Adult Volunteer Service Trip - Hesed
February 26 - March 15, 2015
Led by Bruce Scott
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Trip Blog Posts
Good Soil
posted on Sunday March 15 2015 at 3:44 pm UTC
Sitting here with our 2015 Hesed Project team in Ben Gurion airport, ready to take the 12 hour flight home to the good ol' USA, I think back on what has transpired the last couple of weeks. My fingers freeze on the keyboard. What can I write? There are too many wonderful people and too many moving experiences...
My turn to be moved
posted on Saturday March 14 2015 at 1:10 am UTC
What a spectacular day the Hesed team and I had! First stop was Caliber 3, a counter-terror and security academy. This was the first year that any Hesed team has ever visited Caliber 3. I was very excited, as I have always wanted to fire a weapon while in Israel. Today I got my wish! Our instructor...
Why do you love us?
posted on Friday March 13 2015 at 12:33 am UTC
This Hesed trip has given me many thrilling and surprising moments. I have been thinking about my favorites and have compiled a list . . . No. 10. Dressing up in costume for Purim twice, and attending a Purim party at a local kehilah (church congregation) No. 9. Watching F-16s from a nearby base...
A new song to sing
posted on Thursday March 12 2015 at 1:12 am UTC
My volunteer work with the Hesed team is in the laundry department. Our day begins each morning filling department orders. Most are counted manually to get the correct amount to place in each cart. I have worked with five men named Amnon, Ronen, Marty , Israel and Doros. None of them speak English very...
Working as a team
posted on Wednesday March 11 2015 at 1:04 am UTC
It was during my "Up to Jerusalem" trip in 2013 that I felt God leading me to return to Israel as part of the Hesed Project. I felt so honored to have been selected. On our first day at Kaplan I volunteered to work in the kitchen and was assigned to the dining room. The language barrier was definitely...
Soar to new heights
posted on Tuesday March 10 2015 at 12:58 am UTC
"Modeh Ani" is a Hebrew morning prayer thanking God for a new day, and asking Him for the ability to soar to new heights under the shelter of His wings. Wow, are we ever soaring! In the past few days we have experienced nearly 3,000 years of Israeli history. Who can ever forget the Holocaust?...
His love is an action
posted on Monday March 09 2015 at 12:50 am UTC
It is hard to believe that we are halfway through our time with the Friends of Israel Hesed Project in Rehovot Israel! The work of the Lord through our group has been, in my opinion, a beautiful thing to behold. In just one week's time, the twenty-four members of our Hesed team have bonded together...
It is Well with My Soul
posted on Sunday March 08 2015 at 12:45 am UTC
I am on the cleaning crew at Kaplan Medical Center. This past Thursday we were assigned to cleaning the auditorium. During the coffee break we were able to interact with the hospital staff as they came in for their breaks. We were fortunate to have a couple of English speaking personnel in the room,...
Temple Mount and Garden Tomb
posted on Saturday March 07 2015 at 12:51 am UTC
What a blessed day in the Lord today was! Our day began at 6:50 AM as we all boarded the bus for the golden city on a hill - Jerusalem. As we were riding in the bus I was thinking about what a difficult time it must have been to walk up to Jerusalem since the roads, even today, are very steep and hilly.The...
Demonstrate His love
posted on Friday March 06 2015 at 1:17 am UTC
Yesterday we visited the Ayalon Institute. For three years after World War II, this secret, underground bullet factory made 14,000 bullets a day for the Haganah as they struggled to establish the State of Israel. The 24 by 100 foot facility was built with plastered walls in three weeks, all the while...
As if I could ever forget
posted on Thursday March 05 2015 at 12:56 am UTC
Yesterday was a wonderful work day. The cleaning crew worked together and cleaned almost all the Emergency Room Wing. We were invited to have break with the cleaning staff. We laughed, enjoyed food, and learned how to count to 10 in Hebrew We had great fellowship. So today I had the same expectations....
Love is a universal language
posted on Wednesday March 04 2015 at 1:09 am UTC
What a joy to be in the land I have been reading about for so many years and with God’s Chosen People! We began the morning with a hearty breakfast and great fellowship, as we do daily. Our team completed the 3rd day at Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot and it was awesome! My job is working in the kitchen,...
Culture and Life
posted on Monday March 02 2015 at 10:13 pm UTC
Shalom from Israel! This trip has been so incredible for me. Even though I have had my share of troubles, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Today I was able to work in the laundry department with Cathy. It was so much fun to be able to work with Rinone, a local Israeli. He started us...
Praise the Lord
posted on Sunday March 01 2015 at 11:17 pm UTC
I awake this morning with words of thankfulness to the Lord for being in Israel. As I complete my devotions by reading Psalm 117, the psalm simply, yet profoundly, begins and ends with the words “Praise the Lord.” I have so much to be thankful for. In the quietness of my room, I start to praise...
Old friends and new
posted on Saturday February 28 2015 at 9:40 pm UTC
Hi, this is Carol from Australia. I'd like to tell you how special it is to be on the Hesed tour, and summarize our brief time so far. It all started at Sydney International Airport. We were having a quick coffee before boarding our plane to Bangkok when a lady who was wiping tables came and asked...
Contented in the land God calls His own
posted on Saturday February 28 2015 at 12:28 am UTC
I arrived at JFK airport on Thursday, February 26, 2015, with bags packed (heavy ones at that) and ready to go on an exciting adventure in Israel with other volunteers on Friends of Israel's Hesed Project. There were to be 24 of us, but three were already in Israel. Throughout the day I met each team...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Friday February 20 2015 at 10:45 pm UTC
We're finishing up our final preparations for this year's Hesed Project Israel service trip. Once we're on the ground in Israel, we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our experiences online...