The Wizard of Oz

So, yesterday I wanted to write in my blog that I wanted to go home. There's no place like home. However, today I am doing better, still not perfect, but better. Within the last three days many things have happened that are making feeling like I am just going around the mountain again. I don't feel like I am making ground. One is where to live. the lady I am going to rent from called on Mon asking if I was going to rent and I had told her 2 weeks ago that I would. And now we have to meet with her and her land lord and it just feels frustrating because last year I didn't have to do that. It could all be nothing but it's frustrating. Then on Mon I changed my airline ticket home and later that day I ran into conflicts with my visa run and the date I just changed my ticket to. And now today my visa run completely fell through. So I now have a week to plan a trip out of the country. And to top everything else off I hurt my back a little over a week ago and it hurt to sit. So yesterday I really just wanted to go home. Today I feel better however because God it good I guess. This weekend it the "One Thing Conference". There is apparently a lot of spiritual warfare going on because (so to speak) of it. I feel that if I can just push through to the conference that it will be better. It will be a good time of filling and refreshing.

And yesterday or Mon morning I had a good dream. There was a crowd of thousands of people in a stadium. The place was packed. I was coming on stage as the speaker. I was speaking on abstinence. So, that means the crowd was youth and young adults. Here comes the fun part, my husband was just off the stage and I was pregnant. And as I was talking I mentioned that this was my second child. Now I know that is a different dream but I really feel like it was from the Lord. Pretty much everything in it is a confirmation of other visions or words. We'll see what the Lord brings about.

But it's one of those things that in times like this, where I feel stressed that I need to hold onto dreams and visions and words that I have received from the Lord. And know that He has brought me here and that He will provide. Sometimes it's hard to see that in the midst of it all but it is still true.

The Square

So, yesterday I spent the day relaxing. Taking a true Shabbot. Actually I was trying to recover from an injury that had occured earlier that week. However I was very bored by 10pm, since I had done nothing all day. So I gathered my few things I would need if I was to go out and went down to the lobby. See stuff usually happens down in the lobby. After sitting there for awhile in slight pain a friend came down the stairs and said she was going to join a group in the square just a block away. Now, I should have stayed home and gone to bed, however, I really wanted to see people. So we went to the square and there was a group of people sharing the good news, and there was a group of musicians. So, I chatted with a few people, that I knew. And then I just sat there praying for the people there. Both the Jews and the Christians. I'm sharing this because when I talked to the students at the school I used to teach at one of their questions was have I shared the Lord with anyone. My answer is still no, but now I can say that I was there backing those people with prayer support. Because I know that as of now my role is not an evangelist, but a behond the scene type person. It was fun, my injury than did not go away but I am positive I was where the Lord wanted me.

Tel Aviv

Mediterranean Sea
Us girls when we got out of the sea

Last Shabbot I went to Tel Aviv with my friends from the Hostel. It was a blast. We hopped a Sherut to Tel Aviv and then one to the beach. The sand was hot and we walked around to find an umbrella and chairs. We tanned (first time tanning because I really am not into that but I don't like being in the water by myself)first because the girls wanted to be hot before going into the cool water of the Mediterranean Sea. It is much warmer than the Pacific Ocean though.

But we went into the water twice. I was only about knee deep and there were monstrous waves that kept crashing into us. Oh yeah it was also a black flag day on the beach, letting us know that it is very dangerous to swim. It was a great time in the water. About five mins after we got out of the water there was a little shark spotted in the water near the shore.

We stayed on the beach until sunset and then we changed and ate dinner on the shore. It was a wonderful day. I will post pictures later when I am on my computer.

Stuff

Well my posts are almost caught up. Just one or two more days of catching up. The hardest part is finding time to sit down here and do it. So one fact that I find amusing is that I just learned that Jordan's proper name is the Kingdom of Jordan.

We'll start with today. I finally made my way up to the actual wall at the Kotel (Wailing wall). I would have to say that the presence of the Lord was there. Touching the wall was nice but there was no majesty in it. The thing I noticed was that both times I closed my eyes, once at the wall and once a few yards away, was that I felt like I was all alone with the Lord. It felt almost like I was out in an open field with Him. It was a very amazing feeling.

Yesterday was as an odd day. I had had a good day and then I went to church. The pastor preached an amazing sermon. But the whole time I was struggling with something. Then the sermon ended and we were having quiet time with the Lord than we started to worship and I was now struggling with something else. And Bethany wasn't there to talk to. Then I went out to eat with a friend, Jacki, and someone else came along, so there was no time to chat. So I waited at the bus stop with her and a lady from church was there and talked the whole time. So I went home and sat on the roof for awhile and was just still feeling crappy and like I needed to cry, so I called 2 girls who are staying at the Hostel and volunteering with KKCJ as well. But they were busy. So a last resort sort of, I went to see if Daniel, a guy from the Hostel who is Messianic, was around. He was and I asked if he would join me up on the roof. He said yes. We were walking up the stairs and he asked what was wrong because he could tell something was up 'cause I asked him to talk. And right there on the stairs I started to cry. We made it all the way to the sitting area and we just talked. He listened and threw in his two cents every now and then. After about a half hour or an hour he left and I felt better.

Today, Bethany comes over and we were hanging out and she says that she didn't come to church because she was feeling bad. Then it clicked. She had been interceding for people and the Lord had me helping her or interceding for her. So I told her next time she has to call. Because she sat at home for awhile trying to figure out if it was her or what. And that was the same for me. So it was nice to know today that yesterday wasn't me, however, I need better discernment to know when I am interceding and when it is myself.

Visitors

So last week I had visitors. I don't know if you have ever been on a trip and your in a foriegn country and someone you know is coming to the same place. Well, you get excited. That's how I felt last week. The pastors form HRC came for a whirlwind tour of the Holy Land. So I only know 2 of them but I invited them to the Prayer Tower as well as we were having the Jerusalem Praise Experience. Another girl who is up in the Prayer Tower is from HRC so she was inviting them as well. So on Tuesday night they showed up as I was closing the Prayer Tower. There was much confusion. Most of them went down to the Praise Experience and a few stayed because of the presence of the Lord in the Upper Room. Then all of them came up at the end and had their own private worship time. It was amazing.

Then on Wednesday we went to their evening meeting. I was excited to find out that the person speaking that night was Robert Stearn. Then I had a time of prayer with a few people and I recieved a few words. One person said she saw me under a large wing and that I am in a safe place. That in this safe place they will ask me to do things that I have never done before but they will come along side me and mentor me. When this learning time is open that it will open the door to the nations. So that was very encouraging. That was fun.

Then that Saturday I was at a birthday party and I learned that the Levites when they turn 25 start being trained in temple duties and that when they turn 30 they begin full time ministry in the temple. I felt like I am in my training time but I also feel like it will be an accelerated training time. I can't wait to see what God does.

Rob and Alisha

Two friends that I have made here got hitched the other day. So on Sunday we threw a bridal shower for Alisha. We took her to a fancy restaurant. Bethany and I ran out right after congregation to find here a present or crown to wear to embarrass her and balloons. We had a very hard time finding a tiara, so we finally found a garland of flowers that we could twist into a crown. Then we figured that she needed a veil and we bought a pretty white sparkly shawl. While we were looking Bethany said that maybe we should get her a good lotion because that would be something she could use. Then we found balloons. We took the bus as close as we could get to the restaurant. My bag was half out the bus door most of the ride because it was that packed. Then we walked to the restaurant, so on the walk to the restaurant we blew up the balloons. And fortunately we were the first two there. So we put the balloons up as center pieces. Then everyone showed up. Alisha loved the "crown". The neat thing was that one girl, Laura, saw the shawl and said she had wanted to buy Alisha that exact same shawl and then Erica came and she gave Alisha a very nice hand lotion. I just found that God is so good. Because all the things people wanted to get Alisha but didn't were brought by a different person. So we had a very good time celebrating Alisha.

On Thursday Rob and Alisha got married. It was in the backyard of our young adult pastor. She wore her wedding dress, she wasn't going to at first because she bought it for her USA wedding but us girls told her this a once in a life time and if she wanted to wear it she should, plus she gets to wear her wedding dress twice. And Rob wore a kilt. They walked down the aisle to a bag pipe, so all the neighbors came out to see what was going on and some watched the whole thing. It was a very pretty wedding and nice and relaxed. It was an amazing night.

St. Ann's Church

Lindsey, Me, Morgan, Brooke, (not pictured Daniel)



The following Shabbot a group of us from the Hostel decide to go the Old City since there is nothing to do in the "new" city. We walk to the city and then we weren't sure where we were going. Someone had told us about a church with a garden and amazing acoustics. So Lindsey (the one on the left) thought she knew where it was so we walked to the Kotel (western wall) and then around the back of the old city and we entered a gate on the back and there was St. Ann's on the right. It is the pool of Bethsada area. But the reason we went there is because the acoustics is amazing. One voice sounds like a choir. More just sound plain ol' gorgeous. So we sat inside for a while. (Because it is cool since the church is made of stone and it was hot outside.) Then we left. I wanted to go and walk around the ruins of the pools but everyone else wanted to go. And I figured that Bethany and I (we sing together for fun and God has just knitted our hearts together) would have to go and sing there so I could see the ruinds later. So we went home. Daniel was going to walk to the Garden of Gethsemane so I siad I would go with. But it was closed so we just walked home. I have been told that this is the oldest picture depicting Christianity. It is a mosaic. This is the Golden Gate. It is believed to be the gate that Jesus/Yeshua will come back through.

Questions

I don't think I have ever had my faith questioned quite this much. And I mean literally questioned. Peoplejust ask questions of what do you believe or do you believe this. And I am now having to put into words things that I just believe or know deep down in my spirit but have never had to verabally state. Like I was talking to this guy this evening and he says he's a Christian and we were talking about hell. And he has a hard time believing that God would send good people to hell. And his one example to me was a poor starving child in Africa. Now I grew up believing that children just go to heaven but I couldn't say that to him because I have no biblical basis for that or don't know that biblical basis. So I am having times like that where I am having to find the words to express what I believe. And that is a good thing and I am glad that the questioning is coming now when it is normally friendly banter.

House of Prayer

I promise I will sit and write right now the things that have gone on in the last two weeks and I will post them every 2 days. But it is good that I am too busy to sit and write.

Two Shabbots ago I went with some friends up to the third house of prayer. It is run by Tom Hess ( I don't know who he is but..). It is up on the Mount of Olives which is why I haven't been to it before, because it is far away, hard to find, and in Arab territory. I was told about it last time I was here but God's timing is perfect. We went there to participate in the watches but when we go there because one of the guys had worked there before we were just given the watch.

They do their watched differently. They call them gates. They have (well I think someone else did but) taken the gates of the old city and has extended them out on a world map and found what gate what countries are in. So the USA is in the Jaffa Gate. They have also done that for just Israel, so what cities are in what gates. Then their watches are certain gates. So we were there for the Jaffa Gate and one I can't remember its name. They way they operate is the same, there is music sometimes, you can pray whatever you feel and there are flags and shofars. The really cool thing is that the prayer room is on the top of a house. You go up these stairs to the roof and you are in an enclosed gazebo. There is where the music and instruments are and things are kept. Then you can go out side and walk on the roof and proclaim out over the city. Here is the view from the rooftop. It looks at the back of Mount Zion.

And down into the valley.

Then we stayed for Shabbot Dinner. It was a great time of worship and tradition. For we started with worship and then had the lighting of the Shabbot Candles, then more worship, then we had the wine, a little more music and then we broke the bread. And somewhere in there we sang the Shabbot Shalom song. Then we had dinner. We stayed and talked and then took a taxi home.

But during worship it was really awesome. I was sitting on a step because I didn't feel like I could stand anymore. And in the spirit I could see in my right hand was a flame the size of my palm and in my left hand was a gold bowl. I still don't know what they are or are for but I know I received them.