On our third day in the Land of milk and honey we journeyed to the Lebanon border to meet with Israeli soldiers that are defending northern Israel from the terrorist group Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that moved into southern Lebanon following Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2000. Israel made this move in good faith for peace as they did similarly from the Gaza Strip in 2005 under Ariel Sharon. However, unfortunately in both situations Israel was thanked with rocket fire and kidnappings from these terrorist organizations. Under international law Hezbollah should not be in Southern Lebanon nor should they be rearming. Meeting with the soldiers was a very powerful experience for me. Being Jewish and being their same age, I knew that I could just as easily be here with my brothers fighting for the protection of the Homeland. It put a new resilience in me to stand in solidarity with my brothers and speak up on their behalf whenever I am afforded the opportunity.
Following this excursion we headed to the Jordan River to relax and do some rafting. Stephanie, Patrick, Amy, and I formed our team (team fun) and took to the river. Our team had so much fun that no one even wanted to raft. Rather we spent most of our time spinning and gliding down the river, bumping into other rafts, running into forests, singing songs with young Israelis, and reenacting Disney movies. All in all we had a blast and Team Fun had great success.
Our next stop was a baptismal site, Yardenit, on the Keneret (Jordan River). Though I had already been baptized I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to be immersed in the place where John the Baptist was baptizing people. This was a very holy moment. Myself and about 20 other students came out dressed in pure white saintly apparel and John and David (our regional directors) began baptizing us. As we waited in line and took in the grandeur of the scenery we began to sing hymns to the Lord such as In Christ Alone and Amazing Grace. Some students began to weep, others rejoiced, others were lost in adoration and worship for our King.
Our next stop was tremendously powerful as well. We met a Jewish man outside the Old City of Jerusalem who gave us some basic history of the city and then escorted us through the walls to one of the most holy sites to Jews in Yisrael: the Western Wall. This was one of the most powerful moments of the entire trip for me. Ever since the exile began in 70 AD, for nearly 2,000 years Jews would return to the last standing wall of the Second Temple and pray and weep and mourn deep within themselves because there no longer was a temple nor a Jewish state. For these two millennia Jews yearned deeply within themselves to once again be wedded to the beloved city of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). We had arrived on the scene on Erev Shabbat so the place was bustling with people continually flowing to the Wall. As I gazed out across this Jewish sea of people I felt a deep connection with many of them. As I was pondering all the different European countries they had been isolated from I couldn't help but recall stories of anti-Semitism my family had faced in Europe. As I looked out at these Jews who had been homeless for so long and now were rightfully in their city I subconsciously within my spirit said "I belong here."On my own I began to approach the Wall and take in the greatness of the moment. For nearly 2,000 years this place had been a place of mourning and deep sadness, but now there was exuberant joy. People all around me were dancing in circles, singing and praying and Hebrew, and worshipping the God of Israel. God truly does take our weeping and turn it into joy. Once I approached the Wall I inquired of the Lord what I should pray. As I put my right hand on the Wall and gazed toward heaven I heard with crystal clear clarity in my spirit to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. As I addressed the Father of spirits and prayed this prayer, the Holy Spirit immediately fell upon me and covered my body.
After the Wall we made our way to a nice Jewish family's house for dinner. We enjoyed great food, great fellowship, and sang many mystical Jewish songs about Shabbat. Everyone got really into the singing and by the end of the dinner we were clapping, stomping our feet on the ground, and singing at the top of our lungs in an unknown language. Hard to beat a Shabbat like that!
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