My cuppa on this rainy February morning is a fruit and herbal infusion which I purchased while in Israel last month. The flavors are passion fruit and mango, with no caffeine. It is delicious, warming and will not give me jitters. The brand is Wissotzky and can be purchased online.
Reflecting on the Firefall International Best of Israel Tour is joyful for me because in every aspect of the trip I saw the blessing of God. Yes, there were months of hard work sharing the vision, inviting people and answering myriad questions. There were sad days when unforeseen events led to cancellations. Through all of this, we watched the Lord gather the group, supply for them and bless us abundantly on the actual tour.
We had amazing answers to prayer on our first day regarding lost luggage and a phone. While none of my children were free to go with us, I was deeply touched by the two mother/daughter combos on the tour. Seeing them make the most of 11 days of constant companionship, touring, learning and worshipping thrilled my heart. The sacredness of family was before me constantly and beautifully. Because our group had good numbers, we were able to invite our spiritual “sons,” Pastor David of Myanmar and Minh of Vietnam, to go with us. This was an opportunity of a lifetime for them and a great enhancement for their teaching and preaching ministries, not to mention their inner lives and insights into the Bible (read through their reflections below). Seeing them experience the land where Jesus walked and taught is a memory I will treasure forever. They will multiply the blessings they received through their sharing with hundreds if not thousands in the future.
On a personal note as a pilgrim myself, I was impacted by standing in the areas where Jesus likely taught the crowds from a hillside and fed the multitudes. Our guide helped us to “think like Jews” and understand that when Jesus did these two things, He was pointing to His divinity and His Father as His acts reminded them of the law being given from Mount Sinai and also the manna miraculously supplied which sustained them in the wilderness. So much to contemplate, so many more reasons to bow in worship and wonder before my Lord. Thank you again to those who joined us and those who remembered us in prayer.
A few days after our return, I asked Minh and Pastor David to share their insights from the trip. May their reports encourage your heart as they did mine:
From Minh
A visit to the Holy Land would be a life dream for every believer. Personally, I was moved by standing at the places where Jesus, the Son of most high God, lived and served. More than that, how God protected his chosen people in the midst of their enemies in the desert.
It is even more important for us teachers of the Word. Recently, I was recently appointed to teach a Bible course called “The Life of Jesus.” We have hundreds of students from North to the South among churches in Vietnam. In the teaching, His life was divided into five different stages:
Childhood
Preparation for ministry
In the ministry
Suffering period
After resurrection
Each stage related to places where Jesus was. It is so helpful for me to know geographically where He has been and to see what it looks like. All the pictures and videos I took during the visit will help my students so much. In addition, the knowledge from the guide will help me put historical information together logically.
Thank you so much for supporting my trip! May God bless you.
From David
I just would like to share the blessings that I received from our wonderful trip to the Holy Land Tour.
This trip is the most splendid tour in my life. As for me, it was beyond my imagination and a dream come true. Thanks a lot to Firefall for supporting me to join in this trip as I myself could never implement such an awesome trip.
I was really touched when I walked on the land where our Lord was walking 2,000 years ago! That made my faith in Him stronger and stronger as I learned the Bible is not just a myth or story but actual and authentic.
Worshipping and praising the resurrected Jesus in the Garden Tomb left me speechless as tears of joy came from our eyes. It was the greatest hope that I have in my life seeing the empty tomb of our Lord! This makes it even more effective when I share the gospel to many Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in my nation. Now, I can share about His resurrection in power by telling them that I myself was there.
I was challenged and empowered also when I stood on the Mt. of Olives where Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples. I felt as Jesus is talking to me directly there to implement His final Word among my own people. That encouraged me to implement that Great Commission in my nation.
Seeing and stepping on things and places that we have heard and preached before was a great blessing and an awesome feeling for me. When I shared the word of God on the first Sunday after we just arrived back from Israel, it changed the essence of my message as I myself explained the congregation much more deeply and meaningfully.
I read the synoptic gospels during our trip, and it was the most meaningful and the sweetest time in my life, even though I have read them over 100 times. The Holy Spirit gave me many more insights from the stories of Jesus to impact my flock for these coming days.
