以色列是黎明教育的顶点
It’s hard to say how many other schools in America incorporate a visit to Israel as the culminating field study of their students’ education. 同样，在圣地坐下来观光也是一回事. It is another matter entirely to experience Dayspring Christian Academy’s senior field study in Israel, which is titled “The Life and Ministry of Jesus” and reveals layer after layer of truth laid down in God’s Word.
这项为期12天的研究对所有老年人及其家人开放, 学生们早在大一的时候就开始为这次旅行筹集资金. 大多数Dayspring的高年级学生每年都会去旅行. 这次旅行是由校长迈克·迈尔斯带领的.D.以及兰德尔·史密斯博士.D., who was an archeologist in Israel for 20 years and has his doctoral degree in Comparative Religion specializing in Judaism and rabbinic literature. Dr. 史密斯现在担任牧师和圣经教授. “Dr. 兰迪,他喜欢别人这么叫他, leads the group of students and accompanying family members on a pilgrimage that is designed to touch hearts with a personal encounter with Jesus in the land where He walked.
The study follows the model of other field studies Dayspring students have taken over the years. 早上6点叫醒电话.m., 这辆55名乘客的巴士上有7人，这是一项严肃的研究, 就像在每个地点在手中的笔记本上记录一样. 学生们在晚上回到他们的酒店, 来自中东的阳光, 在攀登珠穆朗玛峰时穿的. 亚贝尔，提尔但，以及从以色列的一端到另一端的考古和圣经遗址.
“The field study to Israel is the perfect culmination of a Principle Approach education,” said Dr. 迈尔斯. “我们在原则性方法教育中做的一件事是回到最初的来源. 因为圣经是一个原则方法教育的来源, we go to where it was written to understand the context in which it was written and the people to whom it was written, 所以我们可以在20世纪后更好地应用于我们的生活.”
Dr. 迈尔斯, 也是曙光的创始人, was inspired to bring students to Israel when he first visited the country in 1994 as a pastor at Lord’s House of Prayer in Lancaster.
“I thought that our culminating field study would be to trace the 朝圣者 journey from England to Holland to America,他回忆道. “The Lord told me as I was standing in Jericho for the first time that this is where the timeline begins. 我们必须把学生带到以色列.”
但是，如果不是他的出色表现，这次旅行看起来很像岩石或废墟. 兰迪, 谁能深刻理解圣经之间的联系, 它的当代历史, 考古, 以及古代世界的文化. He loves to show how standing on the ruins of an ancient place can enliven and explain comments found in the text of Scripture. 然而，他很快就告诉学生们，“石头不会改变人，是耶稣改变了人。.”
“当学生们在实地考察结束后离开以色列时，我希望他们知道三件事。. 兰迪说. “第一, 故事是真实的, 验证, and historical despite enormous attempts in the academy of the west to criticize it to non-existence. 我们不遵循巧妙设计的神话.
“第二,他接着说, “Understanding the setting of the story is essential to understanding the Savior’s intentions in His teachings. 第三，耶稣为我们舍弃了一切，并告诉我们他做了什么和为什么. 正确的回应是把我们的一切交给他.”
“据我所知，没有人能比Dr. 兰迪,”博士. 迈尔斯评论. “他是一位圣经学者、圣经考古学家、牧师，他在以色列生活了20年. 他知道如何将圣经中的原则带到学生的生活中.”
Dayspring students can expect to walk away from this unique field study with hearts that somehow yearn to return to Israel. 两位2015届毕业生被这段经历深深打动, 他们和2017届的学生一起回来进行第二次参观.
“To actually see the places where Jesus grew up and the locations where He taught was incredible,丽贝卡·阿姆斯特朗说, 谁是去年春天回来的学生. “这让我对事情有了正确的认识，并增强了我的信念. 现在, 当我读圣经时，看到凯撒利亚、橄榄山或迦百农, 我对它的实际样子有一个清晰的印象, 我发现它读起来更容易也更有趣. 我也被上帝的伟大、伟大和信实所震撼.”
另一名学生，15岁的哈里·巴尔韦德(Harry Valverde)，也被霍金博士所感动. 兰迪的教学. “Dr. 兰迪带我们走过了耶路撒冷、加利利、耶利哥，还有很多地方，”巴尔韦德说. “We see on the news that throughout the Middle East there’s terror and evil and bad things going on. 但一旦你踏上以色列的土地, 你会感到耶稣的能力在你的心里，圣灵在做不可思议的事.
“I remember when we went to the Sea of Galilee and had the chance to sit and have a little quiet time with Jesus,他接着说. “我记得我只是向远处望去，看到水面是多么平静. 没有波浪，只有美丽的水. All I kept thinking was Jesus walked on this water and how incredible it must have been for his disciples to witness that. 这次旅行真的是一次奇妙的、改变人生的经历.”
2016届毕业生科迪·亚当斯(Cody Adams)觉得这次旅行让他更加确信耶稣的存在. “我一直知道他在地球上行走，今天住在基督徒身上, but to be on the land where He witnessed to people was just a surreal and unforgettable experience,他说.
黎明父母的救赎与以色列之行有关
就像许多黎明的父母一样, 过去和现在, 可以证明, their lives have been deeply affected by traveling along on the school’s impactful field studies. The study in Israel was particularly meaningful for one Dayspring father who first went on the trip with his daughter in May of 2015. 上帝用实地考察拯救了他.
“当我第一次去以色列的时候, 我在寻找答案,吉姆·贝克尔说, 2015年Dayspring毕业生卡莉·贝克尔的父亲. “I’d heard lies and half-truths from so many places and people that I was hoping to find and see some of the truth myself. 我想知道《BCK体育注册官网》是否真的具有历史意义. 看到考古学支持圣经中的内容是一种令人感动的经历. 理智上，我能够确定圣经是历史的.”
吉姆的转折点是以色列死海北部地区的库姆兰. 1947年《BCK体育注册官网》就是在这里被发现的.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls revealed Daniel’s prophesy of Jesus’ coming and their dating proved that they were not written afterward,他说. “Another significant part of the tour was seeing the brutality of the Romans and finding out so many of the disciples had been tortured and never renounced their faith in Jesus. 如果他们没有看到耶稣和他的神迹，他们就会放弃它. 这就是福音真理的有效性.
“I don’t want to make it seem like you have to go to Israel if you are a skeptic,” Jim cautioned. “但是，对我来说，这帮助很大. 这次旅行对我的救赎起了很大的作用.”
在2015年5月那次旅行的五个月后，吉姆接受了基督为他的救主. He returned to Israel with his family on the trip with the class of 2017 and was baptized in the Sea of Galilee.
Another parent, Greg Bontrager, made the trip with both of his children when they were seniors.
“The Israel field study opened new insights and increased my understanding of the culture and physical geography of the Bible,邦特雷格说. 从学习无花果树在犹太人生活中的重要意义开始, 到对一世纪犹太人更复杂的文化影响, 然后亲身体验以色列的地理环境, 这一切都使我对圣经的记载有了更准确的理解.
即使在圣经学院学习了几年, 我没有意识到美国文化对我阅读《BCK体育注册官网》的影响有多大,他接着说. “Dr. 兰迪 Smith’s very engaging teaching style made the connection not only to our Christian worldview, 也挑战我们更深的委身去跟随基督. 旅途中的每一天, 我们所经历的地方表明，我们的信仰植根于历史——在时间和地点上, and we learned firsthand that current archeological discoveries continue to confirm the trustworthiness of Scripture.”
你不会再以同样的方式阅读圣经
“我总是告诉学生们，在这次旅行之后，你们不会再用同样的方式阅读圣经了。. 迈尔斯说. “他们现在有了真实的背景，可以描绘出圣经中事件发生的地方. Students realize these were real people in a real land who had real problems and believed in a real God. 圣经是宝贵的、可靠的、可信赖的.”
那么，是不是很多学校都把死海沿岸作为教室呢? 有多少校长骑着骆驼护送班级的学生穿越犹太沙漠? How many 父母 of graduating seniors have their lives changed by Christ through their child’s field study? 肯定不是很多.
This Dayspring experience is an important seed that is sown within those who make the trip to the Holy Land. It is one that changes the person from within only to extend outward from there to bear fruit—fruit that lasts.
The seeds sown by a Principle Approach education and watered by the relationships formed during our school years are continually producing good fruit in the lives of Dayspring students, 父母, 和校友. 荣耀归与神! 如果你想了解更多BCK体育注册官网黎明基督教学院, 请致电717-285-2000或安排个人旅游.