Israel

Scott and I were blessed to be able to go on a Ray Vander Laan trip to Israel the past two weeks. I can't even begin to describe the impact of the experience, but wanted to get some pictures on the blog. We had an incredible, challenging, enlightening and often tough trip. It was physically exhausting as we began our day at 6 am and were on the bus by 7 to be hiking often by 7:30. We did not return to our hotel until dark. We climbed big mountains and rocks often in extreme heat. We became dependent on our fellow group members and each other. We learned more than we could often take in. We experienced God's love in new ways. It was a long time to be away from our family, but such a great experience. Scott was able to make connections from his Seminary study and in the Bible that will bless his ministry, I am sure. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to go. We will alsonever forget the feeling we had when we heard the words, "Come, let's go."

outside Jerusalem

people praying at the western wall

a night shot of some ruins

teaching time in one of Herod's palaces

the wall around Jerusalem

God blessed us with a real life example of a pillar of cloud on evening

teaching time on top of a mountain in the desert

being blessed by a bedouin family

us in our gear

showered and clean after a long day of hiking

a typical scene, Ray moving a fence so we could get through

old city of Jerusalem

Scott by the wall

our hilarious lunch of humongous bagels

Scott sharing his "top ten" list at the farewell dinner. Quite hilarious!