We are now in Istanbul, Turkey in the midst of a debrief. So far it’s been an incredible time processing through last months happenings, catching up with the other 5 teams, hearing teaching from our coaches, and just sharing life together. We are gearing up for the month to come in Istanbul and trying to rest and encourage eachother. While still in Israel I put together some pictures to share with yall back at home. I hope it gives you a small glimpse into life this past month.
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While in Israel we have been more conscious of safety than any other country…and not physical safety per say but more of protection over our contacts and what they are doing. Because of this my team was unable to take pictures during any of our ministry work this month. Don’t worry though; we did take plenty of pictures while we were in the Holy Land. Here are a few shots to show you a piece of how we spent our time.
Arad, Israel:
Our backyard, the beautiful Negev Desert
Jen and I on our trek in the desert.
One afternoon I stumbled upon a group of Bedoin camels in the desert.
Relaxing at the Dead Sea.
Jerusalem, Israel:
The Garden of Gethsemene.
Caroline praying at the Wailing wall.
My prayers at the wailing wall.
A back market street.
Sunset over the Holy City.
Dan and I in Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
The dome of the rock as seen from the Mount of Olives.
Our time in Israel has been awesome. We spend a few weeks teaching english to the Bedoins and learning about the historical context of the Bible and another few weeks working in a soup kitchen and interceeding on behalf of Jerusalem and Israel. It was a great month and an exciting time for our new team. We are continuing to take steps forward as a team, as a family and I am greatly encouraged by this. Please continue to keep us in prayer in this area.
The next two weeks we have also decided as a squad to place a technology ban over ourselves. That means we wont be using our computers or ipods from the 3rd-16th. This is in hopes to encourage greater team intimacy and health. I have big hopes for our team during this time and am excited to share what God does and changes during this time. So please pray for us during this time too…as it is the holidays and it can be hard for people to be cut off from loved ones back home.
I am expectant and hopefull.
Love to you all,
Holland
