Over the New Year of 2012, I was blessed through the work of the Father’s House to be on the Journey Group to go to Israel. It was one of the most remarkable things I’ve ever done in my life. Actually, it is THE most remarkable thing I’ve ever done.

I’m not a Preacher or a pastor; I’m an active member with my church family in Glen Rose, Texas. The way that I came to Christianity was because I was shown that God is real and that God cares about us. I used to not claim to be a Christian even years into my adult life. But, I had a horrific accident whereby almost every other person would have died from the accident, and most that lived would not have received the Blessing of recovery that I received. After this horrific accident and as I was in the medical rehabilitation process, I prayed and I was saved through a very strong Christian friend of mine. As far as sharing the news about Christ, I do that often as I now spend much of my time presenting to people about life choices. Tied deeply to my message is the message of Christ’s love for us. That’s my number one priority: sharing the message about God’s role in our lives. Now, going to Israel cemented my desire to do this to do JUST this: to share the message of Christ’s love for us. When I walked on the land where Jesus walked, when I was at the place of His birth as a human, when I was at the place where Jesus performed many miracles, when I was on very trails where Jesus walked, my awareness that He is listening to us that Christ / God is listening to us grew tremendously. And, one of the greatest gifts about being in Israel is that my awareness about God listening to us IS STILL present with me now even being back in a different country and on a different continent from Israel. I love God for what He has done for me for us and I desire nothing more than sharing the message so that others are also turned toward Him.

My journey to Israel was God ordained from the very beginning. I was in nursing school and we are limited on how many days we can miss. This was the first time ever the college decided to close down the entire week of Thanksgiving. The insanely busy schedule of a nursing student doesn’t leave much room for anything that doesn’t involve nursing. Waking up an hour earlier to dig into the Word like I did before work started getting less and less every day; attending church and Stonewater U classes every week started to turn into online services and not attending to try to squeeze in any time to study. I have grown a lot over the past few years in my walk with Christ. This trip took the intimacy I have with God to a whole new level. I was excited about this trip and spending a week in the Holy Land, being where Jesus walked and spending much needed time in His Word. The second day in Israel, Roxie asked me what the Lord was speaking to me. To be honest, it took me a day or so to calm my excitement down and hear what He was speaking to me. He was telling me to “be still.” With that I finally slowed down and started soaking everything in. My uncle had shared some insight with us, when you look around Israel there is a lot of trash on the roads, stone buildings, not what you picture when you think of the Promised Land, but it is like our hearts, filthy, full of trash, and ugly, yet we are Holy because God says we are, just like His Land. Standing at the true birthplace of our Savior, the first place we worshiped and I couldn’t get any words to come out; I was humbled, and moved to tears from being overwhelmed with feeling His presence. This wasn’t the only location this happened at. God has done some amazing things in my life, even earlier this year, but He showed up in a huge way while I was in His land. There was a strike with our airlines and talk of maybe not making it back in time, which would’ve had me missing exceeding the number of days we could miss in school, 2. John had the travel agent working to get my mom and I on a flight out on different airlines but it would have to be early. Without a second thought I said, “no, absolutely not.” I felt God saying “are you really going to put all your trust in me or take the first opportunity to get back?” The strike ended for us to get back on schedule, before going back on strike a couple days later. I felt Him putting a whole new passion in my heart. There were some fires being started by terrorists all throughout the land in Israel, including Jerusalem. Not once was I afraid, I felt at home and safer there than I do even here. I feel like God was starting a wildfire in my heart, and John and Moshe’s passion for teaching fanned the flames. I have been non-stop in the Word since I’ve been back, and God has opened a huge door for me to go back this February for a month and learn more about Him. “For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrew 12:29  

April 6, 2009 Dear Byron, John, and Father’s House, Thank you so much for sending me to Israel.  I have tried to wait to write a thank you until I had time to process more of what we saw, heard, and experienced.  The truth is, I am still in something of a state of awe at the wonder of God manifest by the whole trip. It has been a long-standing desire of mine to go to Israel and see the places where biblical events took place.  I could never have imagined the impact that being there would have on my understanding and perspective on the Word of God.  There is a deep, spiritual stirring in my soul that is like a revival meeting but much deeper and longer-lasting in its influence.  There is new fire in my preaching and new depth in my teaching.  People here at First Baptist have commented about the difference they hear and see in me. The things I have learned and believed for years have been re-formatted by the trip.  I know them in a way I could not have known them before.  It is in a small way like what our transition from hope to sight will be when Jesus comes: We hold to the reality, but we have not experienced it in its completeness.  I know that I have yet to experience the fullness of Who God is and what redemption is, but there is a greater appreciation for the revelation of God in His Word and in His Son that makes the present reality so much sweeter! Thank you, thank you, thank you for answering God’s call to send pastors to Israel.  John, thank you for being with us and making the trip more wonderful with your songs and your servant heart.  Byron, thank you for your heart to help move us toward revival through the experience of biblical places in Israel.  You have blessed my life and enriched my ministry more than I can express. I am encouraging every believer to go to Israel and experience the wonder of the land of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and the disciples.  We are praying and working on details to try to take a group back in 2010 because the excitement of the group that went has taken hold of the church!