Wasting no time!

The team left American soil bright and early as they begin their journey to the Holy Land. We arrived all together in Tel Aviv this morning around 10 a.m.. At least I think it was morning, it’s hard to keep track of these things when you’re running on about 4 hours of airplane sleep! Once in Israel, we wasted no time. We loaded up the bus, met our tour guide Dan, and immediately headed south to the ancient site of Tel Be’er Sheva. Tel Be’er Sheva is the area in which the forefathers of the Jewish nation (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) lived and worked and is an important biblical tel – one of three from the days of the Bible that UNESCO has included in its list of world heritage sites.

Together, we learned that a tel is a site that has many layers of civilization built upon itself over centuries and centuries. It was described as the archeological equivalent to a lasagna! We then hiked to the top of the tel where Josh challenged us with the word “leave”. Abraham had the faith to leave his land in Mesopotamia and journey into a new land to which he was called by God. He left the comforts of his home, his land, and all the familiarity that comes with that. He did this because of his obedience to God and because of this incredible faith, became known as a forefather to both the Jewish and Christian faiths. What an incredible way to start our journey together in the Holy Land.

From Tel Be’er Sheva, we hopped back in the bus and ventured to our first hotel (The Daniel Hotel) right on the shores of the Dead Sea. What a beautiful place to connect in new relationships and to eat some incredible food! Everyone is absolutely exhausted from travelling but anxiously awaiting all that God has in store for us in the days ahead. Please join us in prayer as we ask God to give us eyes to see all He has in store for us in both the physical sites as well as the spiritual connection. Thank you so much, God bless.