Journey to the Land of the Text
A Journey to the Land of the Text is an experience that ushers you into the biblical story. You will literally walk in the footsteps of Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Jesus, Peter, John, Paul, and the rest of the faithful servants that God invited to play a role in His unfolding story of redemption.
A study trip to the land of Israel is the ideal experience to strengthen your spirituality and knowledge of the biblical text. It’s the chance of a lifetime to encounter God and His Word in ways you’ve never dreamt possible. The text will literally leap off the pages as we hike the land and the sites, passionately studying the stories in the places where they happened, and engaging the world of the Bible in its historical, cultural, and geographical contexts. Never again will you read the Bible the same.
This is an inspiring journey, seeking to follow in the footsteps of our Rabbi and Messiah Jesus. For as the text states in 1 John 2:6, “Anyone who claims to follow Christ, must walk as Jesus walked.” You will be challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.
For you, this experience could change everything! Are you ready to walk?
Instructors
Dr. Dan Kroeze
Instructor
There are experiences in life that change everything. For Dan, his first biblical study trip to Israel was one of those experiences that changed the trajectory of his life. Understanding the text in its historical, cultural, and geographical contexts unleashed the depth and nuance of the Bible in the most compelling and awe-inspiring of ways. This experience launched him into a lifelong pursuit of seeking to understand what’s going on in the Bible, and then communicating his learnings to students to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Dan serves as Professor of Biblical Studies at Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has led several biblical study tours to the land of the text, Israel, with students from Kuyper College since 2008.
Dan also serves as a teaching pastor at Westend Christian Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. He has a BS in Sociology from Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI), an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA), a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI) and did additional graduate work at Jerusalem University College (Jerusalem, Israel).
He enjoys hiking, running, basketball, and baseball. But Dan’s great love is spending time with his family.. He and his wife, Nancy, have four children – Nathan (Holly), Michael (Laura), Benjamin, and Hanna. They reside in Wyoming, Michigan.
Rev. Evan Heerema
Instructor
Rev. Evan Heerema graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1990. He has served churches in Yakima, WA., Grand Rapids and Wyoming, MI. He also served in unordained positions in Midland Park, NJ and Grandville, MI. He was on the staff at Kuyper College for over 10 years.
He enjoys being witness to people growing in their faith and understanding of the text, especially when that happens in Israel, the land of the text. He has traveled to Israel 9 times. He is passionate about making the Bible come alive to its readers.
He is married to Doris, the father of two daughters, one son-in-law and two grandsons.
Itinerary
Israel Study Tour
Journey to the Land of the Text
May 7-21, 2024
Tuesday, May 7
Depart Grand Rapids via motorcoach to Chicago for a flight on Turkish Airlines through Istanbul to Tel Aviv
Wednesday, May 8
Arrive Tel Aviv at 7:30 pm
Transfer to Hotel Neve Shalom
Dinner & Overnight Neve Shalom
Thursday, May 9
Shephelah
Dinner & Overnight Neve Shalom
Friday, May 10
Shephelah
Dinner & Overnight Royal Hotel, Dead Sea
Saturday, May 11
Desert
Dinner & Overnight Royal Hotel, Dead Sea
Sunday, May 12
Desert
Dinner & Overnight Nof Ginosar, Galilee
Monday, May 13
Galilee
Dinner & Overnight Nof Ginosar, Galilee
Tuesday, May 14
Galilee
Dinner & Overnight Nof Ginosar, Galilee
Wednesday, May 15
Galilee
Dinner & Overnight Nof Ginosar, Galilee
Thursday, May 16
Galilee
Dinner & Overnight Nof Ginosar, Galilee
Friday, May 17
Coast
Dinner & Overnight Leonardo Hotel, Jerusalem
Saturday, May 18
Jerusalem
Dinner & Overnight Leonardo Hotel, Jerusalem
Sunday, May 19
Jerusalem
Dinner & Overnight Leonardo Hotel, Jerusalem
Monday, May 20
Jerusalem
Dinner & Transfer to airport
Tuesday, May 21
Flight returning to USA
Details
Tour Pricing
• Adult - $4,500 per person (approx.) (double occupancy)
Insurance
We recommend “Travel Guard” trip insurance. Please contact them for rates and information at www.TravelGuard.com or by calling them toll free at 1-800-826-1300. They offer various levels of protection.
Payment Schedule
• $500.00 per person deposit with registration
• First payment due November 1, 2023
• Remainder due February 1, 2024
Includes
• Round trip economy class airfare on Turkish Airlines from Chicago
• Deluxe Hotels
• Buffet Breakfasts and Dinners, as well as Lunches Served on Site
• Deluxe Motor Coach Touring
• Taxes, service fees, and tips
• Bottled Water
• Site Entry Fees, Guide and Driver Tips
Future Trips
May 2025 (Exact dates TBD)
Gallery
Testimonials
“Mary and I want to express our sincere thanks for taking us on the Israel Study Tour, Journey to the Land of the Text. We were blessed in so many different ways. Your teachings and life lessons stand at the top of the list. Thank you for your faithfulness to God and his Word. Your love for the Lord and knowledge of his Word are inspiring and refreshing. Thanks for making this the trip of our lifetime, beyond our expectations.”
“Thank you for all the time, effort, love and prayer that you put into our trip. I continue daily to live the trip! When I read Scripture, I refer to my notes from your teaching. I visualize now the places and let God teach me how to apply it to my life. I cannot imagine ever forgetting our experiences, because they have changed me.”
“It makes the scripture come alive being in those places.”
“While in Israel, I hoped to learn more about the cities and buildings that Jesus taught in. For me, I’m a very visual learner. I was blessed to not only see where Jesus was taught, but where he was born, where he grew up, and where he died. The land of Israel challenged me in ways I did not know were possible.”
“God blew me away with this trip. He revealed Himself. He showed me His love. He drew me closer to Him. He reminded me of the Story of this world that He is writing and that I am a part of it. I praise the Name of our Lord for giving me the opportunity to go to Israel! It truly was a life-changing experience.”
“If you go to the place where Jesus walked you are going to become a bigger Jesus fan.”
“Through this trip God provided more than just a foundation for my faith but an entire fortress to defend my faith, build off of it, and to shine the light of the gospel into even the darkest of places. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. Though the earth gives way and the mountains crumble I will not fear. My eyes are fixed on God, the God of Jacob is my deliverer.”
“Now I read the Bible and I can picture what I am reading. I could picture where Jesus was in Capernaum, and calling Peter and Andrew on the shoreline. I could picture the land where Jesus walked, visiting and teaching in the synagogues. It made the text come alive in a way that I have not experienced before. This was a wonderful trip. I loved it and want to go again.”
“I am so grateful to have gone on the Kuyper Israel Trip of 2017. I am grateful for the experiences, the beautiful views, the friendships that were strengthened, and the new relationships that were made. I was expecting to grow in my knowledge of the Bible, and I did, but I was not expecting to know myself better or to be more aware of God’s presence through hikes, lessons and times of worship.”
“No course I took at Kuyper, in my entire four years there, impacted my faith and ministry as much as this one.”
“Looking at the fact that I have the knowledge and the background that other people don’t, it is now my responsibility to share it with others.”