Tuesday – 5
We got a call last evening that a Congregational leader was available to talk to us IF we were willing to go. The prayer seemed to be easy enough and the response was favorable …so we came to this centrally located city. We had coffee and shared much in an open-aired little shop. It was a lively meeting with babies and expecting mamma and our robust ban merry makers.

Later we were invited to their kahellet to pray. The couple are actually both pastors and have been ministering for over 12 years there. They explained that there was some discouragement not seeing their efforts multiply. The community hasn’t grown to significant numbers and every time they train-up they seem to lose the congregants.

Well, actually not! We found that the community is actually young adults that end up going to university and seeding other communities themselves with the Word. Reality is .. this little community is a sending farm to distribute truth and Abba has kept them obscure to be under His hand of protection. We encouraged this message to them and that they were soon to receive encouragement and a new song.

Upon our return to the states I got an email from an outreach that has just secured a facility to bring supplies and provision to this very city. WOW…now we watch for the new song of hope of Yeshua to expand in the city and region.

We once prayed over this city from afar as we also prayed for the believers in Gaza. Abba heard our prayers and now … in thanks giving … we ask for life to come forth!

Monday 4
Once again we revisited an ancient fortress and strategic area where a few years before we were impressed to do an act of repentance and reconciliation. This time as we walked through the oldest arch known to man, we pondered the difference this year to the past. It was interesting that, as before we knew we were entering into yet another depth and what came forth was entirely greater. Where we knelt before one to another as Jews and Gentiles in the spirit of reconciliation, we were now echad asking for the greater.

It was as though one of the final portions of our assignment was being solidified. Little did we know that this time would only expand into Tuesday and drive the completion of our endeavor ever deeper. As we asked for the Southern shield of protection to be as high as heaven, deeper than the sea in front of us, wide as the East is from the West we also had a sense that this increase was a reflection of a Kingdom to come; His hand over His land and His heart broken for all His people.

We’ve been here two weeks to bless His land, His people and yet it seems like only a few short days ago that we arrived with the great expectation and hope that we would meet the destiny He had waiting for us. Now we are realizing there’s so much more and yes … we’ll just have to come back and continue with the process.

We got another opportunity to pray in Tel Aviv for an upcoming conference that begins the Thursday after we leave. It will be three day affair where day one will be to honor the Holocaust survivors (some of which we served earlier), day 2 will be the widows, widowers and orphans, and day 3 the elderly and needy. There is a report coming in a few days that will give the outcome of this event.

Sunday 3
Surprise! Cathy

Today was full of surprises! We had the delightful surprise of having my room-mate join us on our prayer journey today, how wonderful to be able to have her join us in our prayers for the protection of His people for the building of His Kingdom. It was a joy to have her meet the folks she’s heard so much about and vice versa. She is from Korea and there is something special about having East / West joining together to pray as one.

Then there was the surprise of having our prayer assignment changed. Then the surprise of not being able to find the sight we wanted to pray at…but the Lord leading us to the site where HE wanted us to pray…an ancient fortress. The gate was open (amazing) we could just walk right in to pray. When we reached our afternoon assignment, the door to the building we needed to pray in, prior to a big outreach event (to Jewish residents) being held this Thurs. Fri. & Sat. was closed, but as we walked toward it, surprise it was opened.

Thank you Lord for your direction and for open gates and open doors! Please join us in praying for the outreach, for the leaders as they make final preparations, for the speaker to be given a special anointing to speak to the unbelievers who will be coming. Please pray that the Lord would open their eyes and they would see their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua & embrace Him!

Margaret

We returned to a congregation we had visited earlier in our visit and prayed over their building and inside the congregation meeting place. We prayed to keep away evil and bring supportive tenants to the empty spaces in the building. We also prayed that the Spirit of our Lord and his life would fill the place.

I liked the image one person had of the Bride of Christ as this congregation. I was pulled by the bridal wear too but still need more practice discerning connection to scripture.

We prayed for their protection, great power in a close, personal relationship for the pastor and his team with our Lord. We prayed over the sanctuary and the classrooms as well as the general meeting areas and offices.

Next, we tried to find a local point of interest with no success, but we did find the ancient ruin of a Fort in that town. It was very interesting that we were led to this historic protector of the Mediteranian city. We could see the well, storage areas, and what looked like a communal oven. We went up on the broken sea side wall and looked out over the Mediteranian Sea. We discussed its significance and prayed for our Lord’s protection over this whole coast and thatt Satan and the spirit of Leviathon would be crushed and only life and hope allowed to pass through.

We also prayed for an outreach meeting place for a meeting to take place later this week. They are directing their message to Haulocaust survivors the first day and others (Jewish) the following two days. We wandered a while before we located the conference center. Once we followed the sign directions, we did fine. The meeting complex is big and we were given a number which did not line up with the gate number. We asked directions and a visiting friend got us our instructions. God blessed us with her company today.

Saturday – 2
Joe;

Into the Wilderness…

There is purifying in the wilderness, it is more than just a dry heat, like El Paso Texas but a lot hotter and a lot dryer, it is like the refiners fire from scripture. One step in its direction results in a hard wall of heat that’s almost overpowering, almost tangible. It is where we go to meet with God, to seek out our Lord.

Now imagine this is your home and this is your everyday experience, these are the people we meet when we traveled to the southern most city in Israel, where Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt all come together and several can be seen from a single hill side. The joy, caring and hospitality found in the people there is off the scales of most normal places. My heart wells up with joy just thinking about them. When the word is brought to them, even before it is given to the people, the Holy Spirit is at work and breaking down barriers and delivering people into His light, life and cool oasis of His love. If the time of worship begins like this, witness what the Lord can do. He is able and He is willing.

After the congregation meeting while visiting with the pastor and some of his staff, trust between our groups and our experiences with the Lord shared, we grew closer in our walk with the Lord and with each other.

When it says in scripture I put before you blessings and curses, life and death, choose life, this is choosing life. To encourage the body of our Messiah, to share testimony about Him, what He is able to do and His willingness, brings joy in the Lord. That Joy is our strength, that strength moves mountains

Choir Concert with the Lutherans

It was a long drive back to our lodging today. We had a wonderful breakfast prepared by our hosts in their flat. After our casual dining we set out for the journey. The desert is an intriguingly ramble of hills and mountains of vast proportions. The terrain seems endless and the dryness can be overwhelming, yet full of mystery.

We had time to shower and change for a Choir Concert next door at a Lutheran church. The main chamber is reminiscent of a 1st century layout and the acoustics were amazing.

There was a calming tranquil presence of the L-RD for the entire 2 hours. Both soloists were wonderful. One was with song, one was a flautist. What a blessing to be refresh in such a way. Beautiful!

Friday – 1
Shalom Mishpacha & Chaverim (family & Friends) by Cathy

The Lord is blessing mightily in answer to prayer, thank you for your prayers for us! On Friday when the Pastor introduced us at service, in a Congregation we visited for the first time last year he said, we were the people whose faces they could not remember, but they remembered that we were full of grace. How wonderful is that! One of our goals is to; “do the will of the Father, exalt His Son, led by the Holy Spirit & do it anonymously”. ..they don’t remember our face, but they remember we were full of grace…may it continue to be so Lord, may we be so full of your grace that people are drawn to & remember you!Margaret

We stayed overnight on this trip. The women stayed with the pastor and his family. We had wonderful worship with their congregation. While joining in the worship and the message we had a great translator for us to the rest of the Congregation. Then we went to a coffee shop and visited with the pastor, his wife and some of their team. We all shared a little about our home churches, where we lived and how we came to visit Israel.

They have lovely daughters and the middle one practiced her English on us and we practiced Hebrew, mostly animal names as she loves animals. I showed her how little Hebrew I knew by showing her the Aleph-Bet book I am working on just to get the letters in memory.The pastor and his wife made us a lovely breakfast for us all before we left. We really enjoyed our stay.

Thursday – 31
Sammie

Today was my last day in Israel and it was a great one! The best part was Cathy showing us the K of K Watchman Prayer Tower. It was a good ending to get to see a view of the whole city, watching people below.

Every once in a while my eyes would stick on an individual as I prayed for their hearts to soften to the call of their Messiah.

That’s the point of this trip for me. I can now pray for Issrael as a whole but also for individuals. I wish I could stay longer to continue to meet these beautiful people. I can’t wait to share this beauty to those back home.

My Abba …He did it! He really brought me to Israel!!! He allowed me to see His beautiful land , meet His beautiful people and be a part of an incredible team of followers.

I go home with a heart full of joy being witness to His Mighty Hand that man may say it’s impossible, but for my Abba nothing is impossible. I also go home with a heavy heart full of great love for Israel, a love that is truely sealed in my heart that will not fade but will be shared.

RD

We were invited to serve with old friends in the Western region for an impromptu gathering. Since it was the last evening of the Pashat ‘B’midbar’ it seemed only proper to encourage our friends in the promise of this wonderful segment of our scripture. The place was full – many received their healing – the infilling of His Ruach HaKodesh was intense and liberty was overflowing. GREAT night!

Joe

Our day was spent doing some shopping in Jerusalem, as one of our Project Team members was heading for home. It was an adventure, all the planned ways fell through and we found ourselves in sections of the city we normally don’t get a chance to visit. Based on the time of day we were not able to take a section of road because it is for buses only during that time, this leads our vehicle into the heart of the ultra orthodox section of town. It is a set of seemingly random one way streets with a section of road all dug up and under construction, praying for finding the way out and to our destination was mixed in with praying blessing over that area and their community. It continues to amaze and delight me that God is more concerned about enjoying the journey with us than He is about us getting to a certain destination at a certain time. It is about trusting Him to get us where we need to go and at the same time being in charge and the important stuff getting done while we are journeying with Him. Our evening visit was met with a impromptu congregation meeting on a Thursday evening, which is outside of the normal Friday evening or Saturday morning meeting times. After the word was shared there was a time of praying for those needing or wanting to be prayed for. Stepping forward with a desire to know God’s will or to seek out God before making a next move even in business, results in some pretty amazing out pouring of the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a real thing and can be felt in waves or seen in the continued outpouring into those prayed over. To witness this first hand up front praying for those people, brings to mind memories of being touched by the Holy Spirit with the life changing waves pouring over, into and through does bring joy to my heart. It begins with a heart seeking after God and gets filled to overflowing, joy magnified and joy in the Lord is our strength.

Margaret

We prayed for several of the congregation that we visited today. There was a great out pouring of Ruach. Even those who at first resisted came forward for prayer and were blessed by the spirit touching them.We prayed for many issues. There was a young girl with diabetes. We prayed for a mom that had female issues from pregnancies that were too close together. A young Arab man came to ask for clarity and focus for choosing between his work or starting a business. When the Spirit filled him it sent waves through the room. One young woman with relationship issues was so filled with the Holy Spirit that her face still glowed at the end of the evening (hours later). After I went to sit down a lady came over and offered to pray for me because the spirit moved her to do so. I was very touched by her concern and her willingness to move according to the Spirit’s prompting.Their facility has moved to a new location and is being remodeled. I think they will out-grow it very soon.

Wednesday – 30
Galilee Experiences

There is always an allurement with Israel. We’ve been in several parts of the Northern portions, but this time we’ve spent time cultivating our understanding around certain areas of the Sea of Galilee. Yes, the Peter Fish was wonderful and the diversity of the Sea is amazing, but the cultural and historic values are extreme. We investigated the ancient boat of the Sea (no .. it’s not the Jesus boat – but it is a boat of His time). We contemplated the thoughts of His being in the area servicing the fulfillment of Torah and the prophets. Imagining His firm yet tender discourse of it all is invigorating to say the least. We’ll be back to further explore and stain to listen and hear His still small voice as we expand our understanding for what He has for us here.

The Mount of Beatitudes was close so we scurried to catch a sense of that area before it closed for the day. What a view overlooking the Sea and again engaging in His Word as we whisped through this tranquil and most reflective place.

Tuesday – 29
Joe

God can use us for His Purpose no matter our age or circumstances. For what purpose is God calling You? God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. If you are still breathing, God has things for you to be doing.

It is along the lines of Tikun Olam, the idea that the world is broken and we need to work with God to help repair it. God doesn’t just do miracles, we take the first step, then the miracle comes from God (Joshua 1:10-11).

Today as part of blessing Israel I had the opportunity to help with a food distribution to one hundred Holocaust survivors. It is an honor being able to serve them. It amazes me how God set up these mitzvot (good deeds) for me to do back before the forming of the universe.

Thank you God for letting me do my little part. My little part involved praying, sweating, handing out bags of food, smiling and nodding. With care and respect I was able to distribute several bags of food. I was had the opportunity to look them in the eyes and smile and hand over the blessing that God already produced, to bring joy and nourishment to their families. God sees and cares for them. They are feisty and persistent, they are survivors. Their trust in God to see them through radiates from them, but they know they must step first to bring God’s miracle.

I am glad I was able to stand with them today as I continue to stand with Israel! Will you stand with Israel too? Will you join me? I hope you will, today, right now, choose life, choose to bless (Gen 12:3).

Margaret

Today we worked with a group giving out food to Holocaust survivors.

They receive packets of food each month which includes vegetables and fruits. I did not ask if other things are included, but I am sure everything they receive is used.

It was a little stressful because everyone there wanted to be first in line for fear of not receiving food. It was difficult at the start to get near the van which brought the food. It was hard to be in the middle of that so I stayed on the edges to help people put their food into their wheeled carts. I think about my mother-in-law that was a depression baby and how much the scarcity then affected the way she dealt with life. I cannot even imagine how much more these people feel concerned for meeting their daily needs after the deprivation of concentration camps, the abuse, and the fear continually for their very lives.

I am glad there is a congregation serving these people. It was an honor to pray for these pastors to encourage their work and be of any support we can be to them.

Monday 28
Sammie

Today we went and met with two pastors (One a Jewish Believer –one an Arab Believer). We got to hear their hearts Abba has given them for their community, their struggles and their desires to bring their congregation and their whole community together as one in Yeshua.

As we prayed over these two men it felt like the city and community seared into my heart. I have been praying for Israel for a while, but now when I pray I have faces that I see as I pray; needs I know to bring before Abba; that’s the beauty of this trip. When I go back home, when I get with friends to pray for Israel it won’t be a vague country with blurry faces. It will be an out pouring of my heart, clearly seeing faces and their needs as I lift this beautiful country up.

As much as I’ll hate to leave I’ll love bringing the reality of God’s heart back home to share with others.

Melissa

Today I was blessed to visit a place that I saw 3 years ago. It was a small synagog and this time instead of worshipping with the congregation, we had a good conversation with two pastors from the area, one an Arab and the other was Jewish. We witnessed genuine living reconciliation between the Jews and Arabs. We heard about the need for the community to remember the Biblical history of their city and for their need of prayers for protection. We also saw the pastor’s foodbank area and his vision to serve the homeless. Prayers for the center and the Pastor were given in abundance and we are excited to see G-d move in this place.Baby and I are still doing well. I have felt her move often. It has been wonderful to have my brothers and sisters join in the joy of expecting her arrival.

Shavuot – 27
Sean

Today we embraced the celebration of Shavout. Everyone was in good spiritsand feeling well. We made our way up to Jerusalem happily reciting Psalms during our ascent. The day was beautiful and there was a full crowd celebrating. It was amazing to see the joy in everyones heart as Shavout was wonderfully embraced. Children were spending their afternoons dousing one another with water guns, water bottles, and any other assortedvessel they could use to soak someone with. Many family and friends were breaking bread with one another all while songs and praises were being out poured from the stage. It was a day that was filled with blessing others in the community, encountering old and new friends, and sharing the physical, (cheesecake!) and spiritual fruits of our L-rd.

Shabbat – 26
Today I Heard the Applause of Heaven

Cathy

A Hassid (very religious Jewish man) placed His faith in Yeshua today, at the end of a beautiful Shavuot, (Pentecost) worship service.　 As the Pastor turned him around after praying with him the congregation burst into applause…long & loud, what a beautiful picture on earth of what was happening in heaven…” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10 The applause of Heaven is one of the most beautiful sounds in the world…

The Shalom of His Heart

Sammie

Well I think the shock that I’m actually in Israel is starting to wearoff! I just still am amazed what Abba has done to get me here and what He is doing while I’m here! Tonight I was asked what the biggest surprise of the trip has been. My answer was simply at how ease I have felt since getting here. This is my very first international trip, along with my first flight, and my first trip without family or really close friends. Leading up to the trip itself Yeshua has stretched me in everyway. I praise Him for it, because it causes a deeper dependence and a deeper bond with Him. Despite the stretching , I have felt over whelming peace, from the first plane ride to being in a completely different country with people I’m meeting for the first time. He’s the only One that can give such peace and ease in all that. The first morning He gave me Proverbs 3:26 ” The L-rd will be your confidence and keep your foot from being caught.” That’s a promise and my Father keeps His word. So He has been my confidence on this trip and gives me new gifts every day. One of those gifts today was celebrating Shavuot with a room filled with people all across the world singing praise together in one heart. Jew and gentile lifting up the One true name of Yeshua! That’s our prayer for Israel! May that beauty spread throughout this land. We pray for that day when we can gather with the nation of Israel singing praise in one heart,with one beautiful song praising our sweet Savior!

Meg

I was enthused about worship today. We worshiped today with a Messianic Congregation and it was Spirit filled. The pastor welcomed the visitors from other countries. We had Finns, Swedes, Germans, and from the USA. The Swiss group was a surprise, but the pastor welcomed them and set up a German translator so they could understand the sermon.The congregation participated thoroughly in the worship. All nationalities present joined in the singing of praise songs and dancing. There was dancing with women, children and a group of men at the end. It was very exciting to see the dancing started with a little child. All nationalities did this in unity. It was great to see the enthusiasm and I joined in as well.I was glad to see the pastor read the Torah portion for the day and explain its significance. The Sermon was on the Book of Ruth and how it aligned with the Pentecost celebration. He discussed the different names of this Holy Day.The pastor was very thorough and gave many scripture references.The children put on a play about the story of Ruth which was very enjoyable. One adult was in the play, on his knees to be the same size as the children. This was really neat.The only piece I missed was what we do at home is the discussion of the Torah portion. I realize that it would have beeen difficult to do with so many nationalities present.

Friday – 25
Shalom from Cathy

We prayer walked the Police Station today, thanking the Lord for the Police, praying blessing over them & specifically praying protection for those who are the protectors of this city, strength to stand in very difficult situations, integrity & wisdom to make the right decisions especially in those situations where snap judgments must be made.　 To act righteously & not to give in to the temptation to take bribes.　 As we were leaving the area the Lord brought a song to my mind, the power of His love is changing me, and I got an incredible sense of His love for the police & that He is changing things in answer to our prayers, thank you for joining us in being part of　bringing that change! 　Baruch Adonai (Praise the Lord!)Melissa

Shabbat Shalom!Today we visited friends and worshipped with them. A packed place, wewelcomed the Holy Spirit and heard more about the festival of Shavuot. Aspecial time of year where we are reminded of not only the first fruits ofthe Land but also the pouring of the Holy Spirit on 3,000 people in thebook of Acts. Afterwards I talked to a woman who I recognized from theprevious time I visited. It turns out she remembers me and we had awonderful time talking about how G_d has blessed us with husbands and forthe babies that will come in the near future. She also reminded me thatprayers are still needed since they did have a close encounter earlier this year. She (along with others in the congregation) will be in my prayers even when I leave Israel.

Thursday – 24
Cathy

What a Day!　We started the day with a time of praise & worship today with another ministry group that is staying here at the hostel & some of the volunteers, wow what a way to start your day!　 The worship leader felt led to have us pray for one another & I was blessed to pray for one of the volunteers who is really hurting, a wounded warrior…she glows with the light of the Lord but has not been able to trust Him with her whole heart, she began to open it up so the Lord can heal it, PTL!　After worship we went up to Jerusalem.　 I LOVE Jerusalem, the CIty of the Great King!　 Also a city of　conflict & much spiritual warfare.　 I had the best day ever in Jerusalem with a group.　 In all due respect to previous groups I’ve helped lead, this one is smaller, but it is such a blessing to move as One.　　We prayed at the Western Wall, we sang the Shema in the Upper Room on Mt. Zion & our leader had the blessing of ministering to an old friend we ran into (Abba’s perfect timing & direction)　& we joined in several watches at one of the Prayer Houses, entering into a deep time of intercession for it’s leaders.　 And this assurance from the Lord; “Blessed be the Lord; my rock, who trains my hands for war & my fingers for battle.　 my rock & my fortress, my stronghold & my deliverer, my shield in whom I trust!”　 Eph. 2:12 I am glad HE is training me day by day, from Glory to Glory!　 What a day!

Joe:
Today!
It is a small world, just a few days into our project here in Israel and who do I meet praying next to me at the Western Wall, a group from the University of Texas at Austin! It already felt like home here, now I am seeing people from back home in America. God has weaved all these paths together and is bringing such amazing testimonies about who He is and what He is able to do. I just heard a testimony… Yesterday the gentleman that runs a Falafel stand where we frequently stop for Schnitzel and Chicken Hotdogs recieved some prayer from a group from Finland, regarding his knee pain, waking up today it felt much better. Because of the improvement in his knee overnight, this evening he asked the same group to pray for healing for his mother and sister too. I am blown away by the Lord’s goodness. I am so glad God is in charge… Thank you God!!!

Meg/Mom:

Greetings from Israel. Today we did our first prayer walk through Tel Aviv. We have already been impressed with the new construction around Beit Immanuel. We went further afield and went over some of the area that Melissa had prayed over in 2009. She was encouraged by the progress. There were children walking their dogs through a park for kids. We also visited the dog park which was brimming with dogs playing together. There was no fighting and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, people included. The spiritual atmosphere was very positive.

We also saw places that were not being kept up as they should be. We discussed the best way to pray to help them see the value in maintenance, going back to Adam and Eve in the Garden, who were given the assignment to care for God’s creation. If we don’t maintain, the evil one can sneak back in and destroy all the work that has been done to rebuild.

Please pray for Israel and your own city that the power of bondage, lack of hope and death are replaced by the freedom, hope and life through our Lord Yeshua.

Margare

21 May 2012:

Today we made our way to the Dead Sea to see what G-d had in store for us. It was exilerating to be out in the open country and far from the city center. We made a stop at En Gedi to witness where David had escaped Saul while he was being pursued. G-d had provided for David this amazing waterfall in one of the most arid regions on earth. I couldn’t help but think of his provision in my life. We all dwelled on Ezekiel 47. Our prayer was that the day would come soon when life would spring forth in this land and the sea would be brought to life.

22 May 2012:

Our day was spent in Haifa and the Sea of Galilee. Our lunch in Haifa was wonderful and we were among some very friendly people. It was a real joy to bless them with our patronage. We strolled among the city for a short time. Each person was likely filled with their own thoughts of how we may one day see this city turn to their King Yeshua. We made for the Sea of Galilee once we walked off our delicious meal. I frequently thought about how this is the spot where Yeshua began his work. It was overwhelming to be in a place where Yeshua gathered up his disciples and told them they would now be, “fishers of men”. As I saw people along the shoreline casting in their lines I could only think about how much I wanted that command to resonate deep in my heart and the hearts of these people.

Sean

Visiting the Land for a second time has rekindled my love for it and her people. Seeing places that I didn’t get to last time has already made the trip quite wonderful and being reunited with the hostel is like seeing an old friend. After the long flight from New York to Tel Aviv (squished in the middle seats) we landed and later found our way to a street stand with yummy lamb schawarma. Oh how I have missed that delicious taste of lamb, tahini and veggies! I am so used to praying for the people, it just seemed natural to start with the street vendor and keep praying for all those I have encountered.

We have gone to many places so far but what sticks out in my mind is the Sea of Galilee and the trash I saw near the shore. I prayed for the people to respect the Land more and I hope to see the fruits of this prayer in the future. I prayed that people would be transformed by G-d and love Him with great passion. In, we saw school kids playing at David’s waterfall and I hope they know Yeshua loves them so much!

As far as the pregnancy, everything seems to be going well. I did have some pain on my side after being confined in the car for such a long time but nothing I couldn’t handle. I think she is a little jet lagged, because I didn’t feel her move much until recently. I definitely made sure to walk often on the plane and during the long drives we have had. Unfortunately, I still got the swollen ankles but praise Him for bringing the swelling down within 24 hours of landing.

We are now looking forward to what the rest of the trip brings!

~Melissa

Setup – And … (Wednesday 23)
It is sunrise Wednesday Am the 23rd. Our setup for the next two weeks is complete and our team will come together for the first time this afternoon. Our living accommodations are set with some old friends from Finland showing up yesterday for prayer.

We will immediately enter what we call a culture plunge today, where we will begin to pray the land. Our travel this year will be expansive. We will minister the entire length of the country from bottom to top. (For my personal intercessors … we will re-map 4 of the original 6 cities we did initially. This is exciting for me to take the next step in our spiritual mapping of these areas.)

For family, intercessors and friends that are monitoring us … everyone is healthy and well of those that have arrived thus far. Thanks for your prayers and we trust you will return each day for our updates. Faithfully D

Sean

We spent our day assembling the remainder of our team. It was wonderful to provide a welcome home to those who were also compelled to join us in being among the people. Once we had spent some time together with everyone we made our way into the city. We all marveled at the work G-d was doing in the area. There were some amazing signs of his presence in the community. We were carefully reminded that while progress is good, constant prayer is always needed. We concluded our evening by breaking bread together and eagerly discussing what the L-rd had in store for us as Shavout approached.

Melissa:

Yesterday we picked up the last member of our family at the airport. We then walked in the neighborhood where the hostel was. I saw a beautiful lush green grass patch with park benches. Although it was small, it was wonderful to see the fruit of prayers from ’09. Furthermore, there were children who felt safe enough to walk their dog and maybe they were coming home from the dog park just down the road. I didn’t notice the park in ’09 because it was not as well organized and not used to its potential as it was this day. The dogs really enjoyed themselves and were relaxed. It was wonderful to see the improvements but quickly we realized more prayer work needed to be done. Not much further into the neighborhood we sensed darkness still finding space in the area. We have plans to visit and pray again before we leave so that G-d’s light can fully shine in this neighborhood.

Shalom Mishpachah
Welcome to our update page. This will be the page we will attempt to update each day so immediate family, friends of the participants, friends of the Congregations and of course our Congregations can keep abreast of the goings on a fairly close accounting. You’ll notice we don’t publish names of towns or people’s names. It is our attempt to be as discrete as possible.

The demography of Israel is monitored by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. The State of Israel has a population of approximately 7,848,800 inhabitants as of 2012.[1] 75.3% of them are Jewish (about 5,865,300 individuals), 20.5% are Arabs (About 1,597,300 individuals), while the remaining 4.3% (about 318,200 individuals) are defined as “others” (family members of Jewish immigrants who are not registered at the Interior Ministry as Jews, non-Arab Christians, non-Arab Muslims and residents who do not have a religious classification).

According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2008, of Israel’s 7.3 million people, 75.6% were Jews of any background.[1] Among them, 70.3% were Sabras (Israeli-born), mostly second- or third-generation Israelis, and the rest are olim (Jewish immigrants to Israel) – 20.5% from Europe and the Americas, and 9.2% from Asia and Africa, including the Arab countries.[13]

According to a 2010 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics study[21] on Israelis aged over 18, 8% of Israeli Jews define themselves as haredim (or Ultra-Orthodox); an additional 12% are “religious” (non-haredi orthodox, also known as: dati leumi/national-religious or religious zionist); 13% consider themselves “religious-traditionalists” (mostly adhering to Jewish Halakha); 25% are “non-religious traditionalists” (only partly respecting the Jewish Halakha), and 43% are “secular”. Among the seculars, 53% say they believe in God. Due to the higher natality rate of religious and traditionalists over seculars, the share of religious and traditionalists among the overall population is even higher.

The definition of literacy: Age 15 and over can read and write.

Total population: 95.4%

Male: 97.3%

Female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

Education between ages 5 and 15 is compulsory. It is not free, but it is subsidized by the government, individual organizations (such as the Beit Yaakov System) or a combination. Parents are expected to participate in costs as well. The school system is organized into kindergartens, 6-year primary schools, and either 6-year secondary schools or 3-year junior secondary schools + 3-year senior secondary schools (depending on region), after which a comprehensive examination is offered for university admissions. See Education in israel and the List of universities and colleges in Israel for more information.

Total: 7,848,800 (2012)

Note: includes over 200,000 Israelis and 250,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem, about 325,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and about 42,000 in the Golan Heights (July 2007 est.). Does not include 222,000 foreigners living in the country.

Population in Israel increased from 1990 to 2008 with 2.6 million and 56 % growth in population