Wednesday Octoberr 24, 2007

Amie Ostler
Wednesday, Ocotober 24th, was our Southern Kingdom of Judah Field Trip. We began our field trip by watching a very informative movie about the history of the City of David, Jerusalem, and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It was in 3D and I thought that it was very interesting and well done, though a little cheesy at parts!
After the movie we went up to this overlook where Brother Ludlow explained the geography around us and some of the significant events that had happened around where we were. Then we walked down to begin our adventure in Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
Hezekiah’s Tunnel was a very neat experience for me and I think a lot of people felt the exact same way. We walked through the tunnel built by Hezekiah around 700 BC, in water up to our knees for the length of it, which is about 1/3 of a mile long. At one point we all turned off our flashlights and sang “I am a Child of God”. As we sang, the song echoed throughout the tunnel and I could almost feel the words reverberating off the stone walls.
It was difficult for me to walk in the dark without the flashlight for guidance. I had to grasp the sides of the cave and slowly put one foot in front of the other to find my way. As I was walking I thought about the light of Christ and how walking through this incredibly dark tunnel was like trying to make it through life without Christ. With Christ, we are not blindly wandering in the darkness, but we are able to move steadily forward without falling or getting hurt. We can see clearly the way that we are supposed to go.
The field trip was truly one of the best that we have had so far! I really enjoyed it. The rest of Wednesday was spent recovering from our busy morning- studying, watching movies, playing soccer, etc.
The highlight of this semester in Old Testament for me has been learning about God’s hand in the lives of the Israelites and learning to recognize his hand in my own life. I have really been struck by how dependent the Israelites were on the Lord for so much in the early years after their exodus from Egypt- food and water in the wilderness, the conquest of Jericho and other cities, and establishing themselves as inhabitants of the land of Israel. As I have learned about this concept, I have truly begun to recognize the Lord’s hand in my own life. For example- the fact that I am here in Jerusalem, and a part of this program, is a testament that the Lord has guided me to make certain decisions in my life that have affected my life up until this point. I think that this realization is one of the highlight of this adventure, and something that will stay with me my entire life!