Day 01 - Shephelah: Yad Hashmonah, Beth Shemesh, Azekah

Hello Family & Friends,

We had an incredible and jam packed first full day in Israel! How will I ever be able to put it all into words?!

We started our day at Yad Hashmonah. It is a "moshav shitufi" (communal village of believers), located in the Judean hills close to Jerusalem.

Our wonderful guide, Yehuda, gave us a brief history lesson, Terry, a remarkable devo, and Larry Harrison led us in worship. 

Terry reminded us of God's covenant to Abraham in Genesis 12 & 15. Based on that covenant, he asked us to consider 3 things that are relevant in our own lives today:

The people - our spiritual ancestors, a people whose faith was formed through hardship. 

The places – how a deeper understanding of the geography and climate can help us better understand the biblical stories and bring them to life. 

The promises – made to Abraham: that he would be made into a great nation, give them a land of their own, and bless them through time.

As followers of Christ, we are the beneficiaries of those promises.

While we were there, in the biblical garden, we also saw replicas of an old wine press, olive press, and threshing floor.

Our next stop of the day was Beth Shemesh. 

Walking amongst the gorgeous national flower of Israel (The kalanit... or variation of red poppy, to us Americans), we made our way to the top of the hill, overlooking the Valley of Sorek. Terry read from Judges 13-16, sharing with us the story of Samson. Samson was born to childless parents, dedicated to the Nazarite Vow. As he grew, he was enticed by the Philistine culture. Overlooking the path which he continually trekked to Timnah, we see the physical crossings of borders, but also recognize the spiritual ones. Because Samson wasn't rooted where he belonged, he eventually gave himself up to a culture he was meant to be set apart from. What a great reminder to us to consider our boundaries. How often do we pass into the places we don't belong, looking for something that will never satisfy? 

To solidify this point, we went down into an empty cistern. While cisterns were common in this area, everyone knew the better alternative was to be near running water. While cistern water would keep you alive, it wasn't the ideal. A cistern would also develop cracks, that if not plastered and maintained, would allow the water to leak out and dry up.  Are we settling for cistern water as Samson did, or is our spiritual nourishment coming from the Living Water of God?

Up next was Tel Azekah.

Here we were able to clearly see the Elah Valley, which we believe to be the location where David defeated Goliath. This was my favorite stop of the day! Terry gave a moving lesson about how God doesn't use the strongest, most influential, or best equipped to get the job done. He uses the faithful. Come with what you have, and he will do great things. 

After a beautiful picnic lunch (prepared by our soft spoken, yet tenacious bus driver and logistical master, Yigal), we made our way to Bet Guvrin National Park. We explored a number of underground caves where we saw cisterns, columbariums, quarries, and olive presses. It was remarkable that so much has been preserved, and that it is only the tip of the iceberg for what is still to be discovered! There were a lot of narrow passages and steep stairs, but we managed to all make it through unscathed.

Then we headed for the great love language of our time... coffee! We stopped by Aroma (an Israeli chain) and enjoyed some strong coffee and delicious pastries before taking the hour-long drive to the Dead Sea. 

We are now settled in at the lowest altitude on earth, over 1200+ feet below sea level. We enjoyed another wonderful dinner full of great fellowship, and are ready for good rest and another great day of adventures. 

On behalf of our group, I'd ask you to stop and pray for continued health. We have a variety of illnesses, ailments, and even a few falls that we are hoping only get better as the hours roll by. Pray safety, wellness, and open hearts over us all. 

Until tomorrow...

Ashley Fuhr