| Fall Highlights |
 Is it November already? This has been such a busy season of activity. It's high tourist season in Israel so Rani has been keeping extremely busy at the Village and I've been busy organizing volunteers. We were excited to welcome Jim and Tracey Dykes and their group from North Asheville Baptist Church in Asheville, NC. We had the opportunity to meet with them both at the Village and later at their hotel in Tiberias where Rajaei Samawei gave a presentation on Arab Christians in the Holy Land and his work with the Evangelical Council of Israel. You can see an interview with Rajaei here.
Their visit was a huge blessing to me as Tracey and two of her friends put together a 'Fall gift bag' for me that contained scented candles, colorful dishtowels and canned pumpkin! I'm especially excited about the pumpkin, which can't be found in Israel. I am planning a Thanksgiving meal for Rani's family and now I can have a traditional pumpkin pie! Thanks Tracey!
In October, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a weekend retreat with a group called Third Side. They are part of a non-profit reconciliation ministry called Musalaha, which is the only faith based reconciliation ministry in the Holy Land. The group consists of 'foreign' women married to Arabs and Jews here in Israel and Palestine. What a great experience! I had the chance to worship God and discuss my relationship with Jesus with women from all backgrounds. Whether we were married to Arabs or Jews, we all had one thing in common: our relationship with Jesus Christ. It was such an eye-opening experience to see 'from a third side;' the viewpoint of the wives of Arabs and Jews.
Rani and I are busy gearing up for a youth camp that will be taking place this weekend. Here in Israel, Arab kids have this week off from school in honor of eid al-Adha or 'Feast of Sacrifice.' It's an important religious holiday for Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael (slightly different from the Christian version) in an act of obedience to God. During this week, the Baptists in Israel are hosting a camp for kids grades 9-12. Rani will be one of two key note speakers and I'll be helping out in the kitchen. The theme for the camp will be based on the book of Acts 1-9 and will be titled 'Igniting Revival.' We are praying that God will use Rani to reach the hearts of these youth with the urgency for revival! This land needs a new awakening and it needs to start in the hearts and minds of the young people, who will be the next leaders.
We appreciate your prayers as we head into the holiday season!
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We're Thankful
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- We're SO thankful for our many prayer partners and financial supporters! We cannot express our gratitude for all that you do for us.
- We're thankful for the continuous opportunity to share God's love with the people of this land. Especially for the opportunity to work among the youth at the upcoming youth camp.
- We're thankful for our family, who support us with prayer and are so loving.
- We're thankful for the extraordinary ways that God provides for us on a daily basis. Faith based living is never easy, but it is always rewarding!
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Pray With Us
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- Pray for the upcoming youth camp on Nov 18-21. Pray specifically for revival among the youth!
- Pray for more opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ with the people of this land and the many tourists who visit.
- We continue to remember our teenage friend James Christopher, from Monroe, LA who is struggling with a rare form of leukemia. We pray complete healing for James!
- Pray for the Arab churches in Israel and Palestine that the Lord will raise up strong leaders and heal rifts.
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