Tomorrow

Tomorrow evening, this is what I will get to see. I can't wait to see my family and it will be wonderful to be back in my country! Praise the Lord for amazing opportunities and experiences in life!

Missions

Last Wednesday was the last field trip for the History of the Modern State of Israel class. We toured Jerusalem, focusing on important places from 1940s to present. It was amazing to see so many more new sites despite all of the field trips we already had in the city. I love studying history and seeing how God has worked through lands, people, and time to perform His will. Knowing so much about Israel has made me want to study my own country more too. (Considering that is what I have to teach about to my students, I guess that is a good thing). Another thing that I really appreciated seeing was the work of evangelical missions in the country. My grandparents were on the mission field for a number of years working with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. It was fun to see their footprints in Jerusalem. (I don't know if you can read it on the photo above, but the sign says, "Jerusalem Alliance Church Ministry Center" with the C&MA logo). At the end of the day, we spent time in the Mahanae Yehudah outdoor market. I love it there. All the sounds, colors, and smells; the people and the bartering. The festive atmosphere just before Hanukkah - the sufganiyot (doughnuts)...Wow.

After being in another country so many months, seeing the people who live here so lost, falling so short of the mark, I understand the importance of mission work even more. That's not to say that I don't have compassion for the lost in my own hometown too, but I think I have grown hard against it. Sometimes it seems as if nothing will ever change and people only get worse, which is true. But that doesn't mean that I should stop sharing the gospel just because I think that will never change. Praise the Lord for the people in my life who didn't give up on me. May I be faithful and bold to share the love of the Lord with whomever, whenever, wherever I may be. On the other hand, it has been a huge blessing to see the fruit of the work of believers who have been faithful to their calling. Fellowshiping with other believers from many countries, many languages, many cultures, and many different backgrounds has been amazing! What a privilege to "get outside the box" and see the body of Christ meet together all over the world. Continue to pray for the people that are still so far from the Lord all over the globe. Pray that there would be willing souls to go and work with them, encourage them, and teach them what we are so greatly blessed to already know. Pray that the Lord will do a work in the hearts of His own people, that they may come to a saving faith in Him.

Thanksgiving Day

Turkey to Turkey

I never thought that one day I would visit Turkey, but I did. Last month (it is already December here in Israel as I write this) I went to Istanbul for a week, partially for interest reasons (like traveling, seeing other parts of the world) and partly because I just needed to renew my visa. All in all, I had a great time with my friend, Marlyse.

Istanbul is a unique city. It is the only city in the world on two different continents, Europe and Asia. We were in the Old City of Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, on the European side. We spent all of our time seeing the major attractions there: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, the Archaeological Museum, Museum of the Ancient Orient, the Grand Bazaar, and many more. It was so much fun to see a different world and culture. One thing I realized though, was how much I love exactly who and how God made me and where He has placed me on this earth. Sometime if you ask me, I will tell you all about my feelings on international travel with my specific name.

Just after we came back, we had the wonderful privilege of celebrating an American holiday...Thanksgiving! We did so with: 50 of our closest friends, real American, non-Kosher cuisine, a Thanksgiving service, and football! What a great time it was! In the afternoon, however, we remembered where we were (in Israel) and hiked to the Adullum caves, where David hid from Saul thousands of years ago. In the evening, we all got together for leftovers and bacon (from the States) - lettuce - tomato - and avacado sandwiches. Who could ask for a better day?

My heart is so full of things that I am thankful to the Lord for. Is there ever any way we can truly express how much we are grateful for? I am looking forward to a lifetime of trying. What a wonderful God we serve!

Do You Ever Wonder Why?

"But always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hop ethat is in you." 1 Peter 3:15

Do you ever wonder why we, as believers, so often fail in this area, even when given the perfect opportunities? I was wondering that of myself this last week when I failed to seize the perfect moment to share my faith with a Jewish man on the plane to Istanbul with me. Why do I so often forget that it is not me who will speak, but the Holy Spirit, if I let Him? Luke 12:12, "For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

I know and believe that the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation to those who believe, so why do I act like I am ashamed of it? I am so thankful to the Lord for His mercy and grace that does not just cast me off when I fail Him. What an example of His faithfulness that He so patiently works on our lives, our sinful, prideful, and selfish hearts, to train us into what He wants us to be. I guess I just am sad that an opportunity was lost to share of the greatness of our God with someone who was lost. May the Lord bring someone else into the path of that man and his wife who is more faithful than I. May I learn to listen to the Spirit's prompting and get over the fear of man I seem to have. As a child of God, what can man do to me?

I pray that each one of us will one day be able to hear from our Father in Heaven, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Worship from the Heart

One of the things I love most about the people I am surrounded with is their passion for Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel and how much they desire to serve and worship Him. It is seen in many aspects of their lives. Right now I am listening to a CD of Messianic Worship songs presented by various congregations of believers in Israel. Just reading the translations of the words is so impacting. These believers love the Lord and are not afraid to spread the hope that they have in them even with the persecutions they face on all sides. Last night I fell asleep to the IBEX students sitting around a campfire singing praises to our God (for hours...right after chapel). This morning I walked by the main hall to hear a congregation of Jewish (not believers) men singing their morning prayers. Today in our Shabbat service, hearing the joy of the believers (Jewish, Russian, Finnish, Sweedish, German, Latino, American) as they sang praise to the Lord. It is so wonderful to be exposed to the worldwide family of believers. There are so many people who love the Lord and worship Him in their own languages, with a little different style sometimes, but worship all the same. It's caused me to really consider what our attitude should be about worship. Not just the songs sung, the instruments used, the tempo, or the number of people singing...it is the state of our hearts that is the most important. Worship to sing words does not honor the Lord, what honors Him is worship that comes from the heart. When I am not able to understand the words being sung, I enjoy the chance to look at the translation and consider the words that others are singing to the Lord in their own language. It can be a precious time of focus on what I'm actually singing. I also love how the teaching we get comes straight from the heart. There is a passion that's inexplicable over here about teaching the Word of God. Would that I have such a passion to learn more and apply the truths that I am taught.

Galilee

Sometimes I wonder how my mind works the way that it does, in the sense that I don't always completely realize the uniqueness of what I am doing until I am leaving the place I go to. I just returned from eight days in northern Israel, also known as Galilee. What an amazing eight days it was! We went to Nazareth, Cana, Mt. Carmel, Jezreel, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin, Caesarea Philippi, Dan, and of course, the Sea of Galilee, to name a few places. We went inner-tubing down the Jordan River, we hiked the Nahal Yehudiah, and road on a boat at night on the Sea of Galilee and read about the times when Jesus rode on the same Sea. Each morning some of the girls and I read through the Gospel of Mark while we were sitting on the shore of the Sea in front of our rooms. It wasn't until we were leaving and had our last look back at the Sea that I realized the enormity of what I had been doing for the last week. Praise the Lord for all the things I learned about Him this week. Praise Him for the reminder of the perfection of His plans and the awesome gift of His Son! I'll write more about my experiences soon.