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.

I was so blessed by being able to go to Israel. I have always had my own idea of what Israel was and is today. That view has been enhanced and changed forever. Being able to walk where Jesus walked, seeing Peter’s home, walking in the Garden has given me a new understanding of Israel. It was awesome to be in the land where Jesus was born, grew up, left this earth physically, and will one day soon return. If you ever have the opportunity, you must go to Israel. The experience will change your life.

Cris and I had the experience of a lifetime on the January 2010 Israel trip.  We are so thankful to Father’s House for sending us and our friends Pastor Armand and Lilybelle Valdez to the Holy Land, where we joined some US church groups on a wonderful ten-day tour. Recently I have presented slideshows of our pictures from Israel to students of our Calvary Bible Institute (both Day and Night classes) in Davao City.  It has made a huge difference for me to have been to so many of the sites in Israel and to have been guided by such a knowledgeable Jewish guide as Moshe Bronstein.  I feel like I can now talk about the Biblical places with a bit of authority and certainly with insight that I didn’t have before.  The students were fascinated by the pictures and the commentary.  Many of them would love to go to Israel now! I know Cris and I have a heart to go back to Israel and see even more of that wonderful country.   God has truly turned our hearts toward “home”– here on earth, our true original home is in Israel. God bless Father’s House! Love in Christ, Rev. Ken & Cris Sandberg missionaries in the Philippines

My first journey to the Promised Land in 2007 altered my course. When Byron said, “Let’s go to Israel,” I was dumbfounded. All kinds of thoughts were swimming in my head. “Why should I go to Israel? Is it safe? Is it necessary? WOW! That’s where Jesus walked…” Obviously, the end result was a 15-hour plane ride and an amazing trek in a blue van with Byron, Moshe, Justin, and myself. Any doubts of traveling to Israel disappeared instantly as we stood looking over the Holy City, Jerusalem. I could not help but think about Matthew 23:37 where Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” I was hooked. The Bible sprang to life in a way that commentaries, videos, and imaginations were not able to produce. My journey to Israel caused God’s Love Letter to me, the Word of God, to take on new meaning. My personal readings of the Scriptures were and have never since been the same. My preaching had new direction and passion. My life was changed. Since that first time in Israel, I have been blessed to go back to the Promised Land on many other occasions. Each and every time, whether going to previously visited sites or not, I have left with fresh fire from and renewed purpose in the things of God. As you may know, the Lord has recently brought me to a new place in ministry. I no longer Pastor a church but have the privilege daily to challenge churches across the world to stand with Israel and strive to understand more of the Hebraic roots that so enrich our Christian Faith. Because of that first trip, a journey I believe EVERY pastor MUST make, I know that believers today play a vital role in the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel. Thousands of years ago, God called Abram to leave his home to travel to a new home that would be called Israel. On that tiny sliver of land in the Middle East, God began to reveal Himself to the world. Still today, that tiny sliver of land is the stage upon which God is showing the world that His plan of redemption and grace is free to all who will trust upon His only begotten Son, our Messiah. Talk about a change in direction! Baruch HaShem…Bless the Name !

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.

We took quite a group from our church and never felt unsafe. We never saw not one tank or anything. We never saw convoys or anyone getting ready for anything. I have felt more uncomfortable in some parts of Denver than I did in Israel. I know more than ever that the roots of Christianity are there. I understand that it is important for us to know that our Christian heritage is there. Everything came through Israel. That is the nation God chose to manifest Himself and His plan. It was an honor to be walking on that land and learn. It was a tremendous time, a great education.

I have been challenged in several areas spiritually and will be using this next year to work through some of the spiritual truths that were shared on the trip. On my first trip to Israel two years ago, I felt like it was more learning about the places and what happened there, but on this trip I really sensed a greater connection between the places we visited with the spiritual themes being emphasized. The repeated spiritual truths and connections were great. I am so grateful John got to share spiritual insights I could grasp. He greatly increased the spiritual growth experience and was always ready to answer my many questions. Ron was also easy to understand and I appreciated his teaching as well. I thought it was great how well they worked together to help us understand the spiritual truths related to what we were seeing. The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was a spiritual high this trip. After experiencing the wilderness, the beauty of the sea and the worship music was very moving.