To start this blog off, for those of you who don't remember or were uninformed, I went on a mission trip to Israel from May 11-June 4, 2011, with VISION XIX, San Diego Christian College's singing and drama group (which I have been a part of since fall 2010). This year's trip to Israel was over twice as long as my trip to Swaziland last year, and my team went to several different places rather than staying in the same area and doing the same thing. Unfortunately, my journal entries weren't quite as detailed this year as they should have been, but our faculty advisor on this trip (Larry Wilson, a.k.a. VISION Dad) sent very detailed emails to each team member's parents of our days' activities. Thus, I'm going to be splitting up many blog posts into “My Journal Entry” and “Mr. Wilson's Details”! One last note: the people on/with the team. Since I will be mentioning several names, you should know who these people are. :) I only gave details for team members who have graduated or have lived in other countries.
VISION XIX MEMBERS:
Larry Wilson: Team faculty advisor, VISION Dad
Amanda Graham: Student leader, recent graduate
Lindsey Davies: Just graduated, older sister of...
Caleb Davies: Also just graduated
Valerie White (Val): Just finished teaching credential, missionary's kid (Turkey)
Luke Kanagy: Missionary's kid, lives in Brazil when not at SDCC
Priscilla Norman: Missionary's kid, lived in India for a while
Michael Alvarez (Mike)
Nicholas Mitchell (Nick)
Lizzy Byrd
Emilie McDonald
Heather Lawton
HELPERS:
Ed Dickinson (Mr. Ed): Driver of our second van, Hebrew speaker, works with a Jewish outreach in America. Initiated VISION's Israel outreach.
Paul K.: Our Christian tour guide who lives in Tiberius
VISION XIX
From left to right, back row: Larry Wilson, Valerie White, Amanda Graham, Heather Lawton, Caleb Davies, Lindsey Davies, Mike Alvarez, Nick Mitchell, Luke Kanagy, Ed Dickinson. Front row: Trisha Guinn, Priscilla Norman, Emilie McDonald, Lizzy Byrd
Photo Links!!!
Well, it's finally done! The 1,565 photos I took have been narrowed down to 1,233 photos and sorted in albums, uploaded, captioned, and tagged! Here are the links for said albums - in alphabetical order, no less. :) Enjoy!
Airports to/from/in Israel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225910284427.334823.630849426&l=2cfb3f6853
Arbel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225916864427.334827.630849426&l=bab9ac5c58
Bethlehem: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225950119427.334839.630849426&l=8db0b6dd65
Bethsaida: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225950814427.334840.630849426&l=4fd083271d
Caesarea: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225951544427.334841.630849426&l=a93e471054
Capernaum: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225952959427.334845.630849426&l=5a230985c6
Castel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227554954427.335364.630849426&l=f937ecbd5f
Davidson Archaeological Park: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226572399427.335023.630849426&l=7b592c2274
Dead Sea Area: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226590904427.335030.630849426&l=e5c39883a0
First Century Boat: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225915339427.334826.630849426&l=1fd6f79642
Fortress: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226601139427.335033.630849426&l=7e691a0785
Garden Tomb: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226722674427.335096.630849426&l=42d67b8e54
Hazor: ttp://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226761134427.335115.630849426&l=f974551fdf
Israel Museum: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226772934427.335119.630849426&l=8cb1ac33db
Israeli Randomness: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226785169427.335131.630849426&l=24b5a22766
NOTE: Due to some error, the rest of the hyperlinks didn't work, so you will have to copy the links for these and post them into your url bar rather than just clicking them. Sorry!
Jerusalem: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226800159427.335139.630849426&l=cbaafa6304
Jordan River: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227518704427.335350.630849426&l=00ae2e8b8e
Masada: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227523429427.335352.630849426&l=22aa890bde
Notre Dame de la Arche d'Alliance: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227529774427.335354.630849426&l=ecd19781fd
Quick stops and passing glances: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227547524427.335360.630849426&l=e401723456
Qumran: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227563819427.335368.630849426&l=e2e89edf04
Tel Aviv: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227571389427.335371.630849426&l=35f10b416a
Tel Dan: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227579849427.335372.630849426&l=e453c725d3
The Galilee (including Tiberius): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227614359427.335382.630849426&l=8c79912021
The Wall of the Second Temple: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227635309427.335395.630849426&l=a9c87f4ca7
VISION XIX Friends: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227739839427.335421.630849426&l=63c2bf5486
Yad Hashmona: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227660274427.335402.630849426&l=b097eaee6a
Airports to/from/in Israel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225910284427.334823.630849426&l=2cfb3f6853
Arbel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225916864427.334827.630849426&l=bab9ac5c58
Bethlehem: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225950119427.334839.630849426&l=8db0b6dd65
Bethsaida: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225950814427.334840.630849426&l=4fd083271d
Caesarea: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225951544427.334841.630849426&l=a93e471054
Capernaum: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225952959427.334845.630849426&l=5a230985c6
Castel: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227554954427.335364.630849426&l=f937ecbd5f
Davidson Archaeological Park: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226572399427.335023.630849426&l=7b592c2274
Dead Sea Area: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226590904427.335030.630849426&l=e5c39883a0
First Century Boat: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150225915339427.334826.630849426&l=1fd6f79642
Fortress: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226601139427.335033.630849426&l=7e691a0785
Garden Tomb: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226722674427.335096.630849426&l=42d67b8e54
Hazor: ttp://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226761134427.335115.630849426&l=f974551fdf
Israel Museum: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226772934427.335119.630849426&l=8cb1ac33db
Israeli Randomness: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226785169427.335131.630849426&l=24b5a22766
NOTE: Due to some error, the rest of the hyperlinks didn't work, so you will have to copy the links for these and post them into your url bar rather than just clicking them. Sorry!
Jerusalem: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226800159427.335139.630849426&l=cbaafa6304
Jordan River: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227518704427.335350.630849426&l=00ae2e8b8e
Masada: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227523429427.335352.630849426&l=22aa890bde
Notre Dame de la Arche d'Alliance: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227529774427.335354.630849426&l=ecd19781fd
Quick stops and passing glances: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227547524427.335360.630849426&l=e401723456
Qumran: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227563819427.335368.630849426&l=e2e89edf04
Tel Aviv: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227571389427.335371.630849426&l=35f10b416a
Tel Dan: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227579849427.335372.630849426&l=e453c725d3
The Galilee (including Tiberius): http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227614359427.335382.630849426&l=8c79912021
The Wall of the Second Temple: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227635309427.335395.630849426&l=a9c87f4ca7
VISION XIX Friends: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227739839427.335421.630849426&l=63c2bf5486
Yad Hashmona: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150227660274427.335402.630849426&l=b097eaee6a
Days 1-2 - May 11-12 - Wednesday and Thursday
My Journal Entry:
I blocked these as one entry because I was on a plane 95% of the time, so it felt like one day. SUPER TIRED... Flew for five hours from San Diego to Atlanta, then for twelve hours from Atlanta to Tel Aviv. Our first adventure has already happened - as soon as we gathered in the Tel Aviv airport, we went outside to be picked up my Mr. Wilson and Mr. Ed, who had to go rent the vans then drive them over to us. We waited on the sidewalk just outside the airport for three hours, with no way of contacting either driver. Lots of prayer and goofing off later, they finally pulled up, we packed in, and started the drive to Yad Hashmona. Had an awesome dinner there, then went straight to our cabins (Yad Hashmona is kind of like a cross between a conference center and a camp). I'll be rooming with Val for the next four nights. Need... sleep... soon...
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After two long flights, totaling 17 hours, with barely an hour between them,
the VISION Team arrived safely in Tel Aviv, Israel Thursday evening. Other than a few bumps of turbulence on the San Diego-Atlanta leg, all went smoothly, including the arrival of all baggage (not always the case on such trips).
The team is staying for the first few days at Yad Hashmona, a guest house and
conference center, situated on a hilltop not far from Jerusalem. This beautiful facility is operated by a village of Messianic Jews, and it is providing the team with a chance to recover, not only from the long travel, but also from exams, papers, and all the challenges of the end of a
school year.
I blocked these as one entry because I was on a plane 95% of the time, so it felt like one day. SUPER TIRED... Flew for five hours from San Diego to Atlanta, then for twelve hours from Atlanta to Tel Aviv. Our first adventure has already happened - as soon as we gathered in the Tel Aviv airport, we went outside to be picked up my Mr. Wilson and Mr. Ed, who had to go rent the vans then drive them over to us. We waited on the sidewalk just outside the airport for three hours, with no way of contacting either driver. Lots of prayer and goofing off later, they finally pulled up, we packed in, and started the drive to Yad Hashmona. Had an awesome dinner there, then went straight to our cabins (Yad Hashmona is kind of like a cross between a conference center and a camp). I'll be rooming with Val for the next four nights. Need... sleep... soon...
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After two long flights, totaling 17 hours, with barely an hour between them,
the VISION Team arrived safely in Tel Aviv, Israel Thursday evening. Other than a few bumps of turbulence on the San Diego-Atlanta leg, all went smoothly, including the arrival of all baggage (not always the case on such trips).
The team is staying for the first few days at Yad Hashmona, a guest house and
conference center, situated on a hilltop not far from Jerusalem. This beautiful facility is operated by a village of Messianic Jews, and it is providing the team with a chance to recover, not only from the long travel, but also from exams, papers, and all the challenges of the end of a
school year.
Day 3 - May 13 - Friday
My Journal Entry:
Much more awake tonight! Only thanks to my two naps today, haha. The food here is AMAZING, although they only feed us brunch and dinner. Mr. Wilson got us Magnums today around lunchtime to tide us over. :) (Note: to those of you who have not tried Magnums [ice cream bars], go to Vons or Walmart and get some! I recommend "Magnum Gold?!?" and "Magnum White Chocolate". Although "Magnum Desire" is pretty good too.) We went to the Notre Dame de something-or-another church and its adjoining fortress today. We didn't get to go inside, but we walked around the buildings, took pictures, read signs, walked through its olive grove, and then took off. After a break when we got back (a.k.a. naptime) we took a tour of the Biblical Garden with a guide named Ayelat (who just so happens to be one of the singers on the CD we got one of our songs [Yeshua] from... in fact, her sister is the soloist for Yeshua, and she knows everyone who wrote, sang, and played for it). We got to see large replicas of various Biblical places/tools, including a synagogue (which was actually a synagogue imported from Galilee), a watchtower, a threshing floor, a winepress, and whatever you call the grape-squishing vats. When we saw the olive press, Ayelat told us that the primary product of olive oil is light. But the olives have to be fully crushed - no skin or other impurities in the oil - for the light to burn brightly and without smoke. In the same way, we need to be crushed by God in order to burn bright for Him. After our tour was more naptime, dinner, and rehearsal. Tomorrow we go to a Shabbat service in Jerusalem!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After a very substantial brunch at Yad Hashmona, the team had a time of
devotions and prayer, followed by a good session with our primary host, Bill Rogers, who drove down from Galilee to meet with us and orient us to the ministry opportunities coming up. These include an exciting number of street presentations, which hasn't been the case as much in recent VISION trips.
In the afternoon, the team visited the grounds of "Notre Dame de la Arche d'Alliance" (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant),a small church built at the site of the place where the ark was kept for 20 years after the Philistines had captured it, and then brought it back to Israel. The fascinating story is found in 1 Samuel 4-7.
From that hilltop church, we looked longingly across the valley to where we could see the outskirts of Jerusalem, knowing that we would go into the city the next morning.
We spent the evening rehearsing our newest Hebrew songs back at Yad Hashmona, knowing that we'll soon need them several times a day.
Much more awake tonight! Only thanks to my two naps today, haha. The food here is AMAZING, although they only feed us brunch and dinner. Mr. Wilson got us Magnums today around lunchtime to tide us over. :) (Note: to those of you who have not tried Magnums [ice cream bars], go to Vons or Walmart and get some! I recommend "Magnum Gold?!?" and "Magnum White Chocolate". Although "Magnum Desire" is pretty good too.) We went to the Notre Dame de something-or-another church and its adjoining fortress today. We didn't get to go inside, but we walked around the buildings, took pictures, read signs, walked through its olive grove, and then took off. After a break when we got back (a.k.a. naptime) we took a tour of the Biblical Garden with a guide named Ayelat (who just so happens to be one of the singers on the CD we got one of our songs [Yeshua] from... in fact, her sister is the soloist for Yeshua, and she knows everyone who wrote, sang, and played for it). We got to see large replicas of various Biblical places/tools, including a synagogue (which was actually a synagogue imported from Galilee), a watchtower, a threshing floor, a winepress, and whatever you call the grape-squishing vats. When we saw the olive press, Ayelat told us that the primary product of olive oil is light. But the olives have to be fully crushed - no skin or other impurities in the oil - for the light to burn brightly and without smoke. In the same way, we need to be crushed by God in order to burn bright for Him. After our tour was more naptime, dinner, and rehearsal. Tomorrow we go to a Shabbat service in Jerusalem!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After a very substantial brunch at Yad Hashmona, the team had a time of
devotions and prayer, followed by a good session with our primary host, Bill Rogers, who drove down from Galilee to meet with us and orient us to the ministry opportunities coming up. These include an exciting number of street presentations, which hasn't been the case as much in recent VISION trips.
In the afternoon, the team visited the grounds of "Notre Dame de la Arche d'Alliance" (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant),a small church built at the site of the place where the ark was kept for 20 years after the Philistines had captured it, and then brought it back to Israel. The fascinating story is found in 1 Samuel 4-7.
From that hilltop church, we looked longingly across the valley to where we could see the outskirts of Jerusalem, knowing that we would go into the city the next morning.
We spent the evening rehearsing our newest Hebrew songs back at Yad Hashmona, knowing that we'll soon need them several times a day.
Day 4 - May 14 - Shabbat
My Journal Entry:
Went to Jerusalem Assembly this morning for church. Since we all had to dress nice (yes, that meant a skirt), I figured it would be some traditional orthodox service with a long-bearded man teaching, but it was exactly the same as our services back home! Except that it lasted for three hours. But that was partly because it was the church's 20th anniversary. And because the entire service was said, section after section, in both Hebrew and English. In addition to that, people had translator headsets on, and there were six different languages represented! After church we "sang for our supper", then enjoyed the church potluck. At the table my group joined, I sat across from an Ethiopian man who had friends in San Diego, and (ironically, considering my last trip) had met the king of Swaziland. Later a Russian man joined us too. It was so neat to see people singing along to "Yeshua" when we sang it! After we left the church, we visited a fortress/monastery/thing that was from the time of the Middle Ages. How cool is that? The Middle Ages actually took place here! The events related in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" took place a long, long time ago, in a land about twenty minutes from where I'm sitting right now. Wow! Yay for history! While we were there, we heard the Muslim call to prayer - very creepy, yet eerily beautiful. It was weird how everything just came to a halt when those loudspeakers turned on. After we returned to Yad Hashmona we had free time until dinner, then rehearsal afterward. Gotta get up at 6:15 tomorrow *groan*... because we're touring Jerusalem! Whoo! :D
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Sabbath Day (or Shabbat as it is called here) found us driving into Jerusalem in our two vans, in search of a Messianic congregation called Jerusalem Assembly. We were not scheduled to perform, however, due to the fact that they already had a big program planned, celebrating their 20th anniversary. Having begun as a small Messianic (based on belief in Jesus as the Messiah)
Bible study group in a home, today it was exciting to worship with nearly 400 people, whose congregation occupies the entire 5th floor of a commercial-industrial building.
The worship was in Hebrew, with transliteration, so we could sing along, as well as English translation, all on the screen at once. The sermon and prayers were in Hebrew with an interpreter providing English. In addition, translators in the back of the room repeated the words in German, French, and Spanish, broadcasting by radio signals to people seated throughout the room who wore ear phones. Sometimes they also translate into Arabic, for a total of six languages!
Afterward, there was a special anniversary "pot luck," to which we were invited. We asked if we could sing a few songs during that time, and the pastor granted permission. Though it was mostly background music during the meal, the congregation showed great appreciation, and we enjoyed conversations with many of the people afterward. Our first foray into Jerusalem was a rich, multi-cultural and multi-generational blessing!
By the way, because of the "melting pot" that Israel has become, we have prepared passages of songs in five of those six languages: Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and English- just some of the languages spoken in Israel by immigrants from various countries, especially during the 20th century. It's a little bit like Pentecost(although the apostles apparently didn't have to study and rehearse their presentations!). With these, along with our nonverbal language of drama, we hope to attract audiences to the message of the gospel, supported by literature we will offer them in their language.
On Sunday (which is a regular work day in Israel) we will again go into Jerusalem; this time to visit many of the amazing biblical and historical sites! What a privilege God has granted us, and we are overwhelmed at this opportunity!
Went to Jerusalem Assembly this morning for church. Since we all had to dress nice (yes, that meant a skirt), I figured it would be some traditional orthodox service with a long-bearded man teaching, but it was exactly the same as our services back home! Except that it lasted for three hours. But that was partly because it was the church's 20th anniversary. And because the entire service was said, section after section, in both Hebrew and English. In addition to that, people had translator headsets on, and there were six different languages represented! After church we "sang for our supper", then enjoyed the church potluck. At the table my group joined, I sat across from an Ethiopian man who had friends in San Diego, and (ironically, considering my last trip) had met the king of Swaziland. Later a Russian man joined us too. It was so neat to see people singing along to "Yeshua" when we sang it! After we left the church, we visited a fortress/monastery/thing that was from the time of the Middle Ages. How cool is that? The Middle Ages actually took place here! The events related in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" took place a long, long time ago, in a land about twenty minutes from where I'm sitting right now. Wow! Yay for history! While we were there, we heard the Muslim call to prayer - very creepy, yet eerily beautiful. It was weird how everything just came to a halt when those loudspeakers turned on. After we returned to Yad Hashmona we had free time until dinner, then rehearsal afterward. Gotta get up at 6:15 tomorrow *groan*... because we're touring Jerusalem! Whoo! :D
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Sabbath Day (or Shabbat as it is called here) found us driving into Jerusalem in our two vans, in search of a Messianic congregation called Jerusalem Assembly. We were not scheduled to perform, however, due to the fact that they already had a big program planned, celebrating their 20th anniversary. Having begun as a small Messianic (based on belief in Jesus as the Messiah)
Bible study group in a home, today it was exciting to worship with nearly 400 people, whose congregation occupies the entire 5th floor of a commercial-industrial building.
The worship was in Hebrew, with transliteration, so we could sing along, as well as English translation, all on the screen at once. The sermon and prayers were in Hebrew with an interpreter providing English. In addition, translators in the back of the room repeated the words in German, French, and Spanish, broadcasting by radio signals to people seated throughout the room who wore ear phones. Sometimes they also translate into Arabic, for a total of six languages!
Afterward, there was a special anniversary "pot luck," to which we were invited. We asked if we could sing a few songs during that time, and the pastor granted permission. Though it was mostly background music during the meal, the congregation showed great appreciation, and we enjoyed conversations with many of the people afterward. Our first foray into Jerusalem was a rich, multi-cultural and multi-generational blessing!
By the way, because of the "melting pot" that Israel has become, we have prepared passages of songs in five of those six languages: Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and English- just some of the languages spoken in Israel by immigrants from various countries, especially during the 20th century. It's a little bit like Pentecost(although the apostles apparently didn't have to study and rehearse their presentations!). With these, along with our nonverbal language of drama, we hope to attract audiences to the message of the gospel, supported by literature we will offer them in their language.
On Sunday (which is a regular work day in Israel) we will again go into Jerusalem; this time to visit many of the amazing biblical and historical sites! What a privilege God has granted us, and we are overwhelmed at this opportunity!
Day 5 - May 15 - Sunday
My Journal Entry:
It's weird how days work here... it's definitely felt like Monday all day today. Church was yesterday, and the country is back to work and school again today. This truly is the start of their week, rather than a continuation of their weekend. Touring Jerusalem was amazing! Personal highlights for me included seeing a Coca-Cola sweatshirt (in Hebrew) and finding out that each city has its own crest, and Jerusalem's crest looks almost identical to the Narnian crest, but in Chargers colors. I also got to see and touch the wall that went around the temple that Herod built before Jesus' time. It is where He most likely went to worship, and also where he drove out the moneychangers. I always pictured it as being just kinda big... the the size of two churches put together. But if the wall around it is any indication, it was HUGE!!! Like, city block huge! We also got to walk the "traditional" route of the Via Dolorosa and sing in St. Anne's church (where Mary's family supposedly lived), which has incredible acoustics! After we left Jerusalem, we drove to the Valley of Elah, and Paul had various people read aloud from 1 Samuel 17. It was incredible to be standing in the valley where the David and Goliath story actually took place as we read the account. After we finished "story time with Paul", we got to go down to the dried bed of the brook that David chose his "weapons" from and choose stones of our own!
My friend Anthony gave me a nickname earlier this year based on how much of a tomboy I am... "Thomas the Girl"! I think that nickname was more apt than he realized when he named me; it sort of sounds a lot like "Doubting Thomas". All day as we've walked by various sites that should thrill me and make me just stop short in awe, my critical side kept saying, "Well, that's where He SUPPOSEDLY walked," or "He was over in this corner ACCORDING TO TRADITION, but who knows where that actually was way back then?" And the words "Thomas the Girl" kept popping into my head after every cynical thought. Tonight at devotions, Lizzy shared that she had been feeling similarly, and brought up 1 John 3:20 - "For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything." She reminded us that, even when we are hard on ourselves, Jesus already paid for EVERYTHING we have done, even all of our doubts, and He loves us SO MUCH regardless of what we do or don't do for Him. Praise God for His unending love and grace. :)
Tomorrow we do more sightseeing with Paul, hopefully a trip to Bethlehem in the morning, and a move to Tiberius in the evening.
It's weird how days work here... it's definitely felt like Monday all day today. Church was yesterday, and the country is back to work and school again today. This truly is the start of their week, rather than a continuation of their weekend. Touring Jerusalem was amazing! Personal highlights for me included seeing a Coca-Cola sweatshirt (in Hebrew) and finding out that each city has its own crest, and Jerusalem's crest looks almost identical to the Narnian crest, but in Chargers colors. I also got to see and touch the wall that went around the temple that Herod built before Jesus' time. It is where He most likely went to worship, and also where he drove out the moneychangers. I always pictured it as being just kinda big... the the size of two churches put together. But if the wall around it is any indication, it was HUGE!!! Like, city block huge! We also got to walk the "traditional" route of the Via Dolorosa and sing in St. Anne's church (where Mary's family supposedly lived), which has incredible acoustics! After we left Jerusalem, we drove to the Valley of Elah, and Paul had various people read aloud from 1 Samuel 17. It was incredible to be standing in the valley where the David and Goliath story actually took place as we read the account. After we finished "story time with Paul", we got to go down to the dried bed of the brook that David chose his "weapons" from and choose stones of our own!
My friend Anthony gave me a nickname earlier this year based on how much of a tomboy I am... "Thomas the Girl"! I think that nickname was more apt than he realized when he named me; it sort of sounds a lot like "Doubting Thomas". All day as we've walked by various sites that should thrill me and make me just stop short in awe, my critical side kept saying, "Well, that's where He SUPPOSEDLY walked," or "He was over in this corner ACCORDING TO TRADITION, but who knows where that actually was way back then?" And the words "Thomas the Girl" kept popping into my head after every cynical thought. Tonight at devotions, Lizzy shared that she had been feeling similarly, and brought up 1 John 3:20 - "For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows everything." She reminded us that, even when we are hard on ourselves, Jesus already paid for EVERYTHING we have done, even all of our doubts, and He loves us SO MUCH regardless of what we do or don't do for Him. Praise God for His unending love and grace. :)
Tomorrow we do more sightseeing with Paul, hopefully a trip to Bethlehem in the morning, and a move to Tiberius in the evening.
Day 6 - May 16 - Monday
My Journal Entry:
Today was AMAZING!!! We went to Bethlehem in the morning, which was somewhat like another Via Dolorosa experience - a piece of traditional area crusted over with a lot of gold and hanging shiny objects and a small building crowded with a lot of totally lost people. After leaving Bethlehem we went back to Jerusalem, up to the Mount of Olives where we could overlook the whole city and see all of its sights (and sites) from above. And I got to ride a camel! :D Sitting on its back looking over the city as it lumbered along, I felt like I had been transported back in time. It was awesome! The most amazing part of the day, though, was that we got to go to a place called the Garden Tomb... and it was the most beautiful, peaceful, authentic site I've seen here (aside from the Valley of Elah). Everything there was so real - even if the tomb wasn't the one Jesus was laid in, it was a genuine tomb meant for somebody in that time period. And with the first century believers' cross on the wall right outside it (which is only found in three places - there, a Roman catacomb, and one of the first century churches), a lot indicates that it may have been THE tomb. :) There was no cynical feeling there - only a deep, overpowering sense of peace and gratitude. We also went to the Temple Institute, which is a place dedicated to teaching people about the temple... and reconstructing all of the temple artifacts according to Biblical standards in order to create the third temple "when the time is right". *sigh* Some people just never get it. After our tour there, we went shopping along the strip near the Damascus Gate. I love bartering for goods! Heather and I did the whole "good cop bad cop" routine on a few merchants... I got to be the bad guy who had seen the item cheaper elsewhere and was trying to convince Heather to leave the merchant trying to rip us off, while she played the innocent buyer who was fascinated with their product and really wanted it, but was slowly being swayed by my logic. In the end, we always got the goods for a far lower price than the merchant started at. It was so much fun! After we went back to Yad Hashmona and had dinner, we packed up the vans and left for Tiberius. We are now staying in two apartments across the hall from each other, one for the guys and one for the girls. There are four girls in each of our two bedrooms, so I'm rooming with Val, Lindsey, and Heather. :) Yay!
Today was AMAZING!!! We went to Bethlehem in the morning, which was somewhat like another Via Dolorosa experience - a piece of traditional area crusted over with a lot of gold and hanging shiny objects and a small building crowded with a lot of totally lost people. After leaving Bethlehem we went back to Jerusalem, up to the Mount of Olives where we could overlook the whole city and see all of its sights (and sites) from above. And I got to ride a camel! :D Sitting on its back looking over the city as it lumbered along, I felt like I had been transported back in time. It was awesome! The most amazing part of the day, though, was that we got to go to a place called the Garden Tomb... and it was the most beautiful, peaceful, authentic site I've seen here (aside from the Valley of Elah). Everything there was so real - even if the tomb wasn't the one Jesus was laid in, it was a genuine tomb meant for somebody in that time period. And with the first century believers' cross on the wall right outside it (which is only found in three places - there, a Roman catacomb, and one of the first century churches), a lot indicates that it may have been THE tomb. :) There was no cynical feeling there - only a deep, overpowering sense of peace and gratitude. We also went to the Temple Institute, which is a place dedicated to teaching people about the temple... and reconstructing all of the temple artifacts according to Biblical standards in order to create the third temple "when the time is right". *sigh* Some people just never get it. After our tour there, we went shopping along the strip near the Damascus Gate. I love bartering for goods! Heather and I did the whole "good cop bad cop" routine on a few merchants... I got to be the bad guy who had seen the item cheaper elsewhere and was trying to convince Heather to leave the merchant trying to rip us off, while she played the innocent buyer who was fascinated with their product and really wanted it, but was slowly being swayed by my logic. In the end, we always got the goods for a far lower price than the merchant started at. It was so much fun! After we went back to Yad Hashmona and had dinner, we packed up the vans and left for Tiberius. We are now staying in two apartments across the hall from each other, one for the guys and one for the girls. There are four girls in each of our two bedrooms, so I'm rooming with Val, Lindsey, and Heather. :) Yay!
Day 7 - May 17 - Tuesday
My Journal Entry:
Today was unusual. Bill came to meet with us at breakfast, then we had freetime until 1:30, had lunch at a kosher McDonald's (which meant no cheeseburgers... in kosher food, dairy doesn't touch meat), went grocery shopping, came back and practiced, and then we were free again until evening. We performed on the rooftop of our Tiberius apartment for a small group of other believers who spoke mostly Spanish and Hebrew. We had dinner after that, and now bed... tomorrow we're going on a prayer walk and "scouting out the land".
Mr. Wilson's Details:
I am typing this on a rooftop patio in Tiberias, with a partial view of the Sea of Galilee, barely hanging on to somebody's internet signal from a neighboring apartment building. Warm and muggy morning here below sea level.
All team members are safe and well. Tonight we have a worship concert on this
rooftop.
A strong east wind, like a Santa Ana, blew dust all over the region from the Jordanian desert. The sky is murky and brown, and visibility is very bad.
Today was unusual. Bill came to meet with us at breakfast, then we had freetime until 1:30, had lunch at a kosher McDonald's (which meant no cheeseburgers... in kosher food, dairy doesn't touch meat), went grocery shopping, came back and practiced, and then we were free again until evening. We performed on the rooftop of our Tiberius apartment for a small group of other believers who spoke mostly Spanish and Hebrew. We had dinner after that, and now bed... tomorrow we're going on a prayer walk and "scouting out the land".
Mr. Wilson's Details:
I am typing this on a rooftop patio in Tiberias, with a partial view of the Sea of Galilee, barely hanging on to somebody's internet signal from a neighboring apartment building. Warm and muggy morning here below sea level.
All team members are safe and well. Tonight we have a worship concert on this
rooftop.
A strong east wind, like a Santa Ana, blew dust all over the region from the Jordanian desert. The sky is murky and brown, and visibility is very bad.
Day 8 - May 18 - Wednesday
My Journal Entry:
Today we went out in pairs to start a four-step process in the neighborhoods of Tiberius. Each pair (my partner is Heather) is assigned a couple of streets, and step one is going through them on a prayer walk, which we did this morning. Step two, which we did this afternoon, is going back through the same streets and doing recon to find the location of all the mailboxes in the area. Steps three and four are going to be dropping tracts in the boxes and doing another prayer walk. This evening we performed twice in between water/laser shows at the Promenade beside the Sea of Galilee. I met a Swedish couple there who had done a drama very similar to our "Everything" drama twenty-four years ago! The woman had seen a Christian drama in London, and that was her introduction to God - she got saved two or three years later, so she encouraged us that we were not sowing in vain, regardless of whether we see fruit or not. :) More performing and tract drop tomorrow.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
On the Tiberius waterfront (Sea of Galilee), there are nightly water and laser
shows at 8, 9, and 10pm. Tonight the team presented sets of songs
and dramas nearby, between the shows, attracting diverse crowds, many of whom
stayed throughout the entire set. We also handed out DVDs provided by our local
contacts, and engaged in several fruitful conversations afterward. Pray that
seeds sown will be watered and bring forth fruit!
Today we went out in pairs to start a four-step process in the neighborhoods of Tiberius. Each pair (my partner is Heather) is assigned a couple of streets, and step one is going through them on a prayer walk, which we did this morning. Step two, which we did this afternoon, is going back through the same streets and doing recon to find the location of all the mailboxes in the area. Steps three and four are going to be dropping tracts in the boxes and doing another prayer walk. This evening we performed twice in between water/laser shows at the Promenade beside the Sea of Galilee. I met a Swedish couple there who had done a drama very similar to our "Everything" drama twenty-four years ago! The woman had seen a Christian drama in London, and that was her introduction to God - she got saved two or three years later, so she encouraged us that we were not sowing in vain, regardless of whether we see fruit or not. :) More performing and tract drop tomorrow.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
On the Tiberius waterfront (Sea of Galilee), there are nightly water and laser
shows at 8, 9, and 10pm. Tonight the team presented sets of songs
and dramas nearby, between the shows, attracting diverse crowds, many of whom
stayed throughout the entire set. We also handed out DVDs provided by our local
contacts, and engaged in several fruitful conversations afterward. Pray that
seeds sown will be watered and bring forth fruit!
Day 9 - May 19 - Thursday
My Journal Entry:
I had a dream that Amanda woke me up so that I could take a shower after her (which she agreed to do last night in real life), and then I fell back to sleep waiting for her to get out. Then I woke up in real life, thought the dream had been real, freaked out because the clock said 8:30 and breakfast was at 9:15, woke up Heather so she could shower after me (also as planned), showered, changed, and was really confused because no one else was up yet. I checked my watch, and it was 9:22! So I figured my watch was wrong, checked Amanda's iPod, and it was still 9:22! And everyone was still asleep! I sat down on my bed and tried to reconcile these facts... and about the time Heather got back from her shower, I realized that I had been reading American time. I woke up at 6:30 Israel time, showered, and woke Heather up too all because I thought that my dream had really happened. :P Heather just laughed at me and went back to sleep. :)
Our lit drop went really well today! Performance tonight went well too. One young man who spoke only Russian was really excited about our performance because one of the songs we sing has a Russian verse and chorus in it. :) Tomorrow we go to Nazareth!
I had a dream that Amanda woke me up so that I could take a shower after her (which she agreed to do last night in real life), and then I fell back to sleep waiting for her to get out. Then I woke up in real life, thought the dream had been real, freaked out because the clock said 8:30 and breakfast was at 9:15, woke up Heather so she could shower after me (also as planned), showered, changed, and was really confused because no one else was up yet. I checked my watch, and it was 9:22! So I figured my watch was wrong, checked Amanda's iPod, and it was still 9:22! And everyone was still asleep! I sat down on my bed and tried to reconcile these facts... and about the time Heather got back from her shower, I realized that I had been reading American time. I woke up at 6:30 Israel time, showered, and woke Heather up too all because I thought that my dream had really happened. :P Heather just laughed at me and went back to sleep. :)
Our lit drop went really well today! Performance tonight went well too. One young man who spoke only Russian was really excited about our performance because one of the songs we sing has a Russian verse and chorus in it. :) Tomorrow we go to Nazareth!
Day 10 - May 20 - Friday
My Journal Entry:
Nazareth was cool - went by NETS (a seminary) to get our schedule for the day, went to a plaza by Mary's Well to perform, then stopped for lunch (yay Domino's!). After that we set up to perform in another open plaza, but we were told that it on the property of a mosque, so we moved to the Church of the Annunciation and sang in there. The acoustics were amazing! And THEN, when we started to leave, the priest came out after us and asked up to come sing in the upper church - a place where they don't allow tourists! The acoustics up there were even better than in the lower level! We did a little shopping after that, then came home. Mize and Lizzy were a huge encouragement to me today! God blessed me with some pretty awesome friends. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Dear VISION Family and Friends:
What images form in your mind at the name “Nazareth”?
The town where the angel announced to Mary and then to Joseph God’s plan to bring His Son into the world through the virgin birth...
The town where the two of them settled again with their little Son of God, supported through Joseph’s work as a carpenter...
The place where Jesus returned as an adult during his three-year ministry and announced in the synagogue that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy He read, for which statement the devout Jews sought to stone Him...
The town that gave our Lord His identification in the world–Jesus of Nazareth.
It's where VISION spent the day, including two significant
performing opportunities, one in a small park next to "Mary's Well," a traditional site of where Mary might have come to draw water, and the other in the Church of the Annunciation, which commemorates the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah.
Nazareth was cool - went by NETS (a seminary) to get our schedule for the day, went to a plaza by Mary's Well to perform, then stopped for lunch (yay Domino's!). After that we set up to perform in another open plaza, but we were told that it on the property of a mosque, so we moved to the Church of the Annunciation and sang in there. The acoustics were amazing! And THEN, when we started to leave, the priest came out after us and asked up to come sing in the upper church - a place where they don't allow tourists! The acoustics up there were even better than in the lower level! We did a little shopping after that, then came home. Mize and Lizzy were a huge encouragement to me today! God blessed me with some pretty awesome friends. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Dear VISION Family and Friends:
What images form in your mind at the name “Nazareth”?
The town where the angel announced to Mary and then to Joseph God’s plan to bring His Son into the world through the virgin birth...
The town where the two of them settled again with their little Son of God, supported through Joseph’s work as a carpenter...
The place where Jesus returned as an adult during his three-year ministry and announced in the synagogue that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy He read, for which statement the devout Jews sought to stone Him...
The town that gave our Lord His identification in the world–Jesus of Nazareth.
It's where VISION spent the day, including two significant
performing opportunities, one in a small park next to "Mary's Well," a traditional site of where Mary might have come to draw water, and the other in the Church of the Annunciation, which commemorates the announcement of the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah.
Day 11 - May 21 - Shabbat
My Journal Entry:
Went to Bet-(insert Hebrew name that I forgot here) church this morning and met a group of American guys around our age who are getting their education in Israel! (Mordecai, Moshe, David, and a couple others whose names I didn't get.) Used a translator headset for the first time, and the pastor talked about how Elijah fell to his lowest state after a great victory, but God didn't give up on him, and He still had a job for him to do. We had lunch at a restaurant after that, then went to Johnathon G.'s house to change for outreach (he does ministry in Israel and I think is connected with our main contact, Bill R.). This was probably the most fun and exciting outreach I've ever done - we stood on a median at an intersection at the Golani Junction with tracts in our hands, and whenever the light turned red, we would run out into the cars and give tracts to all of the drivers! Apparently this is a common advertising technique in Israel, so most people were more than happy to roll down their windows and receive our "matanah", or "gift" to them. :) It was scary at first because I thought I was going to die the first time the light turned green on us, but once we figured out the system, it was REALLY fun! We were all split up into different groups to cover the huge area of the intersection. My group had three lanes in our section, all going the same way and sandwiched between two medians, but one of them was a turning lane and had a separate light from the other two. Heather and I were on the sidewalk on the left covering the turning lane and one other. Caleb stood on the median getting cars in the far right lane, and the lanes beyond him never stopped at all. Most people in our lanes were really open to it, a few young guys were really excited about it (probably more about the cute girls handing out the tracts that the literature itself), and some didn't want to take them - although I could usually win over the gullible ones. ;) I would hand the tract to them with the front showing, and if they refused, after a little persistence, I would flip over the stack of tracts and offer them the back side... and most people would then roll down their windows and take my "second" flier! LOL! We had our last performance at the Promenade and did a little shopping at the stands in the area afterward. Oh, and down by the docks, we saw a river otter! (Which I personally like to think of as a large rat, as we first presumed it to be. Reepicheep in Israel!) Sleep now, touring with Paul by the Sea of Galilee tomorrow!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After Sabbath service, our main host Bill R. took us to Golani Junction, a major crossroads not far west of the Sea of Galilee. Here thousands of cars pass through at the end of the Israeli weekend, heading back home from various recreational, religious, and family-related activities. Bill provided some 2,100 tracts with the gospel message in Hebrew, plus some Arabic materials, for the students to pass out as cars stopped at the red lights there. (This is much more common in Israel than it would be in the States.)
The team passed out the material in less than two hours, and now over 2,000 seeds of the gospel are spread throughout much of Israel! Pray that some will have fallen on good ground, as the parable of the sower describes. Part of the literature is an invitation to go to the web site www.yeshua.co.il/, maintained by the Messianic congregation in Jerusalem, where we worshiped a week ago. Check it out!
This evening we were back on the Tiberias waterfront for our third evening of street ministry between the nightly water and laser shows. Every kind of person stops to watch, from American and other international tourists, to the most conservative orthodox Jews, to Muslims with their families.
Went to Bet-(insert Hebrew name that I forgot here) church this morning and met a group of American guys around our age who are getting their education in Israel! (Mordecai, Moshe, David, and a couple others whose names I didn't get.) Used a translator headset for the first time, and the pastor talked about how Elijah fell to his lowest state after a great victory, but God didn't give up on him, and He still had a job for him to do. We had lunch at a restaurant after that, then went to Johnathon G.'s house to change for outreach (he does ministry in Israel and I think is connected with our main contact, Bill R.). This was probably the most fun and exciting outreach I've ever done - we stood on a median at an intersection at the Golani Junction with tracts in our hands, and whenever the light turned red, we would run out into the cars and give tracts to all of the drivers! Apparently this is a common advertising technique in Israel, so most people were more than happy to roll down their windows and receive our "matanah", or "gift" to them. :) It was scary at first because I thought I was going to die the first time the light turned green on us, but once we figured out the system, it was REALLY fun! We were all split up into different groups to cover the huge area of the intersection. My group had three lanes in our section, all going the same way and sandwiched between two medians, but one of them was a turning lane and had a separate light from the other two. Heather and I were on the sidewalk on the left covering the turning lane and one other. Caleb stood on the median getting cars in the far right lane, and the lanes beyond him never stopped at all. Most people in our lanes were really open to it, a few young guys were really excited about it (probably more about the cute girls handing out the tracts that the literature itself), and some didn't want to take them - although I could usually win over the gullible ones. ;) I would hand the tract to them with the front showing, and if they refused, after a little persistence, I would flip over the stack of tracts and offer them the back side... and most people would then roll down their windows and take my "second" flier! LOL! We had our last performance at the Promenade and did a little shopping at the stands in the area afterward. Oh, and down by the docks, we saw a river otter! (Which I personally like to think of as a large rat, as we first presumed it to be. Reepicheep in Israel!) Sleep now, touring with Paul by the Sea of Galilee tomorrow!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
After Sabbath service, our main host Bill R. took us to Golani Junction, a major crossroads not far west of the Sea of Galilee. Here thousands of cars pass through at the end of the Israeli weekend, heading back home from various recreational, religious, and family-related activities. Bill provided some 2,100 tracts with the gospel message in Hebrew, plus some Arabic materials, for the students to pass out as cars stopped at the red lights there. (This is much more common in Israel than it would be in the States.)
The team passed out the material in less than two hours, and now over 2,000 seeds of the gospel are spread throughout much of Israel! Pray that some will have fallen on good ground, as the parable of the sower describes. Part of the literature is an invitation to go to the web site www.yeshua.co.il/, maintained by the Messianic congregation in Jerusalem, where we worshiped a week ago. Check it out!
This evening we were back on the Tiberias waterfront for our third evening of street ministry between the nightly water and laser shows. Every kind of person stops to watch, from American and other international tourists, to the most conservative orthodox Jews, to Muslims with their families.
Day 12 - May 22 - Sunday
My Journal Entry:
Touring with Paul today (ironic, no?) in the Galilee area. Saw the remains of Korazim (one of the three cities that Jesus cursed), wandered around Hazor (the city that Jabin and Cisera were from) where we walked through the area of a Solomnic Gate and into a palace. After Hazor we went to Tel Dan (as in the tribe of Dan's area) and saw its city, gate, etc., got to wade in the spring of Dan, and even got to drink straight from its source! Best water I've ever had! The best part of the day, though, was going to Paul's house and actually swimming in the Sea of Galilee with Lizzy, Mike, Heather, Priscilla, Lindsey, and Caleb. It was so amazing to think that the water I was swimming in was water that Jesus walked ON TOP OP! Bedtime now - early (and long) day tomorrow. :)
Touring with Paul today (ironic, no?) in the Galilee area. Saw the remains of Korazim (one of the three cities that Jesus cursed), wandered around Hazor (the city that Jabin and Cisera were from) where we walked through the area of a Solomnic Gate and into a palace. After Hazor we went to Tel Dan (as in the tribe of Dan's area) and saw its city, gate, etc., got to wade in the spring of Dan, and even got to drink straight from its source! Best water I've ever had! The best part of the day, though, was going to Paul's house and actually swimming in the Sea of Galilee with Lizzy, Mike, Heather, Priscilla, Lindsey, and Caleb. It was so amazing to think that the water I was swimming in was water that Jesus walked ON TOP OP! Bedtime now - early (and long) day tomorrow. :)
Day 13 - May 23 - Monday
My Journal Entry:
Toured more today, saw the probable site of Peter's house in Capernaum (a.k.a. Jesus' headquarters), saw the Jordan River, hiked up a road to a really high mountain (Arbel) looking over the valley of what used to be called Magdala (Mary Magdalene ring any bells?), walked through the ruins of Bethsaida (including a road that Jesus probably used), saw a first-century fishing boat, and sailed on the Sea of Galilee. Most of these activities we did with an Iranian group that had also come to Israel to minister! :) Tomorrow we finally get to sleep in!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
During these past two days, the team has had the unbelievable opportunity to
tour Galilee and northern Israel with Paul K., a Christian brother and now professional guide who serves with our other contacts in this part of the
country.
Here are some of our amazing experiences, each more overwhelming than the other:
We visited the “tel” (archaeological dig) of the city of Hazor, destroyed by
Joshua in the campaign to take the promised land, and later built up by either Solomon or Ahab (experts differ).
We peered into both Lebanon and Syria under the noses of high-tech Israeli
defense stations in the extreme northern part of the country, in the shadow of Mt. Hermon, which still has pockets of snow on top.
We waded in the beautiful shady pools and streams below Tel Dan, which was a
Canaanite city visited by Abraham early in his arrival in the land where God had led him. It was later developed by the Israelite tribe of Dan, the northernmost of the tribes on your Bible maps.
We drove by slopes believed to be the sites of the Sermon on the Mount and the Feeding of the Five Thousand.
We visited the site of Capernaum, Jesus’ main headquarters during the years of His ministry, standing in the remains of the synagogue where He taught, and singing in a church structure built above what is considered the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, where Peter himself lived and Jesus stayed much of the time.
We viewed the sites of Bethsaida and Chorazim, which were central to Jesus and the disciples’ ministry, but which He cursed, along with Capernaum, because they did not believe in Him despite the great miracles he had performed there.
We stood on the highest cliff overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the west side, and towering over the road Jesus most likely used when He walked from Capernaum and nearby towns to Nazareth and Cana.
We visited a beautiful spot on the Jordan River, just after it leaves the south end of the Sea of Galilee, where some believe Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
Some waded and swam in the Sea of Galilee, and later all of us went on a boat
ride onto the rough waters where Jesus walked on the sea and calmed the storm. What an unforgettable experience!!!
Some of those visits were shared with a group of 11 believers who had just
arrived in Israel from (get this...) Iran, the country whose president wants to wipe Israel off the map. Yet here were genuine brothers and sisters who love the Lord and love Israel, and came to minister in the name of Christ. (Their English was excellent!)
At the end of the day Monday, we spent some time ministering together on a
college campus near the Baptism site I mentioned earlier. VISION sang and
presented dramas in the open air outside the main building, and though few
students passed by, several did, and were engaged in conversations and presented with the gospel message in written form by both the Iranian team and VISION members.
Toured more today, saw the probable site of Peter's house in Capernaum (a.k.a. Jesus' headquarters), saw the Jordan River, hiked up a road to a really high mountain (Arbel) looking over the valley of what used to be called Magdala (Mary Magdalene ring any bells?), walked through the ruins of Bethsaida (including a road that Jesus probably used), saw a first-century fishing boat, and sailed on the Sea of Galilee. Most of these activities we did with an Iranian group that had also come to Israel to minister! :) Tomorrow we finally get to sleep in!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
During these past two days, the team has had the unbelievable opportunity to
tour Galilee and northern Israel with Paul K., a Christian brother and now professional guide who serves with our other contacts in this part of the
country.
Here are some of our amazing experiences, each more overwhelming than the other:
We visited the “tel” (archaeological dig) of the city of Hazor, destroyed by
Joshua in the campaign to take the promised land, and later built up by either Solomon or Ahab (experts differ).
We peered into both Lebanon and Syria under the noses of high-tech Israeli
defense stations in the extreme northern part of the country, in the shadow of Mt. Hermon, which still has pockets of snow on top.
We waded in the beautiful shady pools and streams below Tel Dan, which was a
Canaanite city visited by Abraham early in his arrival in the land where God had led him. It was later developed by the Israelite tribe of Dan, the northernmost of the tribes on your Bible maps.
We drove by slopes believed to be the sites of the Sermon on the Mount and the Feeding of the Five Thousand.
We visited the site of Capernaum, Jesus’ main headquarters during the years of His ministry, standing in the remains of the synagogue where He taught, and singing in a church structure built above what is considered the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, where Peter himself lived and Jesus stayed much of the time.
We viewed the sites of Bethsaida and Chorazim, which were central to Jesus and the disciples’ ministry, but which He cursed, along with Capernaum, because they did not believe in Him despite the great miracles he had performed there.
We stood on the highest cliff overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the west side, and towering over the road Jesus most likely used when He walked from Capernaum and nearby towns to Nazareth and Cana.
We visited a beautiful spot on the Jordan River, just after it leaves the south end of the Sea of Galilee, where some believe Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
Some waded and swam in the Sea of Galilee, and later all of us went on a boat
ride onto the rough waters where Jesus walked on the sea and calmed the storm. What an unforgettable experience!!!
Some of those visits were shared with a group of 11 believers who had just
arrived in Israel from (get this...) Iran, the country whose president wants to wipe Israel off the map. Yet here were genuine brothers and sisters who love the Lord and love Israel, and came to minister in the name of Christ. (Their English was excellent!)
At the end of the day Monday, we spent some time ministering together on a
college campus near the Baptism site I mentioned earlier. VISION sang and
presented dramas in the open air outside the main building, and though few
students passed by, several did, and were engaged in conversations and presented with the gospel message in written form by both the Iranian team and VISION members.
Day 14 - May 24 - Tuesday
My Journal Entry:
Sleeping in was marvelous! The drive afterward, not as much... we were in the car for three hours trying to find our destination. We finally reached Mt. Carmel and had lunch there - how cool is it that we got to eat in the same place where, somewhere on that mountain, God sent down fire and the prophets of Baal scattered everywhere, then Elijah chased them all down and slaughtered them? Yay God! Then we went to the Mediterranean Sea and hung out on the beach for a little bit before driving to a ministry spot. Our largest audience was probably fifteen people at best, which was a little hard to get used to, but literature did go out, so hopefully we reached somebody. We moved back to the beach to perform, but we weren't allowed to perform there, so we just handed out tracts. We got to see a suspicious object search while we were there, though! Someone had left a duffel bag on the boardwalk, and an area around it about a block long was cordoned off, and a man in a full bodysuit and mask was working on taking things out of the bag. At one end of the area, opposite the bag, was a truck that he pulled a long wire out of. He walked it to the duffel bag, after bending it around a pole in the ground across the street from the bag(so the wire was in an L shape now), clipped the wire to an object in the bag, then walked back to the truck and retracted the wire. It would drag the item across the ground to the pole, then the guy would stop it, go the the object, unclip the wire, and hook it to the next item in the bag. Repeat until bag was empty. Nothing blew up. How strange to be in a country where they expected it to! In America, people would just turn it in to lost and found, leave it there, or make off with it. So different.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Today we will go again to Haifa, this time for street ministry in a
neighborhood of may Sudanese Jewish refugees who have settled in Israel, and later on the Mediterranean beachfront, where throngs of locals and tourists will be strolling. Pray for the effective planting of seeds and the eventual harvest that is so needed in these days so uncertain for the Israeli people!
Sleeping in was marvelous! The drive afterward, not as much... we were in the car for three hours trying to find our destination. We finally reached Mt. Carmel and had lunch there - how cool is it that we got to eat in the same place where, somewhere on that mountain, God sent down fire and the prophets of Baal scattered everywhere, then Elijah chased them all down and slaughtered them? Yay God! Then we went to the Mediterranean Sea and hung out on the beach for a little bit before driving to a ministry spot. Our largest audience was probably fifteen people at best, which was a little hard to get used to, but literature did go out, so hopefully we reached somebody. We moved back to the beach to perform, but we weren't allowed to perform there, so we just handed out tracts. We got to see a suspicious object search while we were there, though! Someone had left a duffel bag on the boardwalk, and an area around it about a block long was cordoned off, and a man in a full bodysuit and mask was working on taking things out of the bag. At one end of the area, opposite the bag, was a truck that he pulled a long wire out of. He walked it to the duffel bag, after bending it around a pole in the ground across the street from the bag(so the wire was in an L shape now), clipped the wire to an object in the bag, then walked back to the truck and retracted the wire. It would drag the item across the ground to the pole, then the guy would stop it, go the the object, unclip the wire, and hook it to the next item in the bag. Repeat until bag was empty. Nothing blew up. How strange to be in a country where they expected it to! In America, people would just turn it in to lost and found, leave it there, or make off with it. So different.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Today we will go again to Haifa, this time for street ministry in a
neighborhood of may Sudanese Jewish refugees who have settled in Israel, and later on the Mediterranean beachfront, where throngs of locals and tourists will be strolling. Pray for the effective planting of seeds and the eventual harvest that is so needed in these days so uncertain for the Israeli people!
Day 15 - May 25 - Wednesday
My Journal Entry:
Got to sleep in a little today, then went to Carmiel for a "strategic worship opportunity". It was wonderful! Musical instruments and our voices rising up in unrehearsed song in a little wood in the middle of a kibbutz... wow. And God sent a little golden dog with softy, silky fur to brighten my day too! He wandered into our group shortly after we arrived and stayed with us until we got in the vans to leave (he even tried to follow us into the bathrooms right before we left!). His soft golden fur reminded me of Aslan. :) Afterward we went to KFC (which wasn't as good as it is in America), then we did more tracts-in-traffic work, with Nick as my partner this time. Heather is sick today, and Emilie is staying home with her. :( After that we went to a nearby strip mall plaza to perform, then got falafel (or shawarma, our choice) pitas for dinner and went back home. Did tons of packing for tomorrow, and now off to bed!
Got to sleep in a little today, then went to Carmiel for a "strategic worship opportunity". It was wonderful! Musical instruments and our voices rising up in unrehearsed song in a little wood in the middle of a kibbutz... wow. And God sent a little golden dog with softy, silky fur to brighten my day too! He wandered into our group shortly after we arrived and stayed with us until we got in the vans to leave (he even tried to follow us into the bathrooms right before we left!). His soft golden fur reminded me of Aslan. :) Afterward we went to KFC (which wasn't as good as it is in America), then we did more tracts-in-traffic work, with Nick as my partner this time. Heather is sick today, and Emilie is staying home with her. :( After that we went to a nearby strip mall plaza to perform, then got falafel (or shawarma, our choice) pitas for dinner and went back home. Did tons of packing for tomorrow, and now off to bed!
Day 16 - May 26 - Thursday
My Journal Entry:
Moving day! Spent a long time loading the vans with all of our stuff, driving, talking with Bill and Vered R. at their home, driving more, stopping at McD's, and still more driving. Got to the Deborah Hotel, had about half an hour free time after checking into our rooms, ate dinner, then went straight out to perform a few minutes' walk from our hotel (by the beach!). Sleep now, beach day until ministry tomorrow! Starting to get sick, though. :/ Heather is better today, but Mike's knees got injured this morning when he fell on the stairs. Lotsa prayers going on for our various debilitated members.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Before leaving Tiberias, the team did Phase 4 of the "sower" project...a final prayer walk of each street where they had paired up to distributed literature to the mailboxes and gates a few days earlier in a neighborhood, overlooking central Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee.
After the prayer walk, we stopped in Kfar Tavor (a town at the foot of Mt. Tabor), at the home of Bill R., our primary host in Israel. There Priscilla Norman had the privilege of highlighting on a map the streets where VISION distributed the literature, as part of an ongoing plan involving groups both before us and yet to come. Future visiting teams will eventually blanket all of Tiberias as part of this plan.
Then, in the afternoon we drove on to Tel Aviv, checking into our hotel there just in time for dinner. Immediately afterward, we went out to the Mediterranean beachfront to sing and act, in order to attract listeners, pass out literature, and engage people in conversation. Though those who stopped were fewer than in Tiberias, there were still a lot of seeds sown.
Moving day! Spent a long time loading the vans with all of our stuff, driving, talking with Bill and Vered R. at their home, driving more, stopping at McD's, and still more driving. Got to the Deborah Hotel, had about half an hour free time after checking into our rooms, ate dinner, then went straight out to perform a few minutes' walk from our hotel (by the beach!). Sleep now, beach day until ministry tomorrow! Starting to get sick, though. :/ Heather is better today, but Mike's knees got injured this morning when he fell on the stairs. Lotsa prayers going on for our various debilitated members.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Before leaving Tiberias, the team did Phase 4 of the "sower" project...a final prayer walk of each street where they had paired up to distributed literature to the mailboxes and gates a few days earlier in a neighborhood, overlooking central Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee.
After the prayer walk, we stopped in Kfar Tavor (a town at the foot of Mt. Tabor), at the home of Bill R., our primary host in Israel. There Priscilla Norman had the privilege of highlighting on a map the streets where VISION distributed the literature, as part of an ongoing plan involving groups both before us and yet to come. Future visiting teams will eventually blanket all of Tiberias as part of this plan.
Then, in the afternoon we drove on to Tel Aviv, checking into our hotel there just in time for dinner. Immediately afterward, we went out to the Mediterranean beachfront to sing and act, in order to attract listeners, pass out literature, and engage people in conversation. Though those who stopped were fewer than in Tiberias, there were still a lot of seeds sown.
Day 17 - May 27 - Friday
My Journal Entry:
Today was pretty awful for me personally. Except for this morning. This morning was cool because we were at the beach for a couple of hours, and the Mediterranean is amazing! It was totally clear blue water - I could still see my feet when I was up to my neck in Ocean! :D But even then it wasn't as fun as it could have been, because this morning I woke up sick. I couldn't breathe through my nose at all, and later in the day I had an awful pounding headache (so bad that I even got nauseous and almost hurled in the van). We did four performances (two in a park filled with Sudanese refugees, and two by the beach), and I was able to stick it out for all but the last song, although I didn't do any of the dramas. Felt cruddy the whole time. It was awesome how much the whole team cared, though! Heather was constantly offering her shoulder for me to lay my head on, Emilie checked up on me all the time, Lindsey gave me shoulder rubs, Amanda told me it was okay to opt of performing if I didn't feel up to it, Priscilla gave me hugs and her sympathy, Lizzy talked to/with me and tried (successfully) to get my mind off of how I felt, Val made me laugh, Luke was perky and tried to give me some of his energy, Mike was caring even though he was in pain too, Caleb made me laugh (especially by smushing his face up against the window of my van from outside, haha!) and asked what specifically he could pray for, Nick was constantly offering his support by sitting with me, talking, etc., and Mr. Wilson was there for me like he always is. Everyone was praying for me and trying to help, and it was so incredible! I am so blessed to be in a group where not only will everyone come to lift me up, but also to lift me up before God. I love my family. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
VISION did an outreach program this afternoon in a district of Tel Aviv called Neve Sha'Anan, where many refugees, guest workers, and illegal immigrants reside. These include Africans from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Congo, Nigeria, etc., plus several varieties of Asians. It felt very different from what one might expect in Israel, but it demonstrates what a melting pot this country has become.
Today was pretty awful for me personally. Except for this morning. This morning was cool because we were at the beach for a couple of hours, and the Mediterranean is amazing! It was totally clear blue water - I could still see my feet when I was up to my neck in Ocean! :D But even then it wasn't as fun as it could have been, because this morning I woke up sick. I couldn't breathe through my nose at all, and later in the day I had an awful pounding headache (so bad that I even got nauseous and almost hurled in the van). We did four performances (two in a park filled with Sudanese refugees, and two by the beach), and I was able to stick it out for all but the last song, although I didn't do any of the dramas. Felt cruddy the whole time. It was awesome how much the whole team cared, though! Heather was constantly offering her shoulder for me to lay my head on, Emilie checked up on me all the time, Lindsey gave me shoulder rubs, Amanda told me it was okay to opt of performing if I didn't feel up to it, Priscilla gave me hugs and her sympathy, Lizzy talked to/with me and tried (successfully) to get my mind off of how I felt, Val made me laugh, Luke was perky and tried to give me some of his energy, Mike was caring even though he was in pain too, Caleb made me laugh (especially by smushing his face up against the window of my van from outside, haha!) and asked what specifically he could pray for, Nick was constantly offering his support by sitting with me, talking, etc., and Mr. Wilson was there for me like he always is. Everyone was praying for me and trying to help, and it was so incredible! I am so blessed to be in a group where not only will everyone come to lift me up, but also to lift me up before God. I love my family. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
VISION did an outreach program this afternoon in a district of Tel Aviv called Neve Sha'Anan, where many refugees, guest workers, and illegal immigrants reside. These include Africans from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Congo, Nigeria, etc., plus several varieties of Asians. It felt very different from what one might expect in Israel, but it demonstrates what a melting pot this country has become.
Day 18 - May 28 - Shabbat
My Journal Entry:
Went to a Sudanese service around 1:30, got out a couple hours later and ate lunch, then went to an awesome church pastored by a guy who saw us singing on the beach a couple of nights ago and invited us to come sing for them. It was super encouraging! After the service (which consisted of worship, our performance, and amazing message about the importance of controlling our thoughts, and an encore performance), the pastor prayed for us as a group, then asked individual members of the church come pray for us. His daughter Rachel (who translated the whole service into English for us) prayer over me and Priscilla, and it was exactly what we needed. It was awesome. :) Oh, and by the way, I woke up much better today! Still stuffy, but I can breathe through my schnoz! And I only had a little bit of headache today. Tomorrow we get to go on an outing!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
VISION had opportunity to participate in the worship of a Sudanese church. The service was attended by few adults, but many kids. The worship was vastly different from our style, but uplifting and vibrant!
Lindsey took an opportunity to help a lady named Anita, a Jewish woman
originally from Brooklyn, with the kids. (Quite a challenge, even though many of the kids were missing that day.)
In the evening, we visited Congregation "Sea of His Love" in Bat Yam, a
southern suburb of the Tel Aviv area. Nick and Mike were invited to sit in with the worship band, led by Chaim Birnbaum, the pastor's son. (This opportunity came about because the Birnbaum family was strolling the waterfront a couple of nights earlier and found VISION ministering there. A Divine Appointment!)
This small but growing congregation of Messianic believers warmly welcomed us, in a way we hadn't had opportunity to experience throughout the trip to this point.
There was a very moving occasion at the end of the service, when Pastor Birnbaum called members of the congregation forward to pray with the students. The man praying for Mike got right down on the floor to pray about Mike's knee, which he had injured in a fall a couple of days earlier. This connection with fellow believers in Jesus as Messiah was a real blessing and boost the team after all their outdoor ministries of seed planting but no fellowship.
Went to a Sudanese service around 1:30, got out a couple hours later and ate lunch, then went to an awesome church pastored by a guy who saw us singing on the beach a couple of nights ago and invited us to come sing for them. It was super encouraging! After the service (which consisted of worship, our performance, and amazing message about the importance of controlling our thoughts, and an encore performance), the pastor prayed for us as a group, then asked individual members of the church come pray for us. His daughter Rachel (who translated the whole service into English for us) prayer over me and Priscilla, and it was exactly what we needed. It was awesome. :) Oh, and by the way, I woke up much better today! Still stuffy, but I can breathe through my schnoz! And I only had a little bit of headache today. Tomorrow we get to go on an outing!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
VISION had opportunity to participate in the worship of a Sudanese church. The service was attended by few adults, but many kids. The worship was vastly different from our style, but uplifting and vibrant!
Lindsey took an opportunity to help a lady named Anita, a Jewish woman
originally from Brooklyn, with the kids. (Quite a challenge, even though many of the kids were missing that day.)
In the evening, we visited Congregation "Sea of His Love" in Bat Yam, a
southern suburb of the Tel Aviv area. Nick and Mike were invited to sit in with the worship band, led by Chaim Birnbaum, the pastor's son. (This opportunity came about because the Birnbaum family was strolling the waterfront a couple of nights earlier and found VISION ministering there. A Divine Appointment!)
This small but growing congregation of Messianic believers warmly welcomed us, in a way we hadn't had opportunity to experience throughout the trip to this point.
There was a very moving occasion at the end of the service, when Pastor Birnbaum called members of the congregation forward to pray with the students. The man praying for Mike got right down on the floor to pray about Mike's knee, which he had injured in a fall a couple of days earlier. This connection with fellow believers in Jesus as Messiah was a real blessing and boost the team after all their outdoor ministries of seed planting but no fellowship.
Day 19 - May 29 - Sunday
My Journal Entry:
Today started with free time from 10:00-1:30, so Lizzy, Heather, and I went to the beach, soon to be joined by Lindsey, Amanda, Emilie, Caleb, and Priscilla. SO much fun! Hurrah for the fishies swimming in the water with us! Including one poor little dying fish that I was able to catch and play with for a little bit because he was slowing down. He was a speckled brown color on top, but his belly was silver and shined rainbow colors in the sunlight! When we were playing in the swells in the water, I got this sudden visual of the way that some dads toss their little kids in the air and then catch them, and I realized that the ocean waves are God's way of doing that with us. :) After lunch we walked to Jaffa (a.k.a. Joppa,the port where Jonah left for Tarshish), found an AWESOME playground that was for big kids too and played there for a while on the way, arrived and went inside St. Peter's church (which is built in memory of Peter's vision of the sheet with the animals on it coming down from heaven, since Joppa is where that took place), found the only shop we've seen in Israel so far that had Dr. Pepper, walked back to the hotel, ate dinner, then went to the beach for our last scheduled performances. After our last performance Mr. Wilson gave a speech and we prayed together and then had a huge hugfest afterward with lotsa love and joy and tears and general affection goin' round. Then we met back up at the hotel and Mike shared his testimony, and there was more snifflin' and hugging. Overall, it was a very magnificently emotional day. :) Tomorrow we go to Capernaum! Which, ironically, was Cornelius' hometown, so Peter took the same journey (roughly) that we will tomorrow!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
We took a 5-mile round trip hike down the coast to old Joppa. This is where Jonah sailed from to run away from God, as well as the location where Peter saw the vision that led to his ministry expanding to the Gentiles. Then in the evening we went back out to the beachfront.
Today started with free time from 10:00-1:30, so Lizzy, Heather, and I went to the beach, soon to be joined by Lindsey, Amanda, Emilie, Caleb, and Priscilla. SO much fun! Hurrah for the fishies swimming in the water with us! Including one poor little dying fish that I was able to catch and play with for a little bit because he was slowing down. He was a speckled brown color on top, but his belly was silver and shined rainbow colors in the sunlight! When we were playing in the swells in the water, I got this sudden visual of the way that some dads toss their little kids in the air and then catch them, and I realized that the ocean waves are God's way of doing that with us. :) After lunch we walked to Jaffa (a.k.a. Joppa,the port where Jonah left for Tarshish), found an AWESOME playground that was for big kids too and played there for a while on the way, arrived and went inside St. Peter's church (which is built in memory of Peter's vision of the sheet with the animals on it coming down from heaven, since Joppa is where that took place), found the only shop we've seen in Israel so far that had Dr. Pepper, walked back to the hotel, ate dinner, then went to the beach for our last scheduled performances. After our last performance Mr. Wilson gave a speech and we prayed together and then had a huge hugfest afterward with lotsa love and joy and tears and general affection goin' round. Then we met back up at the hotel and Mike shared his testimony, and there was more snifflin' and hugging. Overall, it was a very magnificently emotional day. :) Tomorrow we go to Capernaum! Which, ironically, was Cornelius' hometown, so Peter took the same journey (roughly) that we will tomorrow!
Mr. Wilson's Details:
We took a 5-mile round trip hike down the coast to old Joppa. This is where Jonah sailed from to run away from God, as well as the location where Peter saw the vision that led to his ministry expanding to the Gentiles. Then in the evening we went back out to the beachfront.
Day 20 - May 30 - Monday
My Journal Entry:
Went to Caesarea today! It was awesome. Herod built Jerusalem in Jewish style to please the Jews, but he built Caesarea in Roman style to please the Romans (i.e. amphitheater, hippodrome, big marble pillars, statues, etc.), so it was almost like visiting another country! And it was built overlooking the sea, so it's absolutely gorgeous! After touring and lunch we went to go to some fortress, but after three hours in the vans (getting lost, asking for directions, getting lost again, and realizing that it was closed by that time), we stopped for Magnums, stretched our legs a little, then headed back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner we had a lot of fun - girl's night in Amanda and Emilie's room to write the song for the boys (to be explained in a later post)! After an our of brainstorming and playing with it, we have a pretty awesome rendition of "Screen Door" (a VISION song) to sing at the farewell dinner. :) All packed now and ready to move to some kibbutz tomorrow morning. Still fighting the stuffiness, but hopefully it will be gone soon! Only a few more days until we go home...
Mr. Wilson's Details:
CAESAREA
VISION spent several hours at Caesarea, on the coast of Israel, between Netanya and Haifa. They sang in the great amphitheater, including their song with a Spanish verse and chorus for a tourist group from Venezuela.
Caesarea is the city where Peter came to heal Cornelius' servant, and where Paul sailed from more than once, including the time he appealed to Caesar and was sent off toward Rome. King Herod the Great is the one who developed this town, including a seaside palace, now in ruins.
Went to Caesarea today! It was awesome. Herod built Jerusalem in Jewish style to please the Jews, but he built Caesarea in Roman style to please the Romans (i.e. amphitheater, hippodrome, big marble pillars, statues, etc.), so it was almost like visiting another country! And it was built overlooking the sea, so it's absolutely gorgeous! After touring and lunch we went to go to some fortress, but after three hours in the vans (getting lost, asking for directions, getting lost again, and realizing that it was closed by that time), we stopped for Magnums, stretched our legs a little, then headed back to the hotel for dinner. After dinner we had a lot of fun - girl's night in Amanda and Emilie's room to write the song for the boys (to be explained in a later post)! After an our of brainstorming and playing with it, we have a pretty awesome rendition of "Screen Door" (a VISION song) to sing at the farewell dinner. :) All packed now and ready to move to some kibbutz tomorrow morning. Still fighting the stuffiness, but hopefully it will be gone soon! Only a few more days until we go home...
Mr. Wilson's Details:
CAESAREA
VISION spent several hours at Caesarea, on the coast of Israel, between Netanya and Haifa. They sang in the great amphitheater, including their song with a Spanish verse and chorus for a tourist group from Venezuela.
Caesarea is the city where Peter came to heal Cornelius' servant, and where Paul sailed from more than once, including the time he appealed to Caesar and was sent off toward Rome. King Herod the Great is the one who developed this town, including a seaside palace, now in ruins.
Day 21 - May 31 - Tuesday
My Journal Entry:
Today we went back to Jerusalem to touch the Wailing Wall after making a couple of "humor Mr. Wilson" stops. :) One of them was the Burma Road Memorial - the Arabs blocked off roads to some city, and some people created a road up the back side of the mountain without their knowing to get food in. The second stop was Castel, which was a fortress - a fortress with a really awesome underground tunnel/cavern system! Just outside the city of Jerusalem we visited the church where Mary is supposedly buried... "according to Christian tradition" like everything else. :P We've settled into our kibbutz, which is really close to the Dead Sea. Heather is my roomie for the rest of the trip! We had dinner at a really great restaurant called Last Chance, and now it's off to bed - we have a really early start tomorrow (ready to eat by 7:00) because of a really full (and fun) day ahead. Can't wait! :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
WAILING WALL
We returned to the Old City of Jerusalem (the Jewish Quarter), but this
time it was mobbed with thousands of school kids in the city for Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), celebrating the recapture of Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967. Every street and site was filled with a mass of teen and
pre-teen humanity! I thought that Passover must have been like this in biblical times(except that there would also be sheep, goats, and donkeys in the scene.)
This time the students wanted to get all the way to the Western Wall (known as the Wailing Wall). Some of the team members went down to the wall area, on their respective sides.
JUDEAN DESERT
Leaving Jerusalem, we headed east, descending rapidly into the Judean Desert
toward the Dead Sea. Along the highway, we saw Bedouin tents and shanties, as well as the camels grazing by the roadside.
We will spend Tuesday and Wednesday nights in guest lodgings at Kibbutz Almog, just north of the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on earth, at 1388 feet below sea level.
Today we went back to Jerusalem to touch the Wailing Wall after making a couple of "humor Mr. Wilson" stops. :) One of them was the Burma Road Memorial - the Arabs blocked off roads to some city, and some people created a road up the back side of the mountain without their knowing to get food in. The second stop was Castel, which was a fortress - a fortress with a really awesome underground tunnel/cavern system! Just outside the city of Jerusalem we visited the church where Mary is supposedly buried... "according to Christian tradition" like everything else. :P We've settled into our kibbutz, which is really close to the Dead Sea. Heather is my roomie for the rest of the trip! We had dinner at a really great restaurant called Last Chance, and now it's off to bed - we have a really early start tomorrow (ready to eat by 7:00) because of a really full (and fun) day ahead. Can't wait! :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
WAILING WALL
We returned to the Old City of Jerusalem (the Jewish Quarter), but this
time it was mobbed with thousands of school kids in the city for Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), celebrating the recapture of Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967. Every street and site was filled with a mass of teen and
pre-teen humanity! I thought that Passover must have been like this in biblical times(except that there would also be sheep, goats, and donkeys in the scene.)
This time the students wanted to get all the way to the Western Wall (known as the Wailing Wall). Some of the team members went down to the wall area, on their respective sides.
JUDEAN DESERT
Leaving Jerusalem, we headed east, descending rapidly into the Judean Desert
toward the Dead Sea. Along the highway, we saw Bedouin tents and shanties, as well as the camels grazing by the roadside.
We will spend Tuesday and Wednesday nights in guest lodgings at Kibbutz Almog, just north of the Dead Sea, which is the lowest point on earth, at 1388 feet below sea level.
Day 22 - June 1 - Wednesday
My Journal Entry:
Today was amazing! First we went to Masada, which was a huge Jewish fortress city on top of a mountain. Some Jews stayed up there for three years in hiding from the Romans, but Rome finally built a ramp up the mountain to get their soldiers in; the night before they attacked, all but two women and a few children killed themselves and/or their families so they wouldn't have to be slaves. We had to to take a cable car to get to Masada. I freaked out a little (internally) going both up and down (okay... maybe a LITTLE externally), but on the down, and elderly man I was standing next to started talking to me. He had one of those hats that has a built-in neck cover, and in a Jewish accent (but perfect English) he said, "You see this hat? They make these for people who are afraid." And with that, he put his hat on backwards so that the flap covered his face! I laughed at that, and he took the hat off and with a shrug, said "Me? I am not afraid. But I have have seen here many times people who are afraid. And you know what I tell them? I say, 'Stand close to me, and then you can be afraid of me instead!'" (Remember - this is coming from a little, elderly, completely unintimidating man.) :) I found out that he is a grandpa with nine (grand?)children. I took a picture with him after we got off the cable car, and afterward, he handed me his business card and told me, "You come back to Israel someday, you can take another picture with me! I will still be the same. You will look older, but I will be just the same!"
After Masada, we drove to the Dead Sea. "Swimming" there was the strangest sensation I've ever experienced! Not only is it impossible to sink there, but even staying vertical in the water is a challenge, and when you find the right angle to balance where the salt water isn't forcing your legs up to the surface, your shoulders still rise above the water a little bit! The water is a clear green, and you can see pillars of salt (maybe encrusted pipes?) lying flat on the sea floor far below you. The water makes any wounds burn like crazy; you can't even shave for a couple days before going in, or else you'll get razor burn. The water does make your skin softer, though.
After the Dead Sea we went to En Gedi, which is a big oasis (did I mention that the Dead Sea area is an actual desert? With dunes and camels and everything?) with a few waterfalls inside. The closest waterfall to the park entrance had a pool only deep enough to sit in, but the waterfall pouring into it was awesome! It felt like a shower on full blast combined with a jet spa and a massage chair. It pounded you hard, but not hard enough to hurt - just enough to feel absolutely incredible.
We stayed there a bit, then returned to Almog (the kibbutz we're staying at) and swam in the pool before dinner. Tomorrow we head back to Jaffa for our last full night in Israel. :( Tonight ended with a post-dinner trip to a gas station for Magnums. :) And packing too, but there's not much of that to do since we didn't stay long here.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
MASADA
We arose early to beat the heat (which wasn’t that bad after all, amazingly!) and headed for Masada, the desert mountaintop fortress, palace, and settlement built by Herod for his own use, but which later became the last stronghold of the Jewish refugees who escaped the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in AD 70.
The Romans pursued them to this desolate wilderness and set up a siege around
the mountain. Because Herod had left so much food, supplies, and even weapons
when he abandoned the mountain, the Jews were able to hold out for months. The Romans eventually built an earthen ramp up the side of the rocky promontory and successfully breached the defenses of the Jews. However, the night before their final attack, the Jewish people determined to commit suicide rather than become slaves to the Romans, so all the soldiers found were dead bodies atop Masada.
DEAD SEA
Continuing south from Masada, we went to a public beach on the Dead Sea for the strange phenomenon of floating on the dense mineral-filled water with no
inflatable device of any kind. Just getting your feet back under you, even in
shallow water, was a challenge. What a unique and amazing experience!
EN GEDI
Returning back northward along the shore, we stopped at En Gedi Nature Reserve where a spring-fed freshwater stream tumbles over several small waterfalls on its descent into the Dead Sea. We got to the lowest one in time to take turns letting it pound down on our heads and shoulders, and to relax in the pond formed at the bottom. After the oily-feeling warm water of the Dead Sea, the cool spring water was most refreshing!
Today was amazing! First we went to Masada, which was a huge Jewish fortress city on top of a mountain. Some Jews stayed up there for three years in hiding from the Romans, but Rome finally built a ramp up the mountain to get their soldiers in; the night before they attacked, all but two women and a few children killed themselves and/or their families so they wouldn't have to be slaves. We had to to take a cable car to get to Masada. I freaked out a little (internally) going both up and down (okay... maybe a LITTLE externally), but on the down, and elderly man I was standing next to started talking to me. He had one of those hats that has a built-in neck cover, and in a Jewish accent (but perfect English) he said, "You see this hat? They make these for people who are afraid." And with that, he put his hat on backwards so that the flap covered his face! I laughed at that, and he took the hat off and with a shrug, said "Me? I am not afraid. But I have have seen here many times people who are afraid. And you know what I tell them? I say, 'Stand close to me, and then you can be afraid of me instead!'" (Remember - this is coming from a little, elderly, completely unintimidating man.) :) I found out that he is a grandpa with nine (grand?)children. I took a picture with him after we got off the cable car, and afterward, he handed me his business card and told me, "You come back to Israel someday, you can take another picture with me! I will still be the same. You will look older, but I will be just the same!"
After Masada, we drove to the Dead Sea. "Swimming" there was the strangest sensation I've ever experienced! Not only is it impossible to sink there, but even staying vertical in the water is a challenge, and when you find the right angle to balance where the salt water isn't forcing your legs up to the surface, your shoulders still rise above the water a little bit! The water is a clear green, and you can see pillars of salt (maybe encrusted pipes?) lying flat on the sea floor far below you. The water makes any wounds burn like crazy; you can't even shave for a couple days before going in, or else you'll get razor burn. The water does make your skin softer, though.
After the Dead Sea we went to En Gedi, which is a big oasis (did I mention that the Dead Sea area is an actual desert? With dunes and camels and everything?) with a few waterfalls inside. The closest waterfall to the park entrance had a pool only deep enough to sit in, but the waterfall pouring into it was awesome! It felt like a shower on full blast combined with a jet spa and a massage chair. It pounded you hard, but not hard enough to hurt - just enough to feel absolutely incredible.
We stayed there a bit, then returned to Almog (the kibbutz we're staying at) and swam in the pool before dinner. Tomorrow we head back to Jaffa for our last full night in Israel. :( Tonight ended with a post-dinner trip to a gas station for Magnums. :) And packing too, but there's not much of that to do since we didn't stay long here.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
MASADA
We arose early to beat the heat (which wasn’t that bad after all, amazingly!) and headed for Masada, the desert mountaintop fortress, palace, and settlement built by Herod for his own use, but which later became the last stronghold of the Jewish refugees who escaped the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in AD 70.
The Romans pursued them to this desolate wilderness and set up a siege around
the mountain. Because Herod had left so much food, supplies, and even weapons
when he abandoned the mountain, the Jews were able to hold out for months. The Romans eventually built an earthen ramp up the side of the rocky promontory and successfully breached the defenses of the Jews. However, the night before their final attack, the Jewish people determined to commit suicide rather than become slaves to the Romans, so all the soldiers found were dead bodies atop Masada.
DEAD SEA
Continuing south from Masada, we went to a public beach on the Dead Sea for the strange phenomenon of floating on the dense mineral-filled water with no
inflatable device of any kind. Just getting your feet back under you, even in
shallow water, was a challenge. What a unique and amazing experience!
EN GEDI
Returning back northward along the shore, we stopped at En Gedi Nature Reserve where a spring-fed freshwater stream tumbles over several small waterfalls on its descent into the Dead Sea. We got to the lowest one in time to take turns letting it pound down on our heads and shoulders, and to relax in the pond formed at the bottom. After the oily-feeling warm water of the Dead Sea, the cool spring water was most refreshing!
Day 23 - June 2 - Thursday
My Journal Entry:
First stop on the list today was Qumran - the place where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. We couldn't get to the cave without rappelling, but we saw the entrance and the old community area - basically a Jewish cult monastery/kibbutz/thing - surrounding it. Then we went to the Israel Museum for three hours, saw a model of Old Jerusalem and a bunch of artifacts from ancient Israel and its surrounding neighbors of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, looked at some weird art and sculptures, etc. After that we went to meet the woman who arranged our transportation in Israel. That was mostly uneventful, but my head had been hurting all day, and it got REALLY bad in the van on the way to meet her. When we got out, other people on my team noticed and helped - Val gave me some ibuprofen, a couple different people asked if I was okay, and Nick made sure I was in the shade and prayed over me. Once again, just like when I was sick, I am reminded just how blessed I am to be on this amazing team. I only really knew two of the team members (Heather and Luke) beyond basic interaction before leaving for Israel, and now every single one of them is like family to me. God has brought me into some amazing relationships here, and I am so grateful for each person on my team. :) After that, we checked into a hotel in Jaffa for the night and met briefly in Amanda's room, and now it's off to bed. Tomorrow should be a pretty chill day since we're leaving at midnight.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
We got out fairly early again, in order to visit part of
the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Along with viewing a cave said to be the one holding the clay jars containing the scrolls, we toured a ruined village of the Essenes, the ascetic sect that lived in that region during the first century AD.
After getting a distant view of the city of Jericho, we climbed back out of the desert and came again to Jerusalem, where we spent the afternoon touring the Israel Museum, perhaps the “Louvre” of Jerusalem. The most unique display is the outdoor model of the city of Jerusalem and Herod’s temple as they appeared in about 66 AD, before the Romans destroyed it. The scale is 1:50, so that an inch on the model equals about 4 feet of actual building dimensions. The entire model is about 60 feet wide by 40 feet deep (my guesstimates). It was interesting to study the features from all angles, in comparison with what we saw in touring the Old City as it exists today.
We are staying in a hotel in Jaffa (Yafo, or Joppa), packing for the trip home and planning our traditional VISION farewell meal, with associated sharing and ceremonies, which will have to be lunch on Friday, since the team flies home, starting at midnight Friday night.
First stop on the list today was Qumran - the place where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. We couldn't get to the cave without rappelling, but we saw the entrance and the old community area - basically a Jewish cult monastery/kibbutz/thing - surrounding it. Then we went to the Israel Museum for three hours, saw a model of Old Jerusalem and a bunch of artifacts from ancient Israel and its surrounding neighbors of Greece, Rome, and Egypt, looked at some weird art and sculptures, etc. After that we went to meet the woman who arranged our transportation in Israel. That was mostly uneventful, but my head had been hurting all day, and it got REALLY bad in the van on the way to meet her. When we got out, other people on my team noticed and helped - Val gave me some ibuprofen, a couple different people asked if I was okay, and Nick made sure I was in the shade and prayed over me. Once again, just like when I was sick, I am reminded just how blessed I am to be on this amazing team. I only really knew two of the team members (Heather and Luke) beyond basic interaction before leaving for Israel, and now every single one of them is like family to me. God has brought me into some amazing relationships here, and I am so grateful for each person on my team. :) After that, we checked into a hotel in Jaffa for the night and met briefly in Amanda's room, and now it's off to bed. Tomorrow should be a pretty chill day since we're leaving at midnight.
Mr. Wilson's Details:
We got out fairly early again, in order to visit part of
the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Along with viewing a cave said to be the one holding the clay jars containing the scrolls, we toured a ruined village of the Essenes, the ascetic sect that lived in that region during the first century AD.
After getting a distant view of the city of Jericho, we climbed back out of the desert and came again to Jerusalem, where we spent the afternoon touring the Israel Museum, perhaps the “Louvre” of Jerusalem. The most unique display is the outdoor model of the city of Jerusalem and Herod’s temple as they appeared in about 66 AD, before the Romans destroyed it. The scale is 1:50, so that an inch on the model equals about 4 feet of actual building dimensions. The entire model is about 60 feet wide by 40 feet deep (my guesstimates). It was interesting to study the features from all angles, in comparison with what we saw in touring the Old City as it exists today.
We are staying in a hotel in Jaffa (Yafo, or Joppa), packing for the trip home and planning our traditional VISION farewell meal, with associated sharing and ceremonies, which will have to be lunch on Friday, since the team flies home, starting at midnight Friday night.
Day 24 - June 3 - Friday
My Journal Entry:
This morning was nice and relaxed. Check out at 11:00, then free time (which I spent shopping in alleyway markets with friends) until 2:00. Then was our farewell lunch, which meant finding out who our prayer partner was* (mine was Caleb!), singing the gender songs**, and lots of hugs and almost-tears. We were kicked out of lunch a little early because of Shabbat, so the team drove to Jaffa and walked on a boardwalk overlooking by the beach for a while before heading to the airport. Uneventful waiting/dinner/more waiting/boarding(although long - six hours in the airport before getting on the plane at midnight). We had to say goodbye to Luke, Emilie, and Mr. Wilson at the gate - Luke and Em are flying out later tonight to other destinations, and Mr. Wilson is staying in Israel for a while longer. His wife should be flying in to meet him as we fly out. And homeward we go.
*Prayer Partners... at the beginning of the trip, each person picked a strip of paper with someone else's name on it. That person was the one we would pray for specifically through the whole trip and bless with notes of encouragement and/or small gifts. I drew Luke, and Caleb drew me. Caleb's notes were a great encouragement to me throughout the weeks in Israel! I always looked forward to a message drop, not knowing they were actually FROM Caleb the delivery man (who passed messages between a lot of people and their secret pals). :)
**Gender Songs... at the end of every trip, the VISION girls get together to write a song about the VISION boys, and vice versa. The boys usually write their to a popular tune, and the girls parody a VISION song. They are full of inside jokes, a little bit of sarcasm, and a lot of love.
This morning was nice and relaxed. Check out at 11:00, then free time (which I spent shopping in alleyway markets with friends) until 2:00. Then was our farewell lunch, which meant finding out who our prayer partner was* (mine was Caleb!), singing the gender songs**, and lots of hugs and almost-tears. We were kicked out of lunch a little early because of Shabbat, so the team drove to Jaffa and walked on a boardwalk overlooking by the beach for a while before heading to the airport. Uneventful waiting/dinner/more waiting/boarding(although long - six hours in the airport before getting on the plane at midnight). We had to say goodbye to Luke, Emilie, and Mr. Wilson at the gate - Luke and Em are flying out later tonight to other destinations, and Mr. Wilson is staying in Israel for a while longer. His wife should be flying in to meet him as we fly out. And homeward we go.
*Prayer Partners... at the beginning of the trip, each person picked a strip of paper with someone else's name on it. That person was the one we would pray for specifically through the whole trip and bless with notes of encouragement and/or small gifts. I drew Luke, and Caleb drew me. Caleb's notes were a great encouragement to me throughout the weeks in Israel! I always looked forward to a message drop, not knowing they were actually FROM Caleb the delivery man (who passed messages between a lot of people and their secret pals). :)
**Gender Songs... at the end of every trip, the VISION girls get together to write a song about the VISION boys, and vice versa. The boys usually write their to a popular tune, and the girls parody a VISION song. They are full of inside jokes, a little bit of sarcasm, and a lot of love.
Day 25 - June 4th - Saturday
My Journal Entry:
I figure I might as well write on the last flight home since the jet lag won't land far behind me. :) The first flight was about ten hours from Tel Aviv to New York. We said goodbye to Heather, since she's flying to Florida for the summer, so there are only nine of us making the journey home. We had time to eat breakfast before our next flight, then we flew from JFK to Salt Lake City for four and a half hours. This last flight will be about an hour and a half. It's a bittersweet ending to an amazing trip - I'm glad to be almost off the last plane, but sad to be leaving my team and the amazing adventure we had together. Good morning America, Shalom Israel, and farewell until my next trip. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Dear VISION family and friends,
I’m happy and blessed to report that I have now heard from (or about) all of the
team members, and know that they have arrived safely at their destinations,
following the completion of VISION XIX’s mission trip in Israel.
This includes:
Luke Kanagy, who is visiting family friends near Frankfurt, Germany;
Emilie McDonald, who is spending several weeks with her sister Melodie, a former VISION member herself who now serves in Korce, Albania, with her husband Erion and their new baby Samuel;
Heather Lawton, who is in Jacksonville, Florida, embarking on evangelistic summer ministry for the third year in a row;
The nine team members who returned to San Diego, then on to their respective homes: Mike Alvarez, Lizzy Byrd, Caleb Davies, Lindsey Davies, Amanda Graham, Trisha Guinn, Nick Mitchell, Priscilla Norman, and Valerie White.
I figure I might as well write on the last flight home since the jet lag won't land far behind me. :) The first flight was about ten hours from Tel Aviv to New York. We said goodbye to Heather, since she's flying to Florida for the summer, so there are only nine of us making the journey home. We had time to eat breakfast before our next flight, then we flew from JFK to Salt Lake City for four and a half hours. This last flight will be about an hour and a half. It's a bittersweet ending to an amazing trip - I'm glad to be almost off the last plane, but sad to be leaving my team and the amazing adventure we had together. Good morning America, Shalom Israel, and farewell until my next trip. :)
Mr. Wilson's Details:
Dear VISION family and friends,
I’m happy and blessed to report that I have now heard from (or about) all of the
team members, and know that they have arrived safely at their destinations,
following the completion of VISION XIX’s mission trip in Israel.
This includes:
Luke Kanagy, who is visiting family friends near Frankfurt, Germany;
Emilie McDonald, who is spending several weeks with her sister Melodie, a former VISION member herself who now serves in Korce, Albania, with her husband Erion and their new baby Samuel;
Heather Lawton, who is in Jacksonville, Florida, embarking on evangelistic summer ministry for the third year in a row;
The nine team members who returned to San Diego, then on to their respective homes: Mike Alvarez, Lizzy Byrd, Caleb Davies, Lindsey Davies, Amanda Graham, Trisha Guinn, Nick Mitchell, Priscilla Norman, and Valerie White.
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