September in Israel

Shalom Good Hope Family Fellowship,

I hope and pray you are all doing well. I miss you all and am always encouraged when I’m able to join the livestreams on Sunday. Know that I’m in prayer for this church, especially for Richard and Eveleen (and Miss Betty), and Dominic and Windy.

I cannot thank everyone enough for the financial support, prayers, Scripture, and the encouraging notes and text messages.

God has truly watched over and provided for me every step of the way so far. My anxieties for navigating an airport alone, potentially losing my luggage (my guitar especially), and missing my family have subsided as God has shown up in ways He doesn’t have to, but does out of His incredible kindness.

My traveling here and all that entails could not have gone much smoother.

I’m able to FaceTime throughout the week with my family, which eases my missing them more than I expected it to. Even more than that, I’ve found comfort in praying for the people I miss and that brings about a peace and hope that can only come from God.

I can honestly say my apartment mates are easy to get along with. Not only that, but I can already see some of them being long term friendships.

Now for living in Israel:

There are random things that are very common here— cigarettes, cats and roundabouts. This doesn’t have any significance other than I want to help paint a picture of everyday life and these are things that have stood out to me. The cigarettes obviously can give you an idea of what Israeli streets tend to smell like. It is almost impossible walk on these streets and not see at least one stray cat. And finally, if your bus is going to turn left or right, a roundabout is the solution.

While I’m on the topic, I must say it takes great faith to move all the way to Israel for 11 months; it takes a whole other level of faith to trust the bus drivers here. The rides are anything but smooth, but I’m adapting and honestly it’s kind of exciting to me. At least one of the girls I’m living with does have a bruise from riding the bus though.

I enjoy the volunteer work I’m doing at Bridges for Peace. They have a food bank that makes deliveries to different people and I’ve gotten to be a part of that. For Rosh HaShannah (Jewish New Year), I got to help pack honey and apples (it’s a tradition to have these things to start your new year off sweet) and deliver them to people in Israel.

My volunteer job title actually has nothing to do with the food bank floor, however. I work at a computer, planning and putting together the various excursions and events that I and the Zealous team take part in. I also help with the finances for the Zealous team and putting together the posts for the Zealous social media page. The job involves details and, as I said, planning which are things that do not come naturally for me, but it is a great learning opportunity.

Our monthly excursion for September was in Galilee! The sunrise on the Sea of Galilee was incredible. We visited several places around the Galilee where Jesus had been. The one that stood out to me was Capernaum. We saw what was left of potentially Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, where Jesus may have stayed when He settled in Capernaum. As we walked down from there to the edge of the Sea of Galilee I knew I felt something in my spirit. I wept there as Jesus became so real and near to me. Safe to say, the excursion was an amazing experience.

We’ve gotten to meet with many people, including Jews, and learn so much about the Jewish culture and their hard history. My eyes have been opened in so many ways already— more ways than I could list in a letter. I’m excited to be able to share all of it when I come back.

Blessings,

Emily