Author: Andrew Zimmerman

We flew into Israel with El Al. To save ticket money we took United to Rome, and then El Al from Rome to Tel Aviv. On our homeward trip we allowed extra time for sightseeing in Rome.

Here’s a sampling. Rome wasn’t built in a day. We found that you can’t see it all in two days. Here’s the Colosseum.

The Arch of Titus, commemorating his triumph over the Jewish rebellion.

The Pantheon.

Ruby at the door.

It was a great trip. It’s always great to be home again.

We went south again this morning. We saw the burned and damaged vehicles from the music festival. Photo by Ruby.

We prepared and served brunch for soldiers in Sa’ad. Then we had an opportunity to enter Be’eri. We donned vests and helmets as protection against rocket shrapnel. The frequency of rocket attacks from Gaza has diminished considerably, but they do happen.

A IDF spokesperson gave a short tour. We saw houses that had been burned. The terrorists brought gasoline and tires so they do a lot of damage quickly.

The people here had been trying to reach out to Gazans to facilitate peace. We visited the house of a well-known peace activist. Another family would fly a kite with a message of shalom every Shabbat. The kite was found ready in their living room and the family murdered.

We heard stories from survivors. We had a prayer with them when we parted. It is difficult to imagine the horrors the people of this kibbutz experienced. I found the visit sobering.

We left the hotel and drove south. We saw some Iron Dome equipment in a field. They’re constantly moving them around.

We met with other volunteers and dispersed to various activities. I was hoping to work on irrigation systems but got citrus harvesting instead.

We picked pomelits, a cross between grapefruit and pomelo. I spent most of the time picking the fruit in the higher branches by climbing into the center of the tree.

One of the goals for FIRM is to spread the news of Christians coming to the Land. They see this not as self exaltation, but as a way of spreading the message of the love of Yeshua. CBN was there interviewing people, including Ruby.

We saw and heard the Iron Dome. We heard the noise of war throughout the day. I won’t give the precise location, but it was within a couple kilometers of the Gaza border.

Pray for peace in the Land.

This morning some of more hardy folk rose early and climbed the cliffs of Arbel before breakfast.

After breakfast we visited Mount Precipice in Nazareth. We read from Luke 4 the story of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth. Also, Isaiah 11 refers to a shoot, or nezer, from Jesse. This seems to be why the NT refers to prophecy calling Jesus a Nazarene. We heard from a Palestinian Evangelical Christian about their work and growing congregation.

From there we went to a distribution site shared by multiple ministries. We packed boxes of supplies to be delivered to families.

This is the before picture. I didn’t take any during the packing as I was busy working. I didn’t take any of the packed boxes as I was too worn out from working.

Continue to pray God’s blessing and protection on this work. I am thankful for the opportunity to be here and to serve, even in a small way.

After breakfast we drove to Capernaum. A boat was waiting for us. We had a worship, prayer, and sightseeing voyage on the Lake Kinneret. Michael spoke of Jesus and His miracles. He still calms storms today. Ours was the only tourist boat on the lake.

We’ve had beautiful, sunny, warm weather so far on this trip. Michael said it’s sunny with a side of rockets. In December it can be cool and rainy at times.

Right now we’re driving around to the “other side” of the lake. We plan to visit a kibbutz in the Golan Heights. They are hosting forty-seven displaced families from the north. Connection with believers paves the way for us to help here.

On the bus, Michael shared his story of growing up in the states. He felt the Lord calling him to serve in Israel. He later discovered his grandmother had been Jewish. He was able to become an Israeli citizen.

At the kibbutz, we heard about what they’ve been doing to help people. With support from FIRM, displaced families are being hosted here. Their location near the border makes their homes unsafe. For some, their homes have become military zones. For some, just outside the evacuation line, they’re not safe, but the government doesn’t provide housing.

They had a display of pictures and letters sent by children around the world.

After a pizza lunch from a local business, Moshe and Janette, residents of the kibbutz gave some of their story of living here. They are believers.

Our job was to paint a building that had brought back into service after forty years of disuse. The population of children on the kibbutz expanded tremendously. They are providing school options on the kibbutz. We ended up painting three buildings. They were quite happy to have so much done so quickly.

Meanwhile Ruby was at the “Kids Fun Day.” This was organized as a way of showing love and bringing sunshine and laughter to the dark experiences of life in a time of war. About three hundred children enjoyed the bouncy houses and other activities.

We helped with cleanup and headed back to the hotel.