Thank you Father’s House for your part in tikkun olam through educating pastors in Israel, taking orphans of the streets of Davao City, Philippines, providing a way through Hannah House for babies to live and not die and their mothers to learn the life skills they need to make better choices, for supporting the education of Israeli sabra youth in cutting edge media so that they can compete in the world market. May the blessings continue to flow through you as you continue to give into the repair of the world.

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 !

I knew a year ago that I wanted to go on the Israel trip. I saw the transformation in Roxie that I knew that I wanted to go if the opportunity came about. When we arrived in Israel we were greeted with welcome home. This is really appropriate since Israel is the birthplace of Christianity. Our family roots are there. My heart seems tied to Israel in a way I can’t really describe. For me the trip has really created more of a hunger to understand God’s Word and pay attention to every jot and tittle. I’m having fun seeing connections that I’ve never seen before. I loved seeing the covenant signs Israel having fun seeing passages about covenants. We stood at the gate where Boaz gave his right sandal to redeem Ruth. We learned that right is right and left is wrong. Right is clean and left is unclean. Then in Gilgal where the children of Israel had their camp when they crossed in to the Promised Land there is a huge outline of a “right” foot/sandal in boulders in the midst of the camp. What a reminder that they were in a conditional covenant with the Lord. If they obeyed they would be blessed if they disobeyed they would be cursed. Now go with me to The Cave of John the Baptist. You go into the cave and then descend steps that lead into the water. Before you get to the water you find a deep impression of a foot. Those coming to be baptized would put their foot in the depressions cleanse and anoint it and then go into the water to be baptized. Afterwards, they would come out of the water and break the jar against the wall of the cave. What a picture of no longer being a slave to sin that would have been for them. They have entered into a new covenant written on their hearts. Now picture us at the wailing wall. What a visual of Israel breaking covenant with the Lord. They are standing on the outside of a broken wall to worship. I was so moved standing at the wall, touching it, and praying for Israel and the Jews. What a privilege to be a Gentile believer and to be in a covenant relationship with the Lord. Our sign of being in covenant is the seal of the Holy Spirit that was given to us when we believed in Christ.

When I was asked about going on a journey to Israel, I had some fears to overcome. I’m a hamburger eater. I don’t really like vegetables at all. My view of any country outside of the United States was that vegetables were the main course of every meal. So, I pictured myself starving to death if I ever went outside of the U.S. Thankfully, Byron convinced me that I’d only need one good meal in the 10 days. He promised me McDonalds (which I never got to have by the way) so that I’d be able to eat at least once. I also had amenity fears. To me, every country outside of the United States, the people lived in homes made of straw and mud and very few “American” style homes. So, I kept thinking about that as well. Through much prayer, I decided to take the journey and boy am I glad that I did! I took 2 pounds of beef jerky with me to make sure I had a little something to eat just in case though. But, my very first meal in Israel was at a restaurant that had hamburgers! Then, we arrived at the very modern and beautiful hotel. This just happened to be Shabbat and the food was AWESOME! From start to finish, I enjoyed every moment and still vividly recall so much about the trip and the education that I received there from Moshe, Byron, and John. When I came back, I couldn’t wait to share all that I had learned with my friends, relatives, and anyone who would listen! I even did a presentation at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church, where I was the interim pastor. Today, that is where I am incredibly blessed to be the Lead Pastor.

So what’s been going on since I came back from the journey?

I have read the Bible two more times. It is amazing how when I read now, I can picture in my mind what it may have looked like that the time. As I read about Moses, I envision them wandering around the wilderness. When I think of  Joshua, and two million Israelites, I can picture them at Gilgal. When I read about David and Goliath, I can picture each army on either side of the Valley of Elah. I saw the stream where he chose his round stones. I can somewhat picture Old Jerusalem and what it must have looked like. My relationship with God has grown by leaps and bounds because I’ve seen, with my own eyes, many of the things mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. I have seen where Jesus was born, where he spoke on the mount to the crowds, and where he took his steps toward Calvary. I am still in awe! When I reflect on all the work God has done in my life and in those around me, I like to think that some of that is because of the way my passion for Christ increased because of my journey. If you get the opportunity to go, remember, fear is not of God! Go and be blessed! Stand with Israel NOW!

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.

It was the most amazing trip! “Enjoyable experience” does not even begin to describe how totally amazing it was! Where to begin? To walk where our Lord walked. Enjoying the fellowship of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Sharing in the expressions of our love for the Lord with the Torah ceremonies and scripture readings. Again, amazing! How does one even begin to describe Moshe the Teacher? I know now why several of the tour members carried digital recorders with them. As one of Moshe’s students, you want to soak up every word and not miss one syllable. He makes it all so real, not just with lectures, but with hands-on experience. Everything from crawling around in tunnels underneath Jerusalem, to actually teaching us how the various tools and equipment worked (like the wine press and olive press and grinding wheat and the heart shaped boat anchors), to riding a camel on the Ancient Spice Route. His passion for the Lord is contagious! The Bible seems so much more real now. I read the scriptures like stories and can visualize the people and places and actions much more clearly. I want to know the “whole story“ , if that makes any sense. I think special mention should be made of our bus driver Sami. He did magical things with that bus! Who knew that a tour bus could be considered an “all terrain vehicle”? And he took such good care of all of us and made us all feel very special. There are not words enough to describe what this trip has meant to me. Each day of the trip was more exciting and more memorable that the day before. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did! I can’t wait to do it again! Being a soldier in Moshe’s Army for the Lord is the only way to see Israel!

We don’t even know where to begin to start thanking you for the amazing gift that you gave Steve and I.  It was truly life changing in every way.  We have fallen in love with the homeland of Israel and will never, ever be the same again.  Our days were so full but oh so, so good.  Our cups were so full that we were drinking out of our saucers.  Every single day, we thought wow, surely tomorrow cannot top today, but it did.  We cannot wait to sit down with both of you to share our experience.  Thank you so much Byron and Tammy for having the heart for Israel and for sending Pastors there to learn and to experience the life of Jesus. John Turner, Rick Hamm are great men of God that we respect so much. They love the Lord and it radiates through them.  It was a blessing to experience this trip of a lifetime with them and the other wonderful people that we met. We look forward to returning again soon.

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