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Today was another amazing day. We started at 7:45 am this morning heading to Bethlehem where we visited the shepherds fields and the Church of the Nativity before meeting a couple of SBC missionaries and a local pastor for lunch. Then back to Jerusalem for an afternoon in the old city touring the Temple Institute, the southern steps of the temple where Jesus would have walked each year, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and shopped in the cardo. Dinner back at the hotel and then a wonderful time together in my room. I wish I could expand more but I am doing this on my phone and it is a bit challenging. We have one more full day and the we board the plane and leave Israel late tomorrow night, arriving home Saturday morning. We are worn out but so full of joy because of every experience. Keep praying for us and for the Peace of Jerusalem.

In His Joy!
Jerome
Col. 3:17

Good morning from Jerusalem! We had a great and full day here yesterday visiting the Mount of Olives, the Temple Mount, the City of David, walking through Hezekiah’s tunnel, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Western Wall! Whew! We packed it all in! This morning we are so excited about going into Bethlehem and then onto the Southern Steps and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this afternoon. We are having so much fun just being together sharing lots of laughs along our adventure and processing together each evening. Please continue to pray that God would have His way among us and in our spirits! We are thoroughly enjoying our precious Jerusalem guide, Adrienne, and would love you to pray for her as well! Pray that we would be a blessing to her as she has been such a blessing to us!

This morning we went to Kfar Kedem to go back in time to the time of Jesus. We dressed in biblical clothes, rode donkeys, learned about tilling the land, planting the seed, begging God for rain, and then how to harvest and sift the wheat from the chaff. We even began to mill some grain to make flour and then spread out balls of dough to make a pita and throw it on the fire! Yum! Thankfully we didn’t have to cook our entire meal which was the absolute best ever – hummus, pita bread, tomato and cucumber salad, rice, chicken, and lamb all fresh and prepared to perfection! We then headed out to Beit Shean to see amazing excavations of layers of ancient Roman cities. It was fascinating and well, extremely HOT…and I mean you could hear your skin sizzling! Then we continued our trek to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on the planet! After a quick swim, or float I should say, we got back on the bus to begin our ascent, our aliyah to Jerusalem. Words cannot express what it is like to finally arrive and see the first breathtaking view of the city! There is no other experience quite like it. We are enjoying the cooler temps (less than 106!) in Jerusalem this evening and are ready for a full day tomorrow including the Temple Mount, City of David, Hezekiah’s tunnel, local market, Mount of Olives, and Gethsemane! Next, you’ll find a few words from Debbie sharing just ONE of the incredible things God has been teaching her….

I came to Israel to see the places Jesus saw, to taste the flavors Jesus tasted, to touch the land and the water Jesus had touched. We have and are doing those things. We have also had some ministry opportunities; visiting the young soldiers, playing with a group of special needs kids, and taking a group of severely impoverished children shopping for shoes and clothes and a backpack.

I have to confess I was thinking I would rather be spending the time walking where Jesus walked, visiting the sites, learning about Him. Then…God put Scripture on my mind – Matthew 25 where Jesus taught us that feeding and clothing and opening our hearts to strangers was doing it for HIM. THIS is what He came here to teach us – to be kind, to love each other in His name, for His glory. So, though we weren’t walking where He had walked or touching what He had touched, we were definitely being His hands and His feet.

Today was a great day. We started out the morning at a school for mentally challenged children. The children can attend this school from around first grade until they turn 21. They are taught the same subjects as the kids in the mainstream schools, and also learn a trade that they can possibly use when they can no longer attend the school. It was obvious that the kids loved being there. When we arrived we spread out at different tables, and kids of all ages came and sat down with us. There were 4 very young children at my table. Our task was to help them make and decorate a pinwheel (which was harder than it looked)! It was fun to get to know the kids (Debbie Boedeker was at my table, so it was especially fun to watch her with the kids). Also fun was watching the older kids doing some karaoke! Although we could not openly share Christ, I know that we did with our words and actions, and furthered our relationship with the school (one of the groups that went on the trip two years ago also visited the school).

After this, we picked up some underpriviledged kids that were part of an after school program funded by the city and took them to buy some shoes, an outfit, and school supplies. At first, I don’t think they quite knew what to make of us, but we all bonded quickly! They were very excited about picking out shoes, and the girls entered and exited the dressing room frequently trying on different outfits. Communication was a challenge because they did not know much English, but we were able to communicate well enough. A funny moment for me was that in a moment when I was wishing that I could speak Hebrew in order to communicate, I just asked the Lord to help me to learn it. About ten minutes later, one of the girls started teaching me how to count to 10 unsolicited, and at lunch, there was a list of common Hebrew phrases on our place mats They were precious, precious children. Although, again, we were not allowed to openly share Christ with the children, Shirley Westbrook was asked by two different people at the stores why we were doing what we were doing, and she was able to tell them, and our guide was able to tell the children that we were doing this for them because we were Christians and wanted them to know that God loved them. The rest of the afternoon was spent with just our group, and we went to a couple of different places to cool off (think hiking, with water involved)!

After dinner, someone that we worked with on the trip two years ago came and spoke to us about what was going in the ministry right now. It was Fadi Hanna from Child Evangelism Fellowship, that had worked with Carolyn Pilgreen’s team. He shared with us what God is doing among the Arab population (most of their ministry is to the Arab children in Israel) as well as some exciting developments among some other people groups in the country, and even Arabs in surrounding countries. It was obvious that the Lord was working through this ministry and bearing much fruit. Also, it was exciting to hear all that the Lord was doing in the lives of children in the country, especially since we had not been allowed to openly share the gospel with the children earlier in the day. Sorry for the long post, but we packed a lot in today

- Heather

We headed out early this morning to go to one of the military bases on the Lebanon border. We met the soldiers, cleaned the kitchen and the grounds, painted racks and cleaned guns—-big guns! Crazy! We did all that while looking across into Lebanon. It was an amazing site. We had lunch with the soldiers and did our best to connect with them. Many will connect on Facebook in the days ahead and continue the relationship started today. Pray that the Lord will use our time with them to bare fruit in the coming months. From there to Tel Dan, where we saw the city gate where Abraham walked through when he was looking for Lot. Then on to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked the disciples who people said that He was. Peter responded "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matt. 16. From there on to the Golan Heights to see the strategic location of the border between Syria and Israel. We were only 40 miles from Damascus. Then back to the Kibbutz for dinner and a time of sharing. Tomorrow we will be in a couple of children’s centers and we are looking forward to our time with them. It looks like we will be able to take 14 children with us to buy shoes and it should be a great big treat for them. I know it will be for us. It is hard to believe we have just been here 2 full days. So much more to come. Everyone is doing great and we are having so much fun together. Thanks for your continued prayers.

In His Joy!

Jerome
Isa. 26:8

Jerome is right – it has been a most amazing day here in Israel! We just wrapped up a fun time sitting together outside listening to each other share highlights and significant moments of the day. It’s hard to believe you can pack so much life and goodness into one day! Here’s just a taste of moments that impacted us.

Steve couldn’t get over that 95% of Jesus’ ministry occurred in a 7 mile triangle? Yep, we’ve been hanging out in that triangle today! What about the Sermon on the Mount? Leslie wondered if all of those people really grasped all that Jesus was teaching? Do we? How about the significance of Peter catching 153 fish when Jesus told him to throw his nets on the other side? Ask Travis when we get home to tell you all the reasons this number is so important. We went hiking today on Mount Arbel and had such a blast being just a bit adventurous! The trek reminded Andrew of why Jesus must have said narrow is the path that leads to life. Rebecca rejoiced in every step that she made and every breath that she breathed that Jesus is still healing people! What a miracle to be standing (and hiking no less!) in the Holy Land. Is God a redeemer or what?! Debbie had the most incredible day and just loves to see how Jesus used his natural surroundings to relate to real people in real ways…the birds of the air, the flowers growing nearby, the wind and the Sea. Even those of us who have been here one or two or three times before agree that it never gets old! It’s like there are just new layers of understanding and enjoyment and discovery at every turn! Now we will read the scriptures, like Jesus going up on the mountaintop to teach, and be able to mark in our Bibles, “I was there!” And I guess that really sums it all up – I was there! Yes indeed, we are here and enjoying every minute of it!

Thanks so much for praying for us! Rebecca’s luggage is now happily in the nation of Israel, but resting for the Sabbath tonight at the airport! But still, we’re getting closer! Please pray for us tomorrow that we will really SEE people the way God does, offer a listening ear, and speak a word of hope and Life!

Goodnight from Galilee,
Rebecca

It has been an absolutely amazing day beginning with a visit to the location of the sermon on the mount, then to the place where Jesus reinstated Peter (John 21), then to Capernaum, lunch and a ride on the Sea of Galilee on the Jesus Boat. Then up to Mt. Arbel for the most scenic view ever. Check out the picture. We are back at the Kibbutz for dinner and then a time of sharing together. It has been awesome. Thanks Randy for the 5 Hour Energy tip. It works.

In His Joy!

Jerome
Isa. 26:8

Yes! It has been a long day and a lot of air miles but we are so pumped to be here. We are all just walking around pinching ourselves. Is it real? Are we really here? Yes, we are and looking forward to every moment. Rebecca’s bag did not make the trip across so it is still in Newark and will catch the next flight tomorrow. Pray that the luggage and Rebecca connect as soon as possible. Thanks for praying with us as we walk through these next few days, walking where Jesus walked and talking with Him about everything. Shalom!

In His Joy!

Jerome
Isa. 26:8

After 18 hours of travel we are here at the Galilee with our feet in the water, looking at Tiberious (the city on a hill). Thanks for praying us here. More to come… In His Joy!
Jerome
Col. 3:17

Thankfully we had two uneventful flights and even arrived in Tel Aliv early! We managed to get at least a few zzzz’s and are trying to get our bodies used to the new time zone which is 8 hours ahead of Houston. Our amazing guide Tisha gave us a great welcome and is pointing out the sights along our 2 hour ride to our kibbutz in Galilee. We are riding on a modern tollway with views of cities, apartments, and Arab villages, as well as a flock of sheep and a camel or two! What’s not to love about that?! Tisha is explaining why Israelis call themselves "sabra" which is a prickly pear…they might be bristly on the outside but sweet on the inside. Once you have made a true friend getting through the exterior, you will have a friend for life!

When we arrive at our kibbutz we’ll unload our bags, freshen up for dinner, and hopefully dip our toes in the Sea of Galilee as we attempt to stay awake till 10 or 11 PM to beat the jetlag. Thanks so much for praying along with the daily prayer guide! We are excited to see what God has planned!