As we return home we thank you all for your prayers while we were gone. Over the next few weeks our enemy will try to sabotage any spiritual experiences we had while we were there. I ask that you pray for us for another 30 days or so to help us past any of this.
Again, we thank you so much and we can see by the number of hits on the page you have all been reading and keeping up with us. Thanks
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
God Cleared The Way
On Friday we started our journey pretty early. I was up at 6:30 to shower and prepare for the day. I believe some others were up at this time as well. We had breakfast in the guest house at 7:30 and also that was time to say goodbye to our new friends from Poland. I look forward to meeting them again some day.
Our driver arrived at 8am just as planned. It was Sam who was our driver from the airport to the bible college on Saturday when we arrived. It was nice to see another familiar face. We started out our day heading towards Jericho where we planned to visit for a while. God had different plans for us as the driver buzzed right by Jericho and it would have been out of our way to go back. So our first stop was the baptism site where it is believed that Jesus was baptized.
God provided us with some royal treatment here as we were the only ones at the site so we were able to take our time. Romy and I baptized Tommye first, then John. John then stayed in the Jordan River where they baptized me. I was baptized a couple of years ago but felt like a re-affirmation and declaration to God was what I needed to do. Right as they were baptizing me a tour group was showing up. We spent about 15 to 20 minutes after letting clothes dry a little. After we left here we headed towards Tiberias. This was quite a drive so we made a stop to use the restroom and grab a quick snack to eat on the rest of the way. An Interesting note about the awesomeness of God. Earlier in the week John broke his sunglasses while we were traveling through Jerusalem. When Tommye was getting in the water up came a pair of sunglasses from the Jordan River. The interesting thing about these glasses is they were very clean, no "slime" on them from being in the water. They just came to the top. God provided.
While at the Sea of Galilee we visited a couple of sites. The first was the Church Of Multiplication where it is believed could have been where Jesus multiplied the fish and bread to feed 5,000. We read from Luke 9:10 -17. We walked down onto the beach and put our feet in the Sea of Galilee. We sat and reflected on the reading for a while, listening to the distant sounds of speedboats and music. I was surprised to see so many speed boats and jet ski's on there.
We then went to another site which I forget the name right now. But this was the remains of what was the synagogue where Jesus did most of his preaching. It was at this site where I clearly heard God speak to me. "Walk in my ways my son". Moments after I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is talked about several places in the Bible.
Then we moved onto the next place which was St. Peters Restaurant which was only 5 minutes away. We went inside and enjoyed Peters fish. We could have it served two different ways, first as a filet, second as a complete fish. Skin, Head, Tale, all of it. This is how Tommye and I ordered it. It was so filling and tasty. I can't wait to visit next time to have it again.
Next was the mount of beatitudes where God blessed us again with only about 3 cars in the parking lot and no one roaming the grounds of the site. We were able to sit in a location in the shade and read from the Bible. Romy had a great cross reference chart that showed us verses of the anticipation, the worldly view and the verses to help give you the right attitude. I plan to post more about this later but for now you get the idea. We had a good amount of time where there was no one. Then as many times before during the week the crowds started to roll in as we were finishing up.
Now it was time to move on to crossing over into Jordan. The last anticipated stressful part of our journey. In order to cross over into Jordan we had to go through Passport control in Israel where if they so desired they would start asking questions about where we have been, what we were doing. If they didn't like the answers it would get a little more uncomfortable. We prayed on the way to the boarder crossing and it all went pretty smooth. A couple of logistical errors on our part but nothing major. When we arrived in Jordan we had to then get our Jordan Visas, go through Passport control then go grab our luggage and go through luggage scanning. Everyone got through good here except me, I had some pottery in my bag as well as some medicine. They had me open my suitcase and explain what each pill was for. This was interesting to do when the person doesn't speak your language as a primary language. We were able to make it through this without too long of a delay. When I got out of the delay Romy had already started working on getting help for us to get to our driver which was over two miles away walking on a slight incline in what was about 113 degrees. It was all paved so it wouldn't have been a major issue but it was still worth asking for help. The Jordan Police were kind enough to help Romy and provided us with 2 taxis to take us just outside the grounds of the border crossing control.
That's where we met Basil, one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He spoke english very well, was very polite, explain things as we headed to the airport. We made one stop about half way to the airport at a store where we could look at gifts and stretch our legs. Once we got to the airport we still had 2 hours to wait before we could go through to the ticketing agents and get all settled in.
When we were able to we went through and was able to take advantage of the sky priority and save some money on luggage and save some time in the lines. Everyone was very polite and helpful as we worked our way to our gate. The Flight from Amman to Paris was about 5 hours give or take and went by fairly fast since we were all sleeping a little on and off.
Here we are now burning time in the airport in Paris. We grabbed some small pastries for a snack and are about 2 hours away from our flight back home. I am looking very forward to seeing my beautiful wife and daughter, my awesome sons when I get back to Detroit. The family is already at the campground.
A final thought, we are all given amazing gifts from God weather they are spiritual gifts that we know we have yet or gifts of this world. We can water those gifts by spending more time in God's Word, more time in our relationship with God. John 15:7 says "if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
Thursday, May 23, 2013
God's Gifts From His People
Today we had a slightly more relaxed schedule but still a very busy day. We had breakfast today with Pastor Khenghai and several other people from various places. Today is Pastor Khenghai's last day in Bethlehem. He is a Pastor from Singapore who has spent 4 weeks of his 6 month sabbatical here in the Holy Land. He leaves for the airport tonight at midnight where he will make a stop in Turkey for a week visiting some of the Biblical sites talked about in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelations. Can you say unbelievable?
After breakfast we had a little time to relax prior to heading to the Old City. We were able to see several sites even though it wasn't a lot of time that we had. We saw two locations thought to be the crucifixion and resurrection sites of Jesus Christ. At the Garden Tombe we took communion together and had a little time to reflect about the meaning of the bread and the wine. We spent some time looking around an just taking in the beauty of God's creation.
After there we went to Zedekiah's Cave. This was an underground cave built in the limestone quarry in the Old City of Jerusalem. I don't know the history but I will be reading up on it. It is a cave, I am a guy, it was cool even if I don't know the history. One of the cool things was the different ways the cave broke off then came back together. It was very cool while in the cave.
After leaving the cave we moved into the old city which was very cool. Walking through the old city, on some of the same streets where Jesus carried his cross to his crucifixion was very powerful. Difficult to grasp the terrain there until you have seen it and walked it in the heat of the day. Now imagine carrying the cross that you will soon be crucified on. When they say He walked up and down hills, they meant it. I believe this is the most hills I have seen in one area and to picture it without the streets and stairs that exist here today puts it into perspective.
We had a quick bite to eat in the old city at a local restaurant. We then went over to see the Mt. of Olives but it was closed so we only got to look in from the outside. Romy explained quite a bit about the site and we all talked a little about it. This is where Jesus wept for the city. The hills here were so steep that the cars were having problems driving up the hills, imagine yourself walking these hills.
After this we came back to the Bible College where we spent some time relaxing, showering and just reflecting on what we have done. Romy went to a meeting with a couple of people, Tommye and John went for a walk to see Nadia and get some more Toot Fruit. :-)
We then headed over to a local artist's house where we shared some fresh fruit. We went into his garden to see all the different things his brother is growing. Romy pointed out the fig tree in the yard, the size of the leaves, then asked to think about the story of Adam and Eve. After going in the garden we went upstairs to Zaki's Studio. We walked up the stairs stepping over pipes going across the floor, watching our head for other things so we didn't bump our heads. Imagine this, it is a powerful image. Just stepping past the entrance you see a small workbench with some brushes on it, some oil pain still on the mixing palette, a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling for just the perfect amount of light for an artist to do his work. Looking past the workbench there are some paintings laying out on display, they are painted on olive wood. Now imagine the artist telling you to pick one as a gift from him to you. These are paintings of different biblical scenes. First one that grabbed me was a painting of the head of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns. It brought tears to my eyes on how beautiful of a talent this man has. Zaki then went on to show us more about his workshop, samples, then showed us where he dries his oil paintings on the roof of his house. He has an amazing view where he can see where one of the well known bible stories took place. The valley where David slew Goliath. Can you imagine growing up right across the street from where this happened. Imagine needing inspiration as an artist and being able to go look off your rooftop and see the Holy Land. We then went down to the front porch where we shared more fruit, mango juice and stories.
After this we went to dinner across from the Bible College where John, Romy and myself went to dinner. Tommye went back to the room to have some time by herself. At dinner we talked about Zaki and his work. I mentioned how amazing his studio was and that when we stepped into it, even though it was small, had tools that he made himself and was very hot that it was the studio of a genius. Zaki's work is beautiful, inspring, and shows the love of Jesus through his work.
Also at dinner we had some amazing discussion that really hit me right in the heart. Romy was talking about we are sons and daughters of God. We started talking about acting like the Royal sons and daughters that God made us to be. Romy then mentioned something literally made me cry. She spoke of husbands and wives and how husbands are married to one of Gods daughters. Think about this for a minute, seriously any man reading this, please think about this. This is a very important lesson that I learned today. I am married to a daughter of God. Talk about blowing my mind, I had never thought of it that way. Yeah, I am a son of God, that is awesome in itself, but my Father, my Heavenly Father gave me one of his daughters in the most beautiful gift called marriage. I can't believe I have never put that together before. The words no more than came out of Romy's mouth and the light bulb went off, the tears started coming out. Just mind blowing, that's all I can say.
After this we came back to the guest house and packed up since we leave at 8am tomorrow morning to spend the day traveling and seeing sites. We all eventually ended up in the living room looking at more of Zaki's work on the computer. A video that Romy's company created (link) which shows Zaki at work. We talked about our favorite parts of the trip which will have to be a later topic.
I close tonights blog with a thought, a thought of a free future, free from the "chains" that have held us down for so long. A thought of love, hope, and peace here in the Holy Land. A thought of all being sons and daughters of God, the God who created everything. A thought that through His Word, we can reach all of these things. Live in the Word of God every day, every night and be released from your pain.
Psalm 56:4 n God, whose word I praise - In God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
After breakfast we had a little time to relax prior to heading to the Old City. We were able to see several sites even though it wasn't a lot of time that we had. We saw two locations thought to be the crucifixion and resurrection sites of Jesus Christ. At the Garden Tombe we took communion together and had a little time to reflect about the meaning of the bread and the wine. We spent some time looking around an just taking in the beauty of God's creation.
After there we went to Zedekiah's Cave. This was an underground cave built in the limestone quarry in the Old City of Jerusalem. I don't know the history but I will be reading up on it. It is a cave, I am a guy, it was cool even if I don't know the history. One of the cool things was the different ways the cave broke off then came back together. It was very cool while in the cave.
After leaving the cave we moved into the old city which was very cool. Walking through the old city, on some of the same streets where Jesus carried his cross to his crucifixion was very powerful. Difficult to grasp the terrain there until you have seen it and walked it in the heat of the day. Now imagine carrying the cross that you will soon be crucified on. When they say He walked up and down hills, they meant it. I believe this is the most hills I have seen in one area and to picture it without the streets and stairs that exist here today puts it into perspective.
We had a quick bite to eat in the old city at a local restaurant. We then went over to see the Mt. of Olives but it was closed so we only got to look in from the outside. Romy explained quite a bit about the site and we all talked a little about it. This is where Jesus wept for the city. The hills here were so steep that the cars were having problems driving up the hills, imagine yourself walking these hills.
After this we came back to the Bible College where we spent some time relaxing, showering and just reflecting on what we have done. Romy went to a meeting with a couple of people, Tommye and John went for a walk to see Nadia and get some more Toot Fruit. :-)
We then headed over to a local artist's house where we shared some fresh fruit. We went into his garden to see all the different things his brother is growing. Romy pointed out the fig tree in the yard, the size of the leaves, then asked to think about the story of Adam and Eve. After going in the garden we went upstairs to Zaki's Studio. We walked up the stairs stepping over pipes going across the floor, watching our head for other things so we didn't bump our heads. Imagine this, it is a powerful image. Just stepping past the entrance you see a small workbench with some brushes on it, some oil pain still on the mixing palette, a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling for just the perfect amount of light for an artist to do his work. Looking past the workbench there are some paintings laying out on display, they are painted on olive wood. Now imagine the artist telling you to pick one as a gift from him to you. These are paintings of different biblical scenes. First one that grabbed me was a painting of the head of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns. It brought tears to my eyes on how beautiful of a talent this man has. Zaki then went on to show us more about his workshop, samples, then showed us where he dries his oil paintings on the roof of his house. He has an amazing view where he can see where one of the well known bible stories took place. The valley where David slew Goliath. Can you imagine growing up right across the street from where this happened. Imagine needing inspiration as an artist and being able to go look off your rooftop and see the Holy Land. We then went down to the front porch where we shared more fruit, mango juice and stories.
After this we went to dinner across from the Bible College where John, Romy and myself went to dinner. Tommye went back to the room to have some time by herself. At dinner we talked about Zaki and his work. I mentioned how amazing his studio was and that when we stepped into it, even though it was small, had tools that he made himself and was very hot that it was the studio of a genius. Zaki's work is beautiful, inspring, and shows the love of Jesus through his work.
Also at dinner we had some amazing discussion that really hit me right in the heart. Romy was talking about we are sons and daughters of God. We started talking about acting like the Royal sons and daughters that God made us to be. Romy then mentioned something literally made me cry. She spoke of husbands and wives and how husbands are married to one of Gods daughters. Think about this for a minute, seriously any man reading this, please think about this. This is a very important lesson that I learned today. I am married to a daughter of God. Talk about blowing my mind, I had never thought of it that way. Yeah, I am a son of God, that is awesome in itself, but my Father, my Heavenly Father gave me one of his daughters in the most beautiful gift called marriage. I can't believe I have never put that together before. The words no more than came out of Romy's mouth and the light bulb went off, the tears started coming out. Just mind blowing, that's all I can say.
After this we came back to the guest house and packed up since we leave at 8am tomorrow morning to spend the day traveling and seeing sites. We all eventually ended up in the living room looking at more of Zaki's work on the computer. A video that Romy's company created (link) which shows Zaki at work. We talked about our favorite parts of the trip which will have to be a later topic.
I close tonights blog with a thought, a thought of a free future, free from the "chains" that have held us down for so long. A thought of love, hope, and peace here in the Holy Land. A thought of all being sons and daughters of God, the God who created everything. A thought that through His Word, we can reach all of these things. Live in the Word of God every day, every night and be released from your pain.
Psalm 56:4 n God, whose word I praise - In God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Presentation Day 3
Today was a VERY busy day, it started with breakfast in the guest house at the college like every morning has. After that we went to devotionals with the staff of the Bible College. The staff here has such an amazing singing voice. Listening to worship music in Arabic might be my new favorite thing to do. If anyone knows of any Arabic worship CD's I can buy please, please let me know. It touches my heart to hear it. Another very moving thing for me today was when this young women started praying in Arabic it was very moving. I felt the pain that she was praying for, I felt the love that she felt while she was praying. Such a beautiful language.
After our devotionals we spent some time with Pastor Nihab (spelling may be incorrect). This is the Pastor that so kindly invited us into his home on Sunday after service. This man has such a big and wonderful vision for his church and community. We discussed his vision at length today and Romy had some great ideas that hopefully can start helping him. Please pray for him, his family, his church and his vision.
After we finished with the Pastor we met with another business being the Bible Colleges gift shop. We went through some brainstorming sessions led by John. I ended up leaving to head back to brainstorm with Tommye about changes we were planning to make to the presentation format of the night. Tommye and I busted out my presentation changes in quick fashion then started on hers. We used this really cool "new" (new to us) technology instead of the typical powerpoint. Shortly after we finished this we had to leave to meet John and Romy for lunch at the College cafeteria. We quickly scarfed down some food, came back to the guest house and worked on taking John's presentation and putting it into the safe format.
We then went to Nadia's house to see her beautiful jewelry operations she has. She takes olive leaves and turns them into high quality gold and silver jewelry. She welcomed us into her beautiful home that was covered with Jerusalem stone, a very high quality and unique material to this area. After we all bought some jewelry for loved ones back home we went into her garden and ate Himalayan Mulberries which are locally known as "Toot Fruit". John tells me he knows why they are called this but I just don't get what he is saying. :-)
After leaving Nadias we were picked up by Faten and taken to her beautiful home to look at pottery. This women is a strong business women and artist. Her work is so beautiful and we picked some of this up as well. Her son joined us for most of our conversations and was so polite and intelligent. He wants to maybe be a Doctor some day or a video game designer.
After leaving that appointment we rushed back to the Bible College where Romy met with one of our students from the workshop while the rest of us quickly went back to the room to change into proper attire to present. We had a few brief moments to catch our breath before "going on stage".
This being our final night of the workshop we wanted to do this for God's glory, we wanted this to be the best night. We started with a great presentation by John on benchmarking and how it can apply to the local businesses here. His presentation led perfectly into my presentation on brainstorming where I spent some time setting the stage for what brainstorming is. We then moved into two different exercises one being individual exercise. Then we moved to a group exercise. After I was done we took a brief break and things were being received very well by the feedback we were getting. After the break Romy took the stage and presented on overcoming barriers. She spoke of the Elephant in the Room which seemed to be a new concept here. Romy also talked about before getting upset or discouraged that your business idea may not have been accepted by the community, investors or anyone else involved you should ask some questions of why. Then when you know why, you can provide the appropriate information. We wrapped up the night with our "fire cracker" presenter Tommye where she talked about what does success look like. It looks different for all of us. She spoke on success in business, personal and spiritual lives. She also spoke on how in todays market those things are all integrated into each other. If they aren't they need to be.
After wrapping up Dr. Jack Sara thanked everyone for coming, handed out certificates that we all signed and presented us with some gifts of their appreciation. After cleaning up the room we went to the cafeteria where we had a special dinner waiting for us. Jack talked about some of the things going on around this area, talked about some of the upcoming events and specifically a conference called "Christ at the checkpoint". This sounds like a VERY interesting conference that will be held. If you aren't familiar with the checkpoint it is in reference to the checkpoints that you must go through when going from Palestine into Israel, or Israel into Palestine. We went through this coming into Palestine from the airport on Saturday. There is so much to talk about here on this topic it will have to wait for another day.
After dinner with Jack and his son the four of us went to the Intercontinental hotel a couple of blocks down the street where we each had a beverage or two and congratulated each other on completing our mission this week. It seems that the workshop was a success. It seems that everyone is happy with the outcome of the workshop. It seems that the attendees of the workshop have already started to implement some of the tools we have shown them. On day two when we met students as they came in a local daycare owner told us how she had used the fishbone diagram from our lessons to solve a problem that day. She had never heard of that method before. On the last day of the sessions she told us that even though she is "just a daycare owner" she feels important and empowered to make some changes. Another gentlemen went home after the first session and told his wife about the workshop. He told her how God has finally brought some people to help them think through these things. He personally thanked me for what we are doing. He blessed the team and I and asked us to keep coming back. We WILL make a change. Things WILL change.
As we look back at the workshop it is clear how God had his hand in this workshop and the success of it. We are all so overwhelmed by the success of this trip and praise God for all he did to open the right doors at the right times.
As I wrap up tonight I will be praying for God's amazing people here on both sides of the separation barrier, the peaceful end to a lifetime of pain and suffering. I will pray for safety for Dr. Jack and his team who are trying to do amazing things here in Bethlehem, Jack's family, friends and all the people he is using to do God's work. I will pray for safe return of "TEAM ROMY" back to the states this weekend where we can all start to ramp up for our returning to normal work week.
Tommye, Romy and John, you know what I will be praying for you for. Thank you so much for an amazing trip, amazing experiences and how you have touched my life forever. Stay tuned, tomorrow will be another great day.
After our devotionals we spent some time with Pastor Nihab (spelling may be incorrect). This is the Pastor that so kindly invited us into his home on Sunday after service. This man has such a big and wonderful vision for his church and community. We discussed his vision at length today and Romy had some great ideas that hopefully can start helping him. Please pray for him, his family, his church and his vision.
After we finished with the Pastor we met with another business being the Bible Colleges gift shop. We went through some brainstorming sessions led by John. I ended up leaving to head back to brainstorm with Tommye about changes we were planning to make to the presentation format of the night. Tommye and I busted out my presentation changes in quick fashion then started on hers. We used this really cool "new" (new to us) technology instead of the typical powerpoint. Shortly after we finished this we had to leave to meet John and Romy for lunch at the College cafeteria. We quickly scarfed down some food, came back to the guest house and worked on taking John's presentation and putting it into the safe format.
We then went to Nadia's house to see her beautiful jewelry operations she has. She takes olive leaves and turns them into high quality gold and silver jewelry. She welcomed us into her beautiful home that was covered with Jerusalem stone, a very high quality and unique material to this area. After we all bought some jewelry for loved ones back home we went into her garden and ate Himalayan Mulberries which are locally known as "Toot Fruit". John tells me he knows why they are called this but I just don't get what he is saying. :-)
After leaving Nadias we were picked up by Faten and taken to her beautiful home to look at pottery. This women is a strong business women and artist. Her work is so beautiful and we picked some of this up as well. Her son joined us for most of our conversations and was so polite and intelligent. He wants to maybe be a Doctor some day or a video game designer.
After leaving that appointment we rushed back to the Bible College where Romy met with one of our students from the workshop while the rest of us quickly went back to the room to change into proper attire to present. We had a few brief moments to catch our breath before "going on stage".
This being our final night of the workshop we wanted to do this for God's glory, we wanted this to be the best night. We started with a great presentation by John on benchmarking and how it can apply to the local businesses here. His presentation led perfectly into my presentation on brainstorming where I spent some time setting the stage for what brainstorming is. We then moved into two different exercises one being individual exercise. Then we moved to a group exercise. After I was done we took a brief break and things were being received very well by the feedback we were getting. After the break Romy took the stage and presented on overcoming barriers. She spoke of the Elephant in the Room which seemed to be a new concept here. Romy also talked about before getting upset or discouraged that your business idea may not have been accepted by the community, investors or anyone else involved you should ask some questions of why. Then when you know why, you can provide the appropriate information. We wrapped up the night with our "fire cracker" presenter Tommye where she talked about what does success look like. It looks different for all of us. She spoke on success in business, personal and spiritual lives. She also spoke on how in todays market those things are all integrated into each other. If they aren't they need to be.
After wrapping up Dr. Jack Sara thanked everyone for coming, handed out certificates that we all signed and presented us with some gifts of their appreciation. After cleaning up the room we went to the cafeteria where we had a special dinner waiting for us. Jack talked about some of the things going on around this area, talked about some of the upcoming events and specifically a conference called "Christ at the checkpoint". This sounds like a VERY interesting conference that will be held. If you aren't familiar with the checkpoint it is in reference to the checkpoints that you must go through when going from Palestine into Israel, or Israel into Palestine. We went through this coming into Palestine from the airport on Saturday. There is so much to talk about here on this topic it will have to wait for another day.
After dinner with Jack and his son the four of us went to the Intercontinental hotel a couple of blocks down the street where we each had a beverage or two and congratulated each other on completing our mission this week. It seems that the workshop was a success. It seems that everyone is happy with the outcome of the workshop. It seems that the attendees of the workshop have already started to implement some of the tools we have shown them. On day two when we met students as they came in a local daycare owner told us how she had used the fishbone diagram from our lessons to solve a problem that day. She had never heard of that method before. On the last day of the sessions she told us that even though she is "just a daycare owner" she feels important and empowered to make some changes. Another gentlemen went home after the first session and told his wife about the workshop. He told her how God has finally brought some people to help them think through these things. He personally thanked me for what we are doing. He blessed the team and I and asked us to keep coming back. We WILL make a change. Things WILL change.
As we look back at the workshop it is clear how God had his hand in this workshop and the success of it. We are all so overwhelmed by the success of this trip and praise God for all he did to open the right doors at the right times.
As I wrap up tonight I will be praying for God's amazing people here on both sides of the separation barrier, the peaceful end to a lifetime of pain and suffering. I will pray for safety for Dr. Jack and his team who are trying to do amazing things here in Bethlehem, Jack's family, friends and all the people he is using to do God's work. I will pray for safe return of "TEAM ROMY" back to the states this weekend where we can all start to ramp up for our returning to normal work week.
Tommye, Romy and John, you know what I will be praying for you for. Thank you so much for an amazing trip, amazing experiences and how you have touched my life forever. Stay tuned, tomorrow will be another great day.
Presentations Day 2
To put it in the terms from Romy in her email back home yesterday. "Wow - Wee" What an amazing night of serving our brothers and sisters here in Bethlehem. Yesterday started out with our two friends from Poland that are here volunteering at the Bible College as the guest house managers. Such an amazing young couple who are expecting a baby. God Bless them and their baby they are expecting.
After breakfast we went to some meetings with local business starting at 8 am. We visited with so many businesses we had to split up and do separate consults with them. Such passionate and business minded people.
We also got to go to the Church of the Nativity and some of the surrounding areas. It was a very powerful feeling to be right where Jesus was born. One of our new friends from the Bible College took us and we thank him so much for all he put up with by taking us. Because he does not have a tourism license he gets a lot of questions for bringing us there. Thank you so much Daniel.
We spent some time revising our presentations before we delivered them to the audience. I think they were well received and the audience was impressed with our ability to adapt to the situations. We came in with a set of topics and examples that didn't really apply to the local industries. We had no way of knowing before we got here.
After breakfast we went to some meetings with local business starting at 8 am. We visited with so many businesses we had to split up and do separate consults with them. Such passionate and business minded people.
We also got to go to the Church of the Nativity and some of the surrounding areas. It was a very powerful feeling to be right where Jesus was born. One of our new friends from the Bible College took us and we thank him so much for all he put up with by taking us. Because he does not have a tourism license he gets a lot of questions for bringing us there. Thank you so much Daniel.
We spent some time revising our presentations before we delivered them to the audience. I think they were well received and the audience was impressed with our ability to adapt to the situations. We came in with a set of topics and examples that didn't really apply to the local industries. We had no way of knowing before we got here.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Presentations Day One
Today has been a very busy day. We had breakfast in the guest house this morning. After breakfast we went to the staff devotionals. This was an amazing experience. The singing was so beatiful. There was a song that really hit home with me. I have something new to pray about tonight. Still gives me goosebumps.
After the devotionals we went to meet with Pastor Jack Sara where we had a conversation about vision for the week. It was such an honor to spend time with Jack and his team. We found out we have a very busy schedule. :-)
After meeting with Jack we broke off and met with a couple of members of Jacks team. We talked about the strategy of the Business program we are trying to build here. It was nice to meet all these new people.
After this we went back and finished our presentations for the night. John gave his presentation first and did a great job. We all played a part in Johns presebtation. I went next and we took a deep dive into root cause analysis using an example from the audience. Romy was next talking about social enterprise which is a new topic for me. Tommye finished up with marketing intangibles were she tied all of our tools and topics together.
After or prentations we brainstormed on things we can modify for tomorrows presentations. Then we went and had a dinner in the guest house. I think we are all exhausted and calling it a night soon.
Tomorrow is shaping up to be a busy day of meetings. We are going to go see the Church of the Nativiry tomorrow and a couple other sites between meetings.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Local Church Service and Lunch
<p dir=ltr>This morning started with one of the most moving services I have been to. We visited a local church that was underground. You had to know where it was in order to find it. It was delivered in Arabic I believe but it was also translated to English. I chose to listen to parts in the native tongue and parts in English. Dr. Jack Sara was a guest speaker and an amazing one at that. The message came across even without translation. We recieved communion during this service and again very powerful moments. </p>
<p dir=ltr>I was going to take a couple of photos but there were signs against that. I will post more photos as we get them and as they fit in with our stories we post.
After service we had the great honor and privelage to be invited to the Pastors home. We ate traditional Palistinian meal that was very good and as we were told a very special meal. It consisted of fattoush, chicken, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed egg plant, yogurts and cucumber mint dip, and lamb tail. For desert ee had fresh fruits, pudding cake, eclairs and canolis with some coffee.
This was an amazing lunch where the Pastor shared his vision of the church here in Bethlehem. We are so blessed to have been part of this. Our team is bonding and having great fellowship already.
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