After traveling from Fresno, Ca. to Israel I was ready to smell fresh air, touch solid ground. Many prayers had been answered, we arrived safe and my desires to come back to Israel became a reality. After going through customs, getting our baggage we as a group embarked upon Israel, ready to take the next step in our journey. The most impressive moment was our welcome.

There was a tiny curly headed woman jumping up and down saying in a most angelic voice “WELCOME HOME.” My first sight in Israel on my second journey. This brought tears of joy to a old man’s heart. The following morning my eyes were opened to only things I had read about and saw pictures of. Moshe began to teach and share with us his developed knowledge of his home land. I marveled at how he was able to remember every detail of the moment we shared. There one spot I was so moved: when Moshe took us to Shepherd’s Field and we saw what is believed to be the actual birth place of Our Lord Jesus. Not to say that there were not other places: the City of David, the place Christ was handed over to the crowd and his walk down Via Dolorosa where He carried His cross, Mt. Nebo where Moses looked over the Holy Land, the walk under the City of David through the tunnels. I encourage other churches and their pastors to connect with Father’s House. I think that Father’s House, Moshe, and Dr. John and Roxie Turner have put together a very viable tour to the Holy Land. I applaud them. Dr. Turner is a very good teacher of Israel and its history. Thanks to the both of them.

Overwhelmed! That’s the word that comes to mind when I think back on my Israel trip in February of 2017.  My name is Micah Smith, I am a worship pastor for StoneWater Church, and my life will never be the same after visiting Israel.

The presence of the Holy Spirit was overwhelming!  So many times throughout the trip, I found myself humbled in the presence of God. I truly feel like I clearly heard God speaking vision and direction into my life in many different areas.  God also gave me visions like I have never had before.  Visions about my children and even future generations in my family.   I also had the privilege of leading our group in a time of worship in St Ann’s Cathedral.  The moment I started singing, I was in awe of the sound I was hearing.  An inexplicable sound that can only be created by the voices of God’s children worshiping Him.  God’s presence was so real and tangible! It was an incredible moment with the group. I was overwhelmed by the reality of who God really is.  I constantly found myself in awe of the preciseness of God.  It was amazing to see that everything God has done, is doing, and is going to do is exact, precise and His perfect plan. I could physically see how God created things, placed things, planned His creation and His people, and it was all for a perfect and precise purpose. It was so fascinating to take the knowledge I had of the Bible, and then see the physical locations where these events took place.  Until I physically stood in these places, I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what God was doing in those moments, and how it impacted His people.   I was overwhelmed by the group of people I was with and the leaders of the trip.  Moshe took us to amazing places and the information he presented us with left me in awe.  This is a journey you have to take to accurately understand the people, places and events that took place in the Bible.  John and Roxie were incredible hosts! I loved being able to ask John questions that brought a lot of clarity to my biblical understanding.  I was also blessed with an amazing group of people that attended the trip with me.  We created great memories together, and it was a blast to experience all of this with them.  I can truly say that this journey to Israel was life changing for my family and I.  God is continuing to use the experiences I had in Israel to teach me, and grow me into who He wants me to be.  Thank you to everyone who makes these trips possible. I cannot wait to go back!

Check out Micah leading worship in St Anne’s cathedral here!

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.

I will never read the Bible the same again. I learned things I should have already known, but they just seem to come to life there. It seems so much more real or maybe 3 dimentional now. Very Personal. Trip of a lifetime. Every believer should try to go at least once. I loved the Lord before I went but now it is an even deeper Love. There is just nothing like the understanding from being right there where it all happened.

My trip to Israel was an opportunity I never thought would happen. To start the Journey in Jordan and follow the path of Jesus was amazing. I was amazed and at times I couldn’t hold back the tears. It’s hard to be in the place where Jesus stood, was tortured, crowned with thorns and given His Cross to be crucified on so all of us could live. It was a very emotional experience. We experienced John the Baptist, The fisherman of men, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, The City of David and so much more. This trip by the Fathers House is not a normal tour. This trip goes behind the scenes and places not many people get to experience. This trip (my second trip) we had a total of 8 Pastors with us. All of them were amazed and taken back by the truth of the trip. I think every Pastor should have the opportunity to visit Israel and relay the message of the Promised Land to their church and encourage His Church to visit their home as well. The first thing that is said to you as you land in Tel Aviv is, “Welcome Home.” The Father’s House is amazing. They gave us the best experience they could possibly give us. From the airlines to the finest hotels, to the transportation and two of the finest meals a person could want, everyday! On both of my trips there was never an issue with safety. The people of Israel and the Jordan welcomed us with open arms and love. They are our brothers and sisters. If you love God and want to learn and understand Him, this is the trip for you. If you love to worship, this is the trip for you. I have always believed God is Real. Now I know, God is Real. – See more at: https://fathershousefoundation.com/pages/testimonials.php#sthash.XnjSgfdR.dpuf