We leave for NY early tomorrow morning.

Let me start with an update from last week when I had no access to internet.

Last week we had interactions with people who were to busy doing drugs to care about anything we had to say.

However that being said the L-rd made us available to a few key people who really had questions about what we believed, and we ended up giving out multiple new testaments.

This last week we were on an All guys team. Hiking all around, it was a really great growing experience as well as a very difficult and dark time for us as I mentioned the people who didn’t want anything to do with us.

I will try to give more details in a different blog post, right now I want to talk about how amazing this trip has been after I tell you about this morning;

This morning we arrived in Delhi and I went to bed around 6am because our bus had just dropped us off. When I woke up I felt really Ill and cold, even though Delhi is a extremely humid and hot place. Thankfully I went back to bed, turned off our AC and Fans and put on really warm cloths and got up around 3ish, being all sweaty, and no longer being cold, but needing to put something in my body to give me energy because I felt very weak. So Praise Y’sh’a that this illness hasn’t been a very long ordeal (I think) I still feel a bit ill.

Now onto the partial unpacking of what happened on this trip.

This 10 week Journey has been a wonderful and great ride and I am really appreciative of the fact that it exists, and all the people who have helped it become what it is right now, I also look forward to where this trip will go in the future…

Many difficult and wonderful things have taken place on this trip, and through it all the L_RD has provided for me in each and everyone.

From the long grueling hikes we were on last week, to the adventures we had in Israel and the people we met and friends we’ve made both on this trip with me and the people we encountered along the way. I am truly glad that Y’sh’a called me to this trip this summer.

Although this trip is over, The season that follows when I arrive home will be another journey that I am excited and ready for, and I know it too has hardships along the path but I look forward to tackling them as they appear.

I am sad to be leaving the people who have become such an amazing family to me in these past 10 weeks but also and happy to part ways from them that I might see how this trip will allow their changed lives to bear fruit in the different paths all of us are about to go on.

I am happy that we are going back to the states but saddened by knowing that I will be leaving 6 wonderful friends I have made behind. As they continue on with the call that G-D placed on their lives for these next 4 months.

This trip has really opened my eyes and helped me gain a new perspective on evangelism, life, living a life of evangelism, and also shown me what I need to work on next in my LIFE LONG journey to knowing and growing closer to Y’sh’a.

It gives me great joy to know I have such an encouraging community behind me. And as hard as this trip has been looking back on all the things that have been accomplished for “The Kingdom” and in my life, make all the hardships that my community and I have been through, worth it.

Before coming on this trip I knew that I would be changed when I went home but I didn’t know that it would be so drastic, the next issue on this journey will be not falling into the boxes and routine things that I used to do.

I want to thank all of our Supporters who have been praying for us and helped us come on such an amazing Massah Trip.

I pray that all of you will be blessed imensely for all the support you’ve given us.

This post seems very unorgainized but I hope that joy I have from this trip and appreciation I have for you helping us on this trip comes across.

In HIS Divine and Perfect Mercy

~Jonathan

So God is basically not letting me get by this summer without this experience drastically changing my life.  I just want to share a little bit of what that looks like from my perspective…

Every day I get to wake up without having to worry about school or a “job” and get to focus on serving God in the full aspect of the idea. My day is completely open to figuring out what God wants me to do, whether that be worship Him, be in prayer for others, share His gospel, or wait patiently for whatever opportunity comes next. Or all of the above. It’s incredible what that can do to a person, seeking God through the whole day, reflecting on Him before you go to bed, and getting to wake up and do it all over again. Each day brings new opportunities and each day I’m learning how much more I want and need more of God.

When we wake up we have time to worship, and since none on our team happen to have a guitar we sing along to ipod speakers.   we improvise! Anyway, one of the songs we sing has the lyrics “we are hungry for more of You” and I have found that to be a theme for me. Just in the past couple years God has drawn me so close to Him. He’s shown me I can’t live on my own, that I need Him more everday, and anything I try to replace Him with is insufficient. It’s pretty cool to know this about God, but India assures me of it.

I love that God chose everyone on my team and me to be exactly where we are right now. I was just thinking about it – I’m in a foreign country, took a crazy bus ride to a mountain village where I only know the people I came here with and the ones I’ve met while I’ve been here. If I didn’t KNOW that God was here with me it would be so terrifying. But he goes with and before us every single day, and it’s just incredible to see what He is doing here. If there’s something I am constantly reminding myself of it’s that God is in control, He is the one changing people’s hearts and it is just my privelege to serve Him in whatever way I can.

I know this isn’t the most specific of blogs, but know that God is providing in specific ways. My brain just happens to be functioning in very broad terms right now. I hope you are all doing incredibly well – both other Massah-ers and those elsewhere that have been praying for us. We can’t thank you enough, your prayers are truly effecting so many lives. And my life.

 Things you can be praying for:

• That God would continue to water the seeds planted here, and for even more opportunities to share His love
• For the health of all teams
• Encouragement for our last days in current locations
• Safe travels for all teams

I love you and am praying for you! Only a couple weeks left, but I know God can move mountains in that time. Pray that He does!!!

Lizzy

Description: Lizzy Update

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to sleep through a ride as much as the one up a mountain. Pretty terrifying. But God is good and we arrived alive!! The thing that kept me sane on the longest bus ride ever was that this wasn’t the first successful trip ever, that people were already there and have been before me. A little grip of hope…

Today Sean, Talia, and I spoke to this girl Sofie who is traveling here. The conversation was incredibly focused on the gospel for quite some time and Sofie asked a lot of questions about what we believe. It was a really encouraging conversation, my first of our time here. Please pray for Sofie that God would reveal Himself in a tangible, yet miraculous way – that she wouldn’t be able to explain in through science or logic but that He would just baffle her and win her heart.

Even one day here has been a destresser compared to Delhi. God certainly knows our limits, and is continuing to use us. I just hope that I can be awake enough to really be aware of everything that is going on. I want to be able to be used in big ways for His kingdom.

Just wanted to tell the other groups that we are praying for you all the time. I’m so proud of you all and I hope you are encouraged by what God is doing with us. We all made it safely to our destinations, and that is saying something about earnest prayer!

Something I’ve been rethinking over that we discussed at school this past semester was the idea of battling the flesh vs. spiritual things. There are a lot of worldly things that can seem to get in the way of presenting the gospel, so many actions  that we don’t agree with, but we aren’t here to battle the people that God created, but share God’s love. We are here to battle wrong ideas of who God, our savior, is. “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destory arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” 2 Cor 10:4-5   I don’t know if that resonates with anyone, but I’ve been thinking about how many things can side track us from our focus, and that these things should not stand in our way of mission.

I plan on taking in more of our site tomorrow, after a hopefully wonderful night’s rest. I love you all that I am separated from, either in India or America. Thank you for your prayers!!

Lizzy

Oh, ps. Thanks for prayers for Micha – He’s out of the hospital and did not have a heart attack! So great! Please pray that they would just be able to find out where the chest pain is coming from. THANKS SOOOO MUCH!!!

Our last night in Israel, I was pondering this idea of aquiring knowledge. Once you learn about something new you can’t really forget it. I’m not talking math or science, those can easily be forgotten, but seeing a place you’ve never seen before – that doesn’t leave the mind easily. On our last night I was thinking that was the last time I wouldn’t have a real image of what India is like. The last time all I had to go on was my imagination. That time has passed.

Just a small glitch of getting sick on the plane, being completely unaware of what time or day it is, and feeling like I’m in a dream world while here — other than that things are really great! In all seriousness, it’s an incredible blessing that we arrived safely and without any major problems. The ride from the airport was my first real experience, and a bit of a frightening and invigorating one. Not being in control of the car and just trusting that our driver wasn’t going to slam into the all too chaotic traffic meant I had to take a chill pill. Luckily, jet lag helped with that one. Also, going from Israel where you could pick anyone out from the street and assume they are Jewish to being a complete minority (I know I’m usually pasty, but I’ve never felt this white before!) is a bit of a shocker too. But God is so good. There will be plenty more feelings to come, I’m sure, as I wake up from my dream state and really grasp where I am.

In the meantime, things you can be praying for:

• My brother Micha – had some tests done on his heart, looking good but still having chest pains and don’t have all of the results back yet.
• Good health for Massah – getting sick on the plane was probably the least bothersome thing that could have happened. Please keep our good health in your prayers!
• For God to take away our inhibitions and fears of being hear, to live day by day to praise and serve Him to the best of our abilities.
• As our teams split up, safe travels in the next day or two.

Love you guys. Your support helps more than you can know. And sorry if I’m slow to reply, or don’t reply at all… That is totally my own fault. But God is using this time to really change my heart into an obedient one, or at least He’s trying and I’m stubborn. So thank you for the prayers that just keep on giving!

I can finally say…

From India with love!

What exactly do you mean we are going to India in 2 days?  My brain was having a really hard time grasping the idea that we, in fact, are actually going to India. It wasn’t ever really a tangible idea until you start saying things like, there’s only one more day to get things you need before India. Or, next week when we’re in India. Or oh my goodness, we are actually, really, truly going to INDIA. Ok, it’s happening. It’s real. Now what?

Well, I can tell you I’m so encouraged to know that Bet is there now preparing the way for us. I am so thankful for their service to God, and selfishly how it helps me to put my mind at ease knowing they are there already. Thank you so much Talia, Sarah, Isaac, Sterling, Sean, and Remy – you are an incredible blessing.

Literally, leaving for India soon means our room is a bit of a disaster, people are kind of wandering back and forth trying to figure out what they should be doing, and trying to clean Beit Immanuel and rental vehicles before we depart. Spiritually it means sporadically praying for sanity, a tinsy bit of a grasp of what it will be like, realizing you won’t be able to do it without the help of God and your community, clinging to that idea, praying on that idea, getting annoyed with that idea, and then more prayer. If you can follow my brain processing things in this blog, then congratulations! If not, I apologize.

Going to India is also recognizing what God has accomplished here in Israel. Specifically for our team He has started a foundation of a clear picture of Jewish identity, a small glimpse of Hebrew, an understanding of what it means to not exactly have a picture of God but to continue to serve Him and strive to know more daily. My time in Israel has blown by, but not without some discomfort. I’ve had to shed my strong hold of the idea that I can do everything on my own, with a little help from God. I’m learning what it means to have Y’shua as part of my identity as a person living on this earth, and how I need to surrender myself to become more like Him. Such a counter intuitive concept in our society, and not the easiest one to put into practice either – but a necessary process to having a much better life. I’m so grateful for this time of growth.

So it’s true, our time in Israel is coming to a close. It has been a time I will never forget. I pray that God would continue to speak to those we have been connecting with here, that He would reveal the truth of Y’shua the messiah, and that those individuals would accept Him in their hearts. It’s hard to recognize that it’s not me that is changing some one’s heart, but I find it comforting too because I know I don’t have that kind of power.

Thank you all for your love and prayers. Keep em comin! Please pray for our transition to India, that God would bind us together as a community, and that we would immediately recognize what He has planned for us there. Also that we would just open up our hearts, lay our lives on the table so He can use them in the best way possible. Can’t wait to be saying “from India with love” but until then…

From Tel Aviv with love!

So we’ve been talking a lot about the attributes of God, like His justice, love, sovereignty, holiness, and others. I just wanted to give props to God for being so much bigger, grander, better, and smarter than I will ever be. Because I know that we should strive to know more about God all the time, but I’m wrestling with the fact that I will never know Him in the way He originally intended until this earth is finished. Though I may never have really thought about it before, God’s teaching me that I don’t know a lot. And that’s a very humbling idea to learn.

Ok, now that I’m done talking in circles I just wanted to thank you all for your prayers for this evening. The show that some of the guys from Bet, with the help of many others, put on tonight was a big success. We also spent some time in prayer that God would be working in and through us for everyone that showed up (a lot of whom were Israelis that Massah met last year) and I think that He is definitely using every situation here to His glory. Aaron A. talked about how Y’shua became a real part of his life, and it was awesome to hear how Israelis were interested in what he said and what it meant. Not to mention Remy, Sterling, and Isaac have incredible musical gifts and are continuing to use them to God’s glory! It’s a big encouragement to all of us here.

Learning that being a disciple should be part of who you are as a person, not just what you do when you go out to hand out tracts or when you think people are looking is so much of what God is showing me here in Israel. Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement, they mean so much! Please tell everyone at camp in the midwest that we say hi and we miss you! And family and friends back home – you are all so vital to me being here and feeling the love of community from the states!

Sorry if I’ve talked myself in circles… A little bit of sleepiness has set in.

Much love from Israel – Lizzy

The first phrase I learned to speak once I arrived  in Israel… Ani lo meteveret ivrit, or, I do not speak Hebrew! Let me tell you, I got some practice with that one! When we were doing besor, evangelism, last week I was saying it quite a bit! And as frustrating as it can be to not be able to understand somebody else, God can certainly use it as a blessing. Like when somebody is yelling at you in a tongue you can’t understand, it doesn’t cut so deep! Or when you learn some new words in Hebrew and can pick them out from other people’s conversations in public you can be proud of yourself. Oh the small joys of miscommunication.

This Sunday we began our Ivrit lessons, and our teacher Noa is amazing! We’re being taught Ulpan style, the class is in Ivrit and we can actually absorb, however slowly it might take, the information so much better than if it were taught in englit, or English. The lessons start at 10am and go til 12:30 with a break in the middle. Our class is held at the JFJ branch so we drive there and have some devotions and worship before Noa arrives to teach. The craz thing is that she is not a believer in Y’shua, but she’s such an incredible person! Please keep her in your prayers, that we could have an influence for the messiah in her heart.

Ok, so now’s a time for some true honesty for ya. I had some pretty big expectations for Israel before I got here, and I think God has some different plans for me, which is a good thing. Before arriving I think I completely romanticised this country; I had the idea that the second I stepped off the plane God would be pounding on my heart to try to make aliyah, or move to, Israel as soon as I could. However, I think God is showing me something bigger than myself in this situation. To so many Israel is the symbol of Judaism and Christianity, a holy place with people in complete reverence of their God. Once I got here though, God has showed me that that is hardly the case. Most of this country is secular, but still tied to the land as being a Jew. There is little reverence for God, and most of the observers here fear God more than anything else – and not a healthy fear. It’s legalism, not a religion. God is showing me that these people need to recognize that He is supreme, powerful, loving, all-knowing, just, real, and THE ONLY WAY! I’ve heard so many people say “not for me” to Y’shua, and even to God in general. Isreal isn’t quite sweeping me off my feet as much as it is breaking my heart.

That being said, there is still a ridiculous amount of history to be seen here. Yesterday was a great day! Effie Goldstein took us on a big tour of some different places where Solomon and Sampson were and where David killed Goliath. Also, we got to crawl around in these crazy caves, and I mean CRAWL! Squeezed through some really tight spaces that opened up into big rooms where they kept pigeons and birds for sacrifices. Truly, a great experience! We all came out covered in dust and dirt, but totally worth it!

I also have an incredible blessing from God. He has provided all of my financial support and then some! Honestly, I’m in awe of how God takes care of me and provides. He IS stretching me and making me grow. And this community is an incredible place to be in during the process. I’m learning things daily, not just Hebrew, but that God doesn’t just want the status quo from me. He wants all of me, and I pray that my spirit is in a place to give everthing I have to Him daily.

Some Prayers:

*For Tamar and Barry – they are both quite sick from some bad milk they had today. Please pray for God’s amazing healing on their bodies.

*For my sister, Sarah, and her new daughter, Aviva, that God would be blessing them and helping them all to get a lot of rest!

*For a new member of our team arriving Thursday, Jessie, that God would just help us all to welcome him and that Jessie would meld in like he has been here from the beginning. Oh and safe travels!

*That God would daily show me, and all of the Massah-ers, his will for us, that we would trust in Him, that He would bind us together, help to build one another up in the faith, and that God would give us wisdom to do it all.

*For everyone we have been talking to, that’s seen our JFJ shirts, and for those that God still has planned for us to meet.

I love you all at home in the states so much!! Thank you for the encouragement, and keep it coming! Even a small message from home is heard in a big way here! Love and miss you!

Lizzy

So the time here in Isreal has been really great so far. God is working in obvious ways, changing and molding us all to be better followers of Him. I’m learning that the more aware I am of who He is and my role in life and understanding my faith, the more I am accountable for my actions. This is such a hard thing for me to really take to heart and wrap my brain around, but by God’s grace I am really trying to put it into practice.

On our first evangelism outing today I was a little bit nervous, not having done anything like this for a few years now, but we had some good practice beforehand of how to deal with different situations and it help to put my mind at ease. It’s really cool to see how powerful prayer is, because we have been consistently praying that the Spirit would be working in the hearts of the people we are going to meet when we are out and God is making it very evident that He is doing just that! How awesome! Another praise to God: there were a few people on our team who had never done anything like this before and were pretty nervous/apprehensive about really putting themselves out there and how others would react, but I am SO proud of them for doing it with enthusiasm and for the glory of the Lord. What a great testament to how God upholds us through our struggles.

Yet another praise! I just want to thank you all for consistently and lovingly praying for our teams, both aleph and beit. God is truly building up a strong community in us, which allows us to grow millions of times more than we could ever do it on our own. Please continue to pray that we would be accountable to one another, loving in our relationships, and striving to serve one another. This is such an important time in our lives to build each other up and I think God has put each and every one of us here to really thrive on the community created when we devote ourselves to Him.

My time here is truly blessed. Worship is so powerful. I can’t really explain it, but it is.

I love you all at home so very much!! Please take joy in the Lord today, He’s doing great things in Isreal!

Lizzy