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Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!

I do not know where to start.  As Murphey’s law would have it, my Blackberry was on the blink and I could not get to another computer until after the group had left Israel.

The Greek Isles of Mykonos, Rhodes, and Patmos were as gorgeous as ever. The waters were so calm, it was like not even being in a ship.  To top it off, our weather was near perfect and the site in Ephesus was a wonder. We went inside the theater where 24,000 Ephesians called out “Great is Diana” for hours.  It was a great visual of what trials Paul had to go through to get the good news out to people.

Of course, the arrival of our group to Israel was most welcome.  I always feel like I am home when we land in Tel Aviv.  Yes, I cried.  I can’t help it. I know I am in God’s country and I am blessed and humbled.

The tour went well and everyone vowed to come back to Israel as soon as they can.  It is a joy for me to see everyone’s lights come on and see the love of the Lord and of Israel.  I saw lives changed and others refreshed.

Part of the group went on to Petra and the remainder went back to the States.  Jeff and I filmed the two year-end programs on Wednesday morning at the Promenade overlooking all of Jerusalem. Talk about a back drop for filming.  We were trying to beat the rain and had almost finished the first program when it started raining.  We were trying so hard not to laugh or acknowledge the rain (you know, trying to be professionals) when Ken Berg called cut.  We all went under a tree to see if the rain would stop, and after about 30 minutes we resumed the filming and finished.  Whew!

Because I have not had a computer and I do not watch the news when I am traveling, I was a little out of touch.  I picked up my Jerusalem Post and saw that nothing has changed in the States. The news is all about the elections and the economy.

I am staying at a different hotel and am learning where to get my paper.  Just about a block from the hotel is a 24-hour store.  Really, a 24-store that is open 24-hours a day, including holidays!  What a find.

I am not staying as long as I have in the past, and so I head back to Texas on Sunday night.  Tomorrow is Shabbat and I will probably walk around with Will and some friends that have arrived early for the “Bless Israel” tour scheduled to leave the States on November 15th. I was scheduled to speak in Tampa, but the conference was postponed, so back I come to Israel on the 15th.  I am looking forward to the volunteer work we will be doing here in Israel.

This entry was posted by Sandra on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 2:58 am and is filed under From Israel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.