We are getting ready to depart from Israel right now...wow, what a full week! I will blog about all the events we were involved in over these next few days upon returning home.
We've been all over the place with just enough time to eat and sleep! This means very little time to blog or get on the internet.
But I will continue sharing about our journey, our adventures as I am able. I took TONS of notes and I intend to share them all for those who are interested. We're on a mission to make sure as many people hear about Israel and Jerusalem as possible so that maybe their hearts will beat for this country also...
Thanks for your patience!
Shalome from Jerusalem one last time!
More info on events to come soon...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Day 6 in Israel 2012
On this day, we visited Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem is a memorial to Holocaust victims.
Before we entered the memorial, we heard from Tom Seiwicki. He warned us of the very real threat to Israel from Iran and it's nuclear weapons. He also warned us that their weapon building is dangerous to the whole world. He told us that Iran has developed enough Iranium to make four or five nuclear bombs.
Mr. Seiwicki told us that dozens of people are being killed in Syria who are trying to throw out the regime there. 50,000 rockets are aimed at Israel but people live normally because they believe they have much strength in the Lord God. Mr. Tom was born to Holocaust survivors. His parents were given documents with a start of David and Jew--these were considered death documents. His parents survived by pretending to be Christians! They saw all their relatives destroyed. Mr. Tom's father was actually able to hold Tom's baby son and declare, "This is my victory over Hitler!" Mr. Seiwicki used the scripture "For Zion's sake, I will not be silent..." The Jewish people have an UNBREAKABLE bond with the land of Israel! Each year, people continue to say "Next year in Jerusalem..." in speaking positively over their circumstances instead of succumbing to an exile mindset.
We, as a part of Aglow, have a vital connections with Jerusalem and Israel. Tom told us that Aglow's presence strengthens him. Isaiah 66:4 says "Be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice with her!"
Yad Vashem is a memorial set up to remember and honor the SEVEN MILLION plus people who died in the Holocaust. Murder was committed to entire Jewish communities during this time in history. There is a giant stone artwork that is set up outside the memorial that is designed and shaped like a map of the Jewish communities that were killed.
We toured the memorial. We saw pictures and videos of Jews being murdered, tortured, starved and abused by Germans. There were also other groups and nations who lent an evil hand in the destruction of SEVEN MILLION Jews. In the memorial, we saw a set of braids. Real hair that a girl had cut off. She put them in a satchel, then they led her off and killed her. Her father came home to find only his daughter's braids.
When Israel gained it's independence not too long ago, thousands of people were still in prison!
Concentration camp horrors--oppression--abounded. In Yad Vashem, there was a concentration camp model that showed how the Jews were led into it by the hundreds and thousands and eventually led into gas chambers and their bodies lifted up out of the chambers to be burned or buried. Led like cattle. The realities and atrocities that occurred--it was not even humane one bit.
There were stories of triumph amidst the horrors. In one camp, a Jew bribed an inmate to get materials for a shofar. He then courageously blew the shofar on Rash Hashonna! If you are part of Aglow, you know that was a SOUND OF PRAISE that was released in that place!
Another Jew also bribed one for a potato sack. He wrote down the prayer for Rosh Hashonna to recite it on that holiday.
The German soldiers created gas chambers because they kept getting blood all over their uniforms. They needed a place where they could kill a LOT of Jews without getting messy--hence, the gas chambers. Their methods were psychopathic and non-emotional. Crowds stood to watch in various locations as Jew after Jew was herded in to be shot and killed.
In the end part of Yad Vashem, there is a giant cone hanging from the ceiling. They have names and pictures of 600 Jews hanging from the ceiling. I tried to look at all of them as a token of respect. They all had lives and smiles and things going on in their lives! Sonia Neeson is one of the names that I have noted and I display it here in memory of her name.
Yad Vashem means a name and a memory. You can find the scripture that speaks of doing this in Isaiah 56:5.
Visiting Yad Vashem was very emotional and very somber. It was the truth of history.
After we left the memorial, we travel to visit the Garden Tomb. In this place, we sang "I Love You Lord." It was very lovely. I was reminded how beautiful Jesus is. Here, we took communion corporately as Aglow. It was very significant. When we finished, we were able to look inside the tomb example. Whether that is exactly the location where Jesus' body laid before He rose from the grave, it is debatable.
We then went and visited King David Church, a Messianic Jewish place of worship and prayer. It was at the top of a mall building. Here, we sang "Oh how I love Jesus." Mr. Tony Hoyt spoke to us in this place. He talked to us about the 7 mountains mantle and he gave us Genesis 1:28--to take dominion.
If you haven't heard, the seven mountains are spoken of by Johnny Enlow. They include Arts&Entertainment; Business; Church; Education; Family; Government and Media. We then stood at the windows of that place which looked out in all directions over the land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. We each prayed and spoke over Israel concerning the different mountains and we declared that we would take dominion over the mountains and that God's will would be done on earth in these areas as it is in heaven!
Before we entered the memorial, we heard from Tom Seiwicki. He warned us of the very real threat to Israel from Iran and it's nuclear weapons. He also warned us that their weapon building is dangerous to the whole world. He told us that Iran has developed enough Iranium to make four or five nuclear bombs.
Mr. Seiwicki told us that dozens of people are being killed in Syria who are trying to throw out the regime there. 50,000 rockets are aimed at Israel but people live normally because they believe they have much strength in the Lord God. Mr. Tom was born to Holocaust survivors. His parents were given documents with a start of David and Jew--these were considered death documents. His parents survived by pretending to be Christians! They saw all their relatives destroyed. Mr. Tom's father was actually able to hold Tom's baby son and declare, "This is my victory over Hitler!" Mr. Seiwicki used the scripture "For Zion's sake, I will not be silent..." The Jewish people have an UNBREAKABLE bond with the land of Israel! Each year, people continue to say "Next year in Jerusalem..." in speaking positively over their circumstances instead of succumbing to an exile mindset.
We, as a part of Aglow, have a vital connections with Jerusalem and Israel. Tom told us that Aglow's presence strengthens him. Isaiah 66:4 says "Be glad with Jerusalem and rejoice with her!"
Yad Vashem is a memorial set up to remember and honor the SEVEN MILLION plus people who died in the Holocaust. Murder was committed to entire Jewish communities during this time in history. There is a giant stone artwork that is set up outside the memorial that is designed and shaped like a map of the Jewish communities that were killed.
We toured the memorial. We saw pictures and videos of Jews being murdered, tortured, starved and abused by Germans. There were also other groups and nations who lent an evil hand in the destruction of SEVEN MILLION Jews. In the memorial, we saw a set of braids. Real hair that a girl had cut off. She put them in a satchel, then they led her off and killed her. Her father came home to find only his daughter's braids.
When Israel gained it's independence not too long ago, thousands of people were still in prison!
Concentration camp horrors--oppression--abounded. In Yad Vashem, there was a concentration camp model that showed how the Jews were led into it by the hundreds and thousands and eventually led into gas chambers and their bodies lifted up out of the chambers to be burned or buried. Led like cattle. The realities and atrocities that occurred--it was not even humane one bit.
There were stories of triumph amidst the horrors. In one camp, a Jew bribed an inmate to get materials for a shofar. He then courageously blew the shofar on Rash Hashonna! If you are part of Aglow, you know that was a SOUND OF PRAISE that was released in that place!
Another Jew also bribed one for a potato sack. He wrote down the prayer for Rosh Hashonna to recite it on that holiday.
The German soldiers created gas chambers because they kept getting blood all over their uniforms. They needed a place where they could kill a LOT of Jews without getting messy--hence, the gas chambers. Their methods were psychopathic and non-emotional. Crowds stood to watch in various locations as Jew after Jew was herded in to be shot and killed.
In the end part of Yad Vashem, there is a giant cone hanging from the ceiling. They have names and pictures of 600 Jews hanging from the ceiling. I tried to look at all of them as a token of respect. They all had lives and smiles and things going on in their lives! Sonia Neeson is one of the names that I have noted and I display it here in memory of her name.
Yad Vashem means a name and a memory. You can find the scripture that speaks of doing this in Isaiah 56:5.
Visiting Yad Vashem was very emotional and very somber. It was the truth of history.
After we left the memorial, we travel to visit the Garden Tomb. In this place, we sang "I Love You Lord." It was very lovely. I was reminded how beautiful Jesus is. Here, we took communion corporately as Aglow. It was very significant. When we finished, we were able to look inside the tomb example. Whether that is exactly the location where Jesus' body laid before He rose from the grave, it is debatable.
We then went and visited King David Church, a Messianic Jewish place of worship and prayer. It was at the top of a mall building. Here, we sang "Oh how I love Jesus." Mr. Tony Hoyt spoke to us in this place. He talked to us about the 7 mountains mantle and he gave us Genesis 1:28--to take dominion.
If you haven't heard, the seven mountains are spoken of by Johnny Enlow. They include Arts&Entertainment; Business; Church; Education; Family; Government and Media. We then stood at the windows of that place which looked out in all directions over the land of Israel and in the city of Jerusalem. We each prayed and spoke over Israel concerning the different mountains and we declared that we would take dominion over the mountains and that God's will would be done on earth in these areas as it is in heaven!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Day 5 of Israel 2012 Trip with Aglow International
Well, it's been a while since I have posted the details from last year's trip to Israel with Aglow International. It is my intent to finish posting the details from last year in effort to make way for the details from this fresh, upcoming trip to Israel with Aglow International. We leave in just 18 days!
Day Five, May 6th 2012. This day, we started with thinking about our causes. What causes do we stand for? And if we think we have a cause, are we truly standing for it? When David came against Goliath, he was fighting for a cause...for his whole nation--Israel.
We began our day by heading toward the actual field--the valley, the dried riverbed--where David found five smooth stones and with the help of the Lord God Almighty, where he slew Goliath.
Together, we sang "The Name of the Lord is, a Strong Tower..." We sang this song in that very same valley that David slew Goliath. We all took up stones and symbolically cast them . We proclaimed God's will on earth as it is in heaven for the causes we are standing up for. Some of my causes include debt, communication, family, Aglow...and especially salvation for our household! In that field, that valley, there was wheat. The wheat field represents a harvest. I prayed concerning this harvest and I poured out some water I had been given over his wheat field.
We got back on the bus. Some women from China revealed that their husbands were not saved. I made a mental note to keep them in prayer.
After this, we went to Ben Yahuda--a shopping area.
We traveled to a wall called the Ramparts. We, together as Aglow International, prayed strategic, effective prayers over Israel. We prayed concerning the UN Council which councils evilly on behalf of Israel. Young people in the Generations Project group from Washington DC prayed powerfully, speaking and proclaiming God's Word over the governmental powers and influences in Israel. The scripture that I declared on the ramparts was "Be of good courage. Do not fear. Do not be dismayed. For the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go!" I pray that in the midst of the oppression and warring on every side of Israel that they find peace and encouragement. We spoke silence to the oppressor's of Israel--God is bigger. I saw people standing firm and steady--unshakeable, unmovable--having done all, stand and stand therefore! In Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully as we prayed on those ramparts of the Old Jerusalem wall.
After that, a few of us got to stroll through the marketplace of Jerusalem. This is where I ate a HUGE swarma! It is a giant pita pocket sandwich filled with meats and veggies and sauce/hummus...mostly meat. It was delicious but very filling. I encourage you to try one if you haven't already!
It was a very full day.
Day Five, May 6th 2012. This day, we started with thinking about our causes. What causes do we stand for? And if we think we have a cause, are we truly standing for it? When David came against Goliath, he was fighting for a cause...for his whole nation--Israel.
We began our day by heading toward the actual field--the valley, the dried riverbed--where David found five smooth stones and with the help of the Lord God Almighty, where he slew Goliath.
Together, we sang "The Name of the Lord is, a Strong Tower..." We sang this song in that very same valley that David slew Goliath. We all took up stones and symbolically cast them . We proclaimed God's will on earth as it is in heaven for the causes we are standing up for. Some of my causes include debt, communication, family, Aglow...and especially salvation for our household! In that field, that valley, there was wheat. The wheat field represents a harvest. I prayed concerning this harvest and I poured out some water I had been given over his wheat field.
We got back on the bus. Some women from China revealed that their husbands were not saved. I made a mental note to keep them in prayer.
After this, we went to Ben Yahuda--a shopping area.
We traveled to a wall called the Ramparts. We, together as Aglow International, prayed strategic, effective prayers over Israel. We prayed concerning the UN Council which councils evilly on behalf of Israel. Young people in the Generations Project group from Washington DC prayed powerfully, speaking and proclaiming God's Word over the governmental powers and influences in Israel. The scripture that I declared on the ramparts was "Be of good courage. Do not fear. Do not be dismayed. For the Lord Your God is with you wherever you go!" I pray that in the midst of the oppression and warring on every side of Israel that they find peace and encouragement. We spoke silence to the oppressor's of Israel--God is bigger. I saw people standing firm and steady--unshakeable, unmovable--having done all, stand and stand therefore! In Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully as we prayed on those ramparts of the Old Jerusalem wall.
After that, a few of us got to stroll through the marketplace of Jerusalem. This is where I ate a HUGE swarma! It is a giant pita pocket sandwich filled with meats and veggies and sauce/hummus...mostly meat. It was delicious but very filling. I encourage you to try one if you haven't already!
It was a very full day.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Day 4 in Jerusalem
On May 5, 2012, We began our 4th day in Jerusalem...bright and early!
We had breakfast at the hotel and got on the bus to head to Masada. Masada means "fortress" in Hebrew.
As we traveled on the bus, our bus guide, Ophir, told us about the mountain goats, called ibex, that you can see as you travel around Israel. He told us the ibex have very large horns that seemingly are not needful for anything...probably just for show.
Just a little interesting nugget: Nancy McDaniel, reminded us of the story about Jael. Jael means ibex! If you remember the story of Jael, she drove the stake into the enemy's temple (Judges 4).
We made a pit stop first, at the wonderful retailer that is Ahava. (Ahava means love.) Ahava is a line of skin care products that use the mud and salt and water from the Dead Sea. These products are wonderful to use--first of all, because they are made in Israel and purchasing them blesses Israel and it's economy! Second of all, the products are great themselves. One of the ladies on our bus told me that she loves the mud bars and uses them all the time. So, I bought some bars and I bought some Ahava body wash. They do make my skin feel good! And it makes me feel good to use them because I feel that I am supporting Israel by doing so. It says produced in Israel right on the packaging! Also, I just discovered that the retailer here in the United States, Ulta Beauty, sells Ahava products! I am so very happy about this! Now, I can purchase Ahava in support of Israel anytime I need to! :)
Alright: back to the trip...
We finally arrived at our destination: Masada.
Masada is awesome! There was grandeur in this mountain view! We climbed to the top of Masada in a cable car. It took us way, way, way up! But, not to worry to all those who are afraid of heights...it was a smooth and calm ride up to the top of the mountain. There is also another way to ascend the mountain...you can take about two hours and climb up the "Snake Path" to the top. It is a very steep climb! You can see the traces of the Snake Path in this picture:
Masada, historically, is a place where King Herod the Great built a fortified fortress atop of this mountain plateau. Then, later in history, a sect of Jews called the Kanai, took refuge in Masada for a short seven years. The Romans came to conquer them, but instead of letting themselves fall into the hands of the Romans, they made a group decision to commit mass suicide. It is an interesting story. I encourage you to look up info about Masada and read more about it.
When we got on the top of the mountain, we gathered as a group with our bus. We sang "The Name of the Lord is, a strong tower..." and "Blessed be the Name of the Lord". The Generation's Group on our bus brought up a banner that said "Outrageous Grace" along with a flag with a roaring lion and fire. This was the Lion of Judah! PRAISE!
It seemed very fitting that we sang "The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower". There was a watch tower at the top of Masada! A few of us were able to climb to the very top of the watch tower.
At the top, I gave a shout and tried to jump for joy. But the vastness of the place. The awesomeness of the view! It was too great for me.
I stood in reverant awe of that place. On top of the watch tower on top of Masada, you can look around and see for miles and miles.
You can see a good portion of the Dead Sea along with other mountains in the far distance. This is part of what our awesome Creator, God, made! The vast expanse of the surrounding desert. The grandness of the mountain. The view. The Holy Awesomness of it all. The view on this mountain reminded me of how Great and Majestic and Grand the Lord God Almighty truly is!
After we descended Masada, we got back on the bus and headed to Qumran--the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were "accidentally" found in the caves.
This location is very dry. They have flash floods that come one or two times a year or less that fill the cisterns and midahs that are located at Qumran. Migdahs are ritual baths. Jews would take migdahs to help purify themselves throughout their lives and before they would enter the Temple in Jerusalem. Authentic migdahs still exist here in Qumran. The tradition is that men could not physically pour water into the migdahs. There had to be a natural way for the ritual baths to fill up with water with the help of aquaducts. So, this place in Qumran that received flash floods occasionally was a perfect place to build several migdahs and aquaduct systems for regular use.
After the hot climb at Masada, we loaded up on the bus and headed to the Dead Sea. The trek to the Dead Sea was very winding and mountainous. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the whole earth! We descended very so quickly so that the pressure change in the atmosphere caused our ears to pop. When we arrived at the Dead Sea, it was much like a beach setting. All kinds of people from all over the world were there in there bathing suits (some unfortunately in less than that--boo to speedos! Ugh.) There was a sign with rules for swimming (or floating, rather) in the Dead Sea.
No splashing! No horseplay. The salt content of the Dead Sea is VERY concentrated. If you get the water in your eyes, which I did, it burns pretty badly. So, when you get into the water in the Dead Sea, you have to be very careful and calm about it. When you get into the Dead Sea, your feet hit the mud at the bottom. It is quite a feeling! Very squishy and gooey mud. It is not very pleasant. Zabrina was not pleased at all about the mud! The water is not very clear at the entrance place where many people were getting in. But, once you get past that bit of unpleasantness, you find a place, lay back, and the low altitude and denseness of the water pushes you up like a buoy. You do not have to try very hard at all to float. The water pretty much floats you. It really is a neat experience. I highly recommend experiencing the Dead Sea for yourself!
And that concludes the events for Day 4 in Israel!
More to come soon...
We had breakfast at the hotel and got on the bus to head to Masada. Masada means "fortress" in Hebrew.
As we traveled on the bus, our bus guide, Ophir, told us about the mountain goats, called ibex, that you can see as you travel around Israel. He told us the ibex have very large horns that seemingly are not needful for anything...probably just for show.
Just a little interesting nugget: Nancy McDaniel, reminded us of the story about Jael. Jael means ibex! If you remember the story of Jael, she drove the stake into the enemy's temple (Judges 4).
We made a pit stop first, at the wonderful retailer that is Ahava. (Ahava means love.) Ahava is a line of skin care products that use the mud and salt and water from the Dead Sea. These products are wonderful to use--first of all, because they are made in Israel and purchasing them blesses Israel and it's economy! Second of all, the products are great themselves. One of the ladies on our bus told me that she loves the mud bars and uses them all the time. So, I bought some bars and I bought some Ahava body wash. They do make my skin feel good! And it makes me feel good to use them because I feel that I am supporting Israel by doing so. It says produced in Israel right on the packaging! Also, I just discovered that the retailer here in the United States, Ulta Beauty, sells Ahava products! I am so very happy about this! Now, I can purchase Ahava in support of Israel anytime I need to! :)
Alright: back to the trip...
We finally arrived at our destination: Masada.
Masada is awesome! There was grandeur in this mountain view! We climbed to the top of Masada in a cable car. It took us way, way, way up! But, not to worry to all those who are afraid of heights...it was a smooth and calm ride up to the top of the mountain. There is also another way to ascend the mountain...you can take about two hours and climb up the "Snake Path" to the top. It is a very steep climb! You can see the traces of the Snake Path in this picture:
Masada, historically, is a place where King Herod the Great built a fortified fortress atop of this mountain plateau. Then, later in history, a sect of Jews called the Kanai, took refuge in Masada for a short seven years. The Romans came to conquer them, but instead of letting themselves fall into the hands of the Romans, they made a group decision to commit mass suicide. It is an interesting story. I encourage you to look up info about Masada and read more about it.
When we got on the top of the mountain, we gathered as a group with our bus. We sang "The Name of the Lord is, a strong tower..." and "Blessed be the Name of the Lord". The Generation's Group on our bus brought up a banner that said "Outrageous Grace" along with a flag with a roaring lion and fire. This was the Lion of Judah! PRAISE!
It seemed very fitting that we sang "The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower". There was a watch tower at the top of Masada! A few of us were able to climb to the very top of the watch tower.
At the top, I gave a shout and tried to jump for joy. But the vastness of the place. The awesomeness of the view! It was too great for me.
I stood in reverant awe of that place. On top of the watch tower on top of Masada, you can look around and see for miles and miles.
You can see a good portion of the Dead Sea along with other mountains in the far distance. This is part of what our awesome Creator, God, made! The vast expanse of the surrounding desert. The grandness of the mountain. The view. The Holy Awesomness of it all. The view on this mountain reminded me of how Great and Majestic and Grand the Lord God Almighty truly is!
After we descended Masada, we got back on the bus and headed to Qumran--the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were "accidentally" found in the caves.
This location is very dry. They have flash floods that come one or two times a year or less that fill the cisterns and midahs that are located at Qumran. Migdahs are ritual baths. Jews would take migdahs to help purify themselves throughout their lives and before they would enter the Temple in Jerusalem. Authentic migdahs still exist here in Qumran. The tradition is that men could not physically pour water into the migdahs. There had to be a natural way for the ritual baths to fill up with water with the help of aquaducts. So, this place in Qumran that received flash floods occasionally was a perfect place to build several migdahs and aquaduct systems for regular use.
After the hot climb at Masada, we loaded up on the bus and headed to the Dead Sea. The trek to the Dead Sea was very winding and mountainous. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the whole earth! We descended very so quickly so that the pressure change in the atmosphere caused our ears to pop. When we arrived at the Dead Sea, it was much like a beach setting. All kinds of people from all over the world were there in there bathing suits (some unfortunately in less than that--boo to speedos! Ugh.) There was a sign with rules for swimming (or floating, rather) in the Dead Sea.
No splashing! No horseplay. The salt content of the Dead Sea is VERY concentrated. If you get the water in your eyes, which I did, it burns pretty badly. So, when you get into the water in the Dead Sea, you have to be very careful and calm about it. When you get into the Dead Sea, your feet hit the mud at the bottom. It is quite a feeling! Very squishy and gooey mud. It is not very pleasant. Zabrina was not pleased at all about the mud! The water is not very clear at the entrance place where many people were getting in. But, once you get past that bit of unpleasantness, you find a place, lay back, and the low altitude and denseness of the water pushes you up like a buoy. You do not have to try very hard at all to float. The water pretty much floats you. It really is a neat experience. I highly recommend experiencing the Dead Sea for yourself!
And that concludes the events for Day 4 in Israel!
More to come soon...
Friday, May 4, 2012
Day 3 in Israel!
May 4th, 2012, was our 3rd full day in Israel.
We headed out from the hotel towards Mount Olive.
As we traveled, a woman from England shared an encouraging word with us to help us start our day. She told us our word of the day was "deposit". The Lord God has made a deposit of love into us. (This makes me think: we should be very well equipped with this deposit of love!)
As we traveled, Ophir shared more interesting tidbits with us.
One very interesting fact: the Israelites have a dedicated memorial erected to honor the victims of 9/11! Is that considerate or what?! As we passed by this memorial, I thought--these people, the Israelites, could have just viewed the events of 9/11 and then went about their own business. But they didn't! They saw what happened, then they took time out to build and erect a memorial for all those lost in the 9/11 tragedy. I was very much in awe of this action!
As we were driving, Ophir told us "all the buildings in Israel are made with limestone--this gives the city a unified look." I heard the word "unified" and I thought that was a great bit of information...
Our bus guide also told us an interesting story relating to the wars that occured right before Israel became independent. (Israel just celebrated it's 64th year of Independence just a couple of weeks ago.) He said that at the 67 borderline, a place where much shooting occured, there was a monastery that sat right on that borderline amidst the war shooting. During the mayhem, a nun accidentally dropped her teeth out of the window. A cease fire was called and a high-ranking Israeli official, a high-ranking Jordani official and a high-ranking Muslim official all went to meet near this borderline to help retrieve the teeth and give them back to the nun. She got her teeth back, then the officials split back up and the fighting resumed! Crazy but interesting! When you drive by this borderline area, you can see many buildings still riddled with bullet holes.
As we drove towards Mount Olive, Ophir told us that the Mormons have a college in Israel. He also stressed that the Mormons are under strict guidelines NOT to solicit door-to-door. Just an interesting fact...
Our bus guide also shared with us that real estate is very hotly contested in Israel. The land is not just land! Each real estate deal is very important and buying and selling land in Israel is a very emotional ordeal.
What I know about the land of Israel is that in Genesis 12, the Lord God told Abraham to go to a land He would show him. God said He would give the land to Abraham's seed. So, that particular land, Israel, is indeed the Israelites' land because GOD SAID SO! But power and land hungry men have come in and tried to claim the land of Israel for themselves. They have gone against the words from God's own mouth and in this day, the land of Israel is just about the size of Virginia...maybe even smaller. I'm no scholar on this, but I am sure in my spirit that more land belongs to the Israelites based on what God has said than what man has "deeded" unto them and I pray and I hope that all the land that God says is theirs will be returned unto them! May recompense be made and restoration of land be made in Jesus' name!
A few more interesting facts: Mount Moriah is where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed. Also, the REAL ancient Jerusalem is just an old hill near the modern Jerusalem of today.
We arrived at Mount Olive and gathered together on a viewpoint where we could look out and see a very large portion of the city of Jerusalem. As our Aglow group sat together, we listened to a veteran soldier. He told us about a battle that occurred not too long ago. Jerusalem was taken and the mission was to breakthrough the wall of Jerusalem and reclaim the city. The Israeli soldiers made it to the wall and waited for further instruction. The enemy had set up shop with guns in the temple area. When given the orders, they broke through to the place around the temple. A Chief Rabbi of the Israelites led them into the place surrounding the temple. The soldiers were instructed NOT to shoot at the temple mounts even though the enemy was shooting at them from their vantage points in the mounts. The Chief Rabbi came in with NO gun! And they entered into the temple area THROUGH THE LION GATE! The Rabbi came in only with a Torah in one hand and a shofar in the other! He blew the shofar and the Israelites regained control of the temple! On that day, they proclaimed it as Israelite territory again! (Woot! Go Lion of Judah--PRAISE!) This is an awesome historic victory for the Israelites!
In Zechariah 14:3-4, the Word of God says that the Lord will go forth and fight against nations and His feet shall stand on that day on the Mount of Olives. Just as the Mount of Olives was an important location as to where Jesus ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, the Mount of Olives is also a very strategic and prominent place where the Son of War will take care of some serious business when He comes back to earth! His feet will stand there again!
When the veteran soldier finished speaking, we broke out with a strategic, corporate shout right there on the viewpoint of the Mount of Olives. To victory!
More great fact tidbits: Ophir told us a very interesting bit of information about "the eye of the needle". You ever read that scripture in Matthew 19:24 where Jesus says "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?" I've always read that scripture, and being the visual person that I am, I've actually tried to picture a very small silver threading needle and a giant camel--and I thought, Yep! DEFINATELY would NOT fit!
But come to find out, "the eye of a needle" was actually a one-man size crack in the wall nearby the gate to the city. When one or very few people would come up to the gate of the city to find it closed, instead of the gatekeepers opening the giant gate to let the few people in, they could slip into the city through "the eye of the needle"--the crack in the wall near the gate! I'm so glad I've got a corrected visual here! With tidbits of important information like this, I feel like I've been working on a HUGE puzzle for a loooooooong time and in discovering information like this--makes me feel like I've finally found a piece of the puzzle that I've been looking for forever! Details like these are soooooo exciting! I wonder how many more details like these there are to discover... :D
Let me backtrack a bit here: As we stood on the Mount of Olives, we could see across the rather good-sized valley/hill between the Mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem. Zabrina noted that the distance from the Lady of the Ark church, where the ark had rested, all the way to the temple--that distance is a very LOOOOONG distance! And David praised and danced his way all the way from where the ark rested and all the way into the city of Jerusalem to the temple! This was a serious distance and some serious expended energy! It wasn't no jump-three-times then David was done. This was a MAJOR ordeal in getting the ark from it's resting place and back into the temple in Jerusalem where it belonged. Zabrina pondered the kind of stamina and endurance that was needed for this endeavour. This feat definately had to have been carried out via the Spirit of the Lord God Almighty!
After these festivities, we hopped on the bus and traveled to Old Jerusalem.
We ate lunch there. Then we traveled to the beautiful Garden of Bethsaida. We held prayer groups in that garden.
It was not an insignificant moment. God knows. (Just a little note to any future Jerusalem sojouners, this location has a wonderful little gift shop! We just didn't have time to stop there.)
After the garden, we went to the Western Wall. We got to pray at the Western Wall.
There were many locals there, praying at the wall. Many had their scriptures with them. They were reading them. The men and the women are seperated at the wall. The men go to one side of the wall to pray; the women go to the other. Do you wonder why the Western Wall is so special to the Israelites/Jews? Compared to how and where the temple was located, the Western Wall is the wall that was closest to the Holy of Holies! The Holy of Holies, or the "most Holy place", is where the Lord God Almighty came down and dwelled among the people in His temple. Zabrina and I approached the Wall together. We prayed for various prayer requests and we prayed personal prayers.
It is hard to describe the experience there. All I can say is: Wow! Very powerful, amplified and profound. This is definately something one should experience for oneself. The Holy Spirit was so very present. It was VERY exciting!
We then returned to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We had a special shabbat dinner on this evening. Asher and Betty Intrater, conservative Jews and directors of Revive Israel Ministries, led us in the shabbat dinner ceremony and spoke with us more on the Jewish perspective of Christian and Biblical information.
The shabbat dinner was very special. We all sat at round tables which helped us have a sense of "family" as we partook Shabbat dinner's are done every Friday, right before the evening starts. Genesis 2 is read to discuss and remember God's creation. Psalm 92 is read--this Psalm is specifically for shabbat. Proverbs 31 is read to bless the women! Jews consider women the center of the home and they greatly celebrate women and the whole family! Then, they bless the children. Then, they bless any guests they have with them at their dinner. Then, they partake of communion...the break is broken first and then the wine is received. Asher's son-in-law reminded us that when we set aside a day of rest, it honors God as the Creator. We greatly enjoyed celebrating shabbat right there in Israel!
After this, Asher spoke to us about some awesome and timely things! He also shared a bit of his testimony. About 35 years ago, Asher asked Jesus to come into his life. Jesus said, "No. I'm not just an object to be put in your pocket. It's all or nothing." It took Asher a year and a half to come to terms with that very important truth. Wow. The Lord needs willing, sincere, serious, committed people to help get things done for the kingdom of God!
Asher's sharing and speaking to us was VERY encouraging. I felt very strengthened and more grounded and sure about some of the things I've been walking in than I ever have before! Thank the Lord God for His Orchestration and Provision!
It was after this bit of revelation and sharing, while alone, that the Lord met me face-to-face---spirit-to-spirit. He spoke ever so clearly to me as like person-to-person. His presence was closer than I'd ever felt before. His voice was strong, VERY clear, gentle and full of authority! He simply spoke some of the words of Isaiah 43:1 to me, through me, over me, around me..."You are mine. I have chosen you. I have called you by name!" He spoke these words to me right there in Israel--in Jerusalem! Significant words. Significant location. He wasn't just speaking these words to me, He was speaking them over "Jacob"--over Israel! It all still resonates! The impact is HUGE--do we rightly know the great power of the Almighty God?!
Wow!
I will post the next day soon!
We headed out from the hotel towards Mount Olive.
As we traveled, a woman from England shared an encouraging word with us to help us start our day. She told us our word of the day was "deposit". The Lord God has made a deposit of love into us. (This makes me think: we should be very well equipped with this deposit of love!)
As we traveled, Ophir shared more interesting tidbits with us.
One very interesting fact: the Israelites have a dedicated memorial erected to honor the victims of 9/11! Is that considerate or what?! As we passed by this memorial, I thought--these people, the Israelites, could have just viewed the events of 9/11 and then went about their own business. But they didn't! They saw what happened, then they took time out to build and erect a memorial for all those lost in the 9/11 tragedy. I was very much in awe of this action!
As we were driving, Ophir told us "all the buildings in Israel are made with limestone--this gives the city a unified look." I heard the word "unified" and I thought that was a great bit of information...
Our bus guide also told us an interesting story relating to the wars that occured right before Israel became independent. (Israel just celebrated it's 64th year of Independence just a couple of weeks ago.) He said that at the 67 borderline, a place where much shooting occured, there was a monastery that sat right on that borderline amidst the war shooting. During the mayhem, a nun accidentally dropped her teeth out of the window. A cease fire was called and a high-ranking Israeli official, a high-ranking Jordani official and a high-ranking Muslim official all went to meet near this borderline to help retrieve the teeth and give them back to the nun. She got her teeth back, then the officials split back up and the fighting resumed! Crazy but interesting! When you drive by this borderline area, you can see many buildings still riddled with bullet holes.
As we drove towards Mount Olive, Ophir told us that the Mormons have a college in Israel. He also stressed that the Mormons are under strict guidelines NOT to solicit door-to-door. Just an interesting fact...
Our bus guide also shared with us that real estate is very hotly contested in Israel. The land is not just land! Each real estate deal is very important and buying and selling land in Israel is a very emotional ordeal.
What I know about the land of Israel is that in Genesis 12, the Lord God told Abraham to go to a land He would show him. God said He would give the land to Abraham's seed. So, that particular land, Israel, is indeed the Israelites' land because GOD SAID SO! But power and land hungry men have come in and tried to claim the land of Israel for themselves. They have gone against the words from God's own mouth and in this day, the land of Israel is just about the size of Virginia...maybe even smaller. I'm no scholar on this, but I am sure in my spirit that more land belongs to the Israelites based on what God has said than what man has "deeded" unto them and I pray and I hope that all the land that God says is theirs will be returned unto them! May recompense be made and restoration of land be made in Jesus' name!
A few more interesting facts: Mount Moriah is where Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed. Also, the REAL ancient Jerusalem is just an old hill near the modern Jerusalem of today.
We arrived at Mount Olive and gathered together on a viewpoint where we could look out and see a very large portion of the city of Jerusalem. As our Aglow group sat together, we listened to a veteran soldier. He told us about a battle that occurred not too long ago. Jerusalem was taken and the mission was to breakthrough the wall of Jerusalem and reclaim the city. The Israeli soldiers made it to the wall and waited for further instruction. The enemy had set up shop with guns in the temple area. When given the orders, they broke through to the place around the temple. A Chief Rabbi of the Israelites led them into the place surrounding the temple. The soldiers were instructed NOT to shoot at the temple mounts even though the enemy was shooting at them from their vantage points in the mounts. The Chief Rabbi came in with NO gun! And they entered into the temple area THROUGH THE LION GATE! The Rabbi came in only with a Torah in one hand and a shofar in the other! He blew the shofar and the Israelites regained control of the temple! On that day, they proclaimed it as Israelite territory again! (Woot! Go Lion of Judah--PRAISE!) This is an awesome historic victory for the Israelites!
In Zechariah 14:3-4, the Word of God says that the Lord will go forth and fight against nations and His feet shall stand on that day on the Mount of Olives. Just as the Mount of Olives was an important location as to where Jesus ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, the Mount of Olives is also a very strategic and prominent place where the Son of War will take care of some serious business when He comes back to earth! His feet will stand there again!
When the veteran soldier finished speaking, we broke out with a strategic, corporate shout right there on the viewpoint of the Mount of Olives. To victory!
More great fact tidbits: Ophir told us a very interesting bit of information about "the eye of the needle". You ever read that scripture in Matthew 19:24 where Jesus says "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?" I've always read that scripture, and being the visual person that I am, I've actually tried to picture a very small silver threading needle and a giant camel--and I thought, Yep! DEFINATELY would NOT fit!
But come to find out, "the eye of a needle" was actually a one-man size crack in the wall nearby the gate to the city. When one or very few people would come up to the gate of the city to find it closed, instead of the gatekeepers opening the giant gate to let the few people in, they could slip into the city through "the eye of the needle"--the crack in the wall near the gate! I'm so glad I've got a corrected visual here! With tidbits of important information like this, I feel like I've been working on a HUGE puzzle for a loooooooong time and in discovering information like this--makes me feel like I've finally found a piece of the puzzle that I've been looking for forever! Details like these are soooooo exciting! I wonder how many more details like these there are to discover... :D
Let me backtrack a bit here: As we stood on the Mount of Olives, we could see across the rather good-sized valley/hill between the Mount of Olives and the city of Jerusalem. Zabrina noted that the distance from the Lady of the Ark church, where the ark had rested, all the way to the temple--that distance is a very LOOOOONG distance! And David praised and danced his way all the way from where the ark rested and all the way into the city of Jerusalem to the temple! This was a serious distance and some serious expended energy! It wasn't no jump-three-times then David was done. This was a MAJOR ordeal in getting the ark from it's resting place and back into the temple in Jerusalem where it belonged. Zabrina pondered the kind of stamina and endurance that was needed for this endeavour. This feat definately had to have been carried out via the Spirit of the Lord God Almighty!
After these festivities, we hopped on the bus and traveled to Old Jerusalem.
We ate lunch there. Then we traveled to the beautiful Garden of Bethsaida. We held prayer groups in that garden.
It was not an insignificant moment. God knows. (Just a little note to any future Jerusalem sojouners, this location has a wonderful little gift shop! We just didn't have time to stop there.)
After the garden, we went to the Western Wall. We got to pray at the Western Wall.
There were many locals there, praying at the wall. Many had their scriptures with them. They were reading them. The men and the women are seperated at the wall. The men go to one side of the wall to pray; the women go to the other. Do you wonder why the Western Wall is so special to the Israelites/Jews? Compared to how and where the temple was located, the Western Wall is the wall that was closest to the Holy of Holies! The Holy of Holies, or the "most Holy place", is where the Lord God Almighty came down and dwelled among the people in His temple. Zabrina and I approached the Wall together. We prayed for various prayer requests and we prayed personal prayers.
It is hard to describe the experience there. All I can say is: Wow! Very powerful, amplified and profound. This is definately something one should experience for oneself. The Holy Spirit was so very present. It was VERY exciting!
We then returned to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We had a special shabbat dinner on this evening. Asher and Betty Intrater, conservative Jews and directors of Revive Israel Ministries, led us in the shabbat dinner ceremony and spoke with us more on the Jewish perspective of Christian and Biblical information.
The shabbat dinner was very special. We all sat at round tables which helped us have a sense of "family" as we partook Shabbat dinner's are done every Friday, right before the evening starts. Genesis 2 is read to discuss and remember God's creation. Psalm 92 is read--this Psalm is specifically for shabbat. Proverbs 31 is read to bless the women! Jews consider women the center of the home and they greatly celebrate women and the whole family! Then, they bless the children. Then, they bless any guests they have with them at their dinner. Then, they partake of communion...the break is broken first and then the wine is received. Asher's son-in-law reminded us that when we set aside a day of rest, it honors God as the Creator. We greatly enjoyed celebrating shabbat right there in Israel!
After this, Asher spoke to us about some awesome and timely things! He also shared a bit of his testimony. About 35 years ago, Asher asked Jesus to come into his life. Jesus said, "No. I'm not just an object to be put in your pocket. It's all or nothing." It took Asher a year and a half to come to terms with that very important truth. Wow. The Lord needs willing, sincere, serious, committed people to help get things done for the kingdom of God!
Asher's sharing and speaking to us was VERY encouraging. I felt very strengthened and more grounded and sure about some of the things I've been walking in than I ever have before! Thank the Lord God for His Orchestration and Provision!
It was after this bit of revelation and sharing, while alone, that the Lord met me face-to-face---spirit-to-spirit. He spoke ever so clearly to me as like person-to-person. His presence was closer than I'd ever felt before. His voice was strong, VERY clear, gentle and full of authority! He simply spoke some of the words of Isaiah 43:1 to me, through me, over me, around me..."You are mine. I have chosen you. I have called you by name!" He spoke these words to me right there in Israel--in Jerusalem! Significant words. Significant location. He wasn't just speaking these words to me, He was speaking them over "Jacob"--over Israel! It all still resonates! The impact is HUGE--do we rightly know the great power of the Almighty God?!
Wow!
I will post the next day soon!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Day 2 full day in Israel
Hello again everybody!
Today has been a full day again! We are gearing up to head out the country and back to our homes. We are thoroughly enjoying all the sites and information and meaningful places. We are also looking forward to getting back to our homes.
I will be blogging the days of our journey for a few days after we return to the states, so be sure to continue to read up on our adventures. We’ve just been going and going and haven’t had a whole lot of time to blog! But keep reading!
You know, this location is definitely super awesome to be in. But it’s not just the location that makes the place…it’s the people. Like, why would we even come to this country if it had not have been for Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection here?! It’s all about Jesus! But, the people here with us on our adventure are important, too. So, I will be mentioning some of them as we go.
One of the people that we bumped into was named Sue. Sue is a single mother of a 20 something year old son. She testified to us that God has taken great care of her and her son! The Lord has provided abundantly for them! She said she has NO DEBT! She said the Lord has provided the way for her son to be able to attend a college without accruing any debt. For a single mother, that is absolutely awesome!!! God is soooooo good!
Ok, more on the trip…Each morning, when we board the bus, we tend to have a word of encouragement or exhortation and some scripture and prayer to share as we are travelling to our first destination for the day. This day, we started our day with Zephaniah 3—“Sing O Daughter of Zion!” And here we were: Aglow ladies (and some men), singing and praying together in Israel and over Israel. Very lovely!
Some factual tidbits learned from Ophir (the bus tour guide I mentioned earlier): On most every doorpost in Israel, they have a little box with a small scripture inside the box. This is called a mezuzah. They do this in remembrance of the story about the angel of death sweeping over Egypt to kill all the firstborn. God told the people to put the blood of a sacrifice on the doorpost and that the angel of death would pass by—or Passover—and it would not harm them. So, they keep this memory and tradition by placing a mezuzah at each and every doorpost…even in the hotels! The restuarants, the stores…everywhere.
As we were travelling around Jerusalem, we kept seeing Jewish men with the black hats and broad brims walking around. These men also have one curl by each ear that hangs down about the length of the their face and neck. We asked Ophir why the Jewish men touted these two curls. He said these curls are kept by very religous Jews in homage and recognition for the poor. In Leviticus 19:19, God tells His people that when they reap their harvest, they are to leave the corners of their fields for the needy and for the stranger. So, these Jewish men keep the curls at the corner of their faces in remembrance of this command.
Our first stop of Day 2 was St. Peter’s Primacy which is near the Church of the Multiplication (where Jesus multiplies the 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread to feed a huge crowd.
This area is right at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. We stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in this place where there were many rocks and small shells.
It was very tranquil and inspiring...to know that Jesus taught in this area and the church started through Peter in this very location…awesome!
We, this whole group of Aglow, stood together and sang together. “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord, He is Lord. He has risen from the dead and he is Lord.” As we were singing, I was thinking about Peter and how he had denied Jesus as He was being taken away to be questioned, beaten, tortured, then hung on the cross. But now, today, here we were, singing together as the church body—as Aglow—in the place of Peter’s stone, that Jesus Christ IS Lord—a confession of Jesus on the shores of Galilee! Praise God!
At this time and in this location, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and after we gave thanks and praise together, we took some time to humble ourselves and pray. It was here that we bowed down to the Lord God Almighty—our Defender, our Protector, our Shield and our Strength. As we bowed, the Lord Jesus Christ knelt down between us in this awesome moment…He is ever present and He never leaves us! As I bowed down, I knew the Lord God Almighty was swinging His Sword and His Scepter over me and the enemy was dealt a mighty blow! In this moment. On the shore of Galilee.
What an Awesome God!
After St. Peter’s Primacy, we went to the Golan Heights.
We stood on the lookout point. A lot of war history has occurred in the Golan Heights. Together, as Aglow, we prayed over Israel and for the protection of Israel there on the Golan Heights. Feel free to look up more history on the Golan Heights…
After the Heights, we visited the Lady of the Holy Ark Church. This is the location where the ark of God rested before coming into Jerusalem.
Psalm 122 shows a heart for Israel—Peace to Jerusalem.
When King David went to retrieve the ark from this location, he came with great rejoicing and much dancing! So, we, as Aglow, sang and danced and praised the Lord within this location. We, as a group, were probably much more reserved than David was when he came to get the ark, but we gave it our best. Zabrina danced up a storm, along with dancing partner Tawny, in homage to this very significant historic event!
Here are some of her thoughts on activities from that day:
"I am so thankful I am with Aglow. It is more than "Just a tour." We are understanding the significance of the places from the past, present and future. Also praying over the Land, having a time of Praise and Worship (at certain locations) and hearing inspiring words that Stir our Spirits. I have had some pretty profound times where the Spirit is so Present I've wanted to go crazy. This happened when we were at a church where the Ark rested (before David brought it to Jerusalem). As the speaker was sharing my body was shaking. Luckily I was able to Dance during our Praise and released it into the atmosphere; I danced with another young girl before the group."
Zabrina Robinson
From that location, we visited Mount Scopus. In this location, we observed a Watchmen on the Wall Commissioning ceremony.
People have the opportunity to take a Watchmen on the Wall seminar through aglow.org that is set up in various locations in the United States. Several people on this trip had completed this seminar and so we observed as they were all officially commissioned by Sandy Wezowicz, US Regional Director. Watchmen on the Wall equips believers to knowledgeably and strategically pray for Israel and Jerusalem. If you are interested in this program, please go to www.aglow.org to find more info.
After the commissioning ceremony, we all sang "Glory and Honor and Praises, Glory and Honor to Him..."
We then loaded on the bus to head back to the hotel. As we were driving back, Ophir (our bus guide), told us about shabbat. The word shabbat means to seize or to cease. Jews observe shabbat each week from Friday evening to Saturday evening. Why is it from evening to evening? Because in Genesis 1:5, it says "and the evening and the morning were the first day." This is how the Lord worked in creating everything--from the evening to the morning. So, a new day actually begins in the evening! (This all honors God, you see?)
And that concludes our Day 3 activities. We came back to our hotel and plopped right into bed…we were tired! In a good way, but tired.
Shalowm from Israel.
Today has been a full day again! We are gearing up to head out the country and back to our homes. We are thoroughly enjoying all the sites and information and meaningful places. We are also looking forward to getting back to our homes.
I will be blogging the days of our journey for a few days after we return to the states, so be sure to continue to read up on our adventures. We’ve just been going and going and haven’t had a whole lot of time to blog! But keep reading!
You know, this location is definitely super awesome to be in. But it’s not just the location that makes the place…it’s the people. Like, why would we even come to this country if it had not have been for Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection here?! It’s all about Jesus! But, the people here with us on our adventure are important, too. So, I will be mentioning some of them as we go.
One of the people that we bumped into was named Sue. Sue is a single mother of a 20 something year old son. She testified to us that God has taken great care of her and her son! The Lord has provided abundantly for them! She said she has NO DEBT! She said the Lord has provided the way for her son to be able to attend a college without accruing any debt. For a single mother, that is absolutely awesome!!! God is soooooo good!
Ok, more on the trip…Each morning, when we board the bus, we tend to have a word of encouragement or exhortation and some scripture and prayer to share as we are travelling to our first destination for the day. This day, we started our day with Zephaniah 3—“Sing O Daughter of Zion!” And here we were: Aglow ladies (and some men), singing and praying together in Israel and over Israel. Very lovely!
Some factual tidbits learned from Ophir (the bus tour guide I mentioned earlier): On most every doorpost in Israel, they have a little box with a small scripture inside the box. This is called a mezuzah. They do this in remembrance of the story about the angel of death sweeping over Egypt to kill all the firstborn. God told the people to put the blood of a sacrifice on the doorpost and that the angel of death would pass by—or Passover—and it would not harm them. So, they keep this memory and tradition by placing a mezuzah at each and every doorpost…even in the hotels! The restuarants, the stores…everywhere.
As we were travelling around Jerusalem, we kept seeing Jewish men with the black hats and broad brims walking around. These men also have one curl by each ear that hangs down about the length of the their face and neck. We asked Ophir why the Jewish men touted these two curls. He said these curls are kept by very religous Jews in homage and recognition for the poor. In Leviticus 19:19, God tells His people that when they reap their harvest, they are to leave the corners of their fields for the needy and for the stranger. So, these Jewish men keep the curls at the corner of their faces in remembrance of this command.
Our first stop of Day 2 was St. Peter’s Primacy which is near the Church of the Multiplication (where Jesus multiplies the 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread to feed a huge crowd.
This area is right at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. We stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in this place where there were many rocks and small shells.
It was very tranquil and inspiring...to know that Jesus taught in this area and the church started through Peter in this very location…awesome!
We, this whole group of Aglow, stood together and sang together. “Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord, He is Lord. He has risen from the dead and he is Lord.” As we were singing, I was thinking about Peter and how he had denied Jesus as He was being taken away to be questioned, beaten, tortured, then hung on the cross. But now, today, here we were, singing together as the church body—as Aglow—in the place of Peter’s stone, that Jesus Christ IS Lord—a confession of Jesus on the shores of Galilee! Praise God!
At this time and in this location, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and after we gave thanks and praise together, we took some time to humble ourselves and pray. It was here that we bowed down to the Lord God Almighty—our Defender, our Protector, our Shield and our Strength. As we bowed, the Lord Jesus Christ knelt down between us in this awesome moment…He is ever present and He never leaves us! As I bowed down, I knew the Lord God Almighty was swinging His Sword and His Scepter over me and the enemy was dealt a mighty blow! In this moment. On the shore of Galilee.
What an Awesome God!
After St. Peter’s Primacy, we went to the Golan Heights.
We stood on the lookout point. A lot of war history has occurred in the Golan Heights. Together, as Aglow, we prayed over Israel and for the protection of Israel there on the Golan Heights. Feel free to look up more history on the Golan Heights…
After the Heights, we visited the Lady of the Holy Ark Church. This is the location where the ark of God rested before coming into Jerusalem.
Psalm 122 shows a heart for Israel—Peace to Jerusalem.
When King David went to retrieve the ark from this location, he came with great rejoicing and much dancing! So, we, as Aglow, sang and danced and praised the Lord within this location. We, as a group, were probably much more reserved than David was when he came to get the ark, but we gave it our best. Zabrina danced up a storm, along with dancing partner Tawny, in homage to this very significant historic event!
Here are some of her thoughts on activities from that day:
"I am so thankful I am with Aglow. It is more than "Just a tour." We are understanding the significance of the places from the past, present and future. Also praying over the Land, having a time of Praise and Worship (at certain locations) and hearing inspiring words that Stir our Spirits. I have had some pretty profound times where the Spirit is so Present I've wanted to go crazy. This happened when we were at a church where the Ark rested (before David brought it to Jerusalem). As the speaker was sharing my body was shaking. Luckily I was able to Dance during our Praise and released it into the atmosphere; I danced with another young girl before the group."
Zabrina Robinson
From that location, we visited Mount Scopus. In this location, we observed a Watchmen on the Wall Commissioning ceremony. People have the opportunity to take a Watchmen on the Wall seminar through aglow.org that is set up in various locations in the United States. Several people on this trip had completed this seminar and so we observed as they were all officially commissioned by Sandy Wezowicz, US Regional Director. Watchmen on the Wall equips believers to knowledgeably and strategically pray for Israel and Jerusalem. If you are interested in this program, please go to www.aglow.org to find more info.
After the commissioning ceremony, we all sang "Glory and Honor and Praises, Glory and Honor to Him..."
We then loaded on the bus to head back to the hotel. As we were driving back, Ophir (our bus guide), told us about shabbat. The word shabbat means to seize or to cease. Jews observe shabbat each week from Friday evening to Saturday evening. Why is it from evening to evening? Because in Genesis 1:5, it says "and the evening and the morning were the first day." This is how the Lord worked in creating everything--from the evening to the morning. So, a new day actually begins in the evening! (This all honors God, you see?)
And that concludes our Day 3 activities. We came back to our hotel and plopped right into bed…we were tired! In a good way, but tired.
Shalowm from Israel.
First Full Day in Israel...
Hello!
Whew what a full up day today! All our days have been very full of meaningful and wondrous events, locations, and peoples!
After arriving at the airport, we took care of our bags, found the group we were to meet, and hopped on our bus to head to our hotel. We arrived at our hotel, the Rominum in Tiberias, Israel on May 1st. As I mentioned in the last post, there were great gusts of wind flowing around and the tour guide, Ophir, mentioned that the weather was very unusual for this time of the year.
Our tour guide, Ophir, is very knowledgeable about the details of Israel. He was born in Israel, has a wife and four children. He lived in the United States for a while, then moved back to Israel. He has been giving us many wonderful facts and lots of information about the places we are visiting, the geography of Israel, the vegetation of Israel and anything else we are interested in learning about. He seems to genuinely care about his land and the land of his forefathers.
We learned that the population of Jerusalem is about 800,000 people! This is the largest city in Israel. There are many different cities in Israel...some are Jewish, some Arab, some other.
The terrain of the area between the airport and Tiberias is very rocky. Everywhere you look you can see rocky hills with tufts of grass here and there. You can also see a lot more surface dirt and much less green green grass throughout the region.
Ophir told us about some different economic aspects of Israel. An Israeli drug company called Teva, has designed, produced and marketed a pill camera that one can swallow and doctors can use to track and diagnose your internal systems via this camera that you ingest! Israel has got some great ideas--some brilliant minds.
At the hotel, we had a corporate meeting with Jane Hansen-Hoyt and the chief executive team of Aglow. She started it off by saying “Rejoice with Jerusalem!” (will have to look up that scripture reference…) She talked about restoring a sound of worship in Israel and arising to a new level of thinking, seeing, speaking, standing and working. We are involved in spiritual warfare to discover the majesty and supremacy of God. We ended our initial meeting, then hopped back on the bus to head to the Sea of Galilee.
We arrived at the Sea of Galilee and got on two, large boats. Then, the 194 of us—the whole Aglow group—sang and praised and worshipped the Lord on the Sea of Galilee! To sing to the Lord on the Sea of Galilee!!?? The very place where Jesus did much ministry. The place where He told the disciples to let down their nets on the other side and they caught LOTS of fish. The place where He walked on water. The place where Peter tried to walk on water but the storm—what he saw with his eyes—but doubt in his mind and he began to sink…but JESUS immediately lifted him up. In THIS place, we sang and praised and worshipped the Lord! Such an awesome opportunity! Ophir mentioned that Galilee is connected to kenor which means harp. We sang songs such as “How Great Thou Art”; “How Great is our God”. The Generations group from Washington, D.C. area got up there and sang and danced. They led us in “Moving Forward” and “My God is Awesome, He can move the mountains, Keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain…” This was a great start to our adventure here in Israel.
We then visited Caperneum, the city of Jesus, where He taught and read from the Torah in the synagogue that is located there. It is really awesome to see the different plant life that is found here…pomegranate trees, olive trees, mango trees, date trees. They have a lot of fruit groves. Our bus guide, Ophir, told us that “the land of milk and honey” probably did not mean “bee honey” but was referring to “date honey”. The Israelites use dates for jams, jellies and preservatives. They also have this wonderful recipe that includes carrots, dates, and pineapple—it is delicious!
We then visited the Mount of Beatitudes. There is a visual point on the Mount of Beatitudes with a small ampitheatre where you can see part of the Golan Heights, the Sea of Galilee AND the Carmel Mountains all at the same time. The view is magnificent! Praise to the Creator of it all—the Lord God Almighty!
At the Mount of Beatitudes is where the woman with an issue of blood was healed and two demon possessed men were delivered. Here, we met together again. Sandy Weisowitz told us about a visit she had at a kibbutz. She had went on the wharf with another lady and the fish started jumping out of the water as they started speaking scripture. “The fish are jumping out of the water!”, they exclaimed. So,people came up to see but the fish ceased jumping. This happened twice. She looked over and saw a man fishing with a pole. He put the bait on, cast his pole, reeled it in—no fish. He did this several times. The Lord spoke to Sandy and told her that this is how the church tries to catch fish. But, the Lord said, there will come a day when you will cast your net and fish will jump into the net!
I wonder when some people will get tired of the ineffective methods going on in 100s of thousands of churches. I wonder when people will turn to God and ask Him how to do it…so that when we cast our nets in, where the Lord tells us to, we draw up TONS of fish!
At the Mount of Beatitudes, we sang “I love You, Lord and I lift my voice…” Beautiful sound to a beautiful God. We also sang some other songs. The ladies who speak French were called to sing “I love You Lord” in French on the Mount of Beatitudes. It was beautiful! Zabrina danced on the Mount of Beatitudes. Her dance to the Lord encourages many others to step out and do the same for the Lord our God! He is so worthy.
Near the Mount of Beatitudes, we visited St. Peter’s Church. This is the location where the very start of the church issued out. Where the Lord told Peter on this rock, the church will be established. (Forgive me for no scripture reference yet…will return to input later.) When Peter started the church here, they had no manual. The church was in a very embryonic state. They had to rely fully on God and figure out how to do everything concerning the church as it went along. (Ophir’s words) As he told us this, I thought Wow! What if all the churches worked to take it back to this kind of place…total reliance on God. The results of Peter’s rock of church establishment were explosive! Cool stuff to think about…
After this,we visited St. Peter’s restaurant. We had a choice of fish fillet or a whole fish. Both Zabrina and I tried a WHOLE FISH! It really is something to eat something with it’s head still on it’s body…lol
We then went to the Jordan River. Many people got baptized in the Jordan River. It was awesome to see so many people get blessed! A group of women from China were very joyful and enthusiastic. They broke out in a song in their language as they waited to be baptized. Love the sound of the nations!!! Zabrina and I stuck our feet in the water of the Jordan River. This is the same place Jesus was baptized by John just a few thousand years ago…sooooo awesome to be there in that same location! (Will add pics soon.)
So, that was our first full day of adventures in Israel.
More to come soon!
Shalome from Jerusalem!
Whew what a full up day today! All our days have been very full of meaningful and wondrous events, locations, and peoples!
After arriving at the airport, we took care of our bags, found the group we were to meet, and hopped on our bus to head to our hotel. We arrived at our hotel, the Rominum in Tiberias, Israel on May 1st. As I mentioned in the last post, there were great gusts of wind flowing around and the tour guide, Ophir, mentioned that the weather was very unusual for this time of the year.
Our tour guide, Ophir, is very knowledgeable about the details of Israel. He was born in Israel, has a wife and four children. He lived in the United States for a while, then moved back to Israel. He has been giving us many wonderful facts and lots of information about the places we are visiting, the geography of Israel, the vegetation of Israel and anything else we are interested in learning about. He seems to genuinely care about his land and the land of his forefathers.
We learned that the population of Jerusalem is about 800,000 people! This is the largest city in Israel. There are many different cities in Israel...some are Jewish, some Arab, some other.
The terrain of the area between the airport and Tiberias is very rocky. Everywhere you look you can see rocky hills with tufts of grass here and there. You can also see a lot more surface dirt and much less green green grass throughout the region.
Ophir told us about some different economic aspects of Israel. An Israeli drug company called Teva, has designed, produced and marketed a pill camera that one can swallow and doctors can use to track and diagnose your internal systems via this camera that you ingest! Israel has got some great ideas--some brilliant minds.
At the hotel, we had a corporate meeting with Jane Hansen-Hoyt and the chief executive team of Aglow. She started it off by saying “Rejoice with Jerusalem!” (will have to look up that scripture reference…) She talked about restoring a sound of worship in Israel and arising to a new level of thinking, seeing, speaking, standing and working. We are involved in spiritual warfare to discover the majesty and supremacy of God. We ended our initial meeting, then hopped back on the bus to head to the Sea of Galilee.
We arrived at the Sea of Galilee and got on two, large boats. Then, the 194 of us—the whole Aglow group—sang and praised and worshipped the Lord on the Sea of Galilee! To sing to the Lord on the Sea of Galilee!!?? The very place where Jesus did much ministry. The place where He told the disciples to let down their nets on the other side and they caught LOTS of fish. The place where He walked on water. The place where Peter tried to walk on water but the storm—what he saw with his eyes—but doubt in his mind and he began to sink…but JESUS immediately lifted him up. In THIS place, we sang and praised and worshipped the Lord! Such an awesome opportunity! Ophir mentioned that Galilee is connected to kenor which means harp. We sang songs such as “How Great Thou Art”; “How Great is our God”. The Generations group from Washington, D.C. area got up there and sang and danced. They led us in “Moving Forward” and “My God is Awesome, He can move the mountains, Keep me in the valley, hide me from the rain…” This was a great start to our adventure here in Israel.
We then visited Caperneum, the city of Jesus, where He taught and read from the Torah in the synagogue that is located there. It is really awesome to see the different plant life that is found here…pomegranate trees, olive trees, mango trees, date trees. They have a lot of fruit groves. Our bus guide, Ophir, told us that “the land of milk and honey” probably did not mean “bee honey” but was referring to “date honey”. The Israelites use dates for jams, jellies and preservatives. They also have this wonderful recipe that includes carrots, dates, and pineapple—it is delicious!
We then visited the Mount of Beatitudes. There is a visual point on the Mount of Beatitudes with a small ampitheatre where you can see part of the Golan Heights, the Sea of Galilee AND the Carmel Mountains all at the same time. The view is magnificent! Praise to the Creator of it all—the Lord God Almighty!
At the Mount of Beatitudes is where the woman with an issue of blood was healed and two demon possessed men were delivered. Here, we met together again. Sandy Weisowitz told us about a visit she had at a kibbutz. She had went on the wharf with another lady and the fish started jumping out of the water as they started speaking scripture. “The fish are jumping out of the water!”, they exclaimed. So,people came up to see but the fish ceased jumping. This happened twice. She looked over and saw a man fishing with a pole. He put the bait on, cast his pole, reeled it in—no fish. He did this several times. The Lord spoke to Sandy and told her that this is how the church tries to catch fish. But, the Lord said, there will come a day when you will cast your net and fish will jump into the net!
I wonder when some people will get tired of the ineffective methods going on in 100s of thousands of churches. I wonder when people will turn to God and ask Him how to do it…so that when we cast our nets in, where the Lord tells us to, we draw up TONS of fish!
At the Mount of Beatitudes, we sang “I love You, Lord and I lift my voice…” Beautiful sound to a beautiful God. We also sang some other songs. The ladies who speak French were called to sing “I love You Lord” in French on the Mount of Beatitudes. It was beautiful! Zabrina danced on the Mount of Beatitudes. Her dance to the Lord encourages many others to step out and do the same for the Lord our God! He is so worthy.
Near the Mount of Beatitudes, we visited St. Peter’s Church. This is the location where the very start of the church issued out. Where the Lord told Peter on this rock, the church will be established. (Forgive me for no scripture reference yet…will return to input later.) When Peter started the church here, they had no manual. The church was in a very embryonic state. They had to rely fully on God and figure out how to do everything concerning the church as it went along. (Ophir’s words) As he told us this, I thought Wow! What if all the churches worked to take it back to this kind of place…total reliance on God. The results of Peter’s rock of church establishment were explosive! Cool stuff to think about…
After this,we visited St. Peter’s restaurant. We had a choice of fish fillet or a whole fish. Both Zabrina and I tried a WHOLE FISH! It really is something to eat something with it’s head still on it’s body…lol
We then went to the Jordan River. Many people got baptized in the Jordan River. It was awesome to see so many people get blessed! A group of women from China were very joyful and enthusiastic. They broke out in a song in their language as they waited to be baptized. Love the sound of the nations!!! Zabrina and I stuck our feet in the water of the Jordan River. This is the same place Jesus was baptized by John just a few thousand years ago…sooooo awesome to be there in that same location! (Will add pics soon.)
So, that was our first full day of adventures in Israel.
More to come soon!
Shalome from Jerusalem!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
We begin our adventure towards Israel...
Hello from Israel!
Zabrina Robinson and I are hailing you from the country of Israel itself!
Wow! It’s amazing to finally be here!
We have come through many trials and tribulations to get here to this place—in Israel. Let me share a few of these…
In October 2011, Zabrina and I attended Aglow International Conference in Houston, Texas. At the conference, they announced that there was an Israel Solidarity Trip occurring in late April/early May.
We prayerfully considered coming. The Holy Spirit told each of us in different ways that we were to “Yes, go.” So, in November, we started planning the work and working the plan. We prayed and worked and sent out letters to friends and family asking for their support.
Little by little, the funds started trickling in. We trusted and prayed and trusted and waited on the Lord’s Provision. We waited and trusted some more…and some more. We had people who doubted what we were doing. We had naysayers along the way who in essence hoped we wouldn’t reach our goal.
But we got together and we prayed over the whole situation. And while we were praying, I saw a figure with a pitcher. The figure was pouring out the pitcher and much waters were flowing out. The figure represented a heaven-to-earth transaction! God’s Provision—His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Out of the pitcher flowed never-ending provision! It never stopped…it just kept flowing and flowing. So, over the course of the past several months, we watched financial and prayer provision flow toward us again and again.
The naysayers? There was no place for their doubt and lack of faith. We watched the Lord provide abundantly over and over! As a matter of fact, we trusted the Lord right up until we were fixing to leave. Just a week before we left to come to Israel (and not before then!) were we able to secure a plane ticket from our local area to New York. (The flight to Israel left out from New York.) Talk about faith!
On April 27th through April 29th, we attended our South Carolina Aglow State Celebration. It was a wonderful atmosphere filled the Holy Spirit and fellowship with other beloved women of Aglow. Aglow is a wonderful safe haven for women of all walks of life to come be a part of! (If you want more information, please check out www.aglow.org)
The lovely ladies of Aglow prayed over us, blessed us with last minute needed funds, and sent us on our way. State Celebration was a wonderful springboard into heading towards Israel.
We then headed to Charlotte to spend the night with some awesome hospitable people—Al and Lasaine Yates. God bless them for blessing us! They fed us great food and provided comfortable sleeping arrangements for us. I felt like I was in a hotel! They took very good care of us. They will be the first to receive us back when we return from our trip.
Lasaine took us to the airport. We got from Charlotte to New York –no problem.
Then we get to New York airport. We wait to be able to check in for our flight. We see several stands (like music stands) lined up across the way behind some ropes. We think maybe they are translators. A line starts to form three hours before our flight leaves. We get in line behind a group. One of the people call us over. We each go in front of a stand. The people start asking us questions. “What is your relationship (between Zabrina and I)?” “How long have you known each other?” “What is your purpose in Israel?” Why are you going to Israel?” “Do you know anyone in Israel?” “What are you going to do when you get there?”
The lady asks me several times if I know anyone in Israel. I tell her no, several times. I guess they don’t like what I said. So, a guy comes over and starts grilling me with questions. Then, another guy comes over and starts grilling me with questions. I feel like I am being interrogated. I am not quick with speaking. I try to answer their questions to the best of my ability. It’s hard to answer questions quickly when someone is grilling you rather abrasively. So, the people start freaking out. They detain Zabrina and I in a “holding place” where we bump into a few other people…another lady heading to Aglow and two Fathers from Kansas. They hold us in there for a while. They take our bags from us. They tell us we are going to another room. They take us to another room and we have to step through their private security gate, then have a seat. One of the father’s asked one of the people a question and she turned rather gruff and took his passport. They swiped our shoes for “samples”. We wondered if they were going to take our DNA samples next! They stayed in earshot to hear what we were saying at all times. It was serious business. When we were done, they took us back to the “holding place” and we sat down again. We asked about our bags. They said they were going to hold them for us and to come back to them at 4:20. We went away a bit wary that they were keeping our stuff like that. We walked around for a bit, then went back to get our bags. They gave us our carry-on bags back. They still had our check in bags. When we went back to get our bags, they held us there for a few more moments. They grilled me again one last time. One of the guys asked me how much it had cost to buy my passport. This is not information that I had in my head at the moment…I had forgotten about that because we had taken care of that all the way back in November 2011. This information was not at the forefront of my mind. But Praise the Lord God Almighty for the Holy Spirit! As SOON as the guy asked me that question, the Holy Spirit quickened that information up out of me and I was able to quickly and accurately say without any hesitation—“I paid $110 for the passport and $30 for the processing fee.” Then he asked me where I got my passport. And was able to tell him specifically. Glory be to God for the Holy Spirit! As soon as I gave him that quick, very specific answer, he did not mess with me anymore after that. I thank the Lord for being my ever present help in time of need!
After all this mess, they told us that we would have to follow them through security and to the boarding gate. If any one of us went out of their eyesight, we would have to go find that person and start back from the beginning. They walked us through lines of people and through security. They led us to the boarding gate and when it was time to board, they allowed us to board first.
Not having to wait in all those lines was good…we did not miss our flight.
However, upon arrival to our first hotel in Tiberas, Israel, we opened our bags and checked them. Come to find out: half of my jewelry was gone. My husband had given me a beautiful jade bracelet and earring set from one of his trips in the military. They had taken my bracelet and broke it. The beads are scattered in my jewelry box. I also had an Israel shekel necklace that I had purchased from the International Aglow Conference that we just attended this past October. That necklace is gone. They also took another necklace pendant I had and a $60 gold chain that I had gotten on sale for just $6. They took my gold earrings. As if that wasn’t enough: I also took my anointing oil set with me in my checked bag. I had the notion to open the oils and smell them. Several of the oils do not smell like they are supposed to. I have used the oils repeatedly and I KNOW something is wrong with them. Also, there is something wrong with my mascara. It doesn’t apply like it is supposed to…it is very runny and takes longer to dry than normal.
When I discovered all these things from my bag, my eyes filled with tears. I’m just a wife and mom of five from South Carolina, raised in Arkansas with humble roots. Why would they do such a thing to me? I’m just Joanie! I got very angry about this. I took all my emotions from this junk to the Lord. The Bible does say “we wrestle not with flesh and blood”. I came in contact with some different kind of adversaries—trying to intimidate me and shake me up. But I know in Whom I put my Trust. Vengeance is the Lord’s and I know He will repay. The Lord God Almighty is a Strong Deliverer!
After all the airport fiasco, we endure our 10 ½ hour flight from New York to Israel. They fed us well with a very broad variety of food for lunch and dinner and they made sure we had plenty to drink.
Then…finally…TOUCHDOWN IN ISRAEL!
Let me tell you: it was NIIIIIIIICE to stand up after getting off the plane!
We FINALLY made it to Israel! We walked through the airport, collected our belongings, and then, as spoken over us before we left Aglow State Celebration, we were met by the Lord God Almighty! As soon as I stepped out of the airport into the air of Israel, a rush and gust of wind met me at the exit to the airport! I felt the refreshing of the Holy Spirit as I stepped into the air of God’s own people, Jesus’ beloved people and city—the Jews, the Israelites! I fully believe the Lord God Almighty met us right there when we got to the airport! He is such an awesome God…He said He would NEVER leave us or forsake us—that includes whichever country we travel to!
We hopped on the bus and rode to our first hotel…
I will report on more of our adventures soon and I hope to post some pictures, also.
Until then---Shalome!!!
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