Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his mercy endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. - Psalm 100
With Thanksgiving just behind us, Calvary Chapel Houston & Beit Rachamim, have much to be thankful for. The team arrived in Israel late Wednesday evening, November 7th. I had just received a phone call from Ishai at Hands of Mercy in Sderot, requesting if we could move our scheduled date of service work from Monday the 12th to Thursday the 8th, the very next morning. Our task was to rebuild some roofing that covers food & clothing that is distributed to the poor, as well as preparing the ground for the planting of many vegetables. Heavy rains were expected, so time was of the essence to provide cover. After successfully restoring the roofing, and before heading back to Jerusalem, we visited a popular overlook of the Gaza Strip. It is a memorial site built about as close to Gaza as one could get. We prayed about ½ hour for the salvation of the Palestinians & Israeli’s, as well as for peace & protection.
Little did we know that on our original scheduled visit, the following Monday, hundreds of rockets, almost 400, would rain down on Israel , many landing in Sderot, as well as other border communities.
It was a sign of the Lord’s faithfulness, and the favor he would show us over the next 10 days. It was truly an amazing testimony of God’s goodness, grace & mercy.
Everywhere the team served, they took advantage of the opportunity to share the Good News, and the Love of the Lord.
We served in Ein Kerem with Alon & Noa (please continue to pray for them). Some team members prayed for our waitress, Moran, during lunch. We had the privilege of serving with Or Shalom, a large Israeli non-profit assisting children at risk. We painted the interior of the home where 11 teenage girls are housed.
We served at the Alliance Church cemetery, where many visitors came and heard about the love of the Messiah. Pray for Moshe and his wife who are pictured below.
We served at the Beautiful Land Initiative in the Galilee. Besides picking up trash along the beach, modern day fisherman got to hear the Good News. “Fishers of Men” were on full display.
The Lord saved the best for the last two days. At Leket, the National Food Bank of Israel, we were joined by about 20 Air Force members who also volunteered to pick Clementina’s. Many conversations ensued with the young male & female soldiers. We all managed to pick 4,400 pounds of fruit, which would be distributed to 1,100 families.
It was just a warm-up for what would follow at our IDF soldiers outreach at the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. This was our second outreach to the soldiers, and once again, proved to be an effective method of engaging in meaningful conversations. Many seeds planted.
In addition to all the service work, and all the outreach opportunities, we still managed to visit Yad Vashem, The Road To Emmaus, The Garden Tomb, Holy Seplecre, The Old City, Western Wall, Ein Gedi, Machane Yehuda Outdoor Market, Ben Yehuda street in the New City, Migdal, Capernaum and baptism’s in the Jordan River, and two worship services.
It was 10 days of non-stop ministry and fun. Don’t know what else to say except “Thank you Calvary Chapel Houston”
The Lord would put it this way: “Well done good & faithful servants”
This was our last Mission Team for 2018. We will be stateside for the holidays speaking at several churches and congregations. Let us know if you interested in having us speak at yours. If you are interested in joining us next year in Israel, email us at:
If the Lord is leading you to support our work in Israel, a tax-deductible gift would be much appreciated and is facilitated by:
House Of Compassion International
House Of Compassion is a registered 501(C) (3) Non-Profit, Organization #84-4256898
You can DONATE HERE
Blessings From Jerusalem
Larry & Bess
