Every time I open the door of the wardrobe in (what was once my children’s bedroom and now my office) - that paper shopping bag just glares condemningly back at me. The (now tatty) one with the grey and blue hiking shoe in the foreground and the happy tartan-clad ‘outdoorsy couple’ in the background. It has been an ever-present reminder for the last 8 years, that I am a serial-procrastinator when it comes to the things that (ironically) give me the most joy. Is that even a thing? It feels as though I always ‘save the best for last’ or try to get all the tedious things off the proverbial table before getting to what really matters to me. And then, more-often-than-not, I never get to those things or those people sadly…
I have certainly experienced Your intimate love, provident-care, and perfect answer to prayer in my life before Lord, on innumerable occasions. It is so undeserved and therefore always unexpected. The very essence of Your character as I have come to know it, is a breathtaking fireworks display of unmerited grace and favour that leaves me ‘on mute’ and in awe (miraculous in itself 😊). But I cannot recollect that I have truly felt that familiar cascade of joy quite so intensely as I did in October of 2015. A big warm bear-hug (with streaming tears) thank you to You Lord, my blessed and beloved Saviour, as these precious jewel-memories flash in my mind.
I conscientiously take the contents from the bag and spread out the dusty conference folder, when an unavoidable avalanche of postcards, itineraries, tickets, business cards, slips, maps, and brightly coloured glossy travel brochures spill out. Along with them is sheer delight in recalling the sights, smells, tastes, and most of all- the precious people we met on ‘the trip of a lifetime’ or rather ‘a trip for life’. That trip was with You Lord, Your beating heart was with us every step of the way.
‘Am Yisrael Chai’ ( “Long Live Israel.”) is a Jewish solidarity anthem and a widely used expression of Jewish community. It affirms the continuity of the Jewish people. It is so well suited to this wonderous country. I have never felt as alive as I did there, and attribute it to the closeness encountered to You Lord. I am weary to over-spiritualize experiences but I can honestly say that a peace resides on that country that surpasses all logical understanding. It is after all a land in a perpetual state of unwanted unrest of some kind. It is either at war, on the receiving end of intifada or has some kind of terror activity lodged against it. Yet, I have never felt so safe. Ironically, it's far safer than my own South Africa…beloved but riddled with crime.
As only You can providently navigate circumstances Lord, one of our friends overheard the conversation of a South African couple at the airport. Our friend Callie was on his way to Germany for business and the couple was returning to Israel after a home-visit in South Africa. The couple sounded very knowledgeable and so our friend thought it prudent to test the Word with them to see if it matched up with our Bible study’s findings in Scripture regarding eschatology. He described the conversation later as being tremendously edifying and a timely validation from You Lord. He was so content that we were on the right track. Thank you for these pearls You give us. He also learned that they were members of a non-profit organization founded in 1976, called Bridges for Peace (https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/) - a ministry of hope and reconciliation. Through programs both in Israel and worldwide, they give Christians the opportunity to actively express their Biblical responsibility before You Lord, to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish community. They had an upcoming Solidarity Mission Conference and because our friend was unable to attend himself, he told us about it and relayed their contact detail. I remember the jubilation I felt to finally see this dream realized. It was however not without apprehension... We had our two elder children and two young daughters to think about. I can recall my last diary entries before we left. Here are excerpts from 05.10.2015:
I despise that hollow feeling of longing when I have not spent enough time in the Word. I miss You Father. Your presence is the only place of true rest that I can find. There is such comfort in Your immutability... We have been so busy at work that I have not had time to even contemplate it, but that background lull has existed in my thoughts for the past week or so, and has come closer to the foreground now.. Pangs of mild unease interrupt my thoughts. We depart for Israel on the 17th. I can scarcely believe, that after so many years of yearning to see it, that the day is finally in sight. As much as I look forward to Your country Lord, there has been a lot of political unrest there of late. I wonder about what will happen to the children if we do not come back. I am sure their physical and material needs will be met but their Biblical instruction and Spiritual wellbeing is my concern. Lord, I commit them into Your hands and ask for their protection and guidance please…the house was silent when I walked in tonight. The children have all gone on their 3-day holiday camp. I already miss the noise. The blaring TV competing with piano practice and quarrelling shrieks can be an inviting sound to come home to and I will really miss it when we are away. Please Lord , if it be Your will – bring Richard and I safely back to them. Search my heart and cut with a knife (no matter what the cost in pain) through all that keeps me from serving You as You should be served. Strip me of my selfish pride and shortcomings- anything that hampers me from doing Your will or more importantly – hampers others that come into contact with me, from seeing YOU.
“Man appears for a little while to laugh and weep, to work and play, and then to go to make room for those who shall follow him in the never-ending cycle.”
― A.W. Tozer
This quote was written down beneath the above entry in pink pen with the following written underneath :
Father, please help me to make an impact on the cycles of life of those around me, by Your Holy Spirit indwelling in me May they please see You and none of pitiful me. Please make me a whole person in You despite my circumstances. Forgive me my transgressions. I love You Jesus.
Sunday, 18.10.2015, 9:15am Israel time.
Sunday in Israel is like our Monday as it is their first day of the week. It’s one thing reading about it but quite another in practice. As the plane landed, peak hour traffic was in full swing. Bizarre!
Passport Control…what started as a strained experience, evolved as the clerk’s demeanour went from sombre to an expression of sterling interest at the news of us attending the solidarity conference of Bridges for Peace. He was familiar with the institution, I found that astounding. The passion for your beautiful land was ignited right there Lord.
( At this stage, we were completely nescient of the trip of a lifetime that would ensue… I remember the feeling of expectation like it was just the other day).
A fair-faced young Jewish man on the plane offered to show us the taxi departure point at the airport. His name was Alon. Please Lord, remind him to read the tract we gave him.
(If he still has not read it 8 years later, may it fall from a dusty book in front of him where it cannot be ignored. I do not want a single person we met in Israel to be lost for eternity. We crossed paths with so many precious people).
While waiting for a taxi, we stood beside a couple. The man was wearing a unique shirt exactly like one that Richard owns, we just knew they had to be fellow South Africans. There is something about an Afrikaner’s look that is unmistakable. It is tricky to articulate – the stance and posture, the style, the haircut… As our shared taxi ride progressed, it was established that we had some similar Biblical views also. We gave them an audio DVD about Israel, Islam & the nations (Dave Hunt) upon departure, and wished them well on their travels. If we do not see them here again, perhaps in SA!
(We had correspondence a few times and tried meeting when we arrived back in SA but could never manage to get together. Wherever you are in the world Marius & Adri we pray for your wellbeing).
We arrived at the hotel C Hotel Neve Ilan early just after 9am (which was prior to check-in time so we dumped our luggage in the hotel suitcase storage room and headed for the outdoors area). I barely noticed my tired slumped landing onto the pool lounger, because the sight before me was instantly captivating. This was my first real meeting with Israel in solace... Our eyes locked somewhere in the Judean hills. After a moment of awe, they wandered over the mountains into Tel Aviv in the far distance. It was mesmerising and I was smitten. After a long gaze and grateful prayer (there are no words to express my gratitude Lord, for bringing us here- a dream realized..) I laid back and stared at the extraordinary cloud formations.
(This cloud phenomenon became the backdrop of our entire trip. At home I hardly ever look up at the sky. The formations in Israel are elaborate and deliberate in their design - staggering works of art. I looked up the Hotel again, it’s still there and beautifully re-vamped and up-dated. If you are planning a trip, be sure to stay there).
Richard was engrossed in The Jerusalem Post. In solidarity I groped for my bag to find something to read. I read a passage in Ezekiel and wondered whether the prophet had ever stood on this very spot. There is a tangible delight in reading God’s word with the backdrop of this ancient city. Suddenly the romance was rudely shattered by what sounded like a leaf blower coming from a clump of trees nearby. I had to giggle. It mercifully did not last too long and with the disappearance of the revving engine, emerged guitars and people singing! I watched intently as more chairs and benches were carried out to join the musicians that I had not even noticed setting up before. I strained to identify the language they were singing in but it was not familiar. I think I heard the word ‘Adonai.
Ah, romance restored😊. A sudden wave of gratitude flooded my heart and I worshiped quietly realizing that I was living in the very moment of a dream’s conception. It was an indescribable feeling.
Solidarity Mission: Israel Blessing the World Monday October 19 2015
At 8:30am the bus departed for Ephrat to the Centre for Jewish Christian Cooperation and Dialogue after a resplendent breakfast at the Hotel Neve Ilan!
Lord, there is just no getting used to the backdrop of the Judean hills in all its splendour!
Efrat, or previously officially Efrata - an Israeli settlement in the West Bank is located 12 kilometres south of Jerusalem, between Bethlehem and Hebron and 6.5 km east of the Green Line, at the Palestinian side of the West Bank wall. There we engaged in a riveting Jewish-Christian dialogue entitled: The Parable of the Sower with speaker David Nekrutman followed by lunch. David is an American-Israeli Orthodox Jewish theologian, writer, director, columnist, public speaker, and pro-Israel activist. I remember it being an enthralling discussion. He is the executive director for The Isaiah Projects which is a ministry dedicated to creating and providing specific tools that will help Christians discover the Hebraic roots of their faith: https://www.theisaiahprojects.com/ . It is important to mention though, that he is not a Christian.
On the bus ride we sat next to two ladies: Erika Pretorius and Marinda Coetzee and certainly not by accident because they were none other than the house-mates of the wonderful Derkson couple who’s places we were privileged enough to be filling on this conference! The work they were doing within Bridges for Peace was remarkable. They were both Russian speaking and had previously lived and evangelized in Russia, which made them most qualified to be involved with ‘Aliyah’ from Russia to a Jewish neighbourhood called Karmiel (where they were also currently residing with the Derkson’s). ‘Aliyah’ is the immigration of Jews from the diaspora back to the Land of Israel. Erika worked in the food and goods distribution centre and Marinda worked directly with the refugees regarding their placement and housing. It was enthralling listening to the stories of their many travels and the challenges of their work. Once we started conversing, I strove to recall where I had seen their faces before. Especially Marinda who looked so familiar. Suddenly it dawned on me that they had been speakers in a church that I had attended years prior back in South Africa! At that time, they had still been working in Russia and were reporting back on their missionary work there.
Lord, the way you intertwine the lives of Your children for Your purpose never ceases to astound me!
2pm: We arrived at the Volcani Institute (the research arm of the Ministry of Agriculture near Ben Gurion Airport that is one of six such institutions). Research in the Organization focuses on arid zone agriculture, enabling Israel (a country short of all the resources required for agriculture) to achieve among the highest levels of agricultural output in the world! Other research subjects included agriculture on marginal soils, irrigation using treated wastewater and saline water, crop cultivation in protected environments and under-heat to develop heat resistant crops, freshwater fish farming under conditions of water shortage, minimization of product losses through use of the latest pest control, post-harvest storage methods and breeding, plus the development of new strains of crops and domestic animals better suited to adverse global conditions. Volcani is conducting groundbreaking research and making novel discoveries in several research fields.
Read more: https://www.volcaniinstitute.info/in-english.
The research and development work that they do at the institute is truly astounding. We received a highly informative teaching by an elderly gentleman whom we later discovered was one of the top developmental professors of the institute! What a genius method of implementing the continuation of knowledge and skills to the next generation! The talk we were given on maximizing the longevity of Israel’s produce was riveting. Everything from mint oil rubbed on potatoes to prevent against germination, to packaging products that are shipped in micro-perforated modified atmosphere bags to ensure optimal conditions while in transit (as shown in below photo). It is noble how they work tirelessly to innovate in order to reduce the use of harmful chemicals. Their extensive labours in drip irrigation to improve agricultural productivity without compromising environmental quality, and to conserving soil and water, two of Israel's most limited natural resources- further displays that integrity. Their experimentation and subsequent results with different coloured lights in fresh produce cold storage and nets for crop growing was mind-boggling also. Israel's farms produce the highest milk yield per cow in the world. This is in part because they have carefully bred their own kind of cow, the Israeli-Holstein breed, which is specially adapted to the Israeli habitat. The feats by the institute in this area go on and on though!
Lord, Your words of Genesis 12:3 rang in my mind as I listened to the wisdom of this gentleman:
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
I recall the Old Testament and all the many blessings that You bestowed upon Your people Israel. I also recollect their disobedience and the many curses that ensued compounded on top of those blessings, but many of those graces remain to this day and I see so much of that here. Prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. What exhilaration it is to see Your Word unfold here in Your land!
We made our way back to the hotel for dinner with the anticipation that another adventure awaited us thereafter!
My precious Jesus, please make the time with You here stand still…
It was a gleeful pile into the bus for a night on the town in Jerusalem. First stop: the brand-new Friends of Zion Museum (https://fozmuseum.com/).
Oh Lord, how my senses were actuated by the food aromas from street vendors and the gleaming sites at night! I was smitten by Your city …At once I knew it was because Your presence was palpable here. The manufactured romance of another city could not contend –no, not Paris nor Rome could come close! I instantly knew that its vibrance and glory was reflecting Your name that is written on it! It is a personal and intimate experience meeting Jerusalem for the first time and in that moment, I never wanted to depart from it. I wanted to be submerged in its warmth for eternity. An aching feeling of expectation welled within me at the thought of what the New Jerusalem would be like. One day…
Scriptures flooded my thoughts:
Rev 21: 1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and there was no sea anymore. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Now God’s presence is with people, and he will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain, because all the old ways are gone.”5 The One who was sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.”
“In Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put My name for ever” (2 Kings 21:7).
“For now, have I chosen and hallowed this house, that My name may be there for ever” (2 Chronicles 7:16).
“In Jerusalem shall My name be for ever” (2 Chronicles 33:4).
The museum was in a charming, classic stone-clad building. The exhibits were creative and interactive. It was a lot to assimilate but really helped me to understand the events and people that were instrumental in the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. I was proud to see a tribute to South Africa for our support of Israel many years ago…
We then set out to explore the streets of Jerusalem with some of our tour party: Keith and his lovely wife from Tailor Made Tours (www.tailormadeisrael.com) and our new friend Claire and sister all the way from New Zealand. The illuminated walls of the enchanting old city with the tower of David in the background, had us simply mesmerized. The Jewish quarter maze holds a treasure of overlaying smells and visual feasts around every corner. Oh, and Ben Yehuda street’s beating heart was alive with a Christian choir that suddenly burst into song as we passed by. I could not make out the language but it may have been Mandarin. I could only stare in awe and gratitude to be experiencing all of this.
Lord, I feel so wretched and undeserving of this trip of a lifetime. I do not know what is in store for us still, but I want to thank you now for this genius answer to prayer. We asked earnestly for a remarkable and unique adventure and that is exactly what we are encountering. Our desire was to see the Israel that You wanted us to see and to not have that typical ‘touristy’ excursion. I cannot hold back the tears.
Keith led the way to Tmol Shilshom. A narrow stairwell climb led us to this intriguing gem café-restaurant-bookstore in a century old building in the Nahalat Shiv’a quarter of the city centre. Tmol Shilshom means ‘yester year’, named after the classic Hebrew Novel with the same title by Nobel Laureate S.Y Agnon. There we sampled Sahlab for the first time, it was so silky smooth and comforting! A Middle Eastern milk pudding topped with ground cinnamon, crushed nuts, and desiccated coconut…yum! It tastes a bit like South African ‘melkkos’.
The book ‘Love Stories at Tmol Shilshom’ can be purchased there ( hopefully still ) which they published themselves, telling of the many romances that began within the walls of this spellbinding place. It was admirable to read how the proceeds of the book went to ‘Save the World Association’ which creates work opportunities for the disabled.
Oh how I have been romanced by this place.. by You Lord. I am falling in love with You all over again. Thank you, more than words could dream to express, I love You.
Solidarity Mission: Aliyah & The Threats Israel Faces Tuesday October 20, 2015
8am: After breakfast, we prayed as a group – prayer with kavinah, which means in Hebrew: praying with intention or sincere feeling or being directed by the heart.
Our morning speaker today was Jewish Orthodox Rabbi Yishai Fleicher who delivered an authoritative talk entitled ‘The Capital of our Capital – How the Temple Mount and the Renegotiation of Jerusalem is at the Centre of our World’. He is an international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron, and member of the Efrat municipal council. He is also an Israeli broadcaster and a frequent columnist for major news websites. Yishai is a paratrooper in the IDF reserves and lives with his family on the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem.
Fleisher is an advocate of aliyah.
Again we speak of Aliya because it is the ‘Raison d'être’ of the State of Israel. The Hebrew word “Aliyah” literally means ascent or rise, but for generations it has been used to mean “immigration to Israel.” Israel has always been the centre of the Jewish and Christian universe, but for centuries the dream of moving to Israel was just that, a dream for most Jews. But now it was happening before our very eyes.
Oh Lord, thank you that we can be in the cut and thrust epicentre of all of this. It is electric being in Israel now to witness firsthand the surging return from the modern diaspora! For the first time in the present age there are more Jewish people inside of Israel than even in the US. What astounding fulfilment of prophecy this is: “I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.” (Ezekiel 11:17). Oh Lord, Your Word is steadfast, true, and infallible. The Bible is the very charter of our salvation. Please Lord, may the wonderous people of this land see You clearly in their Scriptures as Jehovah Raab - Jesus the Good Shepherd who laid down Your life for His sheep.
Bridges for Peace, the Christian organization that arranged the solidarity conference that we were attending, is in the business of building relationships between Christians and Jews. Their practical approach by means of workable ground operations- aids and facilitates aliyah. These projects are ‘bridge building projects’ just as their name suggests. Projects include constructive activities like: Hebrew classes, film series, Israel Awareness Programs, speaker’s bureau and study seminars, food banks to help Israel’s needy and Bible study tours to cement bonds.
If you have a burning desire to bless Israel in accordance with Scripture (What Does the Bible Say About I Will Bless Those That Bless Israel? (openbible.info) ) by becoming an active bridge-builder and participating in fulfilling biblical prophecy through this vital and important work, see more about their vision at: https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/meet-us/our-vision/
If you have never travelled to Israel, you may ask why there is a need for such an institution? Well, in modern times the Holocaust remains a point of contention between the two religions of Judaism and Christianity. This is of course an over-simplification as tensions are far more complex than just this singular point of course. To give an experiential illustration: A lovely lady who acted as a tour guide for us to the Mount of Olives put the Jewish view into a stark and sobering perspective for me. Our words on the subject were sparse but the disdain with which she looked upon the perceived ‘Christian’ buildings that overwhelmed this fundamental Jewish landmark, spoke volumes...’On Sunday they went to church with a Bible wedged underarm. On Monday they sent Joden to their demise in the gas chambers.’ I could wholly sympathize in that moment…However, there was a record that needed to be put straight. My ‘word-tread’ was cautious:
‘Naomi, what you behold here is not the face of Biblical Christianity. This is what destructive man-made religion looks like. Ironically, this is exactly what our Messiah Jesus (yours and mine) reasoned against so vehemently.’ That is (amoung other things), what cost Him His life…
We stood in silence looking out from the Mount of Olives over Jerusalem.
Oh Lord, Your words through Ezekiel in chapter 34, verses 11-16 play in my head: ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
10:15am: Next in the morning line-up was Khaled Abu Toameh an Israeli Arab journalist, lecturer and documentary filmmaker. Abu writes for The Jerusalem Post and for the New York–based Gatestone Institute. He is a producer and consultant for NBC News since 1989. His articles have also appeared in numerous newspapers around the world. His presentation dealt with the threat of ISIS, the Iranian influence in Gaza and the contested territory.
After lunch at the hotel a dynamite- data-deluge from speaker named Caroline Glick awaited us! Wow, there can be few people as qualified to speak on the threats that Israel faces. She is an Israeli-American journalist and author with her own show on JNS TV. For up-dates on what is happening in the Middle East, follow her on social media platforms. Her lecture topic was also concerned with the Iranian threat. The tempo at which the boundless cascading information was delivered, left us submerged!
Another welcome barrage came next from Dr. Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky – a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv and lecturer at the Tel Aviv University. Her academic treatise relayed on the subject of ‘The Threats that Israel faces through International forums such as the UN, Lausanne, Amnesty International, Geneva, FIFA and Oxfam’ etc. was highly educative. It is astounding how these organizations get away with discriminatory bans, unfair treatment, double standards, sidelines, and propaganda against Israel.
Michelle Rojas Tal (Hadassah's Zionist Scholar-in-Residence and Director of Diaspora Education at StandWithUs) spoke next of organizations like the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement that makes outlandish claims that Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. These organizations cause havoc and spread divisiveness on college campuses worldwide. They have made activists of the ‘sincere but ignorant’ youth that crave an underdog to lobby for.
Oh, how the world is now suffering the consequences of not heeding to so many brave men and women like these speakers 9 years ago, who warned what the consequences of neglected festering hatred would be. As I write this, the war in Israel has been raging for almost a year- in response to the October 7th Hamas terror attacks. This was not a war that Israel asked for. The thought of those young men fighting a deplorable enemy with no regard for human life, to tangibly protect their families, is nauseating. Lord, please send Your witnesses in among them to bring the glad tidings that ends the war of all wars. Send me if it be Your will, Lord. I know the work will leak and pour through the cracks in this imperfect vessel, but I am ever willing. A love for Your people, Your land and all that You hold dear is what resides in my heart.
The torrent of memories are unceasing now …that was the night we received another ‘pearl- gift’ …..
As we ambled from the dining hall onto the hotel’s veranda – coffee in hand, there was music playing… We strained to hear as we were being drawn. The up-beat staccato rhythmic music of violins, a trumpet and guitars accompanied male impassioned voices.. A smaller terrace to the other side of the hotel revealed a Jewish wedding taking place in full view! The small group that had followed us, simultaneously sank to the floor, transfixed.
Oh Lord, how romanced I felt by You in that moment and beheld how the others here felt it too. We had studied the Jewish Galilean wedding feast, filled with masterfully woven imagery of Your return! Parts of the study echoed the modern scene before me. In the study, it all began with the betrothal and the bride drinking from the cup of ‘win,’ in acceptance of her groom. The groom announced her consecration to him and declares that they will only drink from that same cup again in his father’s house (a beautiful mirror of Jesus at the last supper in Matthew 26:29). Next the groom went to traditionally prepare a place for his bride in his family home where a room would be added (mirror: John 14:3). The bride now prepares for the day when the groom will return for her to take her there. A dress must be fashioned and she must wait vigilantly, keeping herself pure and holy. Neither the groom nor bride knew the exact day and so the bride was always ready. The day was decided by the Father only (mirror: Mat 24:36). It seems that the weddings were generally held in the evening like this one, so lamps were always ready. The shofar or trumpet was blown to signify the time had come and the bride would be carried in a litter to the groom’s house – lifted into the air. The marriage supper takes place in the Father’s house to where the guests are beckoned. Everyone that woke up is allowed in until the doors are closed as mirrored in the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25.
Oh Lord, show us how to draw others in through the door by Your Spirit, before time elapses!
As of January 1, 2024, Israel’s population stood at 9,900,000. This is a more than 12-fold increase compared to when Israel was founded in 1948.
Photo I took of the Jewish wedding that we observed from Neve Ilan Hotel balcony Oct 2015
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.
The website is a ministry tool reference to aid and serve believers in all the various mantles of stewardship that envelop us in this modern world.
© Copyright 2025 The Good Steward - All Rights Reserved - Webdesign by Mojotech