1 Peter 4:10

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

I must begin from the end….

I traveled all over Israel but would not have learned a thing without the people in this picture. 

Marzook, on the far right was our amazing bus driver! Without him we would have surely died from either getting run over by the crazy drivers there or by being frozen with fear to drive anywhere in these crazy towns with skinny streets and crazy drivers. He was so humble, so full of joy and it was an honor getting to meet him. It was such a privilege to be able to pray for him and his family at the end of our trip. 

Amber and Eddray, pictured to the left of me were my adventurous fun loving travel buddies who jumped at the chance to hop on this trip in 2022 when I first mentioned it. Without them there is no way I would have made it over the ocean much less on the plane in New York.🙂 WE prayed. We fasted. We planned for over a year and God showed up in every way on this trip. I know it was His plan for all of us to experience this together. I am excited to move forward in life remembering all the things we learned about each other and our relationship with the Lord in Israel! 

On the far left is Anja and Dan. Anja and Dan are two of the most humble, caring and pastoral people I have ever met. Their love for everyone no matter their background, color, religious preference or past was infectious. They truly want to be a vessel to lead people to a true relationship with our father. They are passionate about their purpose and it is so evident that they are filled with the spirit of the Lord. I am so honored to have met Anja in the short time we had with her. She was able to come spend some time with us on two nights of the trip but mostly took care of their children at home while Dan led our 10 day trip. 

Dan truly has a gift to teach the word of God and to make you think and connect with every word of scripture. He lives out Acts 4:10. Everyday he would lead us to new places mentioned in the Bible and he was always so particular about the spot he chose for our group of 30 people to sit and read the word. He would then share about the location we were at and read a portion of the word to us. He would so carefully transition us into thinking deeper about the scripture. He challenged us to dig deeper in our thoughts and our hearts to really hear what the word was saying to US. He challenged us to think deeper than the words and more into the circumstances surrounding the story, the location of where the story took place and the importance of why the Lord chose to put those details in the Bible for us to read at the appointed time. He encouraged us to love above all else but also to grow deeper in our conversation and relationship with Yahshua. Dan’s deep love for the Lord is so apparent, but you also do not leave one of Dan’s tours without knowing he loves each of Yahshua’s children. His interaction with every person we encountered was remarkable. He was genuine, caring, encouraging and present in every moment. From the servers at restaurants to other tour guides. He treated each person with care and love, as if he knew they may be fighting battles unseen. He was such a light to everyone around him. 

I had to start from the end because I feel like I said goodbye to family in Israel. I have to say thank you to Anja for loaning your husband to our group for those 10 days. Thank you for allowing us to experience not only his knowledge but his heart for people. Thank you Dan for taking time away from your family to teach us and guide us. Thank you for challenging us and encouraging us. Thank you for taking the time to make the Bible come alive. Thank you for your part in making this trip such a catapult into a renewed season with the Lord for all of us. Thank you for being a good steward of your gift and of God’s grace in your life.