El Salvador Medical Trip !

I hope you guys enjoy this. What an awesome trip!

El Salvador Medical Trip !

Greetings from El Salvador! I apologize to all those who have been checking this blog only to find no updates. I can assure you I have been trying, but the internet access here in in El Salvador is not very dependable to say the least. So I guess I have to fill you in on what's been happening here since Saturday. ( I don't know really where to start)! Today is the third day running medical clinics here in El Salvador. Each day we have been traveling to a different Calvary Chapel church plant throughout the country, and running free medical clinics. People in the neighborhoods where the churches are have been waiting to see our doctors and dentists for a couple of weeks now. For many, this is their only opportunity to receive medical and dental care because they lack the money to pay for the treatment. So usually we arrive at our site with a line of people already waiting to be seen. While the people are waiting to be checked out, we have a team (some from our C.C. Philly group, and some from the local Calvary) that shares Christ with them, and gives them Gospels of John as well as a pamphlet with directions to the church. Many people have gotten saved throughout these three days and we are praying for even more to believe on the name of Jesus during the last two clinics.

Everyone on our team is healthy, and doing great. They are all working extremely hard, and each night their exhausted from serving the Lord in this incredible heat! (I forgot to mention that we are all sweating by around 7:30 in the morning, and we don't stop sweating until the daily thunderstorms come and knock out all the power, and close the roads - that's at around 4:30 every afternoon). I would ask that you continue to pray for us - that the Lord would strengthen all of us for the remaining clinics, that He would be glorified in all that we do, and that many would continue to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. We want to be a blessing to the local Calvary's here, so please also pray that their church is encouraged by the clinics and by those who end up coming to hear God's Word being taught every Sunday.

I think that's all for now - I will try to update tomorrow, and will also try to get some pictures posted on here in a little bit. Thanks for all your prayers, we can all sense the Lord's hand on this trip - please keep them coming!

Blessings,

Carlos

Medical Missions Trip Info / A great resource......

Hello everyone, sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I guess I'm not doing very well with my commitment for a once a week update. I just wanted to write to ask you to pray for our Medical Missions Trip to El Salvador which will take place from September 26th - October 3rd. This trip was a trip that we had to postpone last November because of paperwork that couldn't get done in time in El Salvador, and because of lots of red tape that we didn't know about going in. Anyway, the Lord's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts far beyond ours right ? SO I think that last November wasn't His timing, but I am praying that this September will be! And I am asking you guys to join me in praying for this trip. All the important paperwork is done, and it has all been submitted to the El Salvadorian government. At this time we are just waiting for the official "green light" from them. Please pray that we will get that soon, and that we can go ahead with the final planning and preparation for this trip. As in all trips that we do, we want to see Jesus magnified and exalted amongst the El Salvadorian people, and we are going to use free medical care as an open door to tell them about our glorious God and Savior. We will be able to meet some of their physical needs, and most importantly get a chance to share the gospel, and pray for them all while they will be at a Bible teaching church in their mountain village (where the clinics will be held). SO I am very excited about this opportunity but we certainly need your prayers for this trip - for right now in particular, so that we can get the approval from the government to host these free medical clinics. I will keep you guys updated on the status of everything as I get more information. Thanks for praying!

Secondly, I just waned to share with you a great resource that my buddy Matt Ellison from 1615 told me about. The book is called "From Akebu to Zapotec" and although I think it has been around since 2002, I have just learned about it recently. We just started carrying them here at the bookstore at C.C. Philly. The book is basically a children's book with illustrations and info on Bibleless peoples going from A to Z. Each people group has their own page with a beautiful illustration and then a story about life in their culture. It's a great way to get our kids to be thinking about these peoples, to be praying for them, and also for the Lord to send someone to give them the Bible in their language. Those of you who know me know how close to my heart that is. This is just another tool, another resource which enables us to talk to our kids about the importance of sharing Christ and His Word with those who have never heard. Check it out, I know you will not be disappointed !

The true story of Tokich Ishii

Hello everyone, like I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to share with you guys a little more from the book "A Gentleman in Prison", the story of Tokichi Ishii. If you haven't been on here in awhile scroll down to the last post and read that first. You guys know his story by now, but I just wanted to post some excerpts from his journal. The first talking about how exactly he came to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and the second talking about some "divine favors" that he has realized are his IN CHRIST JESUS.

I went on, and my attention was next taken by these words: "And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". I stopped: I was stabbed to the heart, as if pierced by a five-inch nail. What did the verse reveal to me ? Shall I call it the love of the heart of Christ? Shall I call it His compassion? I do not know what to call it. I only know that with an unspeakably grateful heart, I believed. Through this simple sentence I was led into the whole of Christianity. This is how I thought it out: I suppose a man's greatest enemy is the one who seeks to take his life from him. There is surely no greater enemy than this.

Now at the very moment when Jesus' life was being taken from him, he prayed for his enemies to the God of Heaven. Father, forgive them for they know not 'what they do. What else could I believe but that he was indeed the son of God ? I argued that an ordinary man is filled with anger and hatred and every other spiteful passion on the slightest provocation. Jesus, on the other hand, prayed for his enemies at the very moment his life was being taken, that life which was so precious that nothing could take its place. Was an act like this possible for an ordinary man? I do not think so. Then we cannot but say that he was God. Again, chaplains and pastors, and those who see men die, agree that the last words a man utters come from the depths of his soul, and that he does not die with lies upon his lips. Jesus' last words were, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do, and so I cannot but believe that they reveal his true heart.

I can't help but think about how powerful the Word of the Lord is. In the chapters before this, Tokichi Ishii tells of how this missionary Caroline MacDonald had come to his cell and given him a New Testament. He said she would come by and share about the words of Christ, but that he really didn't give any thought to it. He didn't read the New Testament for a long time, but eventually started reading it out of curiosity. After the third time picking it up, he came across those words "Father forgive them", and he was saved. Let us remember the power that is in the Word of God, and how even a simple act of sharing His Word can have eternal value to it! Here is the next quote where he shares about what the Lord has given him in Christ Jesus.

I want to tell you what divine favors were given me after I became a believer in Christ. First I received the imperishable and everlasting salvation of that most important part of man, his soul. As it is written: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life'. And again: "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out". If we believe these words then we know that God has not forsaken us but has saved our souls forever.

I shall now speak of a second favor in which I have received from God. When I was free I travelled about west and east out in the world, and saw and heard many things, and had varied experiences. Today I am sitting in my prison cell with no liberty to come and go, and yet I am far more contented than in the days of my freedom. In prison, with only poor, coarse food to eat, I am more thankful than I ever was out in the world when I could get whatever food I wanted. In this prison cell, only nine by six feet in size, I am happier than if I were living in the largest house I ever saw in the outer world. Whatever agony is in my heart I can now overcome. No matter what discomforts I endure there is only gladness in my heart. The joy of each day is very great. These things are all due to the grace and divine favor of Jesus Christ.

I wish to speak now of the greatest favor of all, the power of Christ, which cannot be measured by any of our standards. I have been more than twenty years in prison since I was nineteen years of age, and during that time I have known what it meant to endure suffering, although I have had some pleasant times as well. I have passed through all sorts of experiences, and have been urged often to repent of my sins. In spite of this, however, I did not repent, but on the contrary became more and more hardened. And then by the power of that one word of Christ's, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, my unspeakably hardened heart was changed, and I repented of all my crimes. Such power is not in man.

I love what he says about being content. I wish the world (and also us as believers) could understand and apply that truth to our own lives. Here is a man who had no freedom at all, and without the Lord was always longing to be a free man. When that so called freedom arrived, without the Lord it was just an allusion, and it quickly became more bondage. Now in Christ Jesus, this man who (in the world's eyes) was locked up with no freedom at all, and awaiting certain death in this world is experiencing true freedom because he has been set free from sin and death! What a lesson. Are we experiencing that life in Christ Jesus today ? Are we filled with the joy of His salvation, or are we longing for something else in this world ?

Keep checking back for some more on Tikichi Ishii!
Many blessings,

Carlos

A Gentleman in Prison

Tokichi Ishii

Hey everyone, as I mentioned in my last post, I finished a book last week called "A Gentleman in Prison", and I must say that it was fascinating. It's a book that was translated from Japanese to English, and then printed in 1920. The book is basically just the English translation of the journal of Tokichi Ishii, a famous Japanese thief, and murderer, who before being sent to his death wanted to write about how he received Christ while in prison the last year, and how he was a new creation in Christ Jesus. He explains how much of a sinner he was, and how much he loves Jesus for dying in is place, and for giving him a new life in Christ. He also then writes his testimony and how he came into this life of crime. Lastly he writes about the Lord, and also comments on scripture that has meant allot to him while waiting for his death. The book would have been great if it was just that, but the way in which Tokichi Ishii was given the death penalty, and the way he came to know Christ is perhaps one of the most famous stories in all of Japan. Here it is, summed up by Ms. Caroline MacDonald, the missionary that the Lord used to reveal Himself to Tokichi Ishii.

"The case itself was an amazing one in all its ramifications, the most extraordinary one, it is said, that ever passed through the Japanese courts. A geisha was murdered near Tokyo, and her lover was charged with the murder, and arrested. He confessed to the crime in the police station, but at the public trial, denied the charge, alleging that torture had been used by the police to extort the confession. There was strong circumstantial evidence against him, however, for he was the last one seen with the girl before her murder, and it was known that they had quarrelled. He was convicted and sentenced to be hanged. Before the sentence was carried out, however, a notorious criminal, Ishii by name, was arrested for a petty offence committed in Tokyo and thrown into the police cells. Seven or eight other men in the same cell were discussing the underworld of Tokyo and they
mentioned that a certain man had been convicted of the murder of a geisha called Oharu and condemned to death. Upon hearing this, Ishii confessed that it was he and not the man already condemned who had committed the crime. The confession created a great sensation. The other man was let out on parole and a new trial instituted. The court failed to find the slightest circumstantial evidence, however, to connect Ishii with the crime, and acquitted him in spite of his confession. The man himself protested against the acquittal, the public procurator appealed against the verdict, and the case was reopened in the appeal court. The trial dragged on in the courts and gained great notoriety. Newspapers were filled with the details of its xtraordinary ramifications. A man confesses to a crime, later denies it, but is sentenced to death on circumstantial evidence. Another man appears, confesses to the same crime, but is acquitted despite his confession. During the appeal trial, however, evidence was adduced which confirmed Ishii's confession to its minutest detail, and he was sentenced to death. As he says himself in his writing, he was thus able to make some amends for his sins and at the same time to save an innocent man from death.

He was a man forty-seven years of age, with practically no education, but with a remarkably clear mind. He had lived a life of crime, as his own story will tell, but marked as he was by the ravages of sin, his eye was clear and his purpose steady during his trial. I saw him often during those days, and on the morning after the death sentence had been given, he said to me very quietly, "It was God's own judgment and I am satisfied." During the days of waiting he took up his pen to write down the circumstances which led him into crime, and the story of his repentance. He worked night and day until his task was finished, for he did not know when the end might come. I saw him for the last time just a few days before his execution and his face was radiant; but of that day and of the end I shall write when the man has told his own story. The sequel is merely the translation of the manuscript I received from him through the prison authorities, and is reproduced, as far as possible, with the same straight forward simplicity as the original. I have not hesitated to depart on occasions from the literal translation, but I think I have not departed from the spirit. "

SO it was Tokichi Ishii's own confession that brought him the death penalty, but he was so lost in his own sin, and guilt of that crime, he writes that this was the only way he thought he could find peace. Little did he know at that time, that the Prince of Peace was knocking on the door of his heart, and soon he would know what perfect peace felt like! The lessons learned from this man are many, and in the next couple of posts I will be writing about some of the things that spoke to me about this mans story. I will also be adding some excerpts of his journals - many which are very inspiring. His childlike faith, and deep gratitude unto the Lord has sparked a flame in my own heart, and I pray that as you read some of his insights, the same will happen to you.

Blessings,

Carlos

Philly, Summer '09

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a little bit about some outreach opportunities that are taking place here in our own city of Philadelphia this summer. Usually the summer is a time when our church family as well as our Jr. and Sr. High students go overseas to help our missionaries, and to share the love of Jesus in a cross-cultural setting. With the current economic situation in our country, and more importantly, with a prompting from the Lord, C.C. Philly (the church body, and both the Jr. and Sr. High) has decided to stay in Philadelphia this summer to share the love of Christ in our own city. This will be taking place in various forms of outreach, and at various times, in various places around our city.

C.C. Philadelphia has birthed 3 Calvary church plants in the past couple of years, and we are all very excited about what the Lord is doing in each of them. Part of our outreach to our city will be coming along side of these church plants and helping them out in any way that we can - from painting and fixing things up, to helping them with VBS, to street evangelism etc. The Jr. High and Sr. High will both be doing 2 week trips to the city to come alongside these churches.

In addition to all of that, we have some opportunities that are available to those in our congregation, as well as others around our city that have a burden for Philadelphia to be reached for Christ. Once a month we will be meeting at C.C. North Philly (meets at the YMCA at Broad and Master) at 10a.m. for worship and prayer, and then from there, we will go out on the streets to share the love of Jesus with those that the Lord directs us to. The next time we will be meeting is on Saturday, July 18th. Please pray about joining us!

We all meet there this past Saturday, (June 13th) and hit the streets afterward. With my team was a brother and his wife from C.C. Philly who is an incredible painter. He brought two huge paintings of his that depicted the crucifixion, one of them he was still working on. Our group of around eight people set up at Love Park in Center City, and as Ryan set up his paintings, and was working on them, many people stopped to look at them. As they were standing there we then began to share with them about what they were looking at and the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection. It was a great time, and the Lord called people to Himself that day - what a privilege it was to see God move that day! For the next event, I think Ryan will be working on painting the story of the Prodigal son. Please pray that the Lord anoints him to paint it according to the way He desires it to be done! I'm really excited about all of the outreach in Philadelphia this summer, and I'm asking you guys to pray for our city - that the Lord would do a great work in peoples hearts, and that the power of Christ would free people from the bondage of sin and death. Pray that they would treasure Him more than anything else this world would seek to give them, and please pray for us- that we would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and that we would be filled with His strength as we go out and share Jesus during these events.

As a side note, I just got done reading a book called "A Gentleman in Prison", which is the story of a Japanese criminal named Tokichi Ishii who came to know Christ while in prison. While he is awaiting his death by hanging,he writes down all that the Lord has showed him, and I must say, it is a powerful book. In my next couple of posts I will be writing about his story in more detail, as well as some things that I have learned from reading it. I promise it will be sooner rather than later : ) !

Blessings,

Carlos

The late Ralph D. Winter

At 9:05 PM, May 20, 2009 Ralph Winter, the founder of the U. S. Center for World Missions went home to be with the Lord. I never met this man of God, but I have been deeply touched by his ministry. In many ways it directly impacts what i do on a daily basis. You see it was Dr. Winter that first talked about the term "unreached peoples" at the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization in 1974. The shattering truth that was revealed at this conference was that in spite of the fact that every country in the world had been penetrated by the gospel, four out of five non-Christians were still cut off from the gospel because the barriers are CULTURAL and LINGUISTIC, not geographic. He called not recognizing this fact as "people blindness", blindness to the existence of separate peoples within countries. In 1982 the term "people group" was then translated as

" a significantly large grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class, or caste, situation etc. or combining of these. It is the largest group within which the gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance".

Thank the Lord that since then, many, many churches and ministries have been focused on reaching the unreached that was defined back in 1982. Dr. Winter and his team at the U.S. Center for World Missions have written out the stages of reaching these people groups in the following summary.

Stages in Reaching an Unreached People Group


Stage 1-"Reported" The people group is brought to the attention of a Christian research group which strives to verify them as unreached and lists them as such.

Stage 2-"Selected" A denomination or mission agency, capable of reaching the group, accepts responsibility to reach them and mobilize churches and Christians to adopt this people group so that a church may be started in their midst. They are actively recruiting churches and fellowship groups to adopt this group and partner together to reach them.

Stage 3-"Adopted" One, or several, churches or fellowship groups (could be a mission fellowship, student group, Sunday School class, etc.) has made the establishment of a strong church among the unreached people group their personal goal. They agree to support the work with prayers and finances. This is done with their denomination or in partnership with one or more mission agencies.

Stage 4"Engaged" The work has begun and cross-cultural workers are "on site" with the goal of establishing a "viable, indigenous church-planting movement."
A people group may already have been engaged when a church or fellowship group chooses to adopt. The church then commits itself to partner with the "on site" workers.

Stage 5-"Reached" A strong, indigenous church-planting movement has been established that is of sufficient size and strength to evangelize the rest of the group with no (or very little) outside help.
"Reached" does not mean the work is done, but the missionary thrust is closing and the evangelistic phase has begun which is now the responsibility of the indigenous church. They have moved from unreached to unevangelized.

This is something that C.C. Philadelphia believes in, and is currently supporting with our work among the Tarahumara in Northern Mexico, as well as the Tabwa people in the Katanga province of the DRC. Please join with me in praising the Lord for all the ways that He has used Dr. Winter, and to also pray that more and more churches, believers, and ministries would join hand in hand with these efforts to see Christ treasured among those who have never heard.

To know more about the U.S. Center for World Missions check out their website HERE.

Blessings,

Carlos

Ron and Bridget Wint speaking at Missions Prayer tonight!

West Indies Sunset - A light in the darkness.


Sorry this is so last minute, but among other things I want to write about, I just wanted to let everyone know that Ron and Bridget Wint will be speaking at our Missions Prayer tonight at C.C. Philly in the Prayer Room. They haven't been home since they left to go to Zambia as full-time missionaries over 3 years ago. If you can make it out, come and listen to them share about what the Lord is doing there in North-Western Zambia.

Since my last post I have been in the West Indies close to Trinidad and Venezuela, as well as in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay at a Pastors Conference for Calvary pastors up and down the East Coast. We had the privilege to hear from some incredible men of God including one who is 86 years old and has been serving the Lord in full time ministry for over 60 years. I'll be writing more about the things the Lord showed me through these guys in my next post, but for now, I wanted to finish with my thoughts on those verses in Romans 13 that I was previously writing about.

While traveling around this past month, and having lots of time to spend listening to the voice of the Lord, it seems like He has been impressing on my heart this one theme - that the "night is far gone, and the day is at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light". I was talking with my son the other day about why he is scared to go upstairs by himself. He told me "Dad I don't like to go upstairs by myself because it's to dark up there". I told him "Evan, you don't have to be scared of the dark, just turn the light on, and go upstairs"! I then began to talk to him about how Jesus called Himself the Light of the world, and how as believers we are called to be light in a dark world. I'm not sure if he totally grasped all of that yet, but it was just another reminder to me to make sure that in ALL that I am doing, I MUST be putting on the armor of light. I began to pray and ask the Lord to make me shine in EVERY situation. Every area of my life must be given to the Lord in order to let Him shine through me to this dark and sinful world.

The day is at hand - I really believe that brothers and sisters. The Lord desires so much to use our lives as a beam of light in our world. And the darker our world or our country gets (and it's getting pretty dark out there), the brighter our lights will shine. It's hard to try to write down all the things the Lord is showing me personally about this subject, but I do know that it's been a theme in my life as of late, and I just want to encourage you guys to make sure that in all areas of our lives, the Lord is shining through to the world that is constantly watching us. The time has come, let us cast off all works of darkness, and put on our Lord Jesus Christ!

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3

Blessings,

Carlos

Romans 13:11-12

" Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

I'm in Romans in my personal study in the Word - in fact, I've been in Romans for almost a year now. In reading through chapter 13 again this morning, the Lord was just pressing upon me the importance of "waking up from sleep". Now, we know that this letter was written to believers in Rome, and in particular this statement is meant for the Christian. The Bible speaks of those who don't know Christ as "dead", it doesn't refer to them as not sleeping, so we know this is for the believer. Now after further reading, I was thinking about in the physical, what causes people to sleep when really they should be awake - I thought about eating to much, over indulging I guess you could say. Also, being bored can be an excuse to just sleep, or maybe a listless attitude towards things could cause some to just sleep and not worry about life. I'm sure there's a lot more that I missed. Now if we apply these things spiritually, we can see how these things can so easily creep into our lives to cause us to spiritually "fall asleep". I was reading Barnhouse on this section and he wrote,

"Have we indulged of the stupefying things of this world and thus fallen asleep ? Have we been living in the close atmosphere of worldliness instead of breathing the fresh air of prayer? Have we been so lazy that we yawn in the face of God? Are we so involved with self that we try to force the knowledge of God below our conscious minds ? "

God calls us to wake up,to be alert. Paul says that the "night is far gone, and the day is at hand". The "night" is the world that we live in today, with all of it's sin and pride and the "day" is that day in which Jesus will come and reclaim this world which is rightfully His. Now Paul says that the "day is at hand" and obviously it is more "at hand" today then ever before. We read all throughout the N.T. verses about how the return of Christ should have a purifying and sanctifying affect in our daily walk with Jesus. Looking around the world today, I really believe that more than ever we as believers must "wake up". Instead of falling asleep in my comfortable life, or getting so caught up in the things of this world (whatever they may be), now more than ever, we should be awake, and telling others of the "day" that is at hand!

I want to write about this passage a little more in the next post. Be praying for those who have never heard, and also pray that you could have the privilege to go and tell them the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ. With God's grace brothers and sisters, let's do it!

Blessings,

Carlos

Missions Blog 2.0 !

Well, if your reading this, you can see that our Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia Missions Blog has undergone a major (and much needed) upgrade. Much thanks to Bill who put lots of time into this new layout, and design. With this new look will be coming a renewed commitment (on my end) to post more about what is going on here at C.C. Philly in regards to fulfilling our missions vision, as well as more post of articles that will help to equip us all for the task at hand - completing this Great Commission!

Now, speaking of finishing the task at hand - I wanted to share with you guys a great website appropriately named "Finish the Task". You can get to it by clicking HERE. The purpose of the website is to get the church to engage in reaching those people groups around the world that currently have no churches working with them, and no witness for Christ among them.

"Today there are currently 639 unengaged, unreached people groups with populations over 100,000, together numbering over 535,000,000 souls that are still beyond the reach of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are spiritually lost, and helpless like sheep having no Shepherd. Among them Christ remains unknown, unacknowledged, and unadorned."

Go on their site, it's great. When you go on, you can also see some updates on some of these groups, and how they have now been adopted by some churches. That being said, though they have been adopted, the work is far from over! I think on average your looking at a 30-50 year commitment to really influence these people groups in all areas regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm praying that this site will motivate you to pray for these groups, and also to ask the Lord what part you should play in getting the gospel out to them. I can tell you that our church will be adopting another people group to go along with the Tarahumara of Northern Mexico who we adopted years ago and have seen the N.T. translated, and Lord willing will soon see the complete Bible translated in their language. We are praying about two specific groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that are very closely related to the groups that we are working with in Northern Zambia. The difference is that no one is currently working with these groups (one of them is 800,000 strong) ! Please ask the Lord to give us wisdom on choosing this people group, and then wisdom as we begin to start forming a plan to reach them, and to begin to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The area that they are in is extremely remote, so please also pray that we can make the right connections in regards to traveling to them in the most safe and timely manner.

I'll be keeping you posted in regards to this group, as well as what we will be doing this summer. All very exciting stuff ! Check back soon for more updates.

Blessings,

Carlos

Little Nuggets from Israel.......

Hello everyone, as I mentioned last month, I wanted to have a couple of people write about the things the Lord showed them while on our trip to Israel. After being home for a month, I still constantly find myself thinking about the trip, and the things that the Lord revealed to me while there. I'm starting to think that it really does take at least a month to process all of the information given, and all the things that the Lord showed us. Anyway, our first "little nugget" comes from Megan Petock.


Before traveling to Israel, several friends who had been to the Holy Land, told me it would be a life changing experience. While excited about the trip, I doubted it would be life changing. “Israel is just a place,” I thought. However, a few weeks later, as my plane touched down on Israeli soil, I had the distinct feeling that I was about to be proven wrong.

******

On my third morning in Israel, I headed to the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, carefully carrying a hot cup of coffee and a napkin filled with pita and hummus. I found a large rock by the water, used my rain jacket as a picnic blanket, and sat down. I opened my Bible and began reading. Like the disciples who lived 2,000 years before me, I was having breakfast with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee.

I turned to Matthew 14, the story of Jesus walking on water. It was a story I had heard since I was a little girl, but being there gave it a new and deeper meaning. Looking out at the water, I could almost hear the voice of Jesus calming speaking to the frightened disciples, who sailing on a fishing boat, “"Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." I imagined the calm water suddenly becoming stormy, and wondered what Peter was thinking when he stepped out onto the violent Sea. As my friend Sara put it (when she first saw the Sea of Galilee), “It’s real water.” I was looking at a real Sea, with real water, and real sand. Peter had some serious faith.

All morning, the words of my Bible came alive. I no longer had to imagine their scenery the way I had to imagine Narnia of Middle Earth. I was seeing it with my eyes. It transformed what I was reading.

This was one of many similar experiences, as numerous Biblical passages were given new life and depth, as I walked where Jesus walked. Throughout my time in Israel I prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, stood at the temple gates, gazed at Golgotha, and walked inside the empty tomb. With each experience, I gained a greater appreciation for the authenticity of Scripture and the faithfulness of God. I was tasting and seeing that every Word of His is truth, and every promise He has made has been kept.

When I walked on Israeli soil I knew in my heart that Israel, both the land and the Jewish people, were set apart unto God, and being in Israel was, in fact, life changing. Not because if it’s beauty, history, or Biblical context. It was life changing because Jesus had been there and still was. This was the setting He used as a background to His story of redemption. Through that land and people, He chose to bring Salvation to the entire world. It’s a truly Holy place.

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Standing in the Philadelphia airport waiting to receive my luggage, I fiddled with the silver ring I had purchased in Jerusalem. It was engraved with the Hebrew words for the phrase, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” I was quietly amazed as I thought about my experiences in Israel, and realized that the same God that orchestrated the plan of redemption and faithfully preserved His Word over of thousands of years, was my shepherd. He was leading and guiding me today, and He is life changing.

Whether your in Israel or Philadelphia.