Israel Update: Shifting gears
Shalom Brothers and Sisters in Yeshua,
What a busy couple of weeks it has been! I began my Hebrew classes this past week and am amazed by the pace of the instruction. It is extensive and I am already able to read and write quite a lot. It requires a great amount of studying, but I am enjoying finally learning the language I have desired to learn for years now!
I am about to enter my last week of work here at Maon HaRofe. I can hardly believe I have spent seven months of the past year here in Israel working on the hospital program. I have mixed feelings of sadness to say goodbye and excitement for what is ahead of me. The good thing is that I will be close by and can visit often on my days off. This coming weekend I will be moving into my new apartment with my new roommate Lori. I will be living in Jerusalem across the street from the Promenade, one of my favorite places to go and gaze upon the Old City of Jerusalem. Please pray for me as I say my goodbyes here and prepare to move and start my new position at Christian Friends of Israel: http://www.cfijerusalem.org/default.asp
The most awesome part of the past week is that my best friend in the world (my mom) came to visit me and even volunteer alongside of me here in Israel! Mom fit right in and started working with the patients and is even learning a lot of Hebrew in the process! Not to mention the awesome times we’ve been having as a mother and daughter by touring and eating out in spare time! I am so blessed to have had both of my amazing parents visit me in Israel to support what I am doing here. How many parents just hop on a plane to fly across the world to visit their daughter and volunteer in the process? Not many… but we all know how special my mom and dad are. After all, it was because of them that I even received this calling to Israel. And what an honor it is for me to be able to show them around myself. But please know that the invitation to visit me in Israel is extended to you too!
I am starting to shift gears as I enter a new season of ministry. I know that what lies ahead of me will be a very interesting journey as I commit to an organization that desires to just love the people of Israel and support them in as many ways as possible. It will not always be easy but I am ready for this challenge that I have prepared for my entire life! God equips us with His power to perform the tasks set before us.
The longer I reside in Israel, the more impressed I am with a spirit of urgency. I truly believe that Messiah will be returning soon for us and the events leading up to His return are happening rapidly, especially here. It’s so clear, so transparent, so evident that as a result I have this unsettled feeling inside of me that desires to help people see the truth of Yeshua as their Messiah. It keeps growing within me and I am consumed with the passion of His truth… it must be proclaimed! It must be made known throughout the Nations! No longer is silence an option. Silence results in death.
I have found an amazing young adults group at my congregation. This group is made up of 50-60 young adults between the ages of 20-35. All of these special men and women are here in Israel to support the Jewish people in some way so we all have common love for the culture and a common heart for Israel. Our praise and worship times are amazing and I have never seen such a dedicated and on-fire group of young adults in my entire life. There is no holding back…we let the Holy Spirit move and we simply listen to the voice of the Lord. Many of us have chosen to leave behind a more comfortable and popular way of living to come here and see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Israel in the Last Days before His return and to bring in the harvest that is so ripe.
A verse that has been ministering to me and motivating me is found in Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward those who are on the outside, redeeming the time.” I think we really need to make good use of our time. In fact, it’s not our time, it’s God’s time. We must follow His spiritual clock instead of our own human clock. I know from experience that my human clock is telling me to slow down or hurry up, but I must suppress that and put my Faith in God’s timing. After all, we must walk by Faith and not by sight. It’s much easier to walk when we can see, but it’s a lot harder to walk when we can’t see and must trust God. It reminds me of an analogy my friend told me. I have a friend here in Israel that used to be a tank commander in the IDF. He told me that there are four men in every tank. He said that if I ever want to learn trust, just drive a tank. I asked why. He said because tank drivers never see where they are going… they have to rely on the commander to tell them when to turn left or right or go straight, even during enemy fire and war scenarios. Our faith must be like that when it comes to God. We must go whatever direction He tells us to and trust that He will protect us and guide us even though there may be enemies firing all around us.
I want to thank you all again for your prayers and your encouraging emails… keep them coming! I know I can’t always reply immediately but I consume your emails like food for my soul. It blesses me greatly and keeps me connected to you.
This is Erin and MOM reporting LIVE from Jerusalem…
And don’t forget to see our pictures at my website:
http://braveandunafraid.blogspot.com/
I have also made a change that allows anyone to comment on my blogs instead of just registered users… so go comment!