Education, Not Just in the Classroom

There is a lot of learning going on outside of the classroom of Baptists for Israel Institute (BII).  We speak of a man being streetwise, having common sense, and with great wisdom gained by experience.  Our training in Israel has a lot of “On-Site Classes”.  Our field trips to archeology digs, historical sites, museums, and ancient cities are also considered good education.  It is educational to hike in the canyons of the Golan where awe swim at the foot of the beautiful waterfalls.  We also hike in the mountain of Judea and Samaria where a lot of Bible events can be visualized.  Even swimming in the Sea of Galilee, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea gives the student a good impression of the geography of Israel.  In the Red Sea we are able to snorkel and view some of the best varieties of coral and colorful fish in the world.   

Meeting the people of Israel can be exhilarating.  It is a true cross-cultural experience because they have different customs, language, (50% to 70% speak English) and holidays.  These are based on the Bible.  Since all of the holidays of Israel are Biblical, it is a great joy to celebrate them with the people.  We learn the culture of the people in the classroom and then observe that culture firsthand.  We learn The Hebrew language in class and then try to speak what we have learned with the people. 

Because we work as volunteers on the kibbutz it gives us many opportunities to exchange ideas.   We learn about their hopes and dreams and we can share the most important things in our lives.  They invite our students to visit their [Israeli] family and we can invite them to our functions like our celebration of Thanksgiving. 

No college worth its salt would grant a teacher’s degree to a student who did not have practice teaching.   In science, the testing of ideas is done in the lab.   In Israel, our students are in a daily internship in almost every area of their lives.  Learning is practical.  Our students can use it immediately.   Baptists for Israel Institute gives our student/interns a high degree of motivation for learning.  

Our students learn leadership through experience.  Students must prepare a few of their own meals and this gives experience in preparing, cooking, clean up, and sharing responsibilities.  Some of the men get to preach.  They all can lead Bible studies.  Some lead the music in our services.  Others lead prayer and praise sessions.  The students usually put on one re-enactment or play for the Israelis during the year.