My 10 days in Israel. it was awesome! Our tour guide was a general in the Israeli army during the six day war in 1967. He was intense, but he got us into some pretty amazing places.

Dear Byron, My brother it has been too long sense I have seen you, Tammy and Isaac.  I have such fond memories of our 2011 trip to Israel. I have just returned from the second trip (June 2012).  I can tell you that there is no such thing as a bad trip with Father’s House.  My first trip was marvelous. 

The team of you and Moshe did an excellent job and I loved every minute. I was disappointed when I learned that Moshe would not be with us on the second trip.  The second trip was as marvelous as the first.  We revisited some of the same places and I departed from each with an expanded appreciation, blessing, and understanding of each.  That is the way the body of Christ is supposed to work, isn’t it.  John Turner and Ron did a masterpiece rendition at repeats and new sites. I so much thank the Lord and Father’s House for making this possible.  My life and ministry were changed after my first trip, but the second trip completed the transformation. After 58 years of preaching/teaching the Word, I can tell you that theses two trips have enriched my teaching and reading the Word.

Wow what a journey!!!!

You and the Fathers House Foundation have been a mighty instrument in the Lords hand to change my life forever. Scott and I have dreamed for years of going to Israel and often times would say to one another “someday!” you made that “someday” a reality in our lives. When Scott first told me of the opportunity I was thrilled for him to get to do it. He wanted me to get to go too but I knew without going into debt we couldn’t do it and honestly I was fine with that. However, when my mother got wind of it she was not okay with me not going and offered to take care of all my expenses and come stay with the kids while we were gone. Thank you, Jesus! Now that I have been I have since told Scott, “you can’t ever go without me!” Now that I know what an amazing and life changing encounter it is I want to go back again and again. Unlike other vacations ( I realize this was anything but a vacation but it was in the sense that we were away from responsibilities from church and home) this one didn’t leave me with a longing to get back to my home in Burleson but it left me with a bit of a realization that I was home. I was grieved when the day came to get on board that plane and head back to Texas. I truly understood why Moshe greeted us upon arrival by saying, “welcome home!” That land is my home, it is where all the roots of my faith are, where all my spiritual fathers and mothers lived and loved and grew to know and love our God and Father, God and Son and God and Spirit. Our first Sunday back we took some time to share about some things we saw and did and how it impacted us. I told them it was like going to the place where your grandparents were raised after hearing them describe and tell stories of it for years and years. I told them I truly felt as though I was home and that I wanted to go back again and take all of them with me. Although we don’t have a date yet we are looking to do just that sometime next year. I have already started a “Back to Israel Fund.” God is so good and so worthy of our Highest Praise. He has blessed us in so many ways none of which we in any way deserve yet he was pleased to just shower good gifts on us just because we’re his kids. Thank you for being a vessel of honor for service in his house to all of us who went. May you be blessed in every way as you continue to seek to fulfill Gods plan in your lives. You are dearly loved and highly esteemed.

Even after studying the materials suggested before going on this wonderful experience, I see that it is almost impossible to visualize and understand G_d’s word without seeing it in context. Just as the settlers and Native Americans used the materials that were at hand for their shelters, so did the Israelites.  I had never pictured homes, inns, stables, castles and fortresses built in chalk limestone caves, but that was what was available to shelter them. Seeing, no, experiencing the recent archeological discoveries will touch your soul just as Pilgrims to the Promised Land have been moved for years. Praising G_d at the same locations that Israelites praised him in the past may bring you to tears of joy. It was easy to see individual members of our tour group were touched at different locations we visited according to their needs and G_d’s gifts. Come home to the Promised Land, even if it only for a short time, your life with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will grow, especially as you share your experiences. It is very easy to share the Word, when you are asked about your trip to the Promised Land.

People say, What’s your highlight? The whole trip from morning to afternoon to evening was so full of God, so full of His wonderful land. It was all the highlight. Now I can see that the land, the wilderness used properly can bless abundantly. The dates that grow in California might produce 40 kilos, but in the wilderness in Israel the same trees can produce 400 kilos. On the Sea of Galilee it was exposed to me that there was good in the wilderness and we are in a wilderness experience right now with a granddaughter. But there is good in the wilderness because God is there. He will bless it abundantly.

Dear Byron, I can’t believe we have been back in the states for one week already. To say we wish we were still in Israel would be an understatement. Also, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the investment you made in our lives. Though we have never met (hope that changes on our next trip to Texas), you have provided Ruth and I the opportunity for our love for Israel to grow deeper. Your generosity and investment allowed us to explore the possibilities of hosting trips and observe what it would take to be effective leaders in that way. Having the chance to observe and assist John and Roxie as a primary task gave us a whole different view than being participants on the trip our first time. (As you know, John and Roxie represent the Lord and your foundation with love, wisdom, and grace. It was and is a huge blessing to have them as mentors.) One other benefit of being on the trip (which was not something I was looking for but had heard from my dad and John) was gaining a clearer understanding of your passion for bringing pastors home to Israel. I can’t yet quantify the deeper connection of the obvious but I have a richer appreciation and connection to the importance of seeing the vision fulfilled. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store regarding my/our involvement making your vision a reality for more and more pastors. Again I thank you for believing in and investing in our lives. This trip drove home to me the truth that God is able to and will accomplish His purposes in our lives and the world. For He is faithful. Many blessings to you. I look forward to meeting you in person possibly as soon as this summer. Blessings, Mike Harrison. From Byron Stinson, Founder, Fathers House Educational Foundation: The work and journey of the Fathers House is very fulfilling and it is with great joy we hear testimonies like this. After 8 years we are blessed to have hundreds of reports from so many of you and we cherish each note. However, I want to say, if we never receive a note like this we plan to move forward. If Satan himself sticks a knife in our eye we will continue to follow the bread crumbs of the Lord! What motivates us is giving Glory to God. Our path is sometimes hard and crossing the barrier of Jew and Gentile is tough! This walk is not for sissy’s, but compared to those who worked the land before us it is a cake walk. Often I stop and think about those that answered the call of God. Men and women like Abraham, Sarah Jacob, Rachel, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, King David, Deborah, Gideon and more. 12 spies went out and only 2 answered the call to go in. Why? This journey is scary, confusing perplexing financially and even life threatening, work. Now we at Fathers House Foundation are taking more steps of faith. We recognize the times are here and we get to play a small part in the birth of one Covenant Nation. Jew and Gentile will become an inheritance to the Lord as the veil is lifted from our eyes. We must not allow the rocks to cry out louder than his people. Please pray for us and ask the Lord to guide us. Our primary source of funding went dry and we need Him to open financial doors for us and close those doors HE wants to close. Thank you to all the pastors that faithfully have stayed in touch, lifted us up in prayer and continue to support us in so many ways. Thank you, Mike, for taking time to write this testimony, giving thanks and encouragement to our ministry. For those that have traveled with us in the past but now feel separated or have been led to take a different path we bless you and hope you are well. We know that often our part in your life and ministry was to help the spark ignite. If the trip we helped you take led your spirit to begin a new work, we praise the Lord with joy and love to see those works succeed. If you desire to re-connect you will always be welcome in our Fathers House. (Heart) We pray for blessings and love on the entire body of Christ. Thank you, Mike, for taking time to write this testimony, giving thanks and encouragement to our ministry. For those that have traveled with us in the past but now feel separated or have been led to take a different path we bless you and hope you are well. We know that often our part in your life and ministry was to help the spark ignite. If the trip we helped you take led your spirit to begin a new work, we praise the Lord with joy and love to see those works succeed. If you desire to re-connect you will always be welcome in our Fathers House. (Heart) We pray for blessings and love on the entire body of Christ. ~ Byron Stinson