Israel ~ November 2009

Focusing now on the Israel pilgrimage ~

This was my first visit to the holy land. During my preparation and prior to leaving the US I felt the Lord encourage me to not book any rooms beyond Tel Aviv where I would stay my first few days and that He would direct my path the rest of the way. I was to be set apart from other tourists and to travel solo, rather solely with Him. I would see, but ‘see’ in a different way, not as a tourist. And, though at that time I had already tentatively booked a room in Bethlehem for a few nights, that plan was sidelined when I picked up my rental car at the airport. There I was informed by the rental agency that entering any Palestinian occupied territory (which Bethlehem was) with their vehicle was forbidden. Bethlehem was not to be part of this journey.

It is hard to know where to begin. It is harder still to identify all the Lord has shown me. It is bigger than I know how to verbalize. Like a tsunami where the wave has been drawn out to sea, has risen up and cresting, about to launch forward, what is about to happen is so very big.  There is so much happening in that little country and so many are oblivious to what the Scriptures warn. Just as in the time of Christ, where Jesus remarked in Luke 19:41-44, how Jerusalem did not recognize the time of His coming, again, the land is asleep, and much of the world is asleep for that matter or skeptic, just as both 2 Timothy 3 and 2 Peter 3 prophesied it would be.

What is the state of affairs in Israel?  It is no secret. Most people who have some knowledge of the current activities of the Middle East acknowledge Israel’s very existence, is in peril. However, we as believers know that according the word of God, as He has fulfilled the prophecy of restoring the people back to the land in 1948, after having been banished in 70 AD, He Himself will step in to protect any onslaught against this land. Ref Ezekiel 36, 37, 38, and Zechariah 10, 12, 13

In the 12-days of my travels I witnessed and experienced:

Anti-Semitism ~ in several of my conversations I could sense an underlying tone of resentment of the Jews as well as outright statements made against them that the Jews do not have a right to the land and should have never returned in 1948. It seemed nearly every non-Jew I spoke with had hostility in this regard believing their own problems stemmed from the existence of the Jews in Israel.

Religious Strongholds ~ where it is believed salvation rests on works, birth right, and/or the worship of false gods and idols:

~ The Catholics believing their salvation hinged on their works and lifting the Pope and Mary, mother of Jesus Christ incarnate as elevated with God Himself, and their worship of saints and icons.

~ The Islamist Muslims who exalt Muhammad, the Sharia Law, Qur’an, Hadith and worship the god Allah.

~ The Orthodox Jews who follow the written and oral laws. The written being that of the Torah (or Tanakah ~ our Old Testament), and the Rabbinical works or ancient writings, documents and sayings of the Rabbis. It appears Romans 9:31-33 has not changed in all this time.

Non-orthodox Jews who believed their simply being God’s ‘chosen people’ is enough for eternal salvation.

Personal Safety ~ there were a few incidences where my personal safety was fragile. In several instances men made bold advances and were not hesitant in expressing their desire to spend time with me, alone. I am very thankful to the Lord for His protection in all these encounters particularly the ones that were quite close in taking a turn for the worse. Sadly too, I often felt overwhelmed by several merchants (not all) who were quite deceitful and relentless in their haggling and tactics. God strengthened my heart as I made a point of centering the conversations on Him and many times witnessed the Holy Spirit moving on their hearts.

In the midst of all of this I also met some very wonderful people. There were very humble Jews, both Orthodox and non-Orthodox that I spoke with who were grateful to be in Israel and whole heartedly wanted peace. I met with and helped sweet Christians who are working to teach the absolute truth of the Word of God to those seeking Him and reaching out to help the poor in Israel. And I met a Jewish Christian whose lineage went back to the time of Christ and whose family had not moved from Israel when the Romans took siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD!

There were countless conversations with tourists from all over the world in the various cities I visited. Many of them, as well as the locals asked why I came to Israel, particularly alone (this was a real novelty); my response was because I had believed the Lord had called me to come. This immediately opened the conversation up to spiritual matters. The Lord blessed several opportunities to engage in some very deep theological discussion with Christians, Jews, Muslim, and Catholics.

There was so much to take in and process viewing Israel knowing this was where the Lord Jesus walked and taught, the land where the nation of Israel was established, where the Hebrew lineage was initiated, where they were exiled to Egypt and returned, then taken captive to Babylon and returned, then scattered 500 + years later and now returned less than 61 years ago and struggling to maintain peace amongst so many who would love to see them annihilated.

As I asked the Lord why He had sent me and what was it I was to see, my heart was turned toward my daily Old Testament reading which at that time was in Jeremiah. At that time the people of Israel, were worshipping other gods, were backsliding and hard hearted. They did not honor God, nor were they honest in their dealings with one another. And though the prophet spoke against the nation of Israel, His chosen, these things continue today from the variety of factions presently living in Israel. The dilemma someone would have coming into His holy city to seek Him with an honest heart was made apparent to me by the Holy Spirit.

Personal Example: As I entered the Old City of Jerusalem through Jaffa Gate for the first time where I planned to stay the night, I had anticipated a special moment with the Lord sensing His presence. Sadly however, within seconds of my arrival I was met by two men, who I had mistook as guides having seen several groups gathering for tours at this entrance. The men questioned where I was from, what was I looking for, etc. While explaining that I was seeking a specific place to board one man literally got into my car and insisted on showing me its location. I was rather shocked to find I suddenly had a passenger. And like everyone else, he asked why I had come to Israel which touched off a discussion of faith, he believing in Islam, and I seeding as much truth of Scripture as possible in what I knew was going to be a brief encounter. After much to-do and driving around I was checked in to a hostel and then turned over to his teenage son who continued the mind spinning journey around the Old City to help me find a place to park the car. It became apparent that the son was learning the tricks of the trade as he ‘managed’ to secure a place where I could park the vehicle all night and that of which would only cost 50 shekels. The next day I learned that spot was actually free for the night. What was one to do? I had however managed to discuss theology and apologetics with him as well as challenged him, noting a wise person would want to be “educated in the other faiths” so as to be able to render an intelligent decision. I then slipped a small booklet of the Gospel of John into his hands which he truly seemed to appreciate. So, though my entrance into the holy city was not the intimate Holy Spirit filled moment I had hoped for, the Lord seemed to have had a different plan and I pray the youth will receive Christ and lead his entire family to the Lord. Well worth 50 shekels!

Aside from the deceitfulness of these gate greeters there were other difficulties a visitor would encounter with merchants being less than honest in their dealings as well as the visitor’s personal safety being at risk as was mine. And if that person coming in had a desire to know the Lord God, then what would they find spiritually but the faiths nullifying the work Christ did at the cross, faiths entrenched in reaching heaven in their own works and worshipping idols that will get them nowhere. God sees the heart and also sees the stumbling blocks that an innocent person would encounter. The book of Jeremiah unfolds God’s disappointment and anger with these things as well as His judgment of what would become of Israel.

Another element of my trip was revealed the day I was to begin my return home. My flight was to leave just before mid-night so I had decided days earlier to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, on this day as I would be able to dedicate my concentration to this alone without other distractions. This was difficult to tour as it became an experience, being caught up in the changes that slowly turned Germany into a place of horror for the Jews. I could feel the disparity of the Jews whose neighbors turned on them and felt the pain of mothers as their beautiful children were separated from them. And though I had been educated and have studied this period in history, the terrors that followed are still hard to accept as reality. I felt weak and even nauseous at one point during the tour.  This same spirit is moving not only in Israel, but throughout Europe, Russia, and even the US as more of our leaders turn their backs on this nation. There were times through this tour as if I felt our current news headlines were what was on display that the world was working at repeating this same horror. Have we not learned? Or have we learned, but are blinded by power and pride?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran and noted enemy of Israel makes no apologies that he would love to see Israel wiped off the map as well as the end of the West and Judeo-Christian values. Hamas and Hezbollah, and other factions of Islamist terrorism are working around the clock to destroy Israel and our way of life. These are not “phobias”, they are day-to-day hard facts. History, as recent as just this past year reveals these perils. I would recommend Joel Rosenberg’s website for additional information and links. There is so much information on this that I am not able to encompass all of it in this blog ~ http://www.joelrosenberg.com/

We presently stand in that precarious time period between the restoration of Israel as a nation and the tribulation where devastation will come upon the earth, a time where the Lord will intervene. Are we to remain idle? The Lord specifically states in Genesis 12: 3

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.”

Any nation turning their back on Israel will find themselves working against God.

For us personally, God desires that we turn from sin to Him, regardless of what we have done or where we are spiritually, to turn to Christ and be forgiven. He is willing to forgive. The promises of God are true. Peoples of all nations need Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

Again … as in the beginning of this trip was the Scripture of Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’

Here at what seems to be the end of the trip I receive Matthew 28:19-20 “’Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ Amen”. Today’s reading was Romans 10 telling me to ‘Go’.  While in Jerusalem I felt an impression on my heart from the Lord that I need to return to Israel.  Please pray for His provision and way on how this is to come into being.

I am certain the Lord will reveal yet more about this trip as time passes. For now, I can only believe that what may have been thought to be the end is really only the beginning. Thank you for your many prayers and encouragements. If the Lord speaks to you about any of the ministry work, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Side note ~ photos of both Uganda and Israel are available on my Facebook page until the website is updated.

~ Travel Register ~

Tel Aviv *

Netanya

Caesarea

Mt. Carmel

Haifa

Megiddo

Afula

Nazareth *

Cana

Capernaum

Magdala *

Qasrin

Then traveled south on east side of Sea of Galilee

Sychar – entered the West Bank traveling several miles, reached Israeli Defense Force (IDF) check point. Tourist access denied.

Jericho – travel thwarted by road barricade. IDF immediately on scene ~ tourist access denied from this location.

Jerusalem *

Masada

En Gedi *

Jerusalem *

* Overnight stay

Interestingly the cities I had attempted to visit but had been discouraged for one reason or another; Bethlehem, Sychar, and Jericho are all Palestinian occupied.

Uganda ~ November 2009

It is difficult to know how to express an experience so that others might be able to draw close enough to touch those things which are destined to leave an eternal mark on the inner most being. Impossible actually, but I will try.

Last December In His Grace Ministries (IHGM) had blessed a church with Bibles and we planned to do more again with this outreach. Initially we had intended to visit four churches, but two days before leaving the USA to come here I was informed that number had doubled. By the time we had made the rounds to the eight churches we found that a total of 17 churches had come to our meetings all seeking more Bibles.

Pastor Jackroberts (Jackson) Lubuulwa noted as we had gathered for a peaceful breakfast one morning that five years ago the very spot where we were dining would have been in the direct crossfire of government military on one side of the block and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels on the other. Thankfully at this time Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA was being hounded through DR Congo to the west along their northern boarder so we were quite secure and breakfast was very peaceful.

Some of these churches were easily accessible by vehicle, and some were not. One church in particular was located in a homestead village, meaning it was an established village and not an Internally Displace People’s (IDP) camp. For this gathering it was necessary to walk out to the bush as the road had become a trail and the trail became too narrow for our vehicle. The men hoisted boxes of Bibles on their shoulders and off we went through the bush! Quite a sight!

In another location we arrived at an IDP. The camp was quite large and a distance away from the main road and this was quite uncommon. The purpose of the IDP was to be close enough to the main thoroughfare so that the Ugandan military might be better able to protect the people from the LRA. The size of this one was ever so much bigger than the others I had visited. Most of the people had left it to return to their own villages, so the population was quite small. I was cautioned about one of the men in this village as “not being right” who seemed to have eccentric mannerism. His thought patterns would wonder and he would remark (through an interpreter) that there use to be so many others at that camp, so many, many children. Then his eyes would focus someplace distant and his face would reflect emotions being relived, but marked by great tragedy as though he had seen far too much. I felt in my heart that what he had experienced and seen was what caused him to be half off his wit and fueled the eccentric behavior. He seemed to be trying to hold on to sanity, but could not figure out what reality really was. If the terrors of what he saw were reality, then how could anyone want to hold on to it? His peace was in Christ. He LOVED to worship and praise God and was so very thankful for his Bible. He clung to Jesus. Jesus was and is his only reality, his only sanity, and his only reason for living.

Another marked moment occurred as we visited our last church. I had the blessed opportunity to meet with a former LRA commander. He had been abducted at the age of eight and forced to endure 12 years in a life that he would rather forget. He had commanded 400 men and had a personal body guard of 30 men as his life was in much demand. He, his men and 24 others (his family a part of this) finally managed to escape. During his time with the LRA he was forced to take five wives, though had only one at the time of our meeting. The purpose of so many wives is to work on their psyche. If they have children through these women, they would be less likely to leave the LRA, much like when they are abducted many are forced to kill or maim family members or members of their community so that they feel they would not be able to return to their homes. Of his five children, the eldest were a set of twin boys now at the tender age of eight, the same age as when he was abducted. I made attempts to consol him, that God knew he was forced to do things at a delicate age, but the expression on his face spoke volumes. He knew Jesus Christ had spared him and forgiven him, but it appeared he had difficulty forgiving himself. Surely during this time he had given commands to his 400 men to do horrific acts. I prayed for him. The Lord will speak to him as he studies the Word of God and the Holy Spirit will heal the deep places only he and God knows.

Having just visited Gulu two years ago in Aug ’07 it was sweet to see how much has changed. My first trip was much more dismal. Life seemed to be under oppression. Efforts to accomplish anything was more difficult as technology and communications were lacking, roads were badly in need of repair, supplies were difficult to obtain, pedestrian traffic was minimal, and life seemed to be struggling.

And though Gulu is a far cry from a booming western metropolis, this second visit, ‘09 was much more uplifting. More people traveling to and fro, brighter colors everywhere it seemed, clothing, buildings, new buildings, buildings being refurbished, school children in uniform everywhere at all times of the day as their various school schedules dictated. I saw hundreds more students whereas on my last trip I scarcely saw a dozen. Trade with Sudan in the north which is very close to Gulu was doing quite well. It blessed me immensely.

The community is still in desperate need of medicines, drinking water, and though the sanitation and processing of waste could use improvement, it is much better than I have experienced elsewhere. In essence it appears Gulu is making great strides in recovery.

Surrounding this trip were moments of sadness. The elderly uncle of my hostess passed away into the arms of Jesus the day following my initial arrival to Uganda. Also, after our return from Gulu to Lugazi (where my host and hostess live), there was a tragic accident during a worship rehearsal for our five-church women’s outreach in Namataba. A three year old daughter of one of the worship singers managed to find a live wire and was killed. So tragic. The memorial was heart wrenching.

But also surrounding the trip were sweet moments to meet with Mercy and Henry, two orphans who are sponsored by In His Grace Ministries through Children’s Heritage Foundation. Mercy’s father was an LRA rebel who died a few years ago. I do not know all the circumstances, but I did meet her mother on my first trip to Gulu. Mercy’s little sister was a baby in her mommy’s arms at that time. I learned that her village was too far away for me to visit this time. But Mercy is doing well and living at Victor’s Junior Christian School, a school with approximately 750 students, 500 of which do not have parents, mostly from death due to AIDs or Malaria. Henry lives with his grandmother who is caring for 11 other children, bless her heart! Henry’s parents died from AIDs and Malaria. Both Mercy and Henry are charming and bright children.

We had brought 400 Bibles in two languages (Acholi and English) as well as a Bible study of the Book of John for those who could read English. Pastor Jackson is returning with 300 more Bibles; however we know the count will still be short for all these churches. We are praying the Lord would open an avenue for more finances to supply the need. God’s word is flourishing and souls are hungry, hungry for the truth!

There were times to minister the Word in Gulu, Mukono, Namataba, and everywhere we went. Even when our vehicle broke down on the return from Gulu we offered a Bible to the man who worked on our vehicle. He declined stating he was a Muslim. His co-worker however was a Christian so we gave one to him. When he had received it he lifted it up in both hands and practically ‘skipped’ with joy proclaiming “Ooooooooh, Hoooooooooooooly Bible!” I know he will make good use of it! And I think the Muslim will receive teaching from it regardless. God works in such surprising ways.

My coming from America to their villages had a huge impact. Many saw this as God making a special effort to get His Word to them that He would touch someone from so far away to come to them moved them deeply. I recall one woman so full of joy I thought at any time she could fly for the happiness she was experiencing. For me, it was a time of complete pouring out of all the Lord had given me, to give all I could of the Word of God in speaking, personal experience, and giftings, but more importantly, to have had the blessed opportunity to give His Word into the hands of those who lives have suffered so much, are in such desperate states, but now have new beginnings. This was the greatest blessing. Thank you, THANK YOU for your prayers and support. He will bless them beyond anything they can think, hope, or imagine.

Glory to God! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!