Welcome to Jerusalem SLU

Tonight, I was blessed with the amazing opportunity to reconnect with my old friends at Student Leadership University, who are in the middle of their 401 trip to the Holy Land. Student Leadership University is a Christian group in the United States that teaches students the basics and foundation of moral leadership and gives them the tools to succeed in today's world. Their first trip, 101, is in Orlando, Florida. Their second trip, 201, is in Washington D.C. Their third trip, 301, is in London, Oxford, Paris, and Normandy. Their last trip, 401, is in Jordan and Israel. They have also expanded and now do a trip to Kenya and another one to China. I went through this program when I was in high school and it changed my life. The guys who run it, Dr. Jay Strack and Brent Crowe, became my youth pastors, as my church back home failed in this area. When I went on their 401 trip to Israel four years ago, my life was forever changed, and it proved to be the catalyst for my decision to come back to Jerusalem to study here for the semester. When I found out that they would be in Israel this week and that they were staying in a hotel literally down the hill from my apartment, I had to go and say hello. I had met with Dr. Jay for lunch last weekend, and he encouraged me to stop in and have dinner with the group once they got to Jerusalem. I went down to their hotel around six and met up with Brent, who was leading the group. We had a great conversation about how SLU changed my life, what my church was like growing up, how my time here in Israel has changed and impacted my life, and my perceptions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We then left his hotel room and went down to the dining room, where the rest of the group had just started dinner. He introduced me to some of the students and I ate dinner with them, talking with them about where they were from, how their trip was going, what they've learned so far, ect. After dinner, we retired to a conference room where Brent introduced me to the whole group, saying "Now this young man went through our program and now he's back here studying. He's not from the United States, he's from Minnesota, but I want you guys to listen to him anyway and mark well what he says." I then took the floor and said "Guys, let me be the first to welcome you to Jerusalem, the city of kings, the city of prophets, and the city of Christ Himself." I then proceeded to tell them my background and why I was here and how much SLU changed my life. As I went to sit down, Brent said "What he didn't tell you is that he's been studying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, looking at both sides equally and fairly, and is now an expert on it. After our session, any of you who want to learn something, come on up to him and pick his brain." Brent then proceeded to give an excellent lecture on the necessity of having Jesus be the foundation of our lives, and the starting point for students of leadership. He preached on the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, and how Jesus turned a personal encounter into a life-changing experience. When he had concluded his talk and dismissed us, some of the students got up to leave, but many more, including most of the parents and a Baptist minister from Virginia, crowded around me and asked me to give them a crash course in "The Conflict". We pulled some chairs into a circle, and for the next hour and a half, I got to talk to these guys about the Middle East, the politics of the region, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the various people and religious groups making up both sides, the land and the territories, and so many more topics and issues. They asked countless questions, and I answered to the best of my ability. They were really interested in what I had to say, and at the end everyone thanked me and most said something along the lines of "I learned so much from you tonight." I was incredibly humbled by the opportunity to talk to my fellow Americans about these issues, and I was also humbled by Brent's introduction and his confidence in me. It was so great seeing my old group Student Leadership University, and it was awesome to be able to come back as an alumni and teach them what I've learned these last four months here in Jerusalem.