Grace and Peace!!!
My typical week has turned into day after day of marveling at God’s hand and work here in Israel. God being awesome and sovereign in all things, there is some routine to the weeks now that I’ve been able to serve for a month. A typical week looks something like the following ... I’m starting with the first day of the week here which is Sunday otherwise known as Day 1 in Israel. Isn’t it cool how Day 1 is just like the days of creation in Genesis. What I mean is that in Israel they literally do not have labels for the days, just Day 1, Day 2, etc ...
Day 1 - Sunday
Israeli culture is that this is the first day of the work week. For me, Sunday is my Sabbath (day of rest) day. The first 2 weeks on Sunday were filled with helping someone move. It was a great opportunity to imagine it being 100 degrees inside in the shade... that made it seem cool. You know, moving is moving anywhere you go, it’s only fun when it’s done. This past Sunday I got to enjoy my Sabbath (day of rest) by going on a trip to the north.
See the Video Here:
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Day 2 - Monday
Devotions from 8:30 - 9:30am, Opening Checklist from 9:30-10:00, Beit Joseph (meaning Joseph’s House) which is also known as the church which is also known as Calvary Chapel Haifa ... Open hours are from 10:00-14:00 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. For those of you who are familiar with Sojourner’s Café in Saint Paul this open hours ministry is very much like Sojourner’s Café. If you are a servant in Sojourner’s Café you would fit right in. If you have no idea what I’m talking about please visit www.sojournerscafe.org
It’s amazing how and who God brings into the church building. The first two weeks I was here we were getting things in order and it was planned to get a sign up outside giving our hours and some information on Calvary Chapel Haifa. The very next week a group came from Calvary Chapel Bible College Jerusalem and God brought in an artist. God is so good and faithful.
Given the last 4 weeks have rarely seen a day below 90 degrees it’s harder to apply giving a cup of coffee out ... very few people want hot coffee right now. Matthew 10:42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water ...” This gets lots of application!!! Someone was just standing in front of the the building and I walked out to give them a cup of cold water. Instant conversation! Have you ever just enjoyed ambushing someone in love? It’s a perfect opportunity for God to do something miraculous!
Closing the front of the Church at 14:00 (2:00pm) we then clean up and make preparations for the Monday Night Bible Study. The Bible study is from 19:00-21:00 and consists of worship and the Word. I’ve been blessed to do the worship on Mondays. For those of you who don’t know, God allowed me to learn to play the guitar. I have NO musical abilities at all and to this day I cannot clap and sing at the same time. The only songs I know are worship songs and when it comes down to playing and worshiping, God allows me to do it. I’m humbled every time I worship and play.
For the Word, it’s just like a service. We are currently in Luke Chapter 18, it’s easy to read ahead, take notes, and come ready to grow in understanding of the Bible and even more so in relationship with God.
Day 3 - Tuesday
Devotions from 8:30 - 9:30am, Opening Checklist from 9:30-10:00am
Open hours from 10:00-14:00, Tuesdays are a good administration day making plans for the rest of the week.
There is a house meeting meal at 18:00 (6:00pm) where the people living on 2nd Floor of the building can fellowship and work out issues. Yes, there is nothing new under the sun, there are issues between roommates no matter where you go!
After the meal and meeting it’s cooled down and good to go to the shouk (like outdoor grocery store) to get food and supplies for the week. It’s great to be able to do this together because we can plan out meals and split up costs. Generally things in Israel are expensive so looking for ways to save is important. You know as a Christian, it’s a sin to pay full price. :)
Day 4 - Wednesday
Tuesday - Devotions from 8:30 - 9:30am, Opening Checklist from 9:30-10:00am
Open hours from 10:00-14:00.
After closing on Wednesdays we get supplies together for the Soup Kitchen/Homeless Outreach that happens in Tel Aviv on Thursdays. Supplies like toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, soap, deodorant, are generally kept in Haifa because there is storage space. These items are kitted up and brought to Tel Aviv each week by two of us that serve in Haifa. Once everything is ready I generally spend some time getting things together for the outreach itself. Imagine giving a Bible study to people who speak broken English, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Tigrinya, Arabic, and Russian ... I love it! It’s odd but I’m actually learning general terms like yes, no, come, wait, listen, love, in all of these languages at the same time. Why!??? I’m seeing that knowing how to speak in their language is a way of loving them, it earns respect and they are willing to listen to you. I’ve learned to respond when they say “thank you” to say “NO, Thank You” which makes them laugh and then ask “why do you say these things” ... Earning the right to share the Good News with them is the goal in every opportunity.
To date I’ve seen 3 people come to Church Service from the park invitations ... but so many seeds are planted. We have given out Bibles and Audio Bibles ... more on that later.
Day 5 - Thursday
Meet at Calvary Chapel Haifa at 07:30 to travel by train and sherut (mini bus seating 10 people) to Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv. Generally this takes 2 hours and we will arrived at 09:30 and have an hour to get coffee. At 10:30 there is pray time for the day and the people we will serve begin to prepare food for between 60-80 to-go meals. The meals change but for an example they have couscous (like granular pasta), cabbage salad, and chicken schnitzel (breaded chicken patty). It’s a very good meal, I look forward to it as we make enough that each person serving can have a meal as well.
The plan it to be in the park by 15:00. For years now the people have been served at that time and they know that a meal and medical supplies are coming each week at that time. There are some who are between countries, where they came from like Sudan and where the need to go. The Sudanese are not welcome in Israel but the Sudanese cannot flee from their country to Egypt (the men I’ve met tell me) that both the government in Sudan and the Egyptian Army tries to kill them. They then flee to Israel, where they may not be wanted but they are not hunted. Most of them work some form of paid cash job and share small room with 8-10 roommates (this is what I’ve heard from them)
Medical supplies are bought for things like, fungus, skin care, lice, scabies, wounds, injuries (knees and wrists), infections, pain ... to name a few.
All of these things will only make someone more comfortable before going to hell for not knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible tells us to meet basic and urgent needs. By meeting needs we earn the right to share the Good News with them. Some are interested, some pretend not to understand you but then later come back and ask specifically in English for help. The Bible tells us that every man is a liar. Liars need love too, I was one of them. Please keep this day in prayer, that the Grace of God would shine through us and that selfish ambitions and self interest would have no place in the lives of the servants here.
After the outreach we finish up and then take the sherut and train back to Haifa. If it’s an early day, we could get back around 19:00. Generally this day is exhausting and I come back with new ideas and new vocabulary. I’ll take time to make some notes and plan for the next week, ways to approach people and planning. I love it. This day is the day to see miracles. God loves us, His mercy and grace are poured out in ways that are difficult to describe. His Timing Is Perfect. You are invited to come and see it, maybe you have better descriptive skills than I do. Miracles follow believers and this is the land miracles.
One day after all of these evens I got on the wrong sherut and ended up on the other side of Tel Aviv. After and hour and a half of getting back to where the trip would take another hour and a half I basically SOD (Sabbath On Demand) and woke up leaning, no literally sleeping on someone who wished I sat somewhere else on the sherut. I was so tired I just did not care. SOD.
Day 6 - Friday
Sleep in day. All that really means is I wake up sometime around 09:00. This is a day to get things in order as far as cleaning and doing laundry. Shabbat (what we would call Sunday service is the next day) is the next day and there are always things to get set in place for leaving in the morning. I spend a lot of time documenting receipts on Fridays. I blew it and did not keep up with detailing them for the first few weeks and I've just finished cleaning up the mess I created. It is written that we should be diligent with the little things. Oh how awesome is God in His detail. Have you every looked at a flower? This is my thought and prayer, if God saw fit to detail something so beautiful, shouldn't we as Christians be as diligent with the provision He gives. Lord make me more like You!
Shabbat - Saturday
I must be out the door by 6:30 in order to catch a sherut to Tel Aviv in time to make it by 8:30 for setup. There are no trains running so prices are increased some 20%. Setup is generally from 8:30-10:00. We pickup service equipment and walk it to the hotel where we setup and teardown each week. Service starts at 10:45 and we must be out by 14:00. The hotel start cleaning up at 14:00. Often a group will go for a meal after service and this is an awesome time of fellowship and laughter. Praise God for his kids and how we are united in Him. God brings in His children from all over the world each week. It’s amazing, sometimes surreal who you have opportunity to meet and share in more understand of just how BIG our God is. You know I say our God because most of you know Him as Savior and Lord. If you don’t, there is a HUGE opportunity for you to change that. If you want to have a relationship with God that makes you sure you will go to heaven when you die, you’ll find it. If you decide your good enough to get into heaven on your own, I sincerely hope you realize how imperfect you are. The Bible tells us that for us to enter into heaven we must be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect. Since I’m not perfect and neither are you we have a MAJOR problem.
If I have your attention, please follow the link, if all you have is a Bible that is all you need. Open it up to the Gospel of John and spend the next 21 days reading a chapter a day. It will change your life. Maybe, God willing, you and I will be roommates in heaven.
In His Loving Grace,
Jonathan
The Gospel Of John
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For Update 02 video and other video clips
To download my Update 02 letter:
u63xj70jamvxipt/Update%2002.
Sojourner's Café
