leaders, we also had the opportunity to interact with the campers. Many of them could speak English, which was a great benefit to us. The main way we got to know the campers was through athletics. We spent time playing soccer, basketball, softball, and volleyball with students which further helped us break the language barrier. As camp neared an end, we were thrilled to learn about the lives that had been changed through the gospel throughout the week. As is usually the case on these types of trips, it was difficult to say goodbye to friends that became very special to us.
In all, this is a trip that challenged us and changed us dramatically. The gospel of Jesus is alive and well in Israel and our faith has been strengthened exponentially. As we return to the "real world", we anxiously await the coming year and know that God will continue to accomplish great things at DBU!
Brendan Smith
Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations
