Manna Tours Mission
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"WHAT IS IT?"

In the Old Testament, "manna" was the miraculous bread God fed the Israelites during their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness. The word itself is a "curious" word. In the Hebrew it literally means "what is it?" Exactly. What IS it? What distinguishes MANNA as a curious choice for edu-travel?

Our "IT" factor boils down to THREE DISTINCTIVES:

 

SMALLER GROUPS =

BIGGER EXPERIENCES!

  • Our tour registration limit is 42 guests (not counting staff) or one busload. More than one bus can cause chaos, trust me...for both me (as the leader) and you, as a guest. So we believe "less is more."
  • A smaller number allows us to spend more time at sites, dine and travel faster, and get to know each other better.

 

  • When registration opens for the tour (about a year in advance), it's first pay, first reserved. Individuals and couples are always free to jump on, if there's space. So it doesn't matter if you're flying solo or as a couple, the sooner you register, the better. We want to fill all 42 seats. I often communicate through my daily Morning MANNA! email how many seats remain. You can sign up HERE for this email.

 

 

THE PRICE IS ALL INCLUSIVE (ALMOST!)

  • Nobody likes surprises or hidden costs. Your registration includes all flights (from a central U.S. location where we will meet to fly international), hotels, buses, tour guides, meals (breakfast and dinner while in country only), and all gratuities.

 

  • Consequently, your on-tour costs are limited to lunches, personal needs, souvenirs, etc. There are other caveats (like you pay for any upgrades, baggage fees or single room, but that's stated through our partner Imagine Tours and Travel (a highly-rated and reputable Christian travel company).

LET RICK CREATE A TRIP

JUST FOR YOU!

  • You pick the date and country (from the Imagine Tours & Travel or anywhere in U.S.A.) and Rick will design a specialized trip for your group.

 

  • For ALL MANNA!/ITT TOURS, any group who registers 12 seats receives a FREE (13th) registration.

 

  • And when a group registers 24, a SECOND complimentary registration is awarded. It's my way of saying thanks to my groups.

 

  • We often need a minimum 20 registrations for a trip to happen at advertised price. From smaller groups, the overall price may increase, depending on the itinerary and destination. EX: A trip to Greece (with Med cruise) might increase by $200-400/person for a group of 10.

 

  • If a tour is cancelled, participants can transfer their funds to another upcoming MANNA trip or a different Imagine Tour. I often run similar itineraries annually, especially to Greece, Italy, Israel, Switzerland/Germany, due to their strong biblical and church history value.

OUR FOCUS IS LEARNING!

That means, your lead guide (either Rick or another trusted and vetted guide) will lead the tour. In addition, every registrant receives a helpful workbook that includes maps, timelines, factoids, and biblical insights, plus plenty of space for your notes.

Every tour also includes a resource page with books and teaching helps. Within six months of each tour, all participants receive a special "memory" gift and a flash drive featuring hundreds of high-quality photos and memory videos of the various destinations visited.

Guests who take six trips (Israel, Greece, Italy, Europe, totaling 90 days) receive the equivalent of a ONE-YEAR BIBLE CERTIFICATE from MANNA! Educational Services International.

In the future, we hope to partner with Bible colleges, Christian universities, and seminaries to accept our tours for transferable credits.

I'm also hoping to partner with a couple of forward-thinking Christian colleges about developing two MANNA-led (with their professors) trips--one for all first-year Bible students (Israel/Greece) and the second for junior/senior students (Italy/Switzerland/Germany). The first would help new students to understand BIBLE (geography, history, persons) through a tour of Israel (10 days) and Greece (6 days). The second would help near-grads to understand CHURCH HISTORY, CATHOLICISM and PROTESTANTISM in a trip to Rome (5 days) and Switzerland/France/Germany (8 days). Both trips would be paid through student's tuition. Schools would receive same deal as churches: 12 registrations = 1 freebie. Schools could possibly convert free registration to cash, helping their general fund.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT...WHERE WILL WE TAKE YOU?

MANNA! TOURS is a travel curriculum that explores amazing sites to help adult Christians (of any background, denomination, or creed) discover God's Word through His World.

REGARDING ISRAEL: Currently, we plan to book our first ISRAEL tour in 2027, as the war is primarily in Gaza and major airlines have returned service to Tel Aviv airport. I have contacts on the ground in Israel and rely on them, as well as Imagine Tours & Travel, to make safe and reasonable decisions regarding a return to touring the Holy Land. We are close now. I'm confident that by 2027, the war will be over and the region will once again be safe for tourist travel.

Most MANNA! Trips are 10 days long with an optional 4-day extension.

ISRAEL TRIPS focus on the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), and Old Testament Survey.

GREECE TRIPS focus on Acts of the Apostles, Epistles, and Revelation

ITALY TRIPS focus on Church History: 1st century, Post-Apostolic, and Middle Ages/Renaissance

SWITZERLAND/GERMANY/FRANCE/SPAIN TRIPS focus on Protestant Church History: 13th-19th century, Renaissance and Protestant Reformation Movements.

I am planning additional NON-CHURCH or BIBLE trips for Christians looking to travel together to the following places (as early as 2027). These are not "mission" or "service" trips, but "edu-travel" oriented:

1. AFRICA: Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa (I have been to Africa--west, east, central, and south--and feel comfortable leading groups to these countries.

2. SCANDINAVIA: Norway & Sweden. Celtic and Nordic Christianity are fascinating histories in their own right.

3. AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND: I've never been to either place. Want to go? Let's put together a group.

4. U.S. "HISTORY" TOURS (10-14 days): We often forget about American history, and I'm hoping Imagine Tours & Travel will partner with me for a few special tours that I think will be highly attractive. I would be your "history prof" on all of them:

  • "Lewis & Clark" (St. Louis to Astoria, OR). MO-KS-NE-IA-SD-ND-MT-ID-OR-WA (14 days)
  • "Oregon Trail" (Kansas City to Portland) KS-NE-WY-ID-OR (14-day)
  • "REAL Montana Adventures" (10-day) As a 5th generation Montanan (my great-great-grandfather was in Montana around 1885), I love to go home and especially take people to see the "real" Montana. Not the Hollywood or "Yellowstone" (Costner) version, but the real deal. I design these trips personally for guests. Requires a minimum of 10-14 days for best itineraries.
  • "Founding Fathers & American Christianity" Washington, D.C. - Philadelphia - Boston (10 days)
  • "History 'n Ball Yard: East Coast: Imagine studying U.S. and baseball history during the day and watching a major league baseball game every night? Start off in DC (Nationals), then Baltimore (Orioles), then Philadelphia (Phillies), then New York City (Mets, Yankees) and finishing in Boston (Red Sox). (Six games in 10 days)
  • "History 'n Ball Yard: Central. Same idea, except in the Midwest. Start in Buffalo, NY and drive to Toronto (Blue Jays), then Pittsburgh (Pirates), Cleveland (Guardians), Detroit (Tigers), Cincinnati (Reds), St. Louis (Cardinals), Chicago (Cubs and White Sox), Milwaukee (Brewers), Minnesota (Twins) and Kansas City (Royals). (11 games in 15 days)
  • "History 'n Ball Yard: West. Start in Phoenix (Diamondbacks), then San Diego (Padres), Anaheim (Angels), Los Angeles (Dodgers), San Francisco (Giants) and Oakland (A's). Six games in 10 days. 5-day Extension? Fly from Oakland to Seattle (Mariners), then to Denver (Rockies) OR fly Oakland to Denver then to Houston (Astros), then Dallas (Rangers).