GO Week: Israel
By Samantha DePriest
The heart of Trinity Christian School is to see students fulfill the Great Commission and to share the love of Christ with others. GO Week is a week long opportunity for high school students to serve together and grow their faith. These shared experiences around the globe also help to strengthen our school community. This year Dr. Mark Anthony, TCS Head of School, led a small group of students and parents to Israel for GO Week during February break.
Students had a life changing opportunity to serve alongside ministry partners at the Jerusalem School in Bethlehem, where they built meaningful relationships with local students and taught lessons in Vacation Bible School. Throughout the experience, they immersed themselves in the region’s rich culture and history, visited significant biblical sites, and deepened their spiritual lives through intentional teaching, reflection, and prayer. They returned home encouraged, with strengthened faith and a renewed commitment to living out the Gospel in their everyday lives.
Reflections from Dr. Mark Anthony
“Just days ago, our schedule in Israel and Bethlehem was full.
We landed in Tel Aviv on Friday, February 13th and drove to the site of the Nova Music Festival where Hamas attacked hundreds of young people. We took time to pray for Jews around the world — for protection, for comfort, for peace. Hours later, we drove to a town just outside Gaza and prayed for Palestinians — for families, for children, for mercy.
Two peoples. One broken world. As Joseph Gordon shared this morning, “We don’t have the luxury of choosing sides.
Prayer requires space. You cannot intercede deeply if you are rushing past pain.
The next morning we strolled into the town of Capernaum. We looked into what is believed to be the house where Peter’s mother-in-law was healed. We walked where Jesus would have walked. Later, we stood on the Mount of Beatitudes and read scripture together. We prayed, we listened, and we learned. Often, we would ask, “God, what would you like me to learn here?”
That afternoon, we gathered at the Jordan River for baptisms. As we celebrated new life, something unexpected happened. Around 30–40 Muslim onlookers gathered nearby. Our tour guide stepped forward and clearly shared the gospel with them. No microphone. No platform. Just faithful witness.
Later at Magdala, one of the highlights of our trip unfolded. Father Eamon met us and ministered deeply to our group. We had a chance to go on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. A Messianic Jewish believer led us in worship. As we sang on those waters, I was reminded: the same Sea that once carried storms now carried praise.
On Sunday morning, we visited En Gedi — the very place where David and his mighty men hid from King Saul – it is an oasis in the wilderness. We floated in the Dead Sea. We walked through Qumran, where Scripture was preserved in caves by faithful people who never knew how far their obedience would reach.
TCS students standing outside the white structure in the background that holds the Dead Sea scrolls found in 1940s.
(Image by Brooklyn Anthony)
If you haven’t been… I’d encourage you to go. You could join us as we overlook Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We could pray together in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is a pilgrimage worth sacrificing for.
On our trip, I knew something that the rest of our group didn’t know – “The best was yet to come.” On Monday night, more than 80 students joined us for pizza, devotion, and worship. Young people hungry for hope. I asked the students from our school in the West Bank, “What is one thing you would like us to know about you?” The first student to respond was a High School senior – he said, “I would want the students in America to know that we love God.”
Tuesday night, we had dinner at Ms. Grace’s house. If you’ve ever shared a meal in a Palestinian home, you know — their hospitality is next level. It is generous, warm, unhurried.
Wednesday we toured Bethlehem with students from the Jerusalem School. We visited the Herodian, Shepherds’ Field, and the Church of the Nativity.
Thursday we spent the entire day leading VBS for first through fifth graders at the Jerusalem School. That evening, each of our families had dinner in a different Palestinian home — not as tourists, but as guests, as friends.
When I look back over the schedule, it was full. But what changed me was not the activity. It was the attention.
Attention to people.
Attention to prayer.
Attention to hospitality.
Attention to witness.”
Reflections from TCS Mom, Emily Holmertz
Emily and Aiden Holmertz on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
(Image by Emily Holmertz)
“My son and I, along with other Trinity students and parents, arrived back from Israel nearly a week ago, and I am only beginning to process all that we experienced. It is hard to put into words what it was like to stand in the places where the stories of the Bible took place—to hear the waves along the Sea of Galilee, breathe in the fresh air on the Mount of Beatitudes, and sit on ancient steps where Jesus once taught near the temple while looking out toward the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. It truly felt like a gift to walk where He walked and to see, touch, and experience the places where He shared His love with the world.
It was also a special gift to share this journey with my son. We now carry these memories together—experiences that are difficult to fully describe but deeply meaningful to us both. I have long hoped for the chance to visit these places, and I am grateful that my son will be able to draw on this experience for the rest of his life as he reads and understands the Bible with deeper context of its culture, landscape, and history.
One of the greatest blessings of the trip was being welcomed into the homes of local believers. Sharing meals and conversations with families who faithfully follow Jesus through challenges we can hardly imagine. This deeply impacted both of us. We returned home not only with new friendships, but with a greater understanding and a renewed passion to pray for God’s people around the world and for those who are sharing the hope and light of Christ in this region.
We returned home deeply grateful for what we experienced and more committed to praying for the people and places that mean so much to God’s heart. Our hope is that the relationships we built and the things we witnessed will continue to shape how we pray, learn, and love others.”