JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN

Yesterday at the end of our Shabbat service, the fathers and mothers of these two sweet babies, Nehemiah and Meital, and the rest of our congregation welcomed them officically into the world and celebrated their lives. Nehemiah was born January 15 and Meital was born January 18. Their fathers both prayed that they would be able to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord, that their lives might glorify God and that they would one day serve Him. It was a precious time. I'm thankful for the chance I had to be a part of it. Both of these babies have very interesting heritages. Nehemiah is the first son of Abner and Johanna Chou. Abner is Chinese and Johanna is Hungarian, but both have American citizenship. Both are also very good with languages and each speak a few. Meital is the third child of Tsuriel and Aneh Bar-David. Tsuriel is Israeli and Aneh is Finnish. Their other children, Gideon and Liel, both speak Hebrew and Finnish and they are only 3 and 1 1/2 years old respectively. They are also learning English. The parents of both babies come from believing families and that is such a blessing. What fun it is to be a part of their lives.

DIGGING IN THE DIRT

Early this week we spent two days excavating in the City of David with Doron Ben-Ami, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority. We had an amazing time, working hard and having fun, if you couldn't tell from the picture. This was the second part of a dig that was started over a year ago. We had the privilege of starting to dig from the very top level of dirt in the archaeological squares...also code for "lots of hard work moving a bunch of dirt without really getting to find anything." The finished part of the dig (we were working on the western slope of the City of David) had unearthed remains and a few major structures from the Muslim Period, Second Temple Period, the time of Helena, and the First Temple Period. Within the next few months, they hope to discover similar things on the side we were working on. One of my favorite parts was getting to know people better while working really hard together. I had a lot of fun with the people in my square: Sara, Deborah, Troy, and Peter. It was also a blast being a part of the bucket brigade. The archaeologist kept commenting on the good attitudes and consistent hard working of our group. What fun to make a positive impact on people! On a side note...digging makes one very sore. It was great to feel those muscles hurt, knowing that they helped in doing something good; but the second day was sure hard. The Lord really gave me the strength and energy to work through the day despite the blisters and aches and for that I am thankful. I love all the reminders He is able to give us about needing to fully depend on Him for even the strength to take the next step.

BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY

Nehemiah Chou, 4 weeks old.

THE PLACES WE GO

This past wednesday IBEX visited the Biblical territory of the tribe of Benjamin. One of our first stops, pictured above, was a place called Nebi Samwil, or the place of the prophet Samuel. Funny how I'm standing by a sign that says, "Tomb of the Prophet Samuel." Religious Jews and even Muslims have made this place into a mosque and a synagogue because of that tradition. But don't they read their Bibles? Scripture specifically states that Samuel was buried in Ramah, his hometown (1 Samuel 25:1). Anyway, this spot overlooks the ancient city of Gibeon. It was a the high place of Gibeon where Solomon prayed for wisdom. This is the highest point around and could have very well been the spot where he prayed (1 Kings 3:4-14). Next we drove to Jericho, the lowest and oldest city (remains) on earth. On the way, we stopped in the middle of the wilderness of Judah/Benjamin. To think that John the Baptist and Jesus spent so much time here, alone. It it a perfect picture of how man cannot survive without help from the Lord. What a place to teach one to totally depend on Him for everything. At Jericho we marched around the city and it took us only 12 minutes. It changes your perspective just a bit of the Biblical story (Joshua 6). It was amazing to sit on top of the tel, re-read the story and visibly see how the geography and topography of the land played a major part in the narrative. After that, we visited Bethlehem, the city of our Savior's birth, and saw the fields around which would have been where the birth of Messiah Jesus was announced to the shepherds. How incredible to think that we were able to stand in the very city where the most precious gift to mankind arrived! We also visited two amazing architectural remains built by Herod the Great. It was one of those days where you can't even quite believe all you saw and all the history you "walked" through. Praise the Lord for such wonderful opportunities to see where He did so much of His work. We "walked" with the Israelites, Joshua, Samuel, Saul, David, Herod the Great (or not so great), John the Baptist, and Messiah Jesus...I just pray that I learned to live for the Lord like David did and follow the example my Savior left for me, recorded in His Word.

TEN THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM HIKING

1. It's not always easy.

2. It takes strength and endurance.

3. It takes planning, and vigilance while you are on the trail.

4. It can take you to places you never dreamed of going.

5. It must be done with a guide and is more fun with companions.

6. It challenges you physically and mentally.

7. It gives you a chance to meditate on the Word of God.

8. It allows you a different perspective on life and of God's creation.

9. It has a beginning and an end.

10. It is fun!

These things that I learned from hiking each have a parallel to life, specifically the life of a believer. Let me know what you think of when you read each one...

CONSTANT CHALLENGES AND CONSTANT JOYS

Life is full of many challenges. Some are physical and circumstantial, but most are spiritual, related to the Christian life. It is hard to live a godly life in a world full of sin, temptation, evil...when I myself am a sinner, but saved by the grace and mercy of our great God. One of the things I so appreciate about being in Israel is the constant reminder that this was the land the Lord chose as a testing ground of faith for His people. In the picture above, I am standing in a valley that once was the dividing line between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah during the time of the divided monarchy. The cliffs in the background are the ones that Jonathan climbed down and then up to fight the Philistines when his father, Saul, was king. Though it was spring, it is the wilderness, and we had a definite reminder of why people living there would need to depend on the Lord for everything. It is a very uncertain place. At the end of our hike, we stood near a spring. It was amazing to see the word pictures in Psalm 1 come to life. The one who meditates on and learns from the Word of God "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper." Another aspect of life in Israel that I love is constantly meditating and memorizing Scripture in the very places it was written, the places it was talking about, or in the areas the writer gained his word pictures and comparisons from. Last fall we memorized Psalm 48 while in Jerusalem. The psalmist says, "walk about Zion...", so we did. When we were in the wilderness, we memorized portions of Deuteronomy 8. "And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart..." When we were in Samaria and Caesarea (where Gentiles lived in NT times) we memorized Ephesians 2:4-13. There is so much wisdom and instruction to be gained from Scripture. It is a constant challenge to read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, and live it. But it is oh, so joyful a task to do at the same time.