This was one of the greatest trips. I loved my team, and we have never laughed so hard on a mission trip. We loved, and carried each other through the difficult times of jet lag, language barrier, lack of sleep, de-hydration, and praised God every morning for laughter and the joy we took in serving together.
One of my most favorite memories does not come from the pamphlet that some of you received in the mail- but the joy I had one evening to re-unite with my host family from 2009. My host family were friends with the family, and as they were driving us around town they stopped in front of their house. Spoke some Arabic, and a conversation I was unaware of. So 5 minutes they said we would stop by. I got out of the car and hugged Sonia, and what a blessing. I felt God's love had wrapped His arms around us and allowed this precious moment. I introduced her to my teammate, and then we went to surprise the kids and had about an hour conversation on their porch with friends- enjoying company. Beyond Generosity and Innocence--
As I go through photos, notes and memories of my trip to the Holy Land, I have so many moments that stand out. I had the privileged to spend with 15 boys playing football, Frisbee, and Futball. We took time in the middle to talk about God's Grace, our sin, forgiveness, and God's love for each of us. The boys were focused, listening, and asking questions that would not normally be heard from a ten year old. "What is the difference between God and Jesus?" Todd explained by showing the sign language term for the trinity by having three fingers slide through the hand and come out as one finger how all three are still the same. The boys seemed to grasp this concept, and during the week, seven boys prayed to have Jesus be the Lord of their life. When it was time to read from the Bible, every hand went up for the chance to read out loud from their Arabic Bible.
--I will add that when I was teaching the Bible verses to the 9-11 yr. old, every one of them could recite the 5 verses from the week, and it was such a blessing to know we were making a difference.
At the end of the week, a special gift from Operation Christmas was given to each child. Shoeboxes filled with gifts were opened and eyes became "huge" with joy and excitement. The boys had smiles on their faces; it was evident that they felt loved and important.
The Mute can Speak Volumes
As we were loading the bus to leave Zebabdah my mind was going through my mental checklist making sure I had not forgotten anything. As I walked out of the church for the last time, I hugged a few of the children. I took a couple steps off the porch and started up the drive when suddenly I was compelled to go back to the porch and hug the one child I had not hugged as I stepped off the porch. I don't know his name but he was the "mute" child who seemed to always be hanging around the entrance of the church. I had not had any direct interaction with him all week, but the urge to hug him at the moment was overpowering. I followed my heart and went back to the porch to hug this young man. The enormous smile radiating from this child will forever be etched into my memory, as well as his vigorous waving and SAYING the word"BYE"!
---Side note- This boy lived next to the Pastor's house, and he has a condition that he doesn't talk. But he understands Arabic. Our team members had the opportunity to witness to his parents. He was always around us and heard the gospel message during our teen night. There is no school for these type of kids.
HI's and Bye's----
When that tough time of saying good bye came, our host "mom" said, "Life is a series of Hi's and Bye's". In our second trip to the Holy Land, the highlight was the hi's and the natural low was the bye's. We got to say "hi" again to children we fell in love with last year. There was Roni who on our first night waved to us from his balcony. There was Oudey who greeted us with a huge smile, and Marcel who backed in to sit on my lap.
Then there were new children who stole our heart...Bethuel whose bright blue eyes captivate anyone who she meets, Khader the scared little boy who when he left his car, I stuck my hand out for a high five...but instead got a big hug. We also got to renew adult friendships and make new ones. But we had to say good bye. Our trip and our purpose was to share Jesus' love with all we could. I believe we were faithful to that call. Now back in the US, our prayers are that the Lord will continue His good work, so that when we meet them in heaven we get to say "hi" and never have to say "Bye"!
---Thank you for your prayers, support, and friendship. It was one of the greatest trips I've ever taken in my life. We are excited to see the Lord continue to work. They needed our encouragement, and need prayers for family and friends whom they witness too on a daily basis. Prayers for those we met that are finishing school and making decisions for college in the States.
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