I’m only on my first 48 hours of being in Jerusalem and I
already feel as if I am blog posts behind. There is just so much to tell!
I am so thankful to be here right now. My travels went
smoothly, my health is good, and my heart is at peace/excitement. I know that
this has much to be with all the prayers being poured out! It continues to
amaze me how the Lord not only provides for my needs but pours out blessings as
well. The support and prayers from friends, family, and my church has been
overwhelming. Each prayer, generous gift, and encouraging word is so very much
appreciated. I see each as not only a blessing but also confirmation that that
being here in Jerusalem is exactly what the Lord wants. My heart is literally
exploding from all the support and love. I am truly grateful for the Lord’s provision
on this journey and the many people He has used to do so. The day before leaving,
I was asking the Lord for some extra money to take care of some things.
Literally, as I was getting ready I was talking with the Lord about it and
walked out into our living room to my mom saying that someone had left a note
for me. The note was from a sweet lady and her family (that I had never met
before) with some encouraging words and promise to pray… as well as some money.
I had been asking the Lord for a small, specific amount of money and the note
had about twice as much. This brought tears to my eyes, the Lord was providing
and blessing me all in one. He truly can do, like it says in the book of
Ephesians, “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think!”
Already, my feet are sore from walking about both the old
and new parts of Jerusalem. I have seen
already the Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall), and the Mount of Olives. How crazy
is that. In some ways it still feels like a dream (that also may be due to the
effects of jetlag), and the full impact of it all hasn’t fully hit me yet. I am
stoked to start classes next week and tour all the sights and learn all that
comes with it. It is a surreal feeling, “walking where Jesus walked.”
During my travels, sitting in the airport on a layover in
Newark my Psalm for that morning was Psalm 87, which says:
On the holy mount
stands the city He founded;
The Lord loves the
gates of Zion
more than all the
dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things of you
are spoken O city of God.
Among those who know me
I mention Rahab and Babylon;
Behold, Philistia and
Tyre, with Cush –
“This one was born
there,” they say.
And of Zion it shall be
said,
“This one and that one
were born in her;”
For the Most High will establish her.
The Lord records as he
registers the people,
“This one was born there.”
Singers and dancers
alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
What a
blessing this Psalm was, to read as I began my journey to place and people of
Zion! Verse 7, “All my springs are in you,” in the NKJV the word springs is
actually “fountains.” I read in my study Bible that the word fountains means
also a “source of blessing and pleasure because the Lord’s presence there.”
There is truly nothing better than being in the presence of the Lord. I am so
expectant of the Lord meeting me here, and the other twenty-one students here
with me!
Today we get
kind of a down day. Which is nice, recovering from jetlag and getting all
settled in. It is also the Sabbath, so most shops and places are closed today.
Tonight we are attending a Messianic church service, which I am thrilled for!
Tomorrow there is talk of hiking up to the Mount of Olives to see the sunrise,
what an experience that will be.
