ISRAEL BLOG #3

July 15th, 2009
It is truly amazing how when doing things like this days and dates seem to slip from memory. I have had to double sometimes triple check each day to know the day of the week and the day. I know them more by where we were or where we are going.
Tuesday we woke up early and had breakfast at the Tel Aviv City Hotel and then walked over to Shepherd’s Light ministry center. This center is ran by Calvary Chapel and also has connections with Chosen People Ministries through a gentleman named Brian Slater. While we were here the team split up and the majority began cleaning up the living area and designing a curtain to hang as well as cleaning floors and organizing areas. I was able with a few other team members to go up and hang out in the cafe to chat with the people coming in. These people are low income or homeless. They can come to this center twice a week to get food and a message. They can pick up clothes as well as other things they may need. It was such an amazing experience. I had the pleasure of sitting with Mary who did not speak any English only Hebrew and a gentleman named Avram who spoke both English and Hebrew. I was able to carry on a broken Hebrew conversation with Mary and Avram. Avram helped me learn a few new words also. It was such a blessing. Lunch time came around and Justin our team leader gave us some money to take these people out to lunch. So Nancy, my roommate on this trip and I took Avram and another lady Yasmine out to Aroma a coffee shop chain much like Starbucks. (side note* I have become addicted to this place and their iced coffee) We bought lunch for our new friends and sat and talked to them for an hour or so. It was so lovely. I truly believe that people just want to be heard. We all have amazing stories and lessons that we can share with one another if we would only take the time to listen. Avram was such a lovely man with such a vivacious personality. He was smiley and just a complete joy to be around. He was indeed the perfect lunch date! Yasmine had so many opinions and she was so grateful and loving. After lunch we went back and we all helped put the finishing touches on the center. I got back and asked what I could do to help and was sent to clean bathrooms. Many of you know that I DO NOT CLEAN BATHROOMS! I have not taken many a serving job because of that very reason. But when you are doing something like this it just doesn’t matter. That’s not a remark said through a forced smile that is the love that can only come through Papa. I have been praying that I would die to myself a little more each day and live His love out.

After Shepherd’s Light we went to the Dugit center where we learned about their ministry. They are a Messianic ministry. They have a coffee shop at this location. They are there to answer questions about Messianic beliefs as well as love on people and help get them the things they need. There are books there that are free for taking and people to talk to about life. We took a few books with us and were on our way back to the hotel. When we got back Justin had asked us to go out on the beach and spend some time evangelizing. Well anyone who knows me knows that this is not my strong suit nor is it my belief. I am not keen on handing out fliers, nor am I keen on “selling” Jesus. I was so frustrated about this request that I began automatically talking myself out of it. I paired up with another girl on the trip, Krystal. We walked the beach and I couldn’t find anyone I felt like talking to. I began praying that Papa would bring someone to me that was ready to hear about Him and that had been searching. No one came. I lost Krystal and began walking by myself. I stumbled upon Matt who is the worship leader on this trip. Those of you that know me well or not even so well know that I don’t hold back so I immediately told him how unhappy I was with this request. His reply, “let’s walk and talk about it.” He was really helpful at making light of my fears without trivializing them. We ran into Krystal and we found two girls on the beach playing this game called, “motkote”. It is a cross between tennis and ping pong. Everyone here plays it on the beach, and it is so much fun. I was getting decent at it. We stayed and played with them and took pictures all together and exchanged facebook pages. We asked them what they thought of Christians coming here and Yeshua. Their reply was awesome and what I believe my generation to believe. Katia said, “ I believe everyone should believe what they believe.” While of course as a believer in Yeshua I want everyone to find that same love that has captured my heart, I hold fast to knowing that a heart that is in the mode of acceptance is easier for Him to reveal himself to. Please keep Katia and Shlomeet in your prayers as they are entering the IDF this year and will be serving their country.

That evening we had a group meeting and Justin asked us what we had all thought about the day. I stayed quiet knowing that I am not big on evangelism and always feel fake when I am doing it. As Matt said earlier that day to me, “like a used car salesman, What’s it gonna take to get you into Jesus?” Must be said with slimy smile. (side note* I have many wonderful friends who have made great careers as used car salesman - that company excluded just stick with me for the illustration ;)) That night I had waited at the hotel for my friend to bring me some stuff I had left at his house after he left I walked down to the beach to look for the group. I passed by an orthodox man who was handing out booklets. He came up to me in a wave of Hebrew that I understood probably about 1/8th of being that he was speaking so quickly and that he surprised me. I quickly asked him in Hebrew if he could please talk in English. He repeated everything in English and told me that he was collecting money for this Jewish group so that they could take the money and help the homeless. I gave him a few sheckles and he handed me the booklet that was all in Hebrew. I told him I couldn’t read it and he said, “even if you don’t read it, God bless you.” He walked away and I continued down the beach. Then I felt the nagging urge to turn around. I had been praying all day for someone to approach me. I had a book in my bag about an Orthodox man who had after reading the New Testament began to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. I turned around and quickly walked after the man praying that if this was indeed what God wanted me to do he would protect me. I have heard so many stories of Orthodox spitting on Christians or worse beating them up. I got to him and handed him the book and said, “even if you don’t read, God bless you.” He opened it up and looked at it. He asked me what it was, I told him I was a Christian and that the book was for him. He asked me if I had more book with me. I did and I am guessing that he wanted to make sure he wasn’t taking my last one. He smiled a very sweet smile and said just, “thank you.” It was magical. I walked away and these two boys gave me a hard time about walking past them twice. I sat down and began to talk to them we were talking about a cave in the Torah and I had pulled out my Bible only to try and find this cave they were talking about. These two gentleman approached and asked if I had questions about the Torah. I got nervous thinking these two men have seen me with my Bible open talking to two minors and they are probably with the Orthodox man I gave the book to and they are coming to “take care of me”. I was terrified, my heart was beating almost out of my chest. They sat down next to me and explained that the story I was looking for was when David hid from King Saul in the cave. The younger boys left and these two gentleman and I had an hour long conversation about God and religion. I realized about 1/3 of the way into the conversation that these men were not at all affiliated with the Orthodox man and had literally just walked up on me just as I had prayed for. At the end of our conversation I gave them two free coffee vouchers for Dugit which they knew as well as a copy of a book on Grace we had been given and a New Testament. When the one man held the New Testament he said, “Is this the New Testament? I’ve never held this before or seen one.” That is amazing to me. I don’t know if they will respond to Jesus. However, I do know that I saw God answer my prayer in a matter of hours. I wanted Him to bring me someone and for this I believe that these men were ready and searching. God is amazing and mysterious.
The next morning we got up and packed up the bus to drive to Natanya and then Nahariya. In Netanya we saw the Joseph Project. This is an organization that assists a town in Israel called Sderot. It is right on the West Bank border and they see a lot of attacks. This ministry helps clothe them as well as give them daily necessities. Their warehouse is quite amazing. We then drove over to a children’s hospital in Natanya to give out stuffed animals to sick children. I met a little 8 month old baby named Mayan who was in the hospital with a bladder infection. I was born with these infections and had to have surgery later in life to fix the complication. It was quite amazing to meet a little baby who had the same problem. The children here range in sickness. We went to the next floor up which had kids in more severe cases and the parents seemed so happy to see their kids smile when my roommate Nancy came in as Happy the Clown. It was a joy to see their faces light up and to give them a moment to escape the present situation.
That afternoon we drove over to Haifa to a retirement home for Messianic Jewish and Arab believers. While at Ebenezer we heard the stories of two of the people who live there. Dee an American who made Aliya in the 70’s had quite an amazing story. She has lived through so much and still has a heart that is joyful. She runs a ministry off of her computer since she can’t go far. She is an amazing woman. Her story brought tears to my eyes and I couldn’t hold them back. I found things she said resonating in me. Struggles that she has that I can identify with. I am learning the more I go along that we are all so similar in many ways. Our feelings and emotions are all created in the image of our creator and therefore while the mold may be different or the ingredients slightly changed we have the same components. We should be more patient with each other. We should realize that anyone’s situation could become our own. Then Heinz who escaped the Holocaust by a few months told his story. He studied with Frederick BonHoeffer. Heinz had such a love for the Lord and his story was both heart warming and encouraging.

After the retirement home we went back to the hotel and had some dinner. We then went to the Lebanese/Israeli border. The views were incredible. This truly is an incredible part of the world. This was an incredibly emotional day for me.

On Thursday morning when we woke up we drove back to Netanya to a children’s home there. There were 210 kids that live there. This place was absolutely incredible. Yehuda Cohen and his wife have run this shelter for the last 20 years. These are children who are either court ordered or whose parents cannot take care of them. It is a sad situation. However, amidst all the sadness there is a sense of hope here. The Cohens have done an incredible job along with their director, Annat. These kids are being raised with dignity and self respect. They are concerned with the children’s hygiene so that upon entering school they are not labeled as the “poor” kids. We had the chance to go outside and play with the children. They were such a blessing. Their “backyard” was incredible, there was the blow up jumpy things that kids like to jump on. There were three of them! It was so much fun to get out there and to be a kid with them.
After the children’s home we went to the beach which was supposed to be the “best” beach Naharia had to offer. Well if this is the “best” Naharia needs to seriously step it up! It was pretty bad. One of the girls on the trip got a really uncomfortable jellyfish sting causing her to sprint out of the water. However, while we were there Phil and Vicki Wright a married couple on the trip were able to sit and talk with a couple. They were able to talk to them about Yeshua and it was a great seed. An Arab Muslim man stopped by to play ultimate frisbee with a few of our team members and asked to be facebook friends with Justin. It was a really incredible experience that made the terrible beach and the one bad jellyfish sting all worth it.
On the way home we had an encounter with IDF soldiers and Saba Ben later pointed out that we witnessed a miracle. In the Tenak there were three dispersions of the Jewish people. Two of these dispersions have the collection of Jewish people back to the land. In the last 200 years we have seen the promise of the third dispersion to be collected back. The fact that their is now an Israeli army shows that God’s promise to His people is active.
Please continue to keep Sharon, Opher, Katia, Shlomeet, Avram, Nahum and Avraham in your prayers as well as the entire nation of Israel and God’s people. God is doing awesome things in this part of the world.
Please keep me in your prayers as God is changing some things in my heart. I am looking for a way to stay here in Israel for August before my internship starts in September. I sent out an email this week and we will see what the return on it is. There are so many places we are going to that could lead to some volunteer work. I would need to also find a job while I’m here possibly tutoring in English or something else. I would prefer not to wait tables again. I feel it is time for me to focus on other talents God has given me. I am excited about what it is that God is doing in my heart and in my circumstances. I am excited about what it is He is doing yet, I find myself getting frustrated with the timing. I feel I’m ready now but I do know that God is still preparing my heart for what it is he wants to do. I am willing but anxious. Please pray for a calmness to enter my spirit. Maybe more my acceptance of the calm.

God is teaching me so much through the people on this trip as well as the people we encounter each day. I am proud to be a believer in Yeshua and even more proud to be finally following what it is He is asking me to do. I have ran for so long and to be facing His will and His promises feels incredible. There is a peacefulness in this. Shalom.

Jessa