THANKFUL is the best way to describe the last two weeks. Thankful for the opportunity to be part of the group from Beltway Park Baptist Church who assisted the Tents of Mercy congregations in Israel with conducting a Vacation Bible School type event for area children. Thankful for a few days to once again tour the Holy Land and see some familiar sites as well as a few that I had not seen before. Thankful for the prayers that were offered for our safety and security. And thankful for being back in the U S A and especially for being in TEXAS!!
The original plan for us was to have an overnight camp for the kids at the Baptist Campground in central Israel. That proved to be unsafe due to the war that has been happening and all the rockets that have been fired into Israel by Hamas. So instead, the kids were hosted by volunteer families in the North and brought to one of the congregations each morning for “Vacation Bible School”. I have to admit, when the only language you speak is “Texan” it is next to impossible to verbally communicate with kids who speak Hebrew, Russian, German, or very, very broken English. But, as one team member reminded me, a smile is easily understood by everyone and is truly the universal language. My primary assignment was to “coach” the kids who were interested in baseball. We let them hit the ball off a batting tee and run “loosely around the bases.” There was great joy on the faces of the kids as they were chased, (but never caught) around the bases. Of course, no one that I can remember was ever tagged out!
The theme that the leaders at the church built the week around is Psalm 46 and it could not have been more appropriate.
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us, the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the Lord. See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. “Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” The Lord of Heavens’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.
I am pretty sure that there has never been a “Vacation Bible School” like this one. I doubt that much, if any, Bible was taught or learned. But, what I am sure is that the kids were loved and valued and were in an environment where they were made to feel important. I think that they were in a safe haven, a place where they could be kids. We were thanked over and over for coming to Israel. They would have understood if we would have backed out due to the ongoing war with Hamas, but we were determined to proceed as the feeling was that this is what God wanted us to do. The decision to go was simply the right thing to do and I am grateful that we did. Maybe the best thing we did was by showing up, we demonstrated that our love for them far exceeded our fear for our own personal safety and security. After all, God is sovereign and is in control, right, Pat Baxter?
There is more that I could share about the last two weeks, but here is not the place. You will have to ask me! I do want to express my thanks to Kris and the Company for the Helpers of People Program that allows us the time each year to take off from work and give back to others, whether on a mission trip or a service project. What a tremendous BLESSING this Company is! There is not another one like it.
RANDOM THOUGHTS AND REMEMBRANCES
- Our guide, Aaron (who some of you may remember from last year’s Incentive Trip), was awakened one morning by a siren alert and had to shepherd his family to the neighborhood bomb shelter
- A young man who had attended one of the Tents of Mercies congregations as a kid, was killed in the war while we were there
- Tents of Mercies is pursuing a plan to acquire some property so that a campground for various ministry activities can occur
- I distributed our “Prayer Coins” to a couple of individuals while in Israel
- One of the team members had her backpack pick pocketed while we were walking through Jerusalem one afternoon
- A security guard at Aaron’s residential community was stabbed one morning after the tour bus had come by and picked up Aaron prior to our touring that day
- One of the kids at the VBS asked me to do something for him that absolutely made my day (Hint: This request had never happened to me before, but it was something that I had longed for since I was in elementary school!)
- Some new sites were seen and I learned some new things throughout our touring of Israel
- Just across the street from our hotel in Jerusalem a crazed terrorist rammed a bus with his vehicle, flipping the bus over, killing a pedestrian and injuring some people. The police shot and killed the terrorist. This happened just before we checked into the hotel.
- Most of the Group was on international television one day – Did you see us? – Does the name Sean Hannity mean anything to you? (I know Alvino loves his show on the Fox network.)
- Friendships were both formed and deepened
- Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee, and all I could do was swim in it, but it was great!
- And finally, I can report with absolute certainty that the tomb in Jerusalem remains EMPTY!! Why? Because, Matthew 28:5-6 tells us the truth: Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!”, he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.”