We’re on our way! For those looking for one place to find everything related to the trip, I will blog on my personal website: jaimeclarksoles.com. There you will also find links to the SMU Adventures Blog and the Perkins FB page where you can find pics and reflections from those on the trip. And the syllabus. And maybe our itinerary. We have a full, rich itinerary planned, that’s for sure! We’ve done plenty of prep work in terms of reading and writing; now comes the most exciting part. We have a group that is diverse in numerous ways—I expect we will all learn a lot about the Bible, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, the United States, Jesus, the early church, ourselves, each other, and the list goes on.  I’ve included a pic of the Dallas contingent. We will be a full group by tomorrow night.

A couple of observations as I sit on the plane about to take off:

1. We flew out of the Newark airport to Tel Aviv. Notice that our gate was enclosed and blocked off. At our gate we went through another round of security where we showed our passports and had our bags searched.  That’s normal protocol for travel to Israel.

2. Jennifer Chickering, a current student, and Patrick Hoffman, a recent alum, got married YESTERDAY! And how do they honeymoon? By going on a Perkins Immersion trip! Perkins students are SERIOUS about education!!!! Does this mean I can add “honeymoon planner” to my resume?

On to Bethlehem!