Land, Sea and Air

The 4th quarter of 2014 saw us quite busy as we traveled around Israel serving the Israel Defense Forces while enjoying the beauty as well.  We hope to post more in detail about some of the visits, but for now, here's a snapshot of some of what we were privileged to experience.

There's just something about camels that everybody loves, especially when you can see them in the wild.

Camels on the run!

There are many of these beautiful animals around Israel.  

Many in the National Parks are use to people and don't scare easily.

The desert in southern Israel is truly majestic.  

While this may look like a postcard, we actually took this one.

Jim was honored to be invited to a special gathering of the elite Golani Brigade.  The army arranged a night for the entire brigade to be together for a time of relaxation, refreshing and encouragement.  The men and women were able to let their guard down after a long summer's war against Hamas.  Golani is an infantry brigade, and had lost the most soldiers during the war, making it very difficult for them.  This night they also spent a time honoring those fallen.  The video below shows them enjoying themselves, even while needing to continue to be in uniform and carry their weapons.  

Another gathering Jim was requested to attend was a surprise party for a commander in the North.  We traveled 2 ½ hours each way to attend this joyous event honoring this great man.

He was happy to see Jim had traveled so far for the party.

One of the newest visits this year was to the Israeli Navy.

New relationships being formed.

The commander was happy to see what CFI and Project David's Shield was providing for his crew.

Just in the past several weeks, everything is getting really, really GREEN!!!

Through CFI and Project David's Shield, Jim has been working very hard in providing warm fleece jackets for soldiers for this upcoming cold winter months (we're expecting snow in a few days!).  One unit given jackets was stationed near Nahal Oz, about 1 kilometer from the Gaza border.  

Gaza in the not so far away distance.  We were actually able to view it much closer.

Some of the soldiers to receive the jackets.  They are very grateful, the deserts nights get really cold.

Oh, Chanukah!!!!  Yummmmmm - doughnuts!!

The streets in Jerusalem were lined with these beautiful lights.

Being our 6th Chanukah in a row in Jerusalem, we kept our tradition of walking through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to look at the lights.

Our Chanukiah on the 7th night.  The big one, filled with olive oil, our daughter gave us many, many years ago.  She had it shipped from Israel to the US as a gift for us.  The smaller one we bought in Jerusalem in 2009 - our first Chanukah in Israel.

The 6th night of Chanukah, Jim was asked to join the Oketz special forces canine unit for their candle lighting ceremony.  CFI and Project David's Shield had provided fleece jackets for them.  What he didn't know, was they were to honor him by being the one to say the blessings and light the Chanukiah!  These brave warriors and their dogs are stationed near Modi'in, where the original Chanukah story began with the Maccabees.  We thanked them for continuing to protect Israel and fight for what is right, just like their predecessors.  

North of Jerusalem, right in the very heart of Israel, are several army bases.  This is another that received fleece jackets to keep them warm.  By the time we had shared our hearts with the commander and a few of the soldiers, they were asking us to please come visit again.  They even sent text messages and requested pictures after we left saying they'd like to keep in touch.  This is actually more common than not.  The relationships that are formed are genuine when they realize you truly are friends, and want to support them not only in the equipment you can provide, but even more so with encouragement and prayers.

The beautiful mountains in Samaria - the "Mountains of Israel" Ezekiel 36:1-15

A great view of Ma'ale Adumim - this is one of the Jewish "settlements" in the "west bank" just outside of Jerusalem that the world is up in arms about.  Our good friend lives here, along with 45,000 other people.

A few months ago, Israel came out with a new 50 Shekel bill.  The old one was purple, and this new one makes things quite confusing since the 20 Shekel bill is also green....for now.  Over the next few years, they are changing all the bills.

A project Linda participated in was a clean-up day at an Israel Air Force base.  It was a lot of hard work pulling these "weeds" - some almost taller then her!  They even let them wear their flight suits.

As the rainy season has begun, the streams and rivers are filling up again.

On Christmas day, we were given tickets to attend a special Israel Air Force pilots graduation ceremony and air show that only occurs once each year.  It was an amazingly sunny and warm day.

Many dignitaries were present, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - speaking at the podium.  

Here's a short video of a bit of the air show, with a live band singing.

Thank you for all your love, support - in so many ways - and prayers for us as we begin our 5th year serving in Israel.  We pray that in this next year that we can be even more effective for God's kingdom than we have in the four years combined.  As Israel reached a 10 year record in 2014 in the number of Jews moving to Israel, and are expecting an even larger number in 2015 due to antisemitism in the world, we have much to do in sharing our encouragement, love and solidarity with the Jewish people.  We will do our best to convey the true, sincere friendship of Christians in the world, so they will know this time they are not alone.  Thank you for standing with us and them.

Please take a minute to watch this music video - it's time to take a stand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmsD904Hk8

From the rising of the sun to its going down

The Lord’s name is to be praised.

Psalm 113:3

Please continue to pray

Please continue to pray concerning the recent terror attacks.  As many, if not most, of you have heard by now, we have experienced the most horrific attack this morning in Jerusalem.  Two palestinians from an arab neighborhood only a few kilometers from where we live brutally murdered four people  in a synagogue in the western part of Jerusalem this morning while they were worshipping.  Three of the men were Rabbis who lived on the same street, with a total of 24 children amongst them - who are now fatherless.  The community, city and nation are in shock and in mourning.  

Here's a link to local news if you're interested.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com

Before we could even leave from work today, the funerals had already taken place, and by this evening, the congregants were once again in the synagogue praying.  

This evening as we walked through Zion Square, at the bottom of Ben Yehuda Street, 

there was a prayer vigil.  The sign says "Enough!"

Candles inside the circle.

As our hearts were hurting sitting there, we couldn't help but feel as we did just a few months ago, the evening of the funeral of the three boys who were found dead after they'd been kidnapped.  And also the same as that night, along with the prayers and mourning, tonight was also a time of anger, frustration and protests.  On our way home from our office near the strings (harp) bridge (not so far from the synagogue), there were the beginnings of a protest by the Jewish people.

Short video of the protest as we drove by.

So as the Jewish people mourned today, the palestinians in Gaza and Eastern Jerusalem were rejoicing at the martyrdom of their people and passing out candies.


When Linda went to the bank this morning it was with a heavy heart, as the attack had just occurred a few hours before.  In talking with her bank contacts, Linda shared the Psalm she read this morning at our daily staff devotional time:

For the leader. By David. As a reminder:

God, rescue me!
Adonai, hurry and help me!

May those who seek my life
be disgraced and humiliated.
May those who take pleasure in doing me harm
be turned back and put to confusion.
May those who jeer, “Aha! Aha!”
withdraw because of their shame.

But may all those who seek you
be glad and take joy in you.
May those who love your salvation say always,
“God is great and glorious!”

But I am poor and needy;
God, hurry for me.
You are my helper and rescuer;
Adonai, don’t delay!

Psalm 70

And as Linda had a hard time shaking the heaviness of it all, her friend at the bank encouraged her, showing her the verse from above:

But may all those who seek you
be glad and take joy in you.
May those who love your salvation say always,
“God is great and glorious!”

And said to her, "Linda, smile, that is what they want from us (the enemy wants us to be sad).  God - He will help us.  You need to do this scripture."  She then got up from her desk, and came around to give Linda a hug of comfort.  This is a true example of "Israel" being a light to the Nations in a time of despair.

God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - 

He is great and glorious.  

He is the helper and rescuer of Israel.

Harvest Season

We have had a very eventful and productive Autumn so far.  At the end of September through mid October we began with the Biblical fall feasts - Rosh Hashana (Yom Teruah), Yom Kippur and then Sukkot - the Feast of Tabernacles.

As with each year we've been in Israel, we built a sukkah (temporary dwelling) as did many other Israelis.  To top off our sukkah, we were in search once again for palm branches.  We jumped on a tip from a good friend that a nearby town had plenty, and headed that way.  We found the coveted palm branches for sale at a meager cost of 5 NIS each, or 10 for 50 NIS.  We asked for 6 at 30 NIS (about $8) and he loaded the vehicle for us.  

Needless to say, they didn't fit very well....

 “‘But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of Adonai seven days; the first day is to be a complete rest and the eighth day is to be a complete rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit, palm fronds, thick branches and river-willows, and celebrate in the presence of Adonai your God for seven days. You are to observe it as a feast to Adonai seven days in the year; it is a permanent regulation, generation after generation; keep it in the seventh month. You are to live in sukkot for seven days; every citizen of Isra’el is to live in a sukkah, so that generation after generation of you will know that I made the people of Isra’el live in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Adonai your God.’”  Leviticus 23:39-43

Here's someone else's sukkah with palm branches.

Putting up our sukkah.  We have a closed-in balcony, but the portion for the sukkah was predesigned by the builder to have the roof retract for sukkot - so you can see the sky.  After Jim retracts the roof in the sukkah, he puts the palm branches up on the "rafters".

During Sukkot, we (CFI - Christian Friends of Israel) were invited to an unprecedented event.  For the first time ever, a Jewish orthodox community invited us and other organizations like us (Christian Zionists) to join them for a Hallel (praise) service at their synagogue in Efrata, on the outskirts of Bethlehem (the city of Yeshua - Jesus' birth).  There were also many Jewish Israeli's invited to join us in worship.

The intent was for believers in the God of Israel - Jews and Gentiles - to worship Him together by reading, singing and dancing to the Psalms (specifically Psalm 113 - 118).  Not to have Jews sitting listening and watching Christians, and not Christians sitting watching Jews - BUT, joining together in reverence and honor to the One True Holy God.  It was a beautiful thing - and we must say, we felt like we were living and experiencing prophesy being fulfilled in and through us.

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."  Zechariah 14:16

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.

3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."  Isaiah 2:2-3 

We took a bus to Ephrata from Jerusalem, and this sign was on the bus - 

Baruchim Habaim, in English it says blessed is he who comes.....

First Rabbi Riskin invited us into the Sukkah as he explained about worshipping with the four species during Sukkot.  "And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days."  Leviticus 23:40

Rabbi Riskin also spoke to us what it means to have Jews and Gentiles worshipping together at Sukkot as stated in Zechariah 14:16 (stated above).  He said together we were building a giant Sukkah for God to dwell in.

Jim was asked to read Psalm 116:

"I love the Lord, because he has heard

    my voice and my pleas for mercy.

Because he inclined his ear to me,

    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me;

    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

    I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

    our God is merciful.

The Lord preserves the simple;

    when I was brought low, he saved me.

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For you have delivered my soul from death,

    my eyes from tears,

    my feet from stumbling;

I will walk before the Lord

    in the land of the living.

I believed, even when I spoke:

    “I am greatly afflicted”;

I said in my alarm,

    “All mankind are liars.”

What shall I render to the Lord

    for all his benefits to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

    and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

    is the death of his saints.

O Lord, I am your servant;

    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.

    You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving

    and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

    in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord,

    in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!"

A couple of times during the service, the men danced.

After the event, Rabbi Riskin's website posted this update about the event we attended:

http://cjcuc.com/site/2014/10/22/hundreds-of-christians-joined-rabbi-riskin-to-celebrate-sukkot/

That very afternoon, we attended the Sukkot annual Jerusalem Parade.  The majority of the participants are Christians from around the world who have come to Jerusalem to worship during Sukkot (as stated in Zechariah 14:16) and to show their solidarity, love and support for Israel and the Jewish people.  What touched our hearts deeply - and many Israelis - was that this year, even after just ending the war with Gaza, there was a record number of participants. NOW is the time that Israel needs to know there are people around the world that agree with their right to live in the homeland God gave them.  Many of the participants were from nations that are overwhelming against Israel.

Harvest time....this is an Israeli pumpkin.....

Same thing, but cut up in portions to sell.

Linda and a friend wanted to put their hand at making olives this year, so they set out for an olive grove another friend told them of.

Almost missed the season for green olives!  

They turn black next, but Linda doesn't like black olives.

Hopefully these olives will be good to brine.

After picking, slicing (to get the bitterness out), water bathing for 2 weeks....

these olives are ready for a salty brine for at least the next month.  You can see they are already turning from their bright green clot to the "olive" color we all know.

One of our favorite things about the autumn and winter skies....

"I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — planter and waterer are the same. However, each will be rewarded according to his work. For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building."  

1 Corinthians 3:6-9