Israel

Israel, the holy land where bible stories come to life and suddenly the characters that we grow up reading about become real people. The events that unfolded on the soil of the holy land suddenly feel within reach. Places that were once constructed by your imagination meet your eyes and just like that the bible no longer feels like a fairy tale but rather pages with records of real people, real events, that have a real impact. God’s word seems to take on a new shape, and we have a renewed perspective of the history of our faith. This is what made Israel special.

Upon arriving in Israel we had no accommodation and not much of a plan. We had some sort of idea of the type of ministry that we would be doing through a contact we had been given, which included worshipping around the city for the first week or so…but apart from this, we were waiting for what the Lord had in store for us.
We camped by the Sea of Galilee for 2 nights and thereafter we received an answer to our prayers. Our contact introduced us to some people that have an organisation that includes picking up trash all around Israel, and we had an interest in helping with this. Through this connection, The Lord sent us people of peace that invited us for dinner and ended up opening up their home to us for the remaining time we were planning to stay in Tiberius before heading to Bethlehem to meet up with our other hosts.

This family was an enormous blessing for us. They were extremely God fearing and generous. Besides gifting us with endless amounts of food to eat and a place to call home for a while, they blessed us with their time. They went out of their way to take us to several biblical sites, making sure we were understanding the history and the significance behind each and every place we visited. We were blessed with the passion that they carried for the Word through how they explained everything to us and how enthusiastic they were to show us the wonders of the Holy land, even if it meant transporting 11 human beings for far distances. They loved us through the laughs we shared, through the music they played for us, the Jewish traditions they made us a part of, the encouragements they passed on, their vulnerability, their transparency and the effort they put in to get to know each and every one of us individually. We cannot describe what a blessing they were to us. We will forever think back at our time in Israel and think about the memories we shared with this family even in such a short time. You all have a special place in our hearts. Thank you.

When our time in Tiberius came to an end, we made our way to Bethlehem where we were hosted by a group of nuns. Unfortunately while we were travelling to Bethlehem by bus, Elijah’s bag disappeared. We tried to find it but the best conclusion that we could come to was that someone had taken it during one of the bus stops from the bottom compartment of the bus. Thankfully, he still had his back pack which he was carrying on hand, which contained all the important items like his passport, phone and wallet. We tried calling the bus company about a lost item but again we reached a dead end. One would think that an event like this would leave the team in complete devastation but we saw how the Lord came over each of us and filled us with His peace and joy. Apart from the initial concern, we knew that the Lord had a purpose behind this and we had absolutely no doubt that the Lord would provide Eli with the items he needed to finish off the journey… and to no surprise He did. He displayed His provision and generosity through so many people around us. The nuns continuously brought Eli clothes and shoes to wear every single day, going back and forth to find the right sizes for him. Then again, the family we met in Tiberius blessed him with a new hiking bag and once again travelled all the way to Jerusalem to take us sightseeing. We were overwhelmed with how the Lord was showing up for us through His people.

We arrived in Israel with a lot of uncertainty before us. We did not expect everything to be as expensive as it was and with our budget, it was impossible to accommodate Israel’s prices. We were put in a place of trusting God to provide for our every need, and even with the inconveniences that we faced, God went far beyond what we needed. Everywhere we went, we had an abundance of everything. That’s what this year has been. An abundance of blessings.

Another thing worth mentioning is that, for our entire time in Israel the team went on a phone fast. This included both social media and listening to music. At first the thought of not listening to music was a daunting idea to us. Our team loves music and frankly every bus ride is accompanied with plugged in earphones, so this was going to be a challenge. The Lord worked wonderfully during this time as well. Fasting our phones and earphones allowed us to be fully present with each other. We spent so much time as a team enjoying light hearted bonding and plenty of laughs. We were completely removed from the outside world which took a weight off of our backs, and helped us refocus ourselves for the last month we have left of Global. Fasting music proved to be especially challenging during this time… while we were with the nuns, our ministry was just manual labour…which meant sanding, painting, carrying and emptying tons of sand, pulling out nails etc in complete silence. Approximately 7 hours of this work everyday without music forces you to think a lot, and ultimately you are pushed into conversation with the Lord. Although it was challenging, we can see why doing something like this is necessary to be intimate with the Lord without any noise and any distractions.

We were sad to leave Israel but excited to reunite with our hosts in Jordan before heading to Georgia. We are so thankful for everything the Lord showed us in Israel. We experienced the Holy land in all its fullness. We engaged in fellowship with so many people of peace and we saw how He provided so effortlessly and beyond what we expected and could’ve ever imagined. We remain grateful for everything the Lord has done and we remain expectant for our time in Georgia.

The team is focused on savouring every moment of the last month that is left of this year and we have no doubt that the Lord is going to finish what He started in each of us.

We serve a grand and marvellous God that has showed us amazing things this year, and we know He is not done yet.