It has been so long since I have blogged! I am so sorry!
Let's play catch up! We had a marvelous Christmas Season. I have since started my winter semester at college and I am already in the sick of school mode :) I celebrated my 31st wedding anniversary with my sweet husband. Then on February 20th I left for an amazing adventure to ISRAEL!
I have to share with you that it was a drenching rain on a very parched and dry heart. I had grown weary with the events in life that took place in the past few years. But I want to share that God is faithful.
Funny thing is that I have never desired to go to the Holy Land. NEVER. My daughter and husband have wanted to go but I never have. God provided the opportunity to go on this journey and I went. I was guarded. I have learned to become guarded and with that some of my shininess has become dulled. But God is fatihful.
We arrived in Tel Aviv in the afternoon but it was 4:55 am Idaho time. We started by going straight to a museum. After the museum we went to our hotel to freshen up, have dinner and then a brief meeting. I was dreading the meeting part. Hmmmm perhaps a symptom of the condition of my heart at the very least wounded. The meeting was brief but wonderful. God spoke to my heart and tears streamed down my face as I quickly wiped them in hopes that no one would notice. God is faithful.So the trip began!
Everyday was packed full of walking and seeing amazing sights and just snippets of devotions about once a day. They were meaningful and appropriate for me! God would speak to me and again I would cry. He confirmed a few things that He promised me at the beginning of the year. He confirmed on something that the Lord had started talking to me about sharing. This is exciting in a couple of ways. Number one the word isn't just for me and number two He always gives me teachings before He opens doors for me to speak again! Years ago I would have never desired to speak but now I love it. And He always gives me the teachings to teach...again God is faithful.
It sounds like I cried a lot on this trip. LOL. But not really but when I did they were cleansing tears. I have to tell you that I hate to cry. The funny thing is that I am a sap so I hate watching a sad movie because my family teases me about crying! smile, even watching the Rug Rats movie! So God gave me this metaforical pedicure while I was there. He soaked me in a wonderful setting and atmosphere. He sanded off the calluses that I had developed to protect myself. He then buffed me up with encouragement and affirmation to prepare me for more ministry. Then He even painted my toenails so to speak by blessing me by my beautiful friends and women of God that I met on the trip. "She (wisdom) will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown." Proverbs 4:9 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Proverbs 90:17
My favorite parts of the trip? Capernaum (seeing where Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood and where He healed Jairus's daughter, Sailing across the Sea of Galilee while worshiping, and visiting the excavations of the sites and last but not least riding on my camel across the desert.
All in all an amazing trip of restoration and redemption.
God is faithful!
Shanin
