Privileged to Support

The request was: write a blog about a day that will be assigned to you. And, what if nothing happens that day? My fear has been realized. How do I write now that I’m on the hook?​ ​Other than a few more of our group succumbing to physical maladies, today was quite routine. Sorry, Bruce, I’m changing the assignment. ​I will write about other events.

It appears that at least some of the kitchen cleaning staff appreciate our help. I had teased one of the workers on Thursday as we worked together clearing trays. He didn’t say much, but when I said good-bye to him on my way out, he asked if I would return on Friday. I said, “No,” and he wanted to know why. I grinned and stated, “The boss said so.” My friend replied that he’d miss us. On Sunday, I didn’t see him until after lunch when he teased me, asking why I hadn’t said hello to him yet.

A secretary at the hospital wanted someone who spoke German to help her understand papers her mother had received from a bank in Munich regarding wartime compensation. The language used was typically German (very formal), but I understood enough to answer her questions. She then told me the story of her parents, who met in Hungary, lost many of their family members to the concentration camps and escaped to Israel in 1948, looking for a better life.

Many Jewish people feel they stand alone, abandoned by the world. Over the past few days, opportunities arose to express my support for Israel. At a mall, I engaged in conversation with a sales clerk, asking if a particular brand of lotion was produced in Israel and expressing my disgust with people who boycott Israeli products. She was surprised to find out that I supported her country. When I stated that the God of Israel is my God, she was so excited that she began telling her fellow workers.

Having arrived earlier in Israel than the group, I was sight-seeing in Jerusalem, where I spoke with a Jewish man visiting from North America, who also was thrilled to find a Gentile who supported Israel and believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As a group, we experienced a similar reaction as we visited a school near Gaza where Friends of Israel demonstrated support by providing bomb shelters. Staff and students at this school have less than 10 seconds to run for safety when the sirens sound.

It is a privilege to show support to the people of the land of Israel. God has used them to bless the nations of the world in so many ways – in technology, medicine, innovation.​ Of course, His greatest gifts to all people through Israel were the Scriptures and the Savior.

​Eleanor Mitchell
Calgary, Alberta, Canada​