Contented in the land God calls His own

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 member as they arrived at the airport. Despite snow in Boston (so what else is new?) and snow in North Carolina (who woulda thunk it?), by 3:30 in the afternoon all of our teammates had arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked God for His faithfulness.

Our trip to Israel was kicked off nicely by a visit at the airport from Lou Balcher, the National Director of the American Friends of the Kaplan Medical Center. Lou met each member of the team, then shared with us as a group the need and the vision of Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, the place where our team will be volunteering. We all listened carefully as Lou shared the importance of Kaplan. He thanked us for our service and expressed great appreciation. Of course, there was also time for a group picture with Lou. It was a nice bon voyage from the official representative of Kaplan Medical Center.

Later, a couple of our team had some lengthy question times as they passed through Israeli security. This continued all the way up until we were ready to board. But finally we all walked the jet bridge, sat down in our seats on our EL AL 747 jumbo jet, and settled in for a 10 1/2 hour flight. Some slept, but I was only able to get in about two hours of snooze time. I was too excited and too busy with administrative details.

We arrived safely in Israel today (Friday) at 12:00 noon (Israel time). Going through Passport Control at the Israeli airport was uneventful. I was glad when we walked into the arrival section of the airport and knew we were close to getting a few hours rest at the hotel. An Israeli pastor friend of ours took most of our crew to his house to be refreshed while a few of us remained behind at the airport to rent three vans. We three also kept most of the luggage and loaded the vans with it. Then it was on to the hotel.

I arrived at the hotel and was pleased with the decor. This was our first time Hesed was using this hotel, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was glad that the receptionist was courteous and helpful. I then gave a few instructions to the team, and they went off to the elevators to go up to their rooms, unpack, and catch a few winks before we went out to dinner.

Our dinner, however, was not in a restaurant. It was much better. We were invited to join Israeli believers in their homes to celebrate a Sabbath dinner (very culturally common in Israel). We separated the team into groups and each group went to various homes. I led a group that went to a home where the believing family had originally come from Russia and had emigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel. They were a delightful family that I had met before. Although we were all exhausted from jet lag, we were blessed by the fellowship we had with these dear believers in Yeshua (Hebrew name for Jesus). We were so happy we did not miss such a blessed opportunity.

I'm so tired as I write this that I can hardly keep my eyes open. In fact, I close them for a few seconds only to find when I open them that a few minutes have passed. Nevertheless, I will never regret this first day of our Hesed 2015 trip. There is so much for which to be thankful to the Lord. All of our teammates are present and accounted for. God gave us safety and a comfortable flight. And, to top it all off, we had delightful fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord in Israel over a sumptuous Shabbat meal.

The thing I remember most from this day, however, is the bear hug I received from an Israeli brother in the Lord, and the words that he spoke in my ear, "Welcome home."

I think I'm going to have sweet dreams tonight, being quite at peace, and quite contented in the land God calls His own.