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The team of 12 from Rock Solid Christian Academy have left their mark, mainly on Bess and myself, but also on Israel.

 

These wonderful servants from the Denver Metro area consisted of 8 teens, ages 15-17, (Oy Vay, which is Yiddish for “where is the Messiah when you need him”), and 4 Chaperones.

 

The day the team arrived, the U.S. Embassy had it’s official opening in their new Jerusalem location, which was met with joy and excitement from Israel, missiles from the north, and thousands of Palestinians trying to crash the border fence from Gaza.

 

It had to get better, and it did. Our first full day of service work was at the Alliance Church Cemetery where we raked, cut, and swept the grounds. This is a frequent stop for our Ministry, as its location is on a very busy street in a popular neighborhood of Jerusalem, the German Colony. We usually see many of the locals stroll through the cemetery grounds to enjoy the biblical murals which line the interior walls. The Lord didn’t disappoint, as Sheldon from the Bronx walked in. He was truly provoked to jealousy to see the group toiling away in the heat.

We both got more than we bargained for…he heard the “Good News”, I heard about the social and political turmoil the world is in…with the colorful “language of my youth”, including some swear words I had never heard before! Pray for Sheld, he really is searching for Truth.

 

The next day would be a combination of work and play. We journeyed to one of the orchards of Leket, Israel’s largest Food Bank, and picked peaches for half a day. 500 pounds of peaches which would go to 125 families that week!

We cooled off at the beautiful beach in Rishon LeTzion. The highlight there was an overtime touchdown scored by Team AARP over the Teens. Of course, they claimed we cheated. I told them before we started, it was Brooklyn Rules.

 

On Friday morning, we visited Alon at the forest in Ein Kerem. Half the team was gathering stones of all sizes, the remainder was building a retaining wall. We have been working with Alon for more than two years. We just try to be a blessing, be a light, be an ambassador of the Messiah, and share the Good News, as the Lord allows.

That evening before sundown, we journeyed to one of our favorite places, The Road To Emmaus, had an Erev Shabbat dinner, and called it a night.

 

Our next service day took us north to the Galilee. It’s a day that we work half a day picking up trash with “The Beautiful Land Initiative”. Generally, we are cleaning a beach, but this time we found ourselves in an older neighborhood of North Tiberius overlooking the Kinneret (Sea Of Galilee)

One of the residents of the building, Smadar, was watching from her window. She was provoked to jealousy seeing the team toiling in the heat. She came down with water and snacks, and to thank the group for their efforts. She was quite open, pray for Smadar.

 

The remainder of the day, we toured the Galilee, visiting several of the sites where Yeshua walked and taught.

 

The following day we journeyed to Beit Shemesh, home of The Joseph Project, the humanitarian aid ministry of the MJAA, Messianic Jewish Alliance.

There the team assembled bomb shelter kits for children, filled with items to keep them occupied in the event of an emergency.

The Beit Shemesh area is the home of Samson, and just up the road we visited the Elah Valley, where David and Goliath squared off for their epic battle.

 

In addition to all the service work, the team found time to visit Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum, En Gedi, the Dead Sea, and spent 2 days in the Old City touring the ancient grounds that date back thousands of years, too many places to mention.

 

 

Of the 12 person team, only 4 had been to Israel before. We pray it was a journey that will impact their lives forever. Thank you “Team Rock Solid” for a job well done.

 

If you’re interested in serving with us in Israel or have any questions, email us at:

 

 

If you would like to help support our work in Israel, your tax-deductible gift.

 

Blessings From Jerusalem

Larry & Bess