Biblical Study Tours to Israel, Jordan and Turkey
Faith Encounter Tours
Faith Encounter tours allow for all ages and most physical abilities to encounter the stories of the Bible in their original setting, without the physical demands of the Faith Immersion tours. The trip is built on the concept of the rabbinic method, and the locations and teachings are specifically chosen to bring you into an encounter with the stories and characters of the Bible in their original context.
Faith Immersion Tours
Faith Immersion tours are a complete immersion into the lands and stories of the Bible. Structured to provide a glimpse into the world of a 1st century disciple, these tours are physically demanding and require a level of physical fitness to participate on these tours. To recreate the lessons of the Bible, we journey to the places that best allows us to fully immerse our faith into the text and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Being a Disciple study trips in the Promised Land (Israel) are not your typical tour to Israel. The entire trip is setup to bring you face to face with faith experiences that allow you to enter into the biblical story. You will walk in the footsteps of Abraham, Moses, the children of Israel, Joshua, David, Elijah, Jesus, Peter, Paul and many other heroes of the faith that God enabled to tell His story.
This once in a lifetime opportunity reveals the Bible in ways that you never dreamt possible. The text of the Bible will come alive as we hike the trails and climb the mountains, experiencing the stories of the Bible in the real places that they occurred. Discover the historical, cultural, and geographical context that will impact the way you read the Bible.
Each day, you will be invited to join the story. The structure of the trip is based on the rabbinical model. Every location will allow you to experience the story as it unfolds before you. You will learn with your feet as we try to follow in the footsteps of Rabbi Jesus the Messiah. Everyday you will be challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually in ways never experienced before.
FAITH ENCOUNTER TOURS
Mar 17th – 28th, 2025 – ISRAEL – Exploring the Lands of the Bible
Type of Tour: Faith Encounter Tour for All Ages
Land Only Cost: $2,950.00
Tour Hosts: Prof. Gary Maxey and Dr. Acha Gorie
Bible Teacher and Guide: David Evans
Group: Kansas City Africa Christian Fellowship
Join us as we Explore the Lands of the Bible. You will be fully immersed in the land and lessons of the Bible as you’re led on a journey through Scripture. Unlike other Holy Land tours, this tour is solely focused on bringing the Scriptures to life through first-hand experiences in the places the stories actually happened. These experiences will allow for spiritual faith encounters, and deeper understanding of the Text. View Itinerary
Turkey – Conflict of Kingdoms
Type of Tour: Faith Encounter Tour for All Ages
Land Only Cost: Around $3,000
Bible Teacher and Guide: David Evans
We are very excited to lead this amazing group. Very rarely do trips to the lands of the Bible get to experience the land of Turkey.
1. Why Turkey? Most christians don’t think of Turkey as a Bible land. Israel is considered the Holy Land, because of Abraham, Children of Israel, the life of Christ and so much more. However, 2/3rds of the 27 New Testament books were either written to or from Asia Minor (Turkey). Here the believers were first called Christians.
2. What sites are in Turkey? The three great apostles – Paul, Peter, and John are all linked to churches in Turkey. Jesus’s mother, Mary, is traditionally understood to be buried here. The vast majority of Paul’s missionary journeys criss-cross Turkey. The stories of Aquila & Priscilla, the life of Timothy, the early church of Ephesus and Corinth, Paul, Silas and Barnabas and many more are all in Turkey. Some of the most well preserved 1st century structures are in Turkey. Then there are the seven churches of Revelation. You will stand where the early believers lived out the New Testament, walk the same roads, sit in caves where they hid, discover catacombs where they met to worship God, stand in the arenas, learn in the synagogues, discover what it would have been like to follow Christ in a wicked an pagan Roman World.
3. What is the main focus of the trip? The teachings of the trip will be centered around “Conflicting Kingdoms”. The Gospel of Jesus Christ vs the Gospel of Rome.
4. Who would benefit from this trip? Any person who wants to experience life like it would have been for the early Christ followers so that they can better understand how to live their life today. Turkey is the best places to see the words of Jesus come to life in the early followers of him.. (This tour is available to all ages. However, you should be able to walk 3-5 miles in a day, with many stops and breaks throughout the day. Walking will be kept as minimal as possible, but most locations require walking to see the sites.)
FAITH IMMERSION STUDY TOURS
The details below apply to the FULL IMMERSION STUDY TOUR. The Faith Encounter Tours are for all ages and keep the strenuous hiking/walking to a minimum.
Typical Day
The alarm will be set for 6:00 A.M., devotions at 6:50 A.M, and by 7:00 A.M. we will be on the way to our first destination. To take full advantage of each hour of the day and to experience the best possible lessons, there will be periods of hiking, walks, and some miles that will need to be crossed. Each walk is destined to bring one part of the biblical story into focus. It is during these adventures and finding these destinations that allow us to experience the Text in its historical, cultural, and physical context. Many times our lunches will be between 12:30-2:00 so carrying a few snacks will help keep your energy high. Lunches are usually eaten at site, and often involve a “picnic” lunch to help save time so that more destinations can be enjoyed. At the end of the day, you will have a filling dinner with the group, and the ability to get a great night sleep in a quality room.
Hiking Boots
One of the most important items that you will need to bring is a quality pair of hiking boots. Wearing sneakers, work boots, and cross-trainers are not advised. Purchasing hiking boots that are designed for hot weather, and rough terrain will be a tremendous help throughout the trip. Avoid all water-proofing and GoreTex boots. You will need a pair of boots that allow your feet to breath and to keep dry. Adding a pair of hiking socks is also advised. If you break in your hiking boots well (over 50 miles), and having quality socks, blisters and Athlete’s foot can be avoided.
Physical Preparations
The beginning of all successful trips start with being well prepared physically. Most of the hiking that will occur will be over some fairly difficult terrain. The majority of Israel is mountainous and requires some serious physical activity. To help prepare for a trip you should be able to hike 4-8 miles per day. You must prepare before you depart for the trip. Every trip there will be a few people that wished that they had prepared better before they came. If you are physically unprepared, you will not be able to focus on the lessons being taught. The mind is the first thing that gets fatigued when you are physically tired. To give you a few benchmarks to see if you will be able to handle the hiking on these trips, you must be able to: Climb 20 flights of stairs without stopping and be able to hold a conversation at the top, Descend 20 flights of stairs without feeling significant knee or joint pain, be able to hike 4 miles in 70 minutes or less. Hike 8 miles in one day and be able to physically recover enough to be able to do it the next day. To help prepare you should walk a minimum of 5 miles a day for a few weeks to adequately increase your physical capabilities.
