Six days you shall labor and on the seventh you shall rest. From Exodus 20:8
At Shevet we take our Sabbath rest on Saturday. I don't know all the reasoning behind that, but I know the Lord has commanded a day of rest. He cares for our well-being, and so it is a gift to give rest to the body and nourishment to the soul.
What Sabbath rest looked like today.
1. Sleeping in. This is my 2nd night of sleeping soundly through most of it. The first few nights, my mind was too busy thinking about the day to rest completely. This has happened to me before, and as a result I experienced the provision of God for energy to make it through several days without the typical amount of sleep.
2. Worship. I attended a Messianic Jewish service this morning with coworkers which meets just half a block away from here. The entire service was in Hebrew, and fortunately there was translation available. So glad I packed a set of earbuds. The pastor spoke about Moses drawing water from the rock. The first time God told him to strike the rock, but the second time he was just to speak. He connected Christ as the Rock, who only had to be sacrificed once for our sins, not "struck" again. I am so grateful the work of my salvation is complete throughout Christ. This service was a taste of heaven. (I had to smile, Pastor Mike, as the pastor finished his sermon, I noticed he had used an iPad to speak from).
3. Lunch. Natalie, Tara (another short term volunteer) and I were invited to have lunch at Lina and her family's home today. Lina works here at Shevet, speaks several languages and I think has lived in the old city her whole life. She met us at Jaffa Gate and walked with us into her family home deep in the old city. We had previously shopped along a few of the streets that we took on the way to getting there. Her mother had prepared a tasty lunch of Palestinian food...Chicken and Okra Stew, salad (cucumbers, tomato & onion), rice, pita and ice cream. We treasured the invitation to visit a friend's home.
4. Reading. I am enjoying a couple books I have found on shelves here.
5. Nap. Didn't take long to drift off to sleep for a couple hours. The heat here does make one tired.
6. Only one shower. This is the first day, since arriving, that I haven't desperately felt the need for a second or even third shower.
Thank you Lord for the command of Sabbath rest. I look forward to another week to serve You!
6.30.2012
6.29.2012
A Taste of My Own Medicine?
I enjoy capturing moments and the beauty of God's creation...people...in still images.
Yesterday, Natalie and I ventured out with two of the mothers and their children to a small, local historical garden that has a fish pond. In the park is an old, stone olive press, a mill stone and several other ancient farming implements. The fish pond was the real designation. Natalie knew Hani, a darling 18 month old, would love it...she goes crazy at the site of water. While we were there, another group of 4 siblings from the neighborhood Measherin (Ultra Orthodox) Jewish community were exploring the area. These children were darling and I wanted to see if I could capture a photo. After Natalie pointed out that doing this openly could get me into some trouble if their mother arrived, I tried to be a little more inconspicuous. Maybe 2 of the ten photos I shot from the hip are framed right, but the preciousness of these children I couldn't resist trying to capture.
And then it happened...
A man from a tour group that had entered the garden wandered our direction and got right up next to my Kurdish friend and her one-year old son. He held up his small camera within 2 feet of her face and took a picture. "What are you doing?" I thought. Frustration stirred inside me. She is not a spectacle. She is a beautiful creation of God, who greets me with a hug and kiss on the cheek each day, who taught me how to make Kurdish food, whose precious son needs heart surgery. She is not a zoo animal!
We have been talking about having a pure heart in our morning meetings as we are studying through the book of Proverbs together as a community at Shevet. What are my motives in capturing photos of life here? Are the pure? Or are they to exploit?
6.28.2012
Surrounded by Inspiration
Inspiration. A picturesque landscape. A compelling story. A deep conversation. Possibly a tragedy. Sometimes it is from the sage advice of one who has experienced a host of life's blessings and challenges. For me, here at Shevet, the source is sharing an inner office space among young, passionate followers of Jesus. Six cubicles provide work space for some of the short and longer term volunteers here.
In one space, is the resident nurse who in her late 20's and has served for 2 years here learning all that is necessary to care for fragile cardiac cases. She prays with joy and trust in God, and often reminds us of His grace in our morning meetings. Her love for God and for the mothers and children is evident in how she often is able to relate a Biblical truth to a life experience. She radiates the grace of God.
A young Chinese believer, rises each morning and is often the first in the garden to savor time with the Lord. I see her sitting quietly, then singing praise music, then reading from her Bible out loud, surprisingly, often in English. Her role here is caring for the children for a couple hours in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. You will never see her in my photos. It is too dangerous for her. She is a picture of the Lord's loving kindness.
The young man that sits behind me, has grown up in a missionary family. Currently, his parents live in the Kurdish part of northern Iraq and are running a bookstore that sells a variety of books including the Kurdish translation of some good Christian resources. His Kurdish is helpful in relating to the families. He has been serving with Shevet for 3 months and was just able to get his visa extended for another 3 months. He was very happy about this. He began gathering the guys in this ministry to meet each Tuesday morning at 6am for prayer. He says he figures he can never have too much time before the Lord. He serves with a willing wherever he is needed. He is a gentle servant.
Another young man is away this week. I worked with him quite a lot on the calendar project, and have grown to appreciate his thoughtful way with words. He finished a two year Hebrew language course last Friday and had to leave the country 2 days later because his student visa expired. He hopes to re-enter this next week with a work visa. He is careful about laying his own plans, but rather wants to be sensitive to the Lord's leading with the language skill he sees now as a tool. When he was here, he was also up early in the morning in the garden for prayer and reading of scripture...his is in Hebrew. He is a diligent student for the Lord with a contagious smile.
Lastly in the office space I share, is a sweet gal who tenderly desires to follow the Lord with all her heart. She is doing much of the web site work this week, a skill she inadvertently learned a couple years ago. She sees God's hand in this and it encourages her to see how He equips those who follow him. We have had good chats about life. Next to her bed it looks like she is in the middle of a dozen different books. She is a joyful, willing servant doing whatever is needed on any given day.
I see the kindness of God in the space He has set me for this week. I could expound, and may in another blog about the other servants here...all equally as inspiring. Their desk spaces are just through doors in 3 different directions.
I am content to be in the middle of these new friends, who are an inspiration to me. Grace. Loving kindness. Gentle servant. Diligence. Joy. It is a taste of heaven.
I am blessed.
In one space, is the resident nurse who in her late 20's and has served for 2 years here learning all that is necessary to care for fragile cardiac cases. She prays with joy and trust in God, and often reminds us of His grace in our morning meetings. Her love for God and for the mothers and children is evident in how she often is able to relate a Biblical truth to a life experience. She radiates the grace of God.
A young Chinese believer, rises each morning and is often the first in the garden to savor time with the Lord. I see her sitting quietly, then singing praise music, then reading from her Bible out loud, surprisingly, often in English. Her role here is caring for the children for a couple hours in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. You will never see her in my photos. It is too dangerous for her. She is a picture of the Lord's loving kindness.
The young man that sits behind me, has grown up in a missionary family. Currently, his parents live in the Kurdish part of northern Iraq and are running a bookstore that sells a variety of books including the Kurdish translation of some good Christian resources. His Kurdish is helpful in relating to the families. He has been serving with Shevet for 3 months and was just able to get his visa extended for another 3 months. He was very happy about this. He began gathering the guys in this ministry to meet each Tuesday morning at 6am for prayer. He says he figures he can never have too much time before the Lord. He serves with a willing wherever he is needed. He is a gentle servant.
Another young man is away this week. I worked with him quite a lot on the calendar project, and have grown to appreciate his thoughtful way with words. He finished a two year Hebrew language course last Friday and had to leave the country 2 days later because his student visa expired. He hopes to re-enter this next week with a work visa. He is careful about laying his own plans, but rather wants to be sensitive to the Lord's leading with the language skill he sees now as a tool. When he was here, he was also up early in the morning in the garden for prayer and reading of scripture...his is in Hebrew. He is a diligent student for the Lord with a contagious smile.
Lastly in the office space I share, is a sweet gal who tenderly desires to follow the Lord with all her heart. She is doing much of the web site work this week, a skill she inadvertently learned a couple years ago. She sees God's hand in this and it encourages her to see how He equips those who follow him. We have had good chats about life. Next to her bed it looks like she is in the middle of a dozen different books. She is a joyful, willing servant doing whatever is needed on any given day.
I see the kindness of God in the space He has set me for this week. I could expound, and may in another blog about the other servants here...all equally as inspiring. Their desk spaces are just through doors in 3 different directions.
I am content to be in the middle of these new friends, who are an inspiration to me. Grace. Loving kindness. Gentle servant. Diligence. Joy. It is a taste of heaven.
I am blessed.
6.26.2012
Good grief..4 languages spoken here!
So to prepare me for this experience, Natalie wrote out some Kurdish words and phrases back in March so that I would be able to connect better with the mothers and children here at Shevet. I, like any good student, made some flashcards. Then life got a little crazy at home. I did keep the small stack in my purse, and then sometimes in on the counter at home. But real effort in learning to count to ten, say no, yes, doctor, surgery, child, thanks to God, beautiful, hello, thank you, I love you, sit down, what is your name?, good, water, come, for you, for me...fell by the wayside. The only phrase I mastered was "moosh-ka-lay-nee-ya" which means "no problem" and that is only because she said it ALL THE TIME when she came home last year and it sounded so nice. So I came pitifully prepared. I am not proud of this. Yesterday at the hospital I did practice counting with Sarchil and Sarina. I am grateful kids are understanding and helpful to me when I try to learn to count. This is a great way to help pass the time and I remember in Romania, Dennis got a kick out of this. By the end of the day yesterday, a few of these phrases, though, were starting to make way into my stiff brain cells. How could one not say "jwana" (beautiful) over and over while at the sea?
So today Natalie and I went and purchased some flowers to honor another Natalie (volunteer) in the house who is leaving tomorrow for a year in Peru to work as a admissions director for a Bible college. (For another blog, I'll will expound on the passions and interests of the staff here, several of them are just in their 20's). Anyway, we enjoyed browsing the small flower shop just down the street and settled on a nice bouquet mix of daisies and roses. Thinking hard about what I could say to the shop keeper as we closed the sale, I racked my brain and couldn't remember "thank you" so I thought of the next best thing to compliment his product and said "jwana"...beautiful. Natalie smirked as we walked out the store and reminded me we were in the Jewish part of town. Hebrew. Snap. "Do you think he understood me?", I asked. "Not a word." was her reply.
So today Natalie and I went and purchased some flowers to honor another Natalie (volunteer) in the house who is leaving tomorrow for a year in Peru to work as a admissions director for a Bible college. (For another blog, I'll will expound on the passions and interests of the staff here, several of them are just in their 20's). Anyway, we enjoyed browsing the small flower shop just down the street and settled on a nice bouquet mix of daisies and roses. Thinking hard about what I could say to the shop keeper as we closed the sale, I racked my brain and couldn't remember "thank you" so I thought of the next best thing to compliment his product and said "jwana"...beautiful. Natalie smirked as we walked out the store and reminded me we were in the Jewish part of town. Hebrew. Snap. "Do you think he understood me?", I asked. "Not a word." was her reply.
6.24.2012
"Holy Awe"
I lay in bed last night trying to put into words some of the emotions I felt from yesterday. To be honest, I struggled to experience the "holy awe" of the precious sites we were seeing.
The Garden of Gethsemane...Christ sweat blood in agony on that hill over going to the cross from my sins...and yours. He was betrayed there. The Via Dolorosa...He was beaten, spit upon and taunted as he carried the beam he would hang from. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre...He was crucified near that site and very possibly buried in the tomb that lies within that church.
These are sacred places for the Christian. They are significant places, but more importantly significant events for all mankind.
Maybe I am easily distracted, but the challenge for me was seeing beyond the masses of people, vying for a good place to take a picture, multiple languages being spoken, group leaders holding up a variety of odd objects so their groups could find them, and then there were the vendors with armloads of postcards, rosaries stamped with Jerusalem, scarves, gold-plated crucifixes and so on. I had hoped as I visited each site, I wouldn't miss the preciousness of each location in what the Lord had done for me. But a sense of "holy awe" wasn't there.
It came later...
I lay in my bunk reading Ephesians 2:11-13 and beyond...
"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) —remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."
The Garden of Gethsemane...Christ sweat blood in agony on that hill over going to the cross from my sins...and yours. He was betrayed there. The Via Dolorosa...He was beaten, spit upon and taunted as he carried the beam he would hang from. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre...He was crucified near that site and very possibly buried in the tomb that lies within that church.
These are sacred places for the Christian. They are significant places, but more importantly significant events for all mankind.
Maybe I am easily distracted, but the challenge for me was seeing beyond the masses of people, vying for a good place to take a picture, multiple languages being spoken, group leaders holding up a variety of odd objects so their groups could find them, and then there were the vendors with armloads of postcards, rosaries stamped with Jerusalem, scarves, gold-plated crucifixes and so on. I had hoped as I visited each site, I wouldn't miss the preciousness of each location in what the Lord had done for me. But a sense of "holy awe" wasn't there.
It came later...
I lay in my bunk reading Ephesians 2:11-13 and beyond...
"Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men) —remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ."
And then the Lord began reminding me of some of the "holy awe" places and moments of my life...
...receiving a hug of forgiveness from my young son, who bounced up off his bed when I confessed I had wrongfully disciplined him and his quick statement of "I forgive you"
...Krivig Rig, Ukraine when the little girl in front of us was confirmed in our hearts to be the daughter we had been praying for
...hearing my husband's muffled voice through the closed doors of his office encouraging men in their walk with the Lord and in being faithful husbands and loving fathers
...Rediger Chapel at Taylor University several weeks ago at a young friend's memorial service as the students passionately sang "How Great the Father's Love for Us" as a gift of love to the family
...watching my son contend with the coming and going pain of arthritis in his young body with a spirit of acceptance and grace
...rich conversations with a family member about God "stuff"
...realizing my daughter's International Studies major, love for other cultures and passion for the Middle East are answers to this mother's prayer for my children to know Christ as Savior and want to take that message to the world
...every lecture at Bible Study Fellowship as the Lord teaches me in the preparation and then gives me words to speak to women eager to learn...I know I am held by His faithful hands
...in my kitchen watching thunderstorms roll in from the west, or the fall of dancing snowflakes, or the change of winter to spring as a new color of green appears each day for a whole month, or the turn of fall leaves and the gentle breezes that bring them to the ground
...observing the work of a small church in Pitesti, Romania and their love for the people in Rezboini, a people group often not trusted, respected or loved by others in their city
...being in my bed at night this past January with an idea that wouldn't go away, for a calendar to highlight the work of Shevet and seeing the Lord bring it all to pass with the talents and passions of a variety of people
These are some of the places of "holy awe" in my life.
I realize the Lord is not limited to a time and place in the past, but continues to show Himself personally, powerfully and holy to His people all around the world.
Still I am grateful to be visiting these sacred sites in Jerusalem. But a site is not worthy of worship. God is. He acted in those places, but He is not limited to them, and I am grateful.
6.23.2012
Walked on Sacred Ground
Two days. Two flights from home. MSP to Newark then Newark to Tel Aviv on El Al Israeli airlines. A flight that felt like a family reunion on the way to a family reunion. It was a party for the most part of Jewish families and of groups of students making a Birthright trip to the country of their heritage. Though sleeping on a flight that crosses the Atlantic and lands in Israel at 7am seem like a logical idea...that wasn't happening...for the most part...and it was just pleasant to be on a plane of people so excited that they clapped when we touched ground. Welcome to Israel...the land of God's chosen people and the place my daughter is serving for 2 months with Shevet Achim. An organization that is helping children in the middle east who need life-saving heart surgery come to Israel for that surgery. Check out their website at shevet.org. I am in awe of what the Lord is doing through this organization. I'll be lending a hand for two weeks but...
Arriving on a Friday, means half a day of work followed by Shabbat...a full day of Sabbath rest. As a newcomer, I am not expected to help until the 3rd day, but couldn't resist making dinner the first night when the need was presented. Anticipating I might have the chance to help with the cooking I packed a couple unique ingredients. So my first Shabbat meal in Israel was Minnesota Wild Rice soup, salad, Challah and cherries. We also celebrated one of the staff member's completion of Modern Hebrew studies at Hebrew University with locally purchased chocolate cake! Good job, Ryan!
In these two days, Natalie has treated me to a walking tour of some of the most significant, sacred sites of Jerusalem. We bought dinner ingredients at the outdoor Jewish market just down the street and had lunch at a wonderful local back alley coffee shop that would be impossible to find without the direction of locals. In the evening, we visited the Western Wall, which on a Friday evening felt like a continuation of the celebration and joy I had witnessed on the flight here. Jewish men and women crowding the Western Wall in prayer, with scripture readings, songs and dance. No photography is allowed on this evening or the Sabbath, the sign reads that the wall needs a rest.
Today, we walked to the other side of the city to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, to the top of the hill that oversees the city, went into the church that houses Mary's tomb, back down, then travelled the Via Dolorosa, found a shop with old, old coins from Jesus' time, stopped for a lunch of falafel and shawarma and Coke, found a wonderful local photography shop, purchased some pottery from a favorite shop keeper of Natalie's, walked on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (one of two places believed to be the location of Jesus' tomb), had coffee and dessert at the King David hotel and then meandered back home. This is a beautiful place. I can see why Natalie says something about it feels like home. This is a treasured time to be here with her. Thank you, Lord, for this gift.
"Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, they joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King." Psalm 48:1-2
Arriving on a Friday, means half a day of work followed by Shabbat...a full day of Sabbath rest. As a newcomer, I am not expected to help until the 3rd day, but couldn't resist making dinner the first night when the need was presented. Anticipating I might have the chance to help with the cooking I packed a couple unique ingredients. So my first Shabbat meal in Israel was Minnesota Wild Rice soup, salad, Challah and cherries. We also celebrated one of the staff member's completion of Modern Hebrew studies at Hebrew University with locally purchased chocolate cake! Good job, Ryan!
In these two days, Natalie has treated me to a walking tour of some of the most significant, sacred sites of Jerusalem. We bought dinner ingredients at the outdoor Jewish market just down the street and had lunch at a wonderful local back alley coffee shop that would be impossible to find without the direction of locals. In the evening, we visited the Western Wall, which on a Friday evening felt like a continuation of the celebration and joy I had witnessed on the flight here. Jewish men and women crowding the Western Wall in prayer, with scripture readings, songs and dance. No photography is allowed on this evening or the Sabbath, the sign reads that the wall needs a rest.
Today, we walked to the other side of the city to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, to the top of the hill that oversees the city, went into the church that houses Mary's tomb, back down, then travelled the Via Dolorosa, found a shop with old, old coins from Jesus' time, stopped for a lunch of falafel and shawarma and Coke, found a wonderful local photography shop, purchased some pottery from a favorite shop keeper of Natalie's, walked on to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (one of two places believed to be the location of Jesus' tomb), had coffee and dessert at the King David hotel and then meandered back home. This is a beautiful place. I can see why Natalie says something about it feels like home. This is a treasured time to be here with her. Thank you, Lord, for this gift.
"Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, they joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King." Psalm 48:1-2
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