Hello All,                                                    

Here’s a brief run down of this week’s activity…. but first a few thank you’s!

Mom, I took this picture for you.  This pretty geranium reminded me of you and your plants.

Aaron, Suz and boys – My Under Armour keeps me toasty each and every day!  What a timely gift and ohhhhhhhhh so welcome!!    Especially wonderful b/c there is no central heat here.  We use space heaters and where our coats indoors the majority of the time. 

To all of those who are praying for me and the team, THANK YOU SO MUCH and to those whose hearts and thoughts are with me, may the Lord Bless You Richly!  I look fwd to sharing about all the Lord is doing in my life when I return to the States.

I am checking email every couple of days, ideally, so feel free to contact my Yahoo address.  I did update Facebook with some pictures.

We did not get the anticipated approval from the Israeli Army this week to go into Gaza, but did hear from them today, informing us that we have been approved to go in.  There is another glitch now, however, as at the govt level there is a hold up.  Due to the fact that the Burn Team will be flying home to OK on Tuesday, they will no longer go in with us.  The Army instructed us to call back on Tuesday of this coming week to see if we have been cleared by the Israeli govt. to go.  We continue to wait on the Lord.  The team that goes in now will probably be about 8 of us, I am thinking.

Plans have changed.   The Burn Team went to Haifa this weekend, and I did not feel a peace about going with them.  There is a good chance I (along with a couple of the other women here) may go up tomorrow or Tuesday.  We are hoping to stay at David Davis’ ministry on Mt. Carmel, Carmel Assembly, http://www.carmel-assembly.org.il/.  I am not sure when, but I am also making plans to spend a couple of days at Revive Israel, about  20 minutes from Jerusalem (Asher Intrater).

I posted some more pictures on Facebook.  Dad – You need to let one of the boys hook you up with a Facebook account.  K?  Say yes!    So many pictures of Matt’s kids, etc. that you will be able to view. 

Mon 1/25 – Zedekiah’s Cave  We worshipped and prayed for a couple of hours in this expensive cave right in the heart of the earth below the Old City.

Also known as Solomon’s Quarries – this is 5 acre underground limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks uner the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.  It was carved over a period of several thousand years and is a remnant of the biggest quarry in Jerusalem.  Interestingly, it is a very old traditional key site where Freemason’s gather anually to hold very significant meetings.

Tues 1/26  Was a cold rainy indoor day when many of us just hung out and rested and got better aquainted.  Later in the afternoon we had an Arabic lesson from a woman who comes to the house to give lessons 3-4 times per month.  I love learning Arabic, and am picking it up bit by bit.  I learned a few phrases a number of years ago, and plan to further my learning of this beautiful language when I return to the States.

I am also prayerfully considering obtaining an ESL certificate.  May come in handy. 

The woman who gives instruction is a brand new Arab Believer and she shared some of her story with us.  Oh, my!  My heart ached and broke for her as she shared of a relative (I think it was her brother) who was killed in Gaza sometime over the past couple of years.  That was only the beginning.  We ended up crying with her and praying for she and her family.  That was a precious time.

Wed 1/27  Spent the afternoon on Ben Yehuda St. – a popular open-air pedestrian mall, in the heart of downtown.

Cafés have tables out on the cobblestones; vendors display inexpensive wares, and musicians can be seen playing tunes old and new. It’s a great place to sip coffee or munch falafel and watch the passing crowd.  Since we are Daniel Fasting coffee and tea as well, many of us stuck to water.    Picture of me above is while we were walking back.

We took instruments to the street and talked to some of the interesting people on the street.  I did not realize that evangelizing (as we know it in U.S.) is illegal here.  I spent a good amount of time talking to an interesting Jewish man who has been in the Land for 20 years.  He is from U.S., San Fransisco and NYC.  He gave me a history lesson and I hope to meet up with him again for further discussions before I leave.  He said that he hangs out a lot in that area.  His eyes showed signs of lonliness and I grieved inside for him, and silently prayed that he would come to know Yeshua very soon.  I have so much to learn about how to minister effectively to Jews and Muslims.

Saturday 1/30 – A couple of the gals and I toured the Old City some more; went into the Jewish Quarter which I have only seen briefly.  So interesting and fun.  At this point, every day (almost) is an adventure.

Px below:  Damascus Gate (not part of Jewish Quarter but passed it on our way).  Other 2 px are within the JQ. So clean and peaceful in that area.  Looking fwd to going back there again when we have a bit more time.  It was Fri afternoon and everything was shutting down for Shabat about the time we arrived.  Next picture is of Sweet Kat and self, and other px walking back to the church for the Arab Friday night service.  Some of us stood outside the door of the church handing out free bags of rice and Forgiveness books.  It was great.

Sunday 1/31 – Gaza Update

We had our little service this morning at the church and I came home with Karen to help with the Gaza project.  Others went to Ben Yehuda and the Holocaust Museum.  I will have to see it another time.

Our plans have changed some for Gaza.  Instead of meeting with a group of select students from the school (as previously planned) it looks like now we will be meeting with many more than originally intended.  School was not in session this week when we were going to go, but select students were going to come in to school anyhow, to be with us.  Our aim is to establish friendships, let them know they are not alone there, and encourage their hearts in whatever way Holy Spirit leads us to do so.  Also, we will be helping them improve their English skills and doing some grafitti workshops, where we will be joining them in some wall paintings in Gaza City – writing words and messages of LIFE and HOPE on the walls.   It looks like we will be going, pending govt approval, this coming Friday for 4-5 days or so….  Still working out ever chaning plan.    God is in control, for which we are thankful.

Will close for now.  Sending my love to all!  Val

All is well here.   This picture was taken when we were in Hebron at Abraham’s Spring last week.

After our morning worship and some time at church today, some of us went to one of the malls here to buy a few things for the Gaza trip, then walked through the Old City on the way back.  I found a few items I have wanted to pick up, which was good.  Was a pretty cool day.  Is pouring right now, which is a good thing for this dry land.

Update on Gaza trip: We have had our applications under review by the Israeli Army since this past Wed.  I completed the required paperwork for everyone about 3 weeks ago, sent it in, and they said they never recieved it so we had to do it all again.  This past Tuesday night, Karen and I ended up going to a post office to fax it all to the Army and they have been working on it ever since.  Think we are waiting on FBI clearance at the moment.

We heard this morning that the person in charge of this project on the Army end expected to hear something about the approval this morning, but did not.  She hopes to have some info for us tonight or in the morning.

Our current team consists of 21 of us. One lady volunteered to stay behind and “hold down the fort.”   Half of us are over 30, the other half are under.

This may be the last correspondence you have from me for the next number of days. Our hope is to get the ok by tomorrow morning, and head for Gaza in the afternoon. We hope to come out on Friday morning.

From there, I anticipate a trip to Haifa with the Burn Team for 1 1/2 days then back to Jerusalem. Plan is to go to  ministry of David Davis. http://www.carmel-assembly.org.il/   Have been really wanting to go there to check it out. Don’t know much at this point as have not been able to look online at their ministry.  My access to internet is very limited.  Life here is much different in many ways than it is in the West, but I think I could get used to it.

It has become a secret desire of mine to be able to spend a year in the Land and cover it from top to bottom – an educational adventure of sorts. 

We would appreciate your prayers for: Team safety and unity, clear communication between those on team, anointed communication with those we interact with (students and teachers at the school where we will be working), favor, etc…..

Am told that God really shows up with His agenda during Karen’s Gaza trips, so that is the way we plan to flow.  During the last day of the trip we plan to do some graffitti painting with our students.  An artist from England has flown in to join us, and will be instructing students on the how to’s.  From there we will find some walls in Gaza City and write “Life to Gaza”, “The Lord give you peace, Gaza,” Gaza will shine like no other” etc….  Already been approved (the terms). 

So sorry that my communication is not the best when I blog.  I have limited time to write when I do so, so write in a hurry.

May the Lord bless each of you who read this in rich ways.  I am so thankful for each and every one of you.  My life is really being changed while I am here.

I love you and miss you all, my Friends and Loved Ones. Val

Hello All -

I have posted new pictures to Facebook, if you are interested.

As I sat in church this morning, the Spirit of the Lord touched me in a powerful way, for which I am grateful.

B/c we leave the doors of the church open our worship music can be heard in the streets as people pass by, and oftentimes they poke their heads in to see what is going on inside.  All kinds of people – mostly Arab men come in and site for a while in the presence of the Lord.  I was so touched today when about 10 different men came in and spent time (they come in one by one or in two’s) with us.  It was precious to witness.  Some stay a while and play the hand drums; at other times they will just sit quietly and watch us and listen to whomever may be speaking or praying.  Sometimes I do what I did today which is stand by the open door and welcome them and invite them to come in.  Many hesitate to do so, but a smile and warm greeting goes a long way toward drawing them in.  We trust that the Lord is allowing us to sow seed and do some watering in the hearts and lives of these precious souls.  We also offer them Arabic Bibles and / or a book about forgiveness written by John Arnott.

Today as I studied one young man who cam in, I just began to weep and weep for lost souls.  I sensed how extremely blessed we are as Believers, and cried for the lost, hurt, desperate and bound.  My thoughts revolved around the Arab community globally.  No doubt God is doing something in my heart in this season of time in Israel, though I am not quite sure what it is.

Gaza trip update:  This afternoon we received news from Hamas officials that we have been approved by their Minister of Education and the Minister of Interior to go in and work with Hamas students.  As I believe I have mentioned, we will be working with 14-16 year old young men and women helping them to improve their English skills and just encouraging them and imparting hope, etc.  We had not known that there were going to be young women there as well so for that we were grateful.  The women on the team were not going to be able to work with the male students.

God’s plan and agenda is starting to take shape and we are becoming closer as a team.

Most (if not all) of the team has been sick for the past week.  A cold/flu thing really spread quickly throughout this camp.  I did not start getting it until a day or two ago.

Will update again soon.  Love to all!

Val

Hello All ~                                                                               

I hope you are doing well!  Here is a run down of recent activity.

1/14 Friday – Pool of Bethesda and Eastern Gate (above) of the Old City plus more.  Awesome day with team.  Many pictures posted on Facebook (soon to come) if you are interested.  Takes very long to post px to this blog.  You can find me by looking up Valerie Harvey.

1/16 Saturday – Shabbat.  Had the morning free.  About mid-day went to Garden Tomb to spend some quiet time there, but it was closed so went to tour Old City myself.  Am getting better acquainted with the area, so felt comfortable with that.  Was a lovely, warm day.  Watched a man making fresh orange / pomegranate juice for customers and later that night had a dream I was swimming in it. 

As a group, we walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre later that afternoon and walked throughout.  We spent time praying quietly in various rooms.  Spiritually, I found it to be a very “heavy” place to be.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Christian church in the Old City of Jerusalem.  It stands on a site that encompasses both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried.  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century, and it remains the holiest Christian site in the world.

Spent time that eve talking with Dave Fritch, the leader of the Burn Team, getting to know a bit more about what they do and who they are as an organization.   Their vision is similar to IHOP in many ways,  but has more of a missionary emphasis.  http://burn24-7.com/

This is such a great group of young ppl!  I have come to begin to just love them, and have so enjoyed our time together.  They are so much fun to be with.

This week we had a 2 day teaching time with Pastor Paul Teske from U.S.A.  On Friday night, we had a service where we prayed for many Christian and non Christian Arabs which was a powerful time. It was hard to get testimonies from ppl b/c many did not speak English.

1/17 Sunday – This was an amazing day.  One of the best so far.  We left on a big bus in the morning for a few destinations South of Jerusalem.  We visited Kfar Rafael, a community for those with pretty severe disabilities.  It is a beautiful little “village.”  Karen often buys the anointing oil that they produce from olive trees right there.  They have a tremendous garden and the community is very self sufficient, with all of the handicapped villagers playing a part in making it all work.  They make candles, rugs, anointing all – all sorts of things

From there we went to Be’er Sheva – Machpela (above), where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried in Hebron, and then to Abraham’s Spring for more baptisms.    I did not participate in this one, but it was a great place to to pray and worship. A couple of Israeli soldiers looked on while we did so.  They gave us a thumbs up and were very interested in what we were doing.  We talked to them a bit before leaving.

We had packed bags of rice and forgiveness books to hand out at one of the refugee camps that afternoon, but our day ran late and it was dark by the time we made it to that area.   I would have liked to spend more time in Hebron, but perhaps another time.

It seems my heart is very drawn to the Palestinian refugee areas of Israel.  When we left Hebron, in the dark, I just sat in my seat and wept over what I saw while we were there.  Much about the landscape was lovely, so different than U.S., but my heart broke for the people in the area.

So tired now.  Will hope to write again soon and post more px.

With love to all,

Val

Hello All,

For some reason, I have had so much trouble with my blogs “disappearing” since yesterday.  Have worked couple hours writing and posting px over past 2 nights, and again, erased.  Part of the joys of learning this application, I guess.

Anyhow, I will post brief note since time to get ready for tomorrow.

Monday 11 Jan – Internship officially started.  Went with all (35) to Jericho that day to Prophet’s House which I wrote about in previous blog.  Also went that day with Karen to meet with the Israeli Army to firm up plans for the group to go to Jordan River for baptism on Tues.  That was interesting.

From there, met rest of team at PHouse.  Was a lovely afternoon at that location and wonderful to worship in the house with those from different streams, and some new and not so new Muslim Born Believers from Jericho.

Tues 12 Jan – To the Jordan with a bus load for a day at the Jordan River.  A wonderful experience was had by all.  Thankful for a warm day as the river water was very cold.  It was quite a bit to even consider that Jesus Himself was baptized very near the spot where we were dunked.  Had a powerful encounter with the Lord on the way back to Jerusalem from Jericho, for which I am grateful

Wed 13 Jan – To the church this morning, as is normally the case Mon – Fri to worship and pray for 1 – 2 1/2 hours then we listened to a pastor from Connecticut who has come to teach on healing, etc.  Was a good time.  We will be holding a healing meeting for those in the Muslim community, primarily, on Friday who are in need of healing.

We came back to the house for lunch, then all went to the Old City where we visited the Upper Room, Via Delorosa (sp?), the Western Wall and Stephen’s Gate, where he was martyred.  We also saw a few other sites.  Worshipped for a while near Zion’s Gate on Mt. Zion (all in the same area).  Was a blessed day.

Val

Hello All!                                                                                 

Limited access to the internet and limited time to update my blog have prevented me from updating as I would have liked.  Hopefully, I will be better able to do so going forward.

While I was at the Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations, on the 31st of December the group there (about 35 people altogether) brought in the New Year with a lovely late evening meal, and from there went up to the Prayer Tower to spend a couple of hours in worship and prayer.  That was a very

special time. 

Someone leaked to another that it was my birthday that day, and I was presented, after dinner, with the most beautiful Jerusalem roses from their garden and a birthday song, which made my heart melt. 

The following day, Jan 1, was a laid back day at the house, fellowshipping with others there.  People come from all over the world to stay a while and pray from that place.  I met ppl from Sweden, Russia, Columbia, Zambia, etc.  Americans were in the minority.

I also spent time that day getting to know a young man from Zambia who recently resigned his position as a Senator in that nation, as he felt the Lord telling him to do so in order to run for president of his nation.  So, Saviour (his name), has started his campaign to run for the presidency in 2011.  That was a great joy for me to be able to get to know him better and pray and bless him.

The following day, a Russian group was scheduled to take a tour to the Dead Sea and had an extra seat in the sharut (shuttle bus) and I was asked along.  The majority of them spoke no English and the rest of them very broken English.  So I spent the day with them.  It was so much fun.  We “played” in the water, then went to one of the mineral mud pits and doused ourselves with the black mud, then jumped back into the water to rinse off.  That was an experience I will not soon forget.  We then traveled to another spot on the Sea about 20 minutes away that was more touristy in nature.

I have never been known to be much of a people watcher (ask my Mama), but I have become one here. 

There I sat at the end of our day together, on the shores of the Dead Sea, with a group of people from Russia, laughing and eating pomegranates.  So many thoughts going through my mind….  Took us about an hour to get back to the house.

From there, on the 3rd of Jan (Sun), I moved from JHOPFAN to be with Karen Dunham and her ministry team.   They have a couple of facilities inJerusalem.  One is a huge 4 story building where guests and offices are housed and another is a beautiful old building where they hold services of various types. The latter is called Damascus Gate Church.

I took a taxi over to the church to meet Karen the first day I came over here.  We went immediately to the church as it was almost time for the service.  As soon as I walked in the doors, I sensed the strong presence of God in that place which was so sweet. She and I spent time together that day getting caught up a bit, and she filled me in on what has been going on and a bit about what to expect during the internship.  The Holy Spirit agenda continues to unfold from day to day.

Amongst other things, we (Karen and her team) have been busy preparing for the Prophetic School (I have been referring to this one-month long event as the ïnternship”).  We are expecting anywhere from  25-35 people here over the next month.  There will be a group of YWAM people here from Sweden (they were also at JHOP while I was there) and a group of American young men and women from the Burn School in OK.  There will also be a couple of others joining us.

A lady came a couple of days ago to join the Prophetic School from Plano, TX and she and I are in a room together.  Small world – as I lived in Plano for many years.  She and I visited the Garden Tomb today and went to the Western Wall.  It was a very blessed day.  The Lord kept us safe and we did not get lost (hardly) at all.  I was our tour guide as it was my second time there.

My days here at Living Bread Ministry start with a walk of about 1/2 mile or so from the ministry house to the church where we participate in corporate worship.  Everyone in the house, staff and guests, participate.  We start at 9a and go to 10:30 or 11:00 usually.  It is a very blessed time and the presence of the Lord is very thick during our times together.  From there, we generally head back to the house, eat lunch together, and then go about whatever work we may have on the agenda for that day.

On the 4th, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Jericho with Karen and some of the Arab men who come to the church most mornings joined us.  They refer to these men (and other Arab belivers) as MBB – Muslim Born Believers.  This term is new to me, but used by many.  Also along for this trip were 4-5 of us on Karen’s team. We took their van to Jericho which is about a 20 minute drive from the ministry center (where we are staying).

We drove to the Prophet’s House (they call it) there in that city – a small house that Karen rents in Jericho, where they meet from week to week to disciple young believers.  These young believers are leading Bible studies during the week in their homes for other new believers.  That was such a special time.  The whole property where the house sits is very anointed.  When one walks onto the property, there is an orange grove on one side of the path to the house and banana trees, rose bushes and other beautiful plants on the other side of the path.  The aroma there is amazing.  We all sat together in the house while a friend of Karen’s brought a little lesson on holiness and had some interaction with those who were there.

We went into the small business section of the city and purchased fruit and falafel sandwhiches.  My first pitas and falafel.  Oh my goodness – were those good.  The food here is amazing.  We have all been participating in a Daniel fast, and drinking no coffee or tea.  The fruit and vegies are amazingly tasty, and we eat lots of fresh pita, hummus, olives, nuts, etc.  Yesterday someone gave me the most wonderful dates I have ever eaten!  From Jericho.  Also, the honey from Jericho is unlike any I have ever tasted.  I have a new favorite fruit to add to my list….Yummy persimmons.  Oh, and not to forget the beautiful avacados.  Ok – you get the point about the food.

I loved Jericho.

I just find myself very much in observation mode while here.  Looking, listening, watching a LOT.  Looking with my eyes, and listening for the Lord to speak to my heart about the things I am witnessing.  Everything is so new to me, and I really do not understand a lot of what I am seeing and hearing.

I find that my heart just hurts for many of the people here who look so empty.  You can see it in their eyes.  This is an amazing place, and I am so thankful for this experience.  Thanks to so many of you who have made it possible.  The “work” I have come here to do really starts on Monday, so I would appreciate your prayers.

Well, it’s late here tonight so I will finish updating you all hopefully tomorrow.

With Love to All,

Val

Today was an adventure for sure. Up early – 3am.  Heard above me the sound of music and praying and was unable to go back to sleep.  So laid there and talked to the Lord for long while.  Was thanking Him for the gift of being here for my birthday, amongst other things, and for those who have supported me along this journey. He is amazingly good and gracious to us.

I love something Bill Johnson said recently, “God is better than we think, so we need to change the way we think.”  I say yes – God, please reveal to me the truth about Who You are!!

The Big House, where I am staying, is 4 stories – thus its name.  Lowest level – offices, 2nd level – kitchen, dining areas, other rooms where staff live, 3rd level – a day room, many small rooms with bunk beds for guests, bathrooms, and 4th level – Prayer Tower ( they call it).  Octagon shaped (I think) and glass walls, overlooking Jerusalem on all sides.  Located at top of Mt. of Olives.

Watched the sunrise this morning, and saw the most AMAZING FULL RAINBOW.  I will try to upload px soon.  It was God’s way, I believe, of reminding me that He is a God who fulfills His promises to His ppl.  I look fwd to watching this year as He surprises me in ways beyond my imaginings to fulfill promises given long ago in my life.

After breakfast, traveled to town with my roommate from France.  She is a bit more experienced than I at navigating the city, so she guided me around to some sites.  Wow.

The bus ride in and of itself to the Damascus Gate area was a trip and adventure.  The roads are SO narrow, and drivers impatient.  This house is locatd in the Arab Quarter, so traveled through here to get to Wailing Wall, where we stopped first.  They were having some sort of a large barmitzva celebration for many young boys (men) so there were many people there.  A proud mother even shared the most amazing cake with us.  I took it and ate it as my birthday cake.    It was SO good!

We then walked through a museum, and saw many other sites.

The underground Shuk was quite amazing.  It is an outdoor market of sorts.  Much activity and many people.  buying and selling.  I did not get anything today, as I plan to return another time.

We found our way home before dark, for which I was grateful.  NOT good to be out after dark here – understatement.

We stopped for food at little restaurant we visited, and I had a cappuccino.  YUM!  Food at the place where I am staying is prepared by staff here, who are from all over the world, so we get quite an assortment.  Very nice.

Am not sure what tomorrow holds.

Have been somewhat overwhelmed as I contemplate the fact that I am walking in the very heart of the region where Jesus lived and walked.

Thank you all for your love and prayers.  I am preparing in my heart for my work with Karen next week.  I do not know what to expect, but know it will be good.

This is an intense, but beautiful land.  I have to pinch myself every once in a while – hard to believe I am here.

Val

If you count my afternoon arrival yesterday, today is day 2 of my trip, or 1st full day in Israel.  Abt 22 hours total.  Flight was interesting – Safe, thankfully.  After delays, a near missed connection in Denver to Phily where boarding had ceased and doors were closed to any more passengers, and a bout of bad turbulence during our last half hour before Tel Aviv, I am thankful to be on the ground in the Holy Land.

I am not normally a people watcher, but that changed yesterday as I witnessed an interesting crowd in Philadelphia and many Orthodox Jews on the plane.  I watched as they performed their ritualistic prayers on the plane in the aisles and tried not to be blatant in my observations.  I wanted much to engage one of them in conversation, but did not get the opportunity.

Once to Ben Gurion Airport, I finally found a shuttle to a Jerusalem hotel, and from there a taxi to the Big House….aka Jerusalem House of Prayer for All Nations.  Met those I have been communicating with prior to my arrival, and enjoyed a bit of dinner and fellowship with them.  I think this place accomodates aprox 30 guests plus staff.  I am sharing a room with a young gal from France.  Have yet to meet an American.

Spent today here at the House as wanted to recover a bit, though jet lag very minimal.  Thankful for that. Spent some time in the prayer room, called the Prayer Tower and met some of the interesting people staying here from all over the world.  

May be attending a rally tomorrow.  Will write more if indeed that happens.  

Am writing from a computer here at the Big House, and keyboard very tricky!

Sights, sounds and everything here fascinating.   Looking fwd to an awesome adventure with the Lord.  

Tomorrow marks my birthday and I anticipate something special, as it also marks bday 49, when I enter into my 50 year – the year of Jubilee.  Very significant for me.

Bless you all!  I will write again soon and hope to post px.

Merry Christmas One and All! 

This girl is thankful today that Jesus chose to come to earth and I love the fact that we have the opportunity to celebrate the birth of this One – fully God and fully Man, Saviour of all mankind. 

I attended Christmas eve service at John and Mom’s church last night, and spent  today at Mom’s, serving dinner to and fellowshipping with family and friends.  Tomorrow, Matt is coming with family and Rob should be here as well.  I look forward to getting my hands on my grandchidren.                           

Almost through with preparations to leave for Israel on Monday 28th.  Will leave Mom’s on Sunday for Colorado Springs, where I will spend the night with my special friend.  Early Monday morning, she will drive me to the airport in CS.  From there, I fly to Denver, change planes and then on to Philadelphia where I have about a 5 hour layover.   From Phily, will fly to Tel Aviv.  22 hour trip total. 

Will post as I am able while I am away.  Thank you for keeping me in your prayers while I am on this journey.  I anticipate a life changing experience and set of encounters with Marvelous Jesus and those I meet there.  

Wow!  This is my first post ever.  Yea Val!  My friend David has been helping me thus far, but I am now becoming the Word Press expert.  Blessings to you all! 

Val