This ride I’m on has very little to do with me! It’s about Him! Why He graces me to be His participant, I may never know, but I continue to be awed. I am slightly overawed as I sit here on the plane pondering the past days in Israel. There were four main foci for this two week + trip:
Meeting w/ Tikkun apostolic council (Juster, Intrater, Shishkoff, Rudolph, & I); Teaching at Gateway Beyond’s Training Center in Cyprus; Introducing Aglow International’s President Jane Hansen and her Executive Director Kay Rogers to the believing brethren in the Land; Furthering relationships with the believing body (Jews and Arabs) in Israel. All of these were over the top…
I was still reeling from my late January visit to Kona, where I was thrown into an ocean of world evangelists, and adding my piece to their puzzle – and a very significant divine appointment with one of the young leaders on the base.
Then I arrive in Israel and have a day with the Tikkun apostolic team. No group of men in the world have my respect more than these four men with whom I am privileged to work with (Intrater, Shishkoff, Juster and Rudolph). God was good to us. We were together about fourteen hours that day. David Rudolph had a prophetic word about my connecting to a younger brother and I knew he was talking about Tod from Kona! Pray that we will know what God desires in our fellowship together.
We did not have any clear expectations about our time with Jane Hansen and Kay, but found the Lord had been preparing a way we knew not yet of. We were knit together more and more during the five constant days together – and even still liked each other!
Aglow International is now in 160 nations. They have 150 groups in Cairo, Egypt, 40 in Khartoum alone, with many in other nations! This intercessory network of hundreds of thousands of women (and now some men as well) involves not only warring prayer but God-inspired outreach and ministry of all kinds in the nations. They now have three highlighted God-given pillars that shape their prayer and ministry: reconciliation of men and women, Islam, and Israel. Jane and Kay are to join us in Kansas City for the Israel Mandate conference as well to see how the Lord may want to further connect them. Asher Intrater and Dan Juster are two of the principle speakers, as is Coach McCartney. Betty and Patty will also join us, as well as my Martha.
Of course I need to mention my time in Cyprus. It’s always a blessing to be baptized in a sea of Rudolphs at Gateways Beyond. David and Emma and the team treated me like royalty. During that time, too, there was needed revelation for future work. And it always causes me to forget my age when I am among students at both Gateways and with Asher’s Revive Israel group. Not to mention little vignette times with Heskel, Fred and Ami Intrater (I spent several nights in their home which was such a blessing), as well as some of the other young staff/students with the team.
The circle of family inside Israel continues to increase, with tighter connects to Asher’s team, and renewed visits with many others in the two weeks I had in the Land. I was introduced to an entirely new and strong in the Lord congregation in Jerusalem, the one led by John and his son Calev. I had met them only on telephone and email recently, but I’ll be back to that place!
Visits with an Arab pastor from the Old City, and a host of other shorter visits always leaves me wishing for more.
I do also need to mention Cohen who is to lead the new congregation in Acco. Not only is he a Cohen, but he grew up in Acco, and his grandfather was a rabbi in part of Acco two generations back. To hear his testimony of his hunger for the Lord in his youth, of his disillusionment over the orthodox movement, and how Yeshua found him, increases our faith for this generation.
Basically, Guy wondered why there had not ever been anyone who had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey. Many details later, when he read the Zechariah passage, he knew he had struck pay dirt! The very next Shabbat he went to Tents of Mercy congregation, but said to himself, “If they have a cross, I’m leaving!” (In other words, he was not interested in leaving his Jewish-ness and becoming a ‘Christian.’) When they started to open the ark for the Torah reading, he thought, “Oh, here it comes. I’ll bet the cross is hidden inside their ark,” but as they brought the Torah scroll, he knew he was home, and he’s never looked back!
Don’t forget the new book: “The Time Has Come!” I need to have a good copy by end of March so that I can get it to readers and then to Gospel Light Regal by the May 1 deadline.
By the way, we are also still praying for the grants that are to be released for several ministries some time this year. They have been approved, but the funding has some kind of hold-up. I had good telephone fellowship with the brother who is our connect with the foundation and several of us, along with this brother, were fasting one day last week, asking the Lord to remove all hindrances in us and in the source of the funding, and to work His will in all of us in the waiting.
Thank you for letting us share all of this with you, knowing that you are men and women of prayer. Please always give us any input the Lord may give you for us as we seek the Lord together.
We are living in indescribably wonderful and agonizing excruciating times! Oh, Lord! Keep you hand on us! Blessings to all of you!
