Saying Goodbye.

June 30

Alright everyone. Consider yourselves loved because you are the only reason I’m up typing this blog. I don’t know if I’m going to have internet for the remainder of the trip, so this may be the last blog post for a while! (I’ll still be typing everything up in Word, so you’ll still eventually be updated on everything that happens on the tour!)

So, today was pretty hard. I mean, it was TONS of fun, but it was hard. I hate saying goodbye!! I’ve only known these people for two and a half weeks, but I love them so much already!! And if any of you know me, you know I can get pretty attached… but so it goes. The ORIGINS team had the chance to lead the Kehila service today which was really nice. We sang songs and Levi did a testimony and Bruce did an amazing message about when Abraham obeyed God when told to sacrifice his son. It really made me think because Abraham withheld NOTHING from God, including his only son whom he loved so much. And yet, I, want to withhold things from God. I want God to ask me permission before He takes something away from me. But the fact is, I own nothing! Everything I have, including my own life, is in God’s hands. And you know what, I think I trust God more with my life than I trust myself with my own life! If I truly want the best for my life, then I will let God take care of me. I mean, He was the one who sacrificed His own Son for me!! I was justified through His blood and His resurrection!! And now His Holy Spirit lives in me!! Just think about that! Why wouldn’t I want to give God the control?! I mean, it makes perfect sense. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for me. But I’m learning. I’m growing. I’m human.

Anyway, after Kehila we prepared a wonderful dinner for all of the congregation to come over for a farewell dinner. Lots of food, games, and laughter of course. I loved it when I was told, “I see you at Kehila. And you’re always laughing!” It’s one of those things I’m still working on controlling… ;) They were over for a long time… nobody wanted to have to say goodbye… but all good things must come to an end. We walked Sonya and Mati back to their place and said our last goodbyes and now I’m back here. Tomorrow I  have to wake up bright and early at 6am, so I’m probably going to cut this blog post short.

Basically, I hate goodbyes. My time here in Rehovot as been absolutely unforgettable. The culture, the things I’ve learned, and most of all the people. These people are indescribably awesome and I love them with all my heart. I will be praying for them and I hope we were an encouragement to them as they were to us.

This is the Day that the Lord Has Made.

June 29

Today was a very nice and relaxing day. It was nice to get a little break before starting the tour! We all got to sleep in a little bit and then we broke off into different groups to do different activities. Some of us went to play softball, some of us went downtown, others went to the grocery store and others stayed at home. I went downtown with Kaytra, Rachael, Danielle and Erica. It was really cool because Rehovot is definitely not a touristy part of Israel, so we were really able to just see Israelis in their every day life! Shopping, walking, talking… so much fun! Somehow, we were still looking pretty touristy though because one lady asked us, but it was cool because when we told her we just finished volunteering at Kaplan, she started thanking us and blowing kisses at us! Anyway, it was just cool being a part of Israeli daily life by riding the bus and walking around like a normal Israeli! I mean, that’s how you learn more about the culture! By being immersed in it! 

When we got back Heather had made us some mac and cheese, which was pretty exciting and then we got ready for our Shabbott dinner that a wonderful couple from the hospital threw for us! So we had devotions, which was wonderful as usual. Bruce and Chris are some of the wisest people I have ever met. I respect them immensely! We finished up the first chapter of Philippians tonight and Bruce talked about how when we value something, we are willing to pay for it. I mean, think about the most expensive thing you have. Your house or your car… your coach bag or a pair of shoes… just think about how much you value you it because you paid a high price for it. Well, guess what. Being a believer is no different. How much of a price are we willing to pay for something we should value most in our lives? Being a believer might cause suffering and persecution. How much are we willing to sacrifice? The truth is, we should be willing to pay any price for something we value MOST. But are we? It’s a hard question to ask, and a question I myself don’t know if I can answer. But it’s something I WANT to answer. I want to say that I am willing to sacrifice anything for Yeshua, but honestly, at this point, I don’t know if that’s true. And that’s something I will be working hard at and praying about so that I can get to that point. Who knows where the Lord will lead me out of college, but I pray that at that point, I will be willing to go wherever He leads.

Anyway, Shabbott dinner was absolutely AMAZING. I mean, Ruth, the woman from the hospital that put it on for us, spent THREE DAYS cooking for us! There was so much food I feel like I’m going to explode! Her and her husband care for us so much, it just fills my heart with so much joy. Her husband said that us being at his house for dinner tonight tripled his joy! I am just in awe of the hospitality of these people and the love they have for us. It breaks my heart that they don’t have a relationship with our loving Yeshua so that they can experience His endless love. But man, it was a long night of eating and laughing, we sang for them… It was a wonderful night.

I will never forget this place or these people. This trip was the best decision I could have made, and it is worth the price I had to pay. If I ever get the chance to do this again, I would do it in a heart beat. Being able to spend time in this culture and love on these people is wonderful. I really don’t know how to put this feeling into words. I just can’t stop smiling, my cheeks should have a six pack by the end of this trip!!

Anyway, I still can’t believe I’m halfway done. But I am going to live in the moment and soak in every second that I am here.

Last Day of Volunteering

June 28

Today was my last day volunteering at the hospital. I am seriously pretty sad. I really don’t know how to put in words how I’m feeling right now. Today, I did a few interviews on the affect we have on the employees at the hospital and almost every one said they love how happy we are! The truth is, we’re so happy because of THEM! These people fill me with so much joy that I WANT to serve them with all my heart. All the good things that they love about us so much is because of them. And because I love them so much, I have no choice but to share Yeshua’s love with them.

It’s really amazing how much these people appreciate our work. Chris and I got to walk around a visit people to do our interviews and they absolutely love the work that we do. They thank us over and over again because we are young people who are willing to work without complaint. THIS is the testimony we are commanded to have. To love people through our actions. Through our attitudes. The love of Yeshua shows through this! People notice something different! And that is what our testimony is all about.

In fact, they are so appreciative of our work that we got to plant trees in our honor! The Friends of Israel boulevard now has four new trees that we planted today. Kaplan Hospital is amazing. They have wonderful people with huge hearts. They deserve our support. We got a tour of the new Pediatric Building today and I found out that they have to raise all their money in order to build new buildings! They have so many plans on how to improve their hospital! I hope someday that I will be able to give towards this hospital because they are not in a huge city like Jerusalem, but they serve MANY people around Rehovot.

If any of you feel the Lord leading you to give your support to Israel by donating to this wonderful hospital, or if you would just like to find out more information about the hospital I’ve been working at for the past two weeks to keep in your prayers, you can visit this website! I know they would appreciate it immensely!

http://www.afkmc.org/

Anyway, after hanging out at the hospital for a little while, we went back to the house and got ready to go to a very nice restaurant, treated by the CEO and Director of Marketing at the hospital! They gave out certificates and the meal was absolute wonderful! There were appetizers and a full meal with desert. It was a beautiful restaurant and we had so much fun! I seriously can’t go five minutes without laughing with this team.

This team is so wonderful and they have encouraged me in so many ways. All of them have such huge hearts for the Lord and it’s so evident in everything that they do. This team may be the most joyous team I have ever been a part of and I love them so much. They are so much fun and at the same time, they are hard workers and have such a heart to serve. I am so blessed to be here with them.

I love Israel. I love God. I love the joy that He has given me. I also love all the technology we have so that I can still talk to my friends and family while I’m here and keep you updated! You have all been such an encouragement and have supported me so much. I love you!

Spelunking!

June 27

Wow. I am wiped out. Today was a jam packed day, so sorry if this blog is short and incoherent, it’s taking everything to keep my eyes open… but I have to wait for the shower anyway… oyvey. It was our last full day volunteering at the hospital (tomorrow is a half day). I was with the AC team of course and before lunch the work was pretty slow, we had some fish drama in the tank with Shteve…

After lunch, though, we cleaned the filters in the new pediatric building. It’s such a nice building! And the kids are so cute. All in all, it was a good day.

We made sure to meet right on time today so that we could run home and change before going spelunking! Spelunking was AWESOME. We got to learn a lot about the history and the persecution that these believers had to go through. There was lots of crawling and climbing all over the place. I must say I am not the most graceful spelunker. It is not my calling. But it was a lot of fun!

Oh, and before we actually went into the caves, we got to go to the valley where the story of David and Goliath took place! It was so much fun because we reenacted the story! We got a chance to meditate and collect stones and it was absolutely beautiful. Nature just has a way of being able to take my breath away. We also got to go to a lookout point where you could see the whole country of Israel!! It’s amazing how small this country is but how much God has provided. I mean, with all the wars Israel has had to go through, one would think that it should be gone by now! But Israel is still here and that is because of God and His promise. And as I looked over the lookout point, seeing this beautiful country, all I could think about was His promises. God will never fail. God will always keep his promises. Thank goodness!!

At one point we turned out all the lights and it was literally pitch black dark. Bruce talked about how Yeshua is the light in the darkness. He told us to put our hands in front of our faces and he asked us if we could see it. We said no, of course. He then asked us if we believed our hand was there. Of course! It ties in perfectly with Hebrews 11:1. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

We may not be able to see Yeshua with our eyes, but we can have confidence and hope that He is here through our faith. Faith is an amazing thing. It can do wonders. Even as I was army crawling through really tight spaces and screaming “THINK SKINNY!” as a motivation tool to get through, it is because of faith in Yeshua that I am here having this experience.

I feel like I have so much more to say, but it is my turn for the shower and I feel like I am going to pass out any second from exhaustion. Have to be ready for my last day of volunteering tomorrow! Can’t believe it went by so quickly! Yom Tov!

Air Conditioning Filters

June 26

Shalom! Today was an exciting day for the air conditioning crew. We got to go up to the rooftop! It was a beautiful view and we got to climb all over stuff (even if that meant slamming my head into metal by accident…) It was nice to be out in the sun even though it was draining! It was our last day working with Biebier because his daughter is getting married tomorrow, but it was a lot of fun! Everyone got walky talkies today so we were able to joke around with each other while we worked. 

After lunch we cleaned out the room with all the clean filters. You don’t even want to know where they put clean filters. It is probably the dustiest room in the building. I felt like I was in a dungeon! It was so dark and dusty! By the end my hair was caked with dust and when I blew my nose it was black! But it was a lot of fun and we got lots of good work done!

I’ve really gained so much respect for the people on this team. Everyone is such hard workers and never complain. They are such testimonies here at this hospital. God is working through us in this place. I mean, some of these people have never heard the true Gospel and now they are seeing it lived through us! It’s an amazing thing.

I was totally exhausted by the end of the day so I tried to just rest a bit before devotions and Ladies Bible Study.

In Philippians we talked more about what it truly means to live for our Messiah. “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Dying as believers is the best thing that could ever happen because we will be in the presence of our Messiah! But we are needed here on earth to proclaim the Gospel and share His love, and that is also a wonderful purpose. Everything we do should be centered around Him. He should be our number One in everything we do. It’s a very easy thing to say, but a very hard thing to do. It is a really sad thing, I realized. When I truly think about it, being entirely honest with myself, I realize I don’t always put God number one in my life. For instance, sometimes my friends are. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having friends and spending time with them. In fact, it’s a necessity of life! But what IS wrong is I realized, I would drop my Bible in a heat beat to go do something fun with my friends. I would cut my quiet time short or cut it out completely so that I wouldn’t have to miss out on other social plans. As I said, there is nothing wrong with having a social life. It is so needed in this life! But when my social life is prioritized over my time with my Messiah, that’s when it becomes a problem. This is something I majorly have to work on. It’s a process, but I can’t give up or pretend it’s not a big deal. I want my life to be centered around Messiah, no matter the cost. The sacrifice will always be worth it.

I was thinking today, and this may be a cheesy analogy, but it really helps me to put things in perspective. I was cleaning the air conditioning filters and we were talking about how important it is that they are clean. These filters help the air be clean for sick patients. For patients who are about to go into surgery. They need clean air! The filters need to be clean! And I got to thinking, wow, we as believers are the air conditioning filters. Unbelievers are the patients. If we, as believers, try to control our own lives and accept no help from our Messiah because we think we can do things on our own by not putting him number one in our lives, we will start building up filth. We will get so dirty and guess what, the patients will get sick from us. But, if we let our Redeemer put up the water pressure and hose us down and make us clean from our sin, we are able to put out fresh air to these patients so they will be able to breathe fresh air and be help them in the process of being healed by their Redeemer.

I don’t know if that makes sense entirely, but it makes sense in my mind. I need to be cleaned. Not just wiped down, but I need the water pressure on HIGH. It may hurt, but it will be worth it. In order to reach out the lost, I need God’s help. I need him to make me clean, because only then will I be able to share the Truth of God’s love.

Anyway, after devotions, we went to Ladies Bible Study. I love these ladies so much. We finally learned everyone’s name! (We were bribed with chocolate shekels!) And three of the ORIGINS girls were able to share their testimony. It was so encouraging to be able to hear how God has worked and is still working in their lives. It is truly a miracle and a wonderful thing. I will never be able to understand God’s love or comprehend it and for that I am grateful. His love will never run out or give up on me. And for that, I can only pray that my love will overflow as a result.

We also got to learn about what the ladies have been learning in their Bible study throughout the year which is also very encouraging. To hear about how God has been working in these ladies’ lives over the past year is just so awesome. He works in amazing ways and we as believers are always learning and always growing. There is always more and more to learn no matter how many times you read a passage from the Bible there is always something there to learn that you didn’t notice before. That’s the great thing about God! He is forever.

God's Will.

June 25

Sometimes as I think back on the day, I’m just like, “Oh my goodness, all this stuff just happened in one day?! How am I supposed to collect all my thoughts and remember everything?!” So, forgive me if I’m a little disorganized. But that’s one of the reasons I’m keeping up on this blog. I’m afraid I will forget!

Anyway, I was back with the air conditioning crew today, except Kaytra switched with Charity in the kitchen for the day so that Charity could get a little bit of a break. The kitchen is a hard job! Today was probably one of our dirtiest jobs. It reminded me of that show, “Dirty Jobs.” As you can see from some of the pictures that I posted, we had some pretty gross muddy water to clean up. It took all day, but we got it all cleaned and we cleaned out an entire room of metal scraps and even had a few coffee breaks. ;) Turkish coffee isn’t too bad by the way, but I think for now, as a beginner, I’m going to stick with regular. But today was a really fun day, with lots of laughter while getting a lot of work done. Nachman, I think his name was, was the man we worked with today and he is just so full of energy! He’s hilarious and so much fun to work with!

We had some free time and had devotions and College and Career at the Kehila tonight but I’m going to clump it all together into one thought because for me tonight, it all went together. College and Career was of course tons of fun being able to fellowship and play silly games like "Sheep Meh" and just laugh and laugh! I laugh so much I should have abs of steel by the end of this trip!

During free time I was reading a book called “Radical” where I was reading a chapter about God’s will. Then we talked about Philippians where we talked about God’s will. Then at College and Career we talked about Ruth and one of the topics was God’s will! It really spoke to me because sometimes I wonder what God’s will for my life is, but it is SO clear! It’s to proclaim the Gospel in everything I do! Let the Holy Spirit live through me so that people who don’t know about Yeshua can hear. The exact way I do this is something I still have yet to figure out, but that doesn’t change the will for my life. God wants me to be a servant, like Paul. Like Ruth. And proclaim the gospel with no shame and no fear. I don’t need to be embarrassed, because “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” It’s a win-win situation! If I’m living for the Messiah then it doesn’t matter what happens to me. God’s will, will be done.

There are BILLIONS of people out there who have never heard the Gospel. They need to hear! They need to hear about salvation! It is only through the Messiah that they can truly live a life that matters and spend an eternity with Him. It is OUR responsibility as believers to go out there and let the Gospel be heard! My heart breaks for these people and I sit here and just feel like crying as I think about millions of people that are dying every day who has never heard. The only way for a true meaning in life and the only way to spend paradise with our God one day is through our Messiah. Paul and Ruth were servants. Ruth never left Naomi, no matter the cost. She gave up everything for her. Paul was beheaded for sharing the Truth. A believer’s life is not easy, the Bible never says it will be. But one thing we do know is that God is perfect and just. And he has given us a great responsibility. We need to have a joyous attitude as Paul. No matter what the cost, I will live for Yeshua. He will live through me. I cannot just sit back and live an “American Dream” while there are so many who are suffering.

It’s about having a servant’s heart and sharing the abounding love of our Redeemer. This is God’s will.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.

June 24

Well, it’s Sunday! And that means it’s the beginning of the work week here! So, back to the hospital we went! Today I switched with Jen so she could get a chance to see a little more of the hospital by cleaning the air conditioner filters and I took her job copying medical records.

I was by myself, so in the beginning I was a little socially awkward because everyone around me was speaking in Hebrew and I wasn’t assigned to do anything yet, so I just sat awkwardly and stared at people. But then after we started to warm up to each other, I got to talk a lot! After every time I copied a file, I would be told to sit down and rest! So, one time I was able to talk to a man for about an hour! It was actually really interesting. We talked about all kinds of different things such as family, and our lives, and the differences between Israeli and American culture and he was religious so after he ate he had to read a booklet to bless his food and all kinds of stuff! I also got to speak to another man who made me a cup of coffee which I expected to hate, but I actually was able to drink the whole thing! Israel is going to make me a coffee addict! A woman came up to me as well and said, “You will be my teacher!” And she wanted me to teach her English! So I taught her how to say, “My name is” and “Cheese and jam” and how to say the time. She also taught me some Hebrew, but I think she was the better learner.

Yeah, before lunch I didn’t get a lot of work done, but lots of talking! But after lunch I was able to get a lot of work done and made like almost 400 copies! I was a speed demon. ;)

We were going to go to the IDF base tonight, but unfortunately, the people who were supposed to contact us about it never got back to us so those plans fell through. I was a little bit disappointed, but it’s ok! We got another day off! (Gabby and I had a pretty epic dance party...) We ended up going to the mall again, and since it was my last time probably at the mall I did splurge a little bit… it was fun. When we got back from the mall some people were watching Anastasia which made me really excited because I can literally quote that entire movie! So I stood behind all of them and mouthed the whole movie. People were pretty impressed I must say. Though I don’t think everyone else loves it as much as I do… it is pretty creepy. I don’t know why I watched that movie every day before kindergarten with my Captain Crunch Berries! Oh well. I think it’s a wonderful movie.

In our devotions we are still in Philippians chapter 1. Today we talked about the versus, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

Wow, talk about optimism! It seriously blows my mind how much joy Paul expresses in the book. I mean, as I said, he’s in PRISON. And with these versus, we get a little inside look on what it is like. Of course there are people there who supported him, but there was also the people who were envious of him! Paul was an apostle! And some of the people there preached the gospel because they were envious of Paul. They were selfish and weren’t preaching because they wanted the gospel to spread, but to spite Paul. But Paul didn’t care what they said about him. He didn’t care what they thought about him at all. In fact, he rejoiced because either way, the gospel was being preached!

It is not about the Gospel teller. God can work through anything and anyone. The fact is, the Gospel will be spread. And because of this we should rejoice!

Being here in Israel is really teaching me about joy. I mean, I’ve always thought of myself as a joyous person, and I think other people see that in me as well. But TRUE joy comes from God, and being here in the Holy Land gives me joy like no other!! Being able to talk with His people and to serve them as Yeshua did is AMAZING.

I love to serve. I love to serve these people. In whatever way I can, I want to have a servant’s heart like Yeshua. God is using this place to mold my heart into exactly what He needs me to be.