A Land of Contrast

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Day 11 Video

I could tell you a million things about our last day in Israel, like all the sites we went to and the wealth of information that our tour guide gave us. But I would rather leave you with this overall impression: Israel is a land of contrast.

Beautiful stone buildings surrounded by trash. Orthodox Jews in classic black outfits carrying cell phones. Women in long skirts, with their heads covered in scarves of red sparkles. Young school girls in conservative black skirts and white shirts but carrying pink Hello Kitty purses. Cobblestone roads covered by bicycles and busses. Sheep and their shepherd on the side of hill next to an overpass covered in graffiti. Old meshed with new. Generous people living in a harsh environment.

Probably the best picture that I took of my time in this place was from yesterday, when we visited the Holocaust Museum. Artifacts and images and stories of the slaughter of so many Jews haunted my heart. But as walked out of the dark museum, God gave me an image of a bright future. A large group of priests were gathered at the entrance. They were all dressed in black, with their little white collars tucked under their big smiles. There at the museum entrance was the image of Israel’s ultimate contrast; the torture of the inhumane past versus the promise of the future with God.

Our time in Israel is like that image: we are filled with stories of the past, and we are called to be like those priests, sharing what we’ve learned and spreading the love of God. Joy replaced the sorrow in my heart, and on the last day as we sang Amazing Grace in a stone chapel, I broke down and cried. The echo of our worship filled the room, and it was the purest sound our hearts could produce. We knew we were all privileged to be there, in the Holy Land, experiencing God and the Bible through sounds, and smells, and sight. We knew that this was just a glimpse of the joy to come. We will never forget this trip! I hope you can come experience Israel for yourself someday and know that joy too.

Love,
LynNita