September 22, 2009 - Christ Died and Rose again for me and you! That means you are worth EVERYTHING TO HIM!

Tuesday we continued our tour on over to the Rabbinical Tunnels, where we got to see the entire length of the Western Wall, even where it began down to the Original Bedrock stone on the Northwestern side of the Temple Mount. It was truly a great tour seeing such amazing history of the past 2000 years plus right in front of my eyes. There was some amazing architecture and it’s no wonder Herod was known as “The Great”. After the tunnels, we headed to the Holy Sepulcher, the place where many religions believe that Jesus was crucified and buried. I really didn't not like the feeling when I walked into this church. There was a pretty heavy oppression inside. It's odd, because this is a church that claims to believe in the Deity of Christ, but yet, why do I feel more oppression at a place like this than say, the Western Wall, or in a Synagogue. It was very strange, and I my only explanation is the intense religiosity of the Catholics and Greek Orthodox church. It's truly a sad sight. Well if you study into the place of Christ's crucifixion, you will realize that He was taken outside the city walls, to the place of the skull. This church claims the sight of death and resurrection but I see no biblical connection. I encourage you to look into it yourself. Really interesting stuff... Garden Tomb & Golgotha was next on the agenda, which was my favorite place by far thus far on the study tour! So for those of you who don’t know, this is the place where I believe with all my heart that Christ was crucified and buried in the tomb. Not only that, but this is where Christ conquered death, which is the foundation of Christianity, which allows me to live for Eternity. Jesus rose from the dead at this exact place, rolled away the stone and walked out proving that Yeshua is the Great ‘I Am’. The four of us also partook in communion together in the Garden Tomb, remember all that Christ has done for us. Pastor John asked if I could lead the 4 of us in communion, so it was a great honor and blessing to be able to do this reminiscing of all that Jesus did for me, for you, releasing us from great bondage, and giving us Everlasting Liberty! After this we headed over to the Shuk, or outdoor market, and then finished the night being blessed by leading a Bible Study for the SEND Ministry team, on Acts 2. Sosimo has a gift of teaching. Keep this brother in prayer as he travels throughout Israel, seeking Christ!

September 21, 2009 - Yad Vashem and Walking With Christ!

If you recall from the last blog, we met a girl last night named Martina. She was staying at a Hostel in the Old City, Jerusalem, and she told us they have pretty good rates. At this point we were going to stay at the Old Bible College dorms, but there was hardly any room for 3 more guys. So Pastor John, Tyler, and I went to check out the rates of the hostel in the Old City. Well, the Lord blessed us with reasonable rates so we ended up staying the night here in our own personal bedroom with a bathroom and shower and a nice view of the Old city Back alleys! It was truly a blessing to spend more time living with Pastor John, getting more wisdom from this man, just on Practical Christianity and also to spend more time with brother Tyler. It was also an amazing experience to be able to stay in Old City Jerusalem. That is something I have been wanting to do for a while!

Well we woke up early this Monday morning and headed to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. This was truly a place that I believe everybody needs to visit sometime in their life. I have heard and learned a bit about the Holocaust, but this really brought it to life, and made me really appreciate the Gift of life that God has given me. Not only my physical life, yes very much so, but more than that my Spiritual life that the Lord has freely given to me by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on Calvary. My heart breaks for the Jews, and all the war they have been going through over the past thousands of years. It also broke my heart to be reminded that our very own Nation, the United States, turned our backs against the Refugees of the Holocaust who fled from Europe by Boat, and were rejected entrance by many countries including our very own. This world we live in is a sad sad corrupt place, and it breaks my heart to know that even those who persecuted the Jews, dare to call themselves Christians, representatives and followers of Christ. Nothing could be further from the truth!!! It’s disgusting to even think about it, how people radically abuse and slaughter the precious name of JESUS CHRIST! And now, now those people have made it very very rocky ground to be an Evngelisty or do ministry work here in Israel. I have such love for these people, and when I share with them the Good News of Yeshua Hu Ha Mashiach, they curse me, throw things at me, and burn Hebrew Habrita Ha Hadasha’s (New Testaments) in front of my face and throw them at me! It breaks my heart to see these lost children of the True God, react this way, because they have some corrupt idea and wrong vision of who I am and what I’m doing, all because of the work of some shepherd for satan claimed to be doing the work of Jesus Christ while persecuting the Jews. So so sad. But I recognize the Lord has brought me here for a reason, and I count persecution as Joy because I know my heavenly Father will rejoice as He did for his child Stephen who was Matyred not too far from where I am sitting right now typing this blog. Christ gives me strenght to endure the cross, and Sprint towards His beautiful, most glorious face!

After the Holocaust Museum, we headed over to the Davidsons Museum, where we got to walk on the actual steps where Jesus had once walked, which led up to the South Side of the Temple Mount, where every good Jewish man would come 3 times a year, cleanse themselves, and come to make there sacrifices. It was truly beautiful and surreal to have walked where God literally has walked before! I know everywhere I go, and bow my knee is Holy Ground, and Christ is with Me, but it’s a different experience, that I cant put into words. Well we spent sometime here, then finished the day relaxing shopping and hanging out at a coffee shop. Martina also spent the whole day with us which was great, because she really got to realize that we are not “religious” people as she has seen everybody else in Jerusalem acting: Catholics, Moslems and of course Judaism. She go to witness that we are just regular people who have so much Love for the Lord Jesus Christ, because He first loved us. There is nothing religious or great about me. Just another guy who has so much Love for Jesus, and turns to a Relationship with my Lord and Savior, knowing that I am saved by Grace, not by works (which separates True Biblical Christianity from every other religion on this earth).

(The picture with Obama is from the Yad Vashem the Holocaust Musem. I didn't take this picture, I found it online, but found it very Ironic to see Obama here at Yad Vashem. Interesting stuff. The other picture of me and the guys covered in mud above is from the dead sea from the previous day. I thought it was worth posting) Enjoy. :-)

Yeshua Be With You Always.

September 20, 2009

I’m sorry for not updating my blog in a while, I just have been so busy. Sunday, 9.20.09 Me, Sosimo, Tyler, and Pastor John headed over to Ein Gedi, “Kid Spring” or “young goat”. This is the place where David hid from Saul (1 Samuel 24:1). We hiked for a few hours, to the beautiful waterfalls, and it was truly a blessing to hike with some great brothers in the Lord, enjoying the creation of the Lord, which holds some amazing history, and also seeing plenty of goats and rock badgers! After getting a good work out at Ein Gedi, we drove across the street and relaxed for a bit at the Dead Sea, rubbing mineral mud all over ourselves and just relaxing while floating in the salty water! After enjoying the dead sea, we then drove back to Jerusalem. On the way we stopped at Qumron Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, which is truly an amazing Archaeological evidence that the Word of God is true and living and powerful. Also proving that the faith we hold is not Blind Faith. Jesus Christ has surely manifested Himself to us today! When we arrived to Jerusalem, we stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane, the place known where Jesus prayed three times to the father, right before his betrayal and arrest. My favorite part about being here was remembering that Jesus spoke to His disciples telling them to pray, lest they fall into temptation. Yet they fell asleep. Jesus spoke to me that day telling me to pray without ceasing, lest I also fall into temptation, and also pray according to the Father’s Will. We also headed up the rest of the Mt. of Olives and got to overlook the Eastern Side of the Old City, including the pagan dome of the rock, but my favorite was seeing the Golden Gate, the place where Christ will someday walk through setting up His new Kingdom! Amen!

After all this we sought for a place to eat, but because it was Rosh Hashana, everything was closed in Jerusalem. The only place open was McDonalds, so we settled for it and ate there.. As soon as we got our food and sat down, we understood immediately why the Lord led us to eat at McDonalds. There was a young lady from Italy sitting alone close by, and she came over and asked if she could eat with us. Of course we said yes and began getting to know her. The Lord was so good and led the conversation toward Himself, and we ended up sharing the Gospel with her for several hours in the middle of McDonalds. There was a man sitting near by, whom later told us he was from Australia, and he over heard us say “Jesus” and “Yeshua” several times, so he also asked if he could sit and join us. It was truly an incredible time to witness to Martina (the young gal from Italy) about Jesus Christ, and why He came. She admitted that she is an atheist, but she was very open to what we told her and listened very intensely. The Australian man was a believer and also expanded on the Gospel of Christ. As our time ended with Martina in McDonalds, we invited her to come with us the next day to tour more of Israel, visiting the Holocaust Museum and Davidson Museum. Earlier she had told us that she didn't want to go to the Holocaust Museum with her friends a few days before, but she ended up saying “yes” to us and decided to join us the following day. The Lord has been so good to us, and since that night at McDonalds, she has met the whole SEND Ministry team, joined us at the soup kitchen at Calvary Tel Aviv, and also visited a few more sights with us and the team. The girls have been taking them under their wing and speaking to her about Christ, and I believe someday this woman will be an amazing amassador for Christ Jesus. Pray for this gal, that the Lord will raise her up today! Today is the day for Salvation!!!

9.19.09

Saturday we woke up early to get a start on the day. We started the day by driving past the Well of Abraham. After this we headed over to Tel Arad. A “Tel” is basically one city that is built upon another. So Tel Arad is an ancient Canaananite city. We read in Numbers 21:1, “And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.” It was lots of fun to just check out the old ruins and climb all the rocks of an old Biblical Ruin, with the boys. After some time there, we drove to Masada and hiked up to the top. Masada is an amazing amazing amazing Fortress that sits on top of a Plateau in the middle of the Negev Dessert. It was built by Herod, and was used as Israel’s last stand against the Romans. Here many Jewish people defended their palace for 2 years while the Romans built a siege ramp to conquer the city. Well the Romans were successful in building the ramp which is still standing today, but i’m sure were very disappointed when they got to the top to see a Mass Suicide. The Israeli’s chose to commit suicide rather than fall in slavery to the Romans, which would have been a lifetime of torture and treacherous bondage. This was one of my favorite sites, and has such a beautiful view overlooking the Dead Sea. It’s very sad to see the pain that the Children of God have had to go through. They have been in a war since the beginning. A war not fought with physical weapons, but every bit spiritual. It’s very sad history at this place, but really amazing to spend time with my brothers there.

After we hiked down from Masada, we set up camp near by, and stayed the night right outside of Masada in a tent. We had no sleeping bags or pillows, just a nice windy night, and the Lord Blessed us with a great Bon Fire to end the night. It reminds me again of God’s guidance on the Children of Israel, let out of captivity by a Cloud during the day, and a Pillar of Fire by night. Jesus has had His hands on me and my brothers every step of the way.

9.18.09

Friday, John, Sosimo and Tyler, and myself left Northern Israel (Galilee area) and drove to Beer Sheva. It was a nice long drive and along the way we stopped at the Mediterranean Sea (Ashkalon & Ashdod, 2 of the 5 Philistine Cities). We left Northern Israel, with the intention of touring around southern Israel, The Negev for a few days, but we had one problem: no place to stay for sure. On the way south, I called up a good friend that I met when I stay in Beer Sheva, who’s father is the Senior Pastor at a Messianic Congregation. I asked him if it’s possible to stay at the church building for the night, remembering that they had a room with a few beds. Well, by God’s grace, Tal and his Father said yes and we now had a free place to stay and also a kitchen to keep some food in. So after we spent a few hours at the beach, relaxing after a long drive, I called Tal, and his family invited us all over for a Rosh Hashana Diner! So we headed over to he family’s house and ate with Tal's family for Rosh Hashana and then was blessed by staying at the church of Tal's Father, Pastor Howard Bass. They fed us so much food, and after we played a few worship songs, and had a great time of fellowship. Looking back on the day now, I can completely see the Lord's hand guiding us and directing us every step of the way.

Tour Day 3 with the Boys!

Well the Good Shepherd continues to poor out abundantly His blessings upon all of us this week. Today was another great day of touring the Golan area, or Northern Israel. Today, we woke up, each dug into the word on our own time, getting fed before heading out, and then we headed over to Bet She'an and spent several hours there today. Bet She'an is a city that was definitely flourishing during the time of Jesus, although the HaBrita Hadasha (New Testament) never mentions the city. The pictures above are from the Colosseum in the city, where we were all climbing over and speaking from the center. It's really amazing to see the design and intelligence of the people back in the day, how they built the colosseum pefectly to where one person can speak without a microphone and everybody would hear him. The sound waves bounce off the walls, making it to where everyone could hear no matter where they are sitting, and the speaker does not have to worry about shouting or raising his voice for them to hear. This city is also the place where the body of Saul was hung on a wall, after he was beheaded. 1 Samuel speaks of when Godl told Saul to go and destroy all the Amalekites, but Saul didn't not obey the Word of God and he ended up saving the some of the livestock from sacrifices. The amalekites is a picture of sin in the bible, and I love the pracitical application of this story. Since Saul did not utterly destroy the amalekites, later on in a battle, an Amalekite came back to put Saul to death. So you see, when we fail to utterly wipe out any sin in our lives, then the sin will always come back and often even utterly wipe us out! Such a tragic story which much application for us Disciples of Jesus today. Knowing that any leaven can leaven the whole lump, should be enough motivation to flee from sin and temptations, and turn to the Word of the Lord. "I have hidden your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:111

After this location, we fueled our bodies with a Shawarma, and then headed to Sachme where there are some natural springs of water. We went swimming for about an hour in the beautiful pools and just got to relax there for a while. It was perfect after spending the day out in the HOT HOT HEAT at Bet She'an Ruin Cities. After swimming here, we were heading back to the house, but ended up stopping at the Sea of Galilee on the way at taking a dip there as well. As you see in one of the pictures above... There are now 3 people who have walked on water at the Sea of Galilee: Jesus, Peter, and now You's Truly... haha.. Although I wish I had enough faith to say that it was true, I was actually standing on Sosimo's shoulder's while he kept his head in the water... I thought it was a pretty comical idea for a picture... Anyways, it was a good day in all. We got back to the house and stuffed our faces with pizza, coca cola, and Ice Cream with Chocolate Cake for dessert.

Although today was an amazning day that the Lord has made, there were some trials and tribulations that came our way. Today, before we got out of town, we were told while drive that something was on our roof. We stopped and realized that Pastor John had his shoes on the hood, but unfortunately one fell away. The are we were heading to today, we really needed shoes, because it was dangerous enough with lots of climbing. We drove back and retraced our tracks, and by God's grace, found the other shoe with the socks! Praise God, Pastor John, a sweet sweet man got his shoes back. Also at Bet She'an, Sosimo accidentally stepped on a small round rock, and twisted his ankle. We are pretty sure that it is sprained and as of now he has a bag of ice on it. We also just got done annointing him with Oil and praying for a healing upon our brother. It's great to see that my brother Sosi, has kept his faith in the Lord, sing praises to God the whole day, even though his ankle has been hindering him from going everywhere. Tomorrow we are heading down to Masada, and supposed to be doing some intense hiking so we'll see if the Lord wants to heel his ankle overnight, or if He want to continue to test the faith of Sosi, stretching him more, increasing his Faith in God.... Faith is like a muscle and it must be exercised in order to grow. For each individual, the Lord uses different ways to stretch us and grow our faith, so that we may always keep our eyes focused on Jesus the Christ!

Well this was my day, and incase you are wondering, I have been writing daily, because I am doing a project for a class which I will be able to get credit for. Since Pastor John Bonner, the Director Pastor from Calvary Chapel Bible College Lima in Peru, is here in Israel, he has been taking us on the tours, and Pastor Drew from San diego is doing the teachings. Pastor John will be giving us credit for a class called "Study Tour of Israel" which will give me 2 Credits toward my degree for CCBC. So as you know I intended on coming to Israel for Bible College, but that was canceled, and now the Lord has sent a Pastor here who I have been with this past week, and is giving me credit for a class for Bible College. Funny how God works, and how FAITHFUL He is to me, even when I am faithless. It's really sweet to mediate on the different ways that my Heavenly Abba is always looking out for me, because He loves me so much!

So this is why my blogs have been a bit more lengthy, because Pastor John will be checking them as part of my homework... May the Lord be with you, and continue to draw you closer to Him. Seek First the Kingdom of God....

Nick.

2nd Day of Study Tour

So today was a great day, with many blessing from the Lord! It was my 2nd day of the tour, and after waking up early, we headed out to Tel Dan. Here at Tel Dan, we read out of 1 Kings 12, where Jereboam fell into complacency for the world. He took advice from people rather than God, and made 2 golden calfs to worship (a pagan practice from Egypt) and placed one in Bethel, and the other in DAN! Today we sat and learned about this event sitting right in front of the altar where, no doubt, the Golden Calf was laid. The Lord even opened the opportunity to lead worship, for my first time in Israel right here at this sight. Praise God. This story of Jereboam falling in hypocrisy, and making worship look like that in Jerusalem, really spoke to me today. It showed me that as a disciple of Christ, I must completely surrender, and be real with the Lord, and people. I can't hid anything, just open and honest, and allow God to use me, once myself is removed.

2nd Stop: Cesarea Philippi - Who Do Men Say That I Am?

Well you all know the story when Jesus took his disciples all the way to Banias, otherwise known as Cesarea Philippi. It's where he stood in front of a huge rock which used to be a place where the people worshipped false idols. This was my favorite place of the day, because I know for sure it's a place where our LORD Jesus Christ stood one day, under the same sun, feeling the same wind, and seeing the same rock, and then he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?" I know we all know this chapter very well, and it really really hit me hard today being at this site and getting to listen to Pastor Drew expand on this chapter. Of course we know what the Catholics say about this site, and that Peter is the rock Jesus is speaking of, thus why it's believed by Catholic tradition that Peter is the first Pope, but in reality, anybody who has studied the Bible will know that its not so. The name Peter, in the Greek is "Petros" and the Greek word Jesus used to describe the rock is "Petra". So in reality Jesus is saying, "Thou are Petros, a little rock or pebble, and upon this Petra, a large rock or cliff, I will build my church..." Well so we know from just a small bit of study that Jesus is clearly speaking of two different things here. And the larger rock He is speaking of could quite possibly me a symbolic picture of the Giant Rock (picture above) which was being used for Pagan Idol worship, completely demonic, and saying that the Gates of Hell (possibly in the picture above as well) will not prevail against us. So I believe Jesus brought His disciples here to this pagan place to show them that none of this sinful acts from hell will not prevail over the Rock which I believe in my heart is the statement that Peter confessed to Jesus. That He is GOD! Amen! Here at Cesarea Philippi, Jesus declares to the people that He is God! The study spoke about more things as well for the discipleship class which was amazing, but these are the things that really spoke to me today! So the one question that I believe with all my heart that God would love to challenge you with today is: Who do you say that Jesus is? It's the most important question in life. Your answer will determine your Eternity. Think, pray, meditate, do what you have to, and if you come to a conclusion that you are not sure, email me. I would love to tell you about the Truth of Jesus and who He is.

After this place, we headed over to a few other places: Mt. Hermon Stream (Banias), Nimrods Fortress, and Mt. Bernell. They were not Biblical sites, but one the othe highlights today was running all through Nimrods Fortress, which was a base for the Crusaders! This place was built with an incredible design, and really lots of fun to scale the walls and look out over the valley, and even seeing Lebanon. Well the day was wrapped up with listening to Pastor Drew teach one more Bible Study at a home church and now I believe its time for bed.

One other thing, I got to speak with my father today which was really great. I have been missing him dearly, as well the rest of my family including my church family! He was bit by a black widow today but is doing well now, and also has been recovering from eye surgery. Please keep this man in prayer, and pray that the Lord will open the doors for him to come tour the Holy Land with me in October. Toda Raba! (Thank You).

Well I love you all and miss you dearly. May Yeshua receive all Glory!

Pictures (top to bottom): Yes that is me on my knees (I'll let you figure out this one) Its on top of Mt. Bernell at an old look out point/military base during the war, Cesarea Philippi (Banias) where Jesus asked His disciples the #1 question in life, Nimrods Fortress with Sosimo which was a base for Crusaders, Mt.Hermon waterfalls which feeds the Jordan River, and finally a replica of the altar for sacrifices at Tel Dan.

1st Day of Study Tour

Yesterday was my first day of the study tour with Pastor Drew, Pastor John Bonner, Tyler Campbell, Sosimo Avila, Pastor Steve Flores and his lovely wife and son. We traveled to Mount Carmel first. There we read out of 1 Kings 18, where Elijah told the people in verse 21 “...if the LORD be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” This really spoke to me in several ways yesterday. First I enjoyed the fact that we were created to make choices, and in this life, we have a choice to either accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or not. Or make the the choice of not choosing, as we see the followers and worshippers of Baal chose.

Being on top of Mt. Carmel yesterday, and reading the story of when Elijah brought the false prophets of Baal and Ahab to the mountain, and there Elijah gave them the plan. If your God is true, then call to him and he will pour down fire on the offering. Of course as they danced around screaming and shouting, nothing happened. They even began to cut themselves, practicing such pagan worship to Baal. Finally, after some observance and mocking from Elijah’s part, he told them basically to step aside and watch. He rebuilt the altar, poured much water on the offering, and prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to pour down fire, here his voice, so they people will return to God. Sure enough, fire poured down from the sky, consuming the offering. After, Elijah took the followers of Baal to the Kishon Valley, and killed them. And I love at the end, that God gave Eli power and strength to run even in front of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

This was by far my favorite place to stop at yesterday, listening to the teachings of Drew, and Worship was great too. I love the simplicity that if God is God, then we must leave all behind, not looking back, and follow God! So simple, but yet so hard. It’s a strange Dichotomy that ought to be a no brainer of what to do. After this, we traveled to Nazareth Village, where Jesus grew up. I found this place exciting as well, because we got to get a better understanding of the common lifestyle of the people there. We learned much and ate even more, and after headed over to the 3 cities that Jesus cursed. First stop, Capernaum, then Bethsaida (which was closed) and finally we got to walk through the ruins of Korazin. Capernaum was great to see the old synagogue and also I loved to see the house of Peter. Other than the huge Catholic church standing above it, it was a great site to see. Korazin was lots of fun to walk through, and I found it interesting to see the Pagan God’s even carved inside. Also is was interesting to see that the whole city had been carved from Volcanic rock.

Well yesterday was a long and fun day. Lot’s of biblical sites to see, and I’m so thankful that God has allowed me to join this tour. I keep the verse from 1 Kings in mind throughout the day, that If God is God, then follow him. It should be easy, but I know there are things hindering my walk. I will pray that the Lord will remove everything in the way, which is really just myself, because I must die to self to follow Christ, and death to self is the only way God can receive all the Glory. Amen.

Pictures (top to bottom):

Love you all,

May The Yeshua's Name Be Magnified,

Nick

Now in Northern Israel, near the Galilee...

So I'm now in Northern Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, where some of the major events of Jesus' Ministry took place. I'll be here for a week on a study tour, and was even asked if I can lead worship with my brother Sosimo next friday! So God has been opening amazing doors, and it has been such a joy, walking step by step in Faith; not faith in this world, or the things of this world, or what I can see, but in the Invisible God, who manifests Himself in so many ways!

Something very interesting, about the video above, that I'd like to share with you, is something that was completely orchestrated by the Hand of God! I'm absolutely convinced! Well about 2 months ago, while I was in the Philippines, I was checking out different video's on the web about Israel. I happened to come across this video I have posted above on YouTube, and God used this video to stir my heart to want to come to some of the toughest places in Israel. The video really shows what Israel went through during the war, and the constant lifestyle of the people in Sderot and Beer Sheva. This past week, as many of you know, I was in Beer Sheva (no rockets were launched, Praise God) and I spent one week exactly with an amazing Godly family. A couple from Rhode Island, now living in Israel for the past 2 years, with there two adorable kids. The man I stayed with is a worship leader at a Messianic Congregation and has written many of his own songs in Hebrew and English. He is very very gifted with the guitar and song writing. So anyways, long story short, he told me that he and his wife and one other guy (the kid who plays the violin I told you all about) got together during the time of the last war, when Beer Sheva and Sderot were getting hit w/about 7 rockets a day, and Anthony wrote the song, and his wife and the other guy played with him. It was so great, that a radio station asked him to play it live, and many people fell in love w/the song. Well it was a blessing, and they made a slideshow video w/the song, and put it on YouTube. TURNS OUT IT IS THE EXACT SAME SONG/VIDEO HEARD AND WATCHED WHILE I WAS IN THE PHILIPPINES! The same song that stirred my heart to want to come, and giving me more peace of confirmation from the Lord to come and serve in the uttermost parts of the world, even the difficult places. I loved the video/song so much I immediately posted it on my facebook page for all my friends to see. A few have even already commented on it. I thank God for using this man, his wife, and a friend to put this song together to bless the Children of God, and the Nation of Israel. See, some cities here may not seem safe to the average human, because what we can see on the surface is horror, rockets landing, suicidal bombers entering in, and much more hazardous situations. But as a FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST, we know Who the One is that is behind the scenes. The saftest place to be is the place where God wants me to be! And I believe this with all my heart! So why fear what men could do to me, when I have Jesus Christ dwelling within me, who doesn't fight against the flesh, because He has already defeated death, and is alive today! So with Him I will stand forever, no matter what men try to do to me! This song really spoke to me and stirred my heart to come to Israel, and suffer for the sake of the Kingdom of God, for the Glory of Jesus! I hope you are blessed as I was with this video. And please continue to pray for the family I stayed with who opened there doors for me to stay, eat, and serve alongside of them, and the ones who also played this sweet song for the Lord! Toda Raba.

(Below: the guy I stayed with the past week who wrote the song in the video above. He is truly an amazing Worship Leader)

Yeshua, "You are Beautiful my Sweet Sweet Song!"

"For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

~ Paul (Philippians 1:19-21)

Wrapping up my week in Beersheva

Well, I have now been in Beer Sheva for a week. Although I would love to stay, because the people are so great, unfortunately I'll be heading up North to Galilee area, instead of to Sderot. Yesterday, I received an email from a man asking if I'd like to go on a study tour with him, two other pastors (one from san diego, another from peru) and also my buddy Sosimo will be there... I prayed about it and decided it would be a great opportunity to go through this Discipleship class with the men, and also learn more about the Land.

This past week has been so much fun with the family I have been staying with. It has been constantly busy, every day, but such a blessing the whole time. Monday I arrived and got straight to work with some plumbing. Tuesday we worked on a car during the day and had a bible study at night (picture above) at the apartment. It was a College bible study, and about 15 students who are studying to be doctors came from the university, and learned more about Mark 11. Wednesday, we got a lot done as well, doing more work on the car, repairing some holes in the walls of the apartment, and other errands before the couple i'm with heads back to the states. Thursday, I went to Tel Aviv, and helped at the soup kitchen at the Calvary Chapel. I really love going there on thursdays, and I really want to stay connected with the Calvary Chapel in Tel Aviv. Serving at the soup kitchen is such a big blessing and I love talking to the older guys who show up about our Messiah. They are not believers but smart men, and it's fun to challenge them on certain things.. Friday during the day I helped out at Christian book store/Coffee house, and in the evening we began the youth conference. It was a great evening, fellowshipping with many youth believer's and after the worship and teachings, we all stayed to hang out, eating, playing pool and ping pong. Saturday was the day for the Adult conference, which was lots of work. We got there early to help set up, and of course finished just as the people were showing up. It was a conference for all congregations in the Negev of Israel. There was a great number of people who showed up from all over the world, gathered in a small town in Israel. It was amazing to see the work of God in that building that day. The worship was my favorite part. Worshipping with hundreds of believer's in the Hebrew language, was truly awesome. It's great to see how God brought us all together for one purpose: to worship Him who created us! The conference lasted just about all day, and by the time we cleaned up after, we headed to the church and set up for some more hours of recording songs.

This morning we didn't wake up till about 10 pm..haha! We were all so tired from the whole week, but it still isn't quite over yet. Today was macho boys second birthday. That is THE DUDE's son, who I really got to become close with. MB is such an adorable kid, and I loved hanging out with him, because he reminds me of my nephew back at home, Elijah who i miss so much! Well we ran some more errands today, set up for MB's party, and then a bunch of people showed up! It was really great and MB's mother even made him a pretty sweet guitar cake! God has been so good feeding me an abundance of food and giving me a great hospitable family to stay with! Praise Jesus. It was also kind of a going away party for the couple I've been living with, because tomorrow night, they also leave Israel to go back to the states for about a year.

Well tomorrow we will probably finish up the work on the car, possibly get to the painting that we were supposed to do a few days ago, and then at 2 pm I'm heading to Galilee. I'm bummed I wont be going to Sderot right now, but I know if God really wants me there, that's where He'll take me. For now, I'm just taking it one day at a time, step by step.

"But I have said to you, "You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples." Leviticus 20:24

I thank God for bringing me to this land, and also for sanctifying me from the rest of the world!

Nick

First full Day in Beer Sheva

Well today I woke up after a nice long night of sleep out on the balcony. The family I'm staying with have a couch on their balcony in the apartment, it since it was very hot, i chose that as my bed for the night. It was actually quite nice, and very comfortable. Praise God, He is always providing me a place to sleep!! Well once we woke up and ate breakfast, we got right to work. We began working on the car, tuning it up by changing spark plugs, changing oil, and some other lil things. After working on the car, we went to the church he attends, and helped set up to record a few songs with a kid from the church. This young man, a 17 year old Jewish Christian, plays the violin and is very very good. He and the guy I'm with recorded for a few hours, while I got to just enjoy the music. After the recording session, we headed back to the apartment, and had a College Bible Study. He usually leads it, but tonight a different man did. We ate dinner before the study, then after prayed. There were about 15 people here, mostly from a medical school nearby, and mostly everybody was from the US, so everything was in english. There were about 3 or 4 people here who are not quite Believer's but still came which was great. The study was very open, and we could ask questions, and interact on different parts of the story. Tonight the Study was on Mark 11, and part of the chapter explains the story where Jesus curses the Fig Tree for having leaves, but no fruit. We began to discuss why Jesus cursed the tree, and one German guy (a non believer) said, when he first read it, "I thought Jesus was an A** Hole for cursing the tree. It's not the tree's fault for not producing fruit because it's not the right season." Although it was quite funny, and after he left, we had a few good laughs about the comment, it was also quite eye opening in a certain way. It was shocking to see how this guy had totally misinterpreted the context of the story. This man is a smart guy, and has actually even studied Theology, but still showed me how even the smartest of people, who try to understand the Word of God on their own, without the Helper, the Holy Spirit, how they really can't understand scripture. They can try to, but no wonder there are so many wacky religions today. It was explained to this guy that he is reading too much into it, and it's really not hard to understand, and even a 5 year old could understand the Gospel. It's so true, but yet intelligent people try to understand the Bible on an Intelligent level. God is Spirit, therefore we must understand and approach the scriptures with the help of the Spirit, and allow the Spirit of God to teach us, guide us and direct us in everything we do! God has made foolish the Wise of the world, and made wise the fools... I'm glad I'm a fool for Christ's sake! Well God has been good to me, again giving me a place to stay free of rent and food, and I thank God for the family for opening their home to me. And once again, I can't upload my pictures from today, but it was a lot of fun, and very busy. I apologize for writing too much. Hopefully I can get more pics up soon. Take Care and God Bless.

Made it to Beer Sheva...

Well this morning I packed my bag, grabbed a Falafel, and jumped on a 2 hour bus ride to Beer Sheva. As soon as I arrived, I found my way to this Dude's and his awesome wife's house the couple that will be hosting me for the next week. They are a great couple, and have 2 beautiful kids, one boy will be turning 2 on thursday. His name is MACHO MAN, and he is a really cute boy, and the more I spend time with him, the more I miss my nephew Eli back at home. Well THE DUDE and I wasted no time and got right to work, doing some plumbing in the apartment and also cleaning out the attic. They are moving back to the states next week, so we will be packing things up, fixing things around the house, repainting the house, and also still preparing for a huge Conference at the church this weekend. They are planning on have quite a bit of people attending the conference so we have a very busy week ahead of us.. I will try to take pics and keep this blog updated as much as possible...

Nick

Shalom!!! Photo Updates...

Here are some pictures from Israel so far.. Now that my pictures are finally able to get on my laptop, I'll start to post more.. Today we got to go to Hezekiah's Tunnel, which was absolutely amazing. We trekked in water, inside the tunnel walls, that were dug out thousands of years ago! It's incredible to see the Bible come to life...

Pictures starting from Top to Bottom: Israeli Flag overlooking Mt. of Olives, SEND Ministry Team, SM Team at Exit of Hezekiah's Tunnel, Inside Hezekiah's Tunnel, Entrance to City of David, Tel Aviv Sunset over the Mediterranean Sea, Overlooking the Old City (you can see the Pagan dome of the rock), Getting ready to Pass out Hebrew NT's at Madonna Concert (lots of fun being persecuted for Christ's sake), Worshipping, Profession Israeli Football Game (Israel vs Latvia).

enjoy.

Toda Raba

God Bless,

Nick

Update from the Promise Land.

Hey guys sorry its been a while.. my pictures are acting up, so i'll try to get them up here soon.

Anyways, the past week in Israel has been a blessing. Madonna came to town and gave a two day concert, so the team and I went passing out Hebrew New Testaments the people. There was some difficulty in passing them out but overall it was a blessing to be used by the Lord. We haned out about 2,400 NT's total both days. God's name was definitely magnified those nights! Yesterday, I went back to Tel Aviv, to help out at the soup kitchen at Calvary Chapel. Later that evening we wen to a Christian Messianic coffee shop and volunteered there, passing out free coffee, and fliers outside to bring the Jewish community inside and learn more about Yeshua. Tonight is Shabbat, I'll be heading to Korean family's house to get fed a Korean Shabbat diner, and then tomorrow....FUTBOL GAME! }That's right, a few friends and I are going to spend the day watching a professional Israeli soccer match. I can't wait. I have never been to pro soccer game before, and how much better it will be in Israel. I love the time spent here so far, and God has been providing me food and a roof to sleep under always! Jehovah-Jireh is so good to me! Well please keep me in prayer. There is intense spiritual warfare here, but I know all victory will go to Jesus Christ. I miss you all and love you. I will be praying for my family and friends back at home. God Bless. Yeshua hu a Messhiakh.

Nick