Israel, a parting word.

We are currently a week into our time in India. Before moving on to what we have been living and experiencing here I believe Israel deserves a few more words. After a few days of touring around Jerusalem we were able to connect with a group of college students from America. All the students were from the Christian college coalition (Westmont, Gordon, Seattle Pacific, Wheaton etc...). However there were none from Westmont. This group was spending a semester studying in Cairo Egypt and was at the time traveling around the Middle East for a few weeks as part of their program. Two days of our time in Israel were spent with this group. It is because of them we were able to go to Galilee, eat dinner in Nazareth and swim in the Dead Sea. Of notable mention is the man who was working for the program in some student life coordinator type roll. It was a small world connection. Steve Beyers (sorry Steve if I spelled that wrong) a graduate of Gordon College brother of Chris Beyers. The significance here is the summer I lived on the east coast and feel in love with my wife it was Chris's house I stayed, his room in fact, while he was away for the summer working at Noah's Ark in Colorado. Crazy. The two photos here are of Tina and me at the Dead Sea. I am floating, without any effort while Tina is rubbing on her skin the mud that supposedly does wonders.

Our final night in Israel was spent having dinner with Matt and Rebekah Pine. Rebekah is a graduate of Westmont, however while at Westmont the two have us had probably shared fewer than 10 words. Regardless, our time with them was a gift. Matt and Rebekah have recently been married and made the choice to set their first year of marriage apart--simply to be with each other and Lord. They are doing this while living in Jerusalem. They aren't doing ministry, they aren't working. Just them and the Lord. It was encouraging to see this as this is a huge piece of the trip Tina and I are currently on-- a time for Tina and me to cleave and grow in unity and in the Lord. Our dinner with the Pine's was spent with Spirit filled, buzzing conversation. I know Tina and I left feeling encouraged to press in even more to the time we have left on this journey before we come home.