Bri goes to the Holy Land!

My Junior year of high school was when I became deeply involved in both my church and my personal relationship with Jesus. As I pursued Christ and serving his kingdom, I discovered my home church, Northwoods Community Church in Peoria, IL, takes a trip to the Holy Land in the fall of each year. I immediately knew I wanted to be part of this trip, but I also understood it was unrealistic for my current situation in school. To reconcile this deep longing with wrong timing, I promised myself that I would go after graduating with my Bachelors degree, should God affirm the timing then.

Fast forward to 2021 as I transferred to Lincoln Christian University (LCU), beginning my pursuit of higher education in Bible. I was fascinated by the history, tradition, and beauty of the Bible that I had never seen before, and I found myself wishing I could walk among the remains of such incredible history, even just once. I continued my school work in Biblical Studies, devoting my time to learning Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew so that I could read the Scriptures in the languages they were written. I continued to challenge and stretch myself to learn more about the history of my faith, only slowing down when my degree was completed in December of 2022.

With my undergraduate degree completed, I remembered the promise I made to myself back in 2018. I began looking at my school situation as I began my Masters of Divinity at LCU, my work situation at Northwoods Community Church, my family situation, and so much more; and as I assessed the state of things around me, I felt God affirming me that now is the time to go to Israel. Now is the time to see His Holy Land.

After receiving this affirmation and peace about my decision, I finally registered for my church's Holy Land tour this upcoming October. On this trip we will follow Jesus' journey as presented in the Gospel of Matthew, walking where he did and seeing the places where he did his ministry. I'm overwhelmingly thankful for this opportunity to see the fruit of my studies at LCU come to life as I walk where my Savior did so many years ago.

However, with this trip, there are quite a few travel expenses. Tickets, travel and passport fees, lodging costs, and so many other things make this experience a bit of a pricey one. Although I am working my normal job and taking on additional paying gigs as they come up, I will still need some help in raising the money needed to attend this trip in October.

This is where you come in! If you are willing and able, I would really appreciate anything you could give to help send me to the Holy Land. Whether you are able to offer up prayers or send a few dollars, I am beyond grateful for both offerings. All financial donations will be applied directly to paying for the fees due to the church so that I can get to Israel in October. These fees include paying for airplane tickets, passport fees, lodging and tour expenses, and so forth.

I trust God to help me make it to Israel as He has called me there this October, and I know He will provide a way. Regardless of if your offering is financial or spiritual, I am abundantly thankful for your support as I pursue this chance to see the Lord's Holy Land. Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey and for your donation, however you may choose to give. Blessings to you!