I Love Israel!! I Love Israel!! I Love Israel!!

 

Quick update for ya’ll! I’m safe and sound in Israel. I love you Mom and Dad and thank you to all my supporters!!! We had no problems getting into the country, and our contacts are taking very good care of us. Thank you for praying for our safety and following me on my journey. I love you!!!

Well, I’m here in Arad, Israel which is very similar to Palm Springs. It’s warm, desert landscape with very fresh air. My team is staying in a 3 bedroom apartment with another team of six. There are 13 people total sharing one bathroom and pretty much everything else. My team of five girls share a room and its quite close at times, but that’s nothing new. What is really new for us, is our ministy.

We’re working with Sudanese Refugees five nights a week. They come in the evenings to learn english and practice their computer skills. We have grown really fond of the children and students that come each day. Their stories are heartbreaking because most of them have lost everything, and they live to tell the stories. I look forward to sharing more with you!

This past weekend we got some new opportunities to serve the people in this area. We are planning on painting some homes of single women and their children this week. We also are working with a very talented artist here that is preparing an exhibit that is absolutely breathtaking. Our six teams are spread throughout Jerusalem and Arad with all kinds of opportunities to serve. Soup kitchens, Clothing drives, Caring for children and single mothers, doing manual labor, assisting the church and praying for those being persecuted in surrounding countries. We will be rotating throughout these ministries during our time here.

We also get the chance to study the Bible in an extensive library, learn about Jewish culture from a brilliant scholar and spend time in nature. The retreat center that we live near is beautiful. Its one and half miles away and its like a desert oasis. It overlooks the Negev desert and is the perfect place to watch camels walk by, read and hike. We go there three times a week to study as a group, hear lectures and pray. I had my first Shabbat dinner on Friday and it was so amazing! I heard the most beautiful songs, learned history of Shabbat and ate the most delicious food! I love Shabbat!

But we don’t just stay in the desert, part of our experience here has been learning the history, culture and way of life. We don’t just hear about it, we get to see it. Our first full day here we spent the day in Jerusalem. We went to the City of David and got the coolest experience walking through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. I will post more pictures and videos at the end of the month. It was so surreal to go to such a holy place. I just kept thanking God for the chance to see it and experience it. I have been so hungry to learn more about the history of Israel and see the places I read about.

In my next blog, I’ll tell you about my experience at the Jordan River as we went on our tour to Galilee and surrounding places.