So my opening blog to this series on Israel was pretty heavy. This one will be a bit lighter, as I will be introducing you to some of the people of The Land. This beautiful couple pictured with Abby, Sarah (CMI team member), and me are Moshe and Rollie. Moshe and Rollie are a secular Jewish couple who live on a kibbutz in Israel. They made their aliyah to The Land over 50 years ago from Minnesota. They invited us into their home and shared stories of their lives with us over coffee and one of the best pastries I have ever eaten. (Moshe is the family chef!) Sarah, Abby, and I were able to share our love for Jesus with this beautiful couple, and they in return, shared their love for the land of Israel with us.
This is Abby posing at the United States Embassy to Israel with Mazen. Mazen was our bus driver while in The Land. As a matter of fact, our tour director has request Mazen to be the team driver for years of CMI team trips. Mazen is an Arab Israeli and a secular Muslim. We found Mazen to be a gentleman...kind, friendly, and helpful. He and our Jewish tour guide got along beautifully. He even attended her son's bar mitzvah! Like Mazen, we found most Arab Israelis to be beautiful people living at peace with their Jewish cousins. We learned that Arab Israelis are not Palestinians. Arab Israelis are happy to be living in Israel and enjoy the freedoms and security that The State affords. Like any country, Israel is a complex land...
This is our beautiful tour guide, Vered. What a blessing Vered was to us while in Israel! Here she is pictured looking down from the women's balcony during her son's bar mitzvah. Graciously, she and her husband invited our entire team to be part of their son's special day! What a beautiful experience! Additionally, Vered bravely led the way as we climbed, waded, and stepped through The Land. As a "sabra," or native-born Jewish Israeli, and an archaeologist, Vered was able to give us extra insight as she shared her country with us. Vered is a beautiful woman who perfumes The Land with love wherever she goes.
This picture was taken when our bus stopped for a cup of pomegranate juice in Jericho of the West Bank. We learned from Vered, that by law, Jews are not allowed into this zone. Vered, as an official Israeli tour guide, however, was granted special access. The gentleman that squeezed pomegranates was an Arab Palestinian who was no doubt grateful to serve up juice in exchange for our American dollars. I must admit that I was a bit nervous to be in a Palestinian zone. I even cautioned Abby to speak only English or Arabic and not Hebrew as we interacted with the people in the small market area. While this area of the West Bank boasted of beautiful pomegranates, dates, and jewelry, it also revealed a people living in poverty and war. Crumbling buildings, graffitied neighborhoods, and broken windows told of the nonexistent infrastructure. However, we were met with smiles and kindness by these people who, like you and me, were created in the image of God. Regardless of politics, these people need Jesus...and our prayers.
These Jewish Orthodox boys were coming from the Jaffa gate of the Old City on Shabbat. They sang and chanted...a treat to watch!
I met this group of lovely Jewish teenage girls at Ein Gedi. They were impressed with my ability to read their shirts in Hebrew and asked where I learned. I was able to tell them that I had been studying Hebrew in preparation for my trip. Which is true, but....How I wish I had remembered to tell them that I desired to learn Hebrew in order to understand the Hebrew Bible better and grow closer to God. I feel like I missed an opportunity to share my faith. So...I am praying for God to "redeem" that moment and give me another chance to tell my story better some day. We are to always be ready with an answer...
This was just interesting. As we walked through the market near the Jaffa Gate, this Arab Israeli man had just had enough. We found him asleep on his prayer rug in front of his store.
Finally, believe it or not, we found many followers of Jesus in The Land. This couple and I visited in Jerusalem one day during lunch. They are Canadian and were drawn to Israel in order to discover more of the Hebrew roots of Christianity. Lovely people!
There are so many more people that represent The Land of Israel. I wish I had done a better job of photographing them in order to tell their stories. There were the many people in the market, the CMI representatives leading worship in their small congregation hall, the religious of several different faiths engaged in ritual prayer, the boudin, the Jewish Orthodox, and one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen...a Muslim woman who gave a whole new meaning to the word burka. Yes, The Land of Israel is very much a mix of cultures, languages, currencies, foods, smells, religions, and experiences. Jerusalem is a holy city to many and a special city to many more.
Have I mentioned that Israel is a complex land? Well, her people are complex, too...and they are all created in the image of God. Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the salvation of the people of Israel.
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Hi, I'm from the Front Porch. I shared this post on Pinterest. I found your blog link on the Small Business Friday Post. Keep blogging <3.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Barbara! Love the Front Porch Family!!
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