June 2, 2015
MARSHALL NEWS MESSENGER (6/2/15) - Nine East Texas Baptist University students packed into the back corner of the IHOP in Marshall last Wednesday, most dressed in comfy athletic wear, still exhausted from their recent trip to Israel but happy to be together for their last day of class.
Political science professor Israel Nandamudi said ending the History, Religion and Politics of Israel course at IHOP after their trip has become a bit of a tradition.
"We're still dying," senior international studies senior Aiden Gonzales said, echoing the sentiments of her classmates. "It was a long trip."
"We also developed a habit for hearts," math senior Molly Woodruff said as she passed cards around the small tables. "There was a lot of card playing over the last two weeks."
A group of 40 members of the Marshall and ETBU community visited the country the last two weeks of May. The students all agreed visiting the Holy Land was a transformative experience. Many said they went in with preconceived notions of what Israel was like that completely changed after their stay.
"I was looking forward to going just for the historical significance, but I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the country," nursing junior Victoria Brackin said.
The students visited a wide variety of cultural and historical sites in the region, including the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee and Bethlehem. Nandamudi said the goal of the trip, as well as the course, was to help students understand the history of the region from a political and religious standpoint.
"It is very difficult in terms of religion and politics in the world to avoid learning about the country," Nandamudi said. "Everything revolves around the region. You can't really avoid knowing what's going on over there, and this course helps students understand that."
The trip also serves to strengthen the faiths of the students and solidify them as strong future leaders of their communities, which is one of the goals of the college as a Christian-affiliated institution, Nandamudi said.
Many of the students said visiting sites where Jesus is said to have visited in the Bible was an intense spiritual experience. Two attendees, including kinesiology senior Erby Thompson, were also baptized in the Jordan River.
"To walk where Jesus walked and see the passion people had for their homeland was amazing," Woodruff said.
The idea for the trip came after former president Samuel "Dub" Oliver called Nandamudi "bubbling with joy" after his visit to the Beth-Haccerem Retreat Center in Migdal, Israel and suggested he visit, Nandamudi said.
"I fell in love with the location," Nandamudi said. "It overlooks the Sea of Galilee, there were no security concerns, and I thought the college should share this opportunity with the students."
ETBU received $50,000 in scholarships from a foundation to help fund the program in 2014. Student costs were the same as a normal semester of class and they did not have to provide any additional funds. Those outside the class paid a $3,500 fee to attend, which covered travel and living expenses as well as costs to visit holy sites.
One such attendee was interim ETBU President Lawrence Ressler, who said visiting helped turn his and the student's understanding of Bible scripture and the geopolitical makeup of the region into a visceral experience.
"When you're there you see ancient and modern history emerge right here in the cradle in this part of the world," Ressler said. "You go around and start seeing names of these places and get a sense of these places they talk about in the news and it takes on a far more real impression in your mind."
While they started the trip out not even knowing each other's names, the classmates became a tight-knit community after their time together.
"It was a very uniting experience," political science senior James Walker said. "The members of our community all became one big family."
(Used by permission www.marshallnewsmessenger.com. Story by MNM reporter Ryan Wagoner.)