Last Night Here

This will be my last post from the Middle East. I hope to post more pictures and reflections on what we did when I return home.

We spent two days up north at the Sea of Galilee and some of the area cities. Our visits reminded us of the many things that Jesus did in that area. One of the cities we visited was Nazareth, the city where our Lord was raised.

One of the joys I had while visiting here is going on a boat ride on the Sea. It was a nice boat and they stopped long enough for us to have a time of prayer and scripture reading together. I had the privileage of leading this time.

Today our bus took us over the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and then along the eastern side of the Sea. From there we crossed the Jordan River and followed it until it flowed into the Dead Sea. In the next couple of days I will post a picture of me floating in the Dead Sea. We also visited the city of Jericho before returning our hotel in Bethlehem.

Tomorrow we leave our hotel at 3:45 AM to catch our flight back to London and then on to New York. It has been a great two weeks and I am so grateful that I was able to come and be apart of this trip.

Thanks for your prayers and I look forward to talking to many of you first hand about what God is doing here.

In HIS Love and Mine,

Jim

Old City and Going North

Our day started with our leaving our hotel in Bethlehem passing by the wall that separates Palestine from Israel and going into Jerusalem.

Due that this was the Sabbath I could not take pictures of the Wailing Wall today when we were there. I was surprised that 8:00 AM there was already a large crowd praying at the wall.

From there we started going through the "Stations of the Cross". There are 14 stations, but we only got through 8 before we had to leave. Here is a shot of one of the streets where we walked.

Then we went to the Garden of the Tomb. This has to be the highlight of the trip for many of us. This area is different than most because the land was purchased by a charity in the UK and has kept it as much like it was at Jesus time, rather than building a church or shrine. It was very nice and we had a nice guide that was special to this site. He did an excellent job.

Here is the entrance to the tomb.

After we looked into the tomb we gathered at a special place that was set aside just for us, read some scripture and had communion together.

Then it was off to Ceaserea and then up to Haifa , where we saw this great sunset and then drive inland to Tiberias along the Sea of Galilee. Tomorrow we will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, visit Nazareth, and other important sites in this area.

Thanks you for praying for our safety. We are grateful that no one has become ill or injured on this journey.

In HIS love and mine,

Jim

Palestine - Day 2

Today we spent the day visiting two of our ministry partners - Rev. Dr. Mitri Rahib of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and Dr. Bishira Awad of Bethlehem Bible College. We were encouraged by what both of the ministries are doing despite the hardship of living in a walled city. The things that these men shared about their work and the impact they are having in Palestine is so exciting and I am so pleased that SAT-7 has a part to play in both of these ministries.

I told you that yesterday we visited some of the sites near Jerusalem and I wanted to share with you just a couple of the pictures I took from the places we visited. Our first visit was at the Mount of Olives. What struck me was the view you had of the walled old city of Jerusalem from the Mount. Here is a shot of the dome of the Rock from where we were.

Near this view is a chapel built where tradition says that Jesus wept for the City of Jerusalem and here a is view from that Chapel that really portrays by heart for this region. See if you resonate with this as well.

What I haven't been prepared for was the amount of churches or chapels that have been erected at each of the places that are thought to be holy.

This was the door of one of the places where we visited depicting what they said happend at this site. I was surprised how heavy these doors were. This is a engraving on steel.

As I have never been to this area before, it has been good to be hear and see the sites I have only read about and heard others talk about, but I have to be honest and say that what I really enjoyed was our meetings this morning with our brethren in ministry here in Palestine.

In that light, I want to encourage you to read a book by Brother Andrew called Light Force. It doesn't just talk about this country, but it talks about all the Christians in this region and the struggles they face.

You can order it directly from Open Doors or you can get it on Amazon.com. Hey, if you live near me and want to borrow a copy of it I would be glad to lend you mine. Dr. Awad mentioned it today when we visited with him and that gave me the idea to recommend it here on my blog.

Well, tomorrow we will spend time in the Old City, I think we are visitng the wailing wall, and then we are off to the North to Tiberias and the Sea of Galillee.

Thanks again for your prayer and please keep praying.

In His Love and mine,

Jim

Arrived in Palestine

After a very early start ( a 4 AM wake up call) we flew from Cairo to Tele Aviv and then an hour bus ride to Jerusalem where we had a very full day visiting a number of what are considered important sites in Jerusalem like the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemene, the upper room and the the tomb of David.

After our visits had another hour drive to get to Bethlehem in Palestine where were are staying at a wonderful hotel. It is very nice and not very busy because not many of the tourists who come to visit the area go to the trouble to go through the checkpoints between Israel and Palestine to get to Bethlehem.

It also surprised some in our group to see the 28 foot wall that is being built by Israel to divide Israel from Palestine.

I will post some of my photos tomorrow after I get caught up on my rest.

Thanks for praying and please continue to do so. Tomorrow we want to spend time encouraging and supporting our Christian brothers here in Bethlehem.

In His care,

Jim

Last Day in Egypt

Today was a very full day. We visited three of our ministry partners and heard about the work that they are doing.

Our first visit was at the Anglican Cathedral in downtown Cairo. What a joy it was to hear about the refugee work they were doing among the Sudanese who have fled their country. It is so good to see how they are reaching out to those in need.

After our visit to the Cathedral we went to the largest Evangelical church in all of Egypt and had a wonderful time with one of their staff that helps with outreach. Again it was great to hear about the work of this church and how the church and our ministry are working together for the Gospel.

Then our final visit took us to the famous Cave church. The story is way to long to tell here about how God has moved to provide a place of worship for the many garbage collectors of Cairo. To get to the Cave Church and Monastery we had to pass through "Garbage Village." The garbage collectors go into Cairo and collect the garbage, bring it back to their homes and sort it out to those things they can feed their pigs, those things they can use and those things that can be recycled. You can't imagine the smell as you drive through this place. It is just overwhelming, and to think that these people live in it day in and day out. The only rays of hope I saw was knowing of those who are reaching out to these people and their children, knowing that the Cave Church is their and that many of them have satellite and can receive our programs and hear the good news.

After you pass through Garbage Village you then arrive at the "Cave Church and Monastery". It is a fabulous story of how God raised up a simple shoe maker to reach out to the people that all of society wanted nothing to do with. Here are just a couple shots of two of the three different places of worship here. These pictures really don't do it justice but they will have to do until you can come and see for yourself.

Our time in Egypt concluded with a Fluka ride. After spending so much time in a city that has 20 Million inhabitants it is so nice to get in a sail boat that designed after the same boats that have sailed the Nile for centuries and rest. I would highly recommend it, and I am not one that likes to be on the water.

Tomorrow, very early we fly to our next destination. We will be leaving our hotel at 5 AM to catch our flight.

Thanks again for checking in and thanks for your prayers.

Jim

Time In Egypt

Thank you to all who have been following my trip on the blog. I apologize for the lack of posts for the last couple of days.

Last Sunday we spent time with our co-workers in Farsi in their studio in Cyprus learning about their work and their needs. They are doing marvelous work with minimal resources. Then we came back to Larnaca and spent some visiting St. Lazarus Greek Orthodox church before going to the Airport. We were scheduled for to leave at 8:15, but ended up leaving around 11:00 which caused us to arrive in Cairo after midnight. After collecting our luggage and getting on our bus, we didn't' arrive at our hotel until nearly 2 AM.




Our first day in Egypt was spent visiting our co-workers here, seeing their work first hand. It is amazing what they accomplish with so little. Here is a picture of part of the group I am traveling with in the studio here.

After having lunch with our co-workers we took off to cross the city to visit with one of our Ministry partners at the Egyptian Bible Society. They have exciting plans for how to make the Bible available to all the people of Egypt.


Of course when you are here you have to stop and shop for gifts which we have been doing.


Today, we were truly tourists. We visited all the "important" sites in Cairo including the pyramids and two ancient Coptic Orthodox churches. There is so much to see and so little time.

This sign above the door to one of the churches reads - Ask and it shall be given, Seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I have so much to share that should not go here on the blog, but I would love to talk to you personally about them.

In HIS love and mine,

Jim

Saturday and we move on tomorrow

Network 2007 is history, and I am in overload with all the information. I just hope I can remember all that I have heard. It has been good to meet all the team and to see how we fit into the bigger picture of SAT-7.

Today I did take the opportunity to go into the sea. I didn't actually swim, but I did wade out a good distance. Here are some shots I took from the beach and from the sea after I waded out.

As the sunsets over Cyprus we close our time here on this tranquil island tomorrow and move to the teeming city of Cairo. But before we leave the island we will be making a trip to Limassol to see where many of our Farsi programs are produced and take in some of the sights.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and check back for more.

In HIS love and mine,

Jim

Palm Beach Hotel

The Network conference is at the Palm Beach Hotel. I have a great view of the beach from my room. Maybe I will get some time to enjoy the beach.

In HIS love and mine,

Jim

Arrived In Cyprus

After an all night flight from JFK in New, York, to Heathrow in the UK which took 6 hours, we were rushed through Heathrow airport and without more than a 15 minute delay, just enough time for a bathroom break and buy a bottle of water, we were put on another BA flight from Heathrow to Cyprus. That was a four hour flight. Thankfully, all the flights went well.

We arrived in Cyprus a little late, and then found that one of our groups luggage was lost. Hopefully it will come in on the flight tomorrow from the UK. While my co-worker Dennis was helping them with there luggage, I went out looking for our bus to take us to the hotel where we will be staying for the first leg of our journey.

I finally located the bus, had all 27 people following me, pulling their luggage and we were able to get on easily, got to the hotel, got checked in and had time for a quick shower before the meetings started.

Tomorrow I will upload some photo's of the hotel and the few from my room that looks out onto the hotel pool and the beach.

Two things have stood out to me so far on the trip. The first is how diverse the group is that God has put together for this trip. It is just a very small sample of what heaven will be like, except then we will all be perfect.

The second is how God is at work in amazing ways to see His church encouraged and His Word go out to the all the people of this part of the world.

God bless and thanks for praying.

In HIS love and mine,

Jim

JFK

I am here with the group waiting to leave from JFK. My flight from Indy on Delta went well. It so happened that the other person from Indy on the Vision trip was on the same flight that I was on and just one seat away.

I am looking forward to a bigger plane this leg of the trip. My first flight was on a commuter jet and I could barely stand up in the aisle, but the flight was very smooth and had plenty of leg room.

Have a good day and I will get back on from Cyprus after we land as I don't think I will have time or connections in UK.

Good day,

Jim

Packing & Preparation

The big question always is - what to take and what not to take. I am never very good at this. Just ask Deb. I always over pack.

Well, on this trip I need to be very careful. We are only allowed one suitcase and one carry one. Because we are flying with a overseas carrier (British Airways) we have to go by their standards which is one case that weighs no more than 50 lbs (sure glad my toothbrush doesn't weigh to much :-)) It just means I can't pack to many books in my suitcase - but how can you go anywhere without a stack of books and magazines to read? Not that I will get to them, but I have great intentions.

The other big question, at this time of year, what it the weather going to be like. If you look at the weather websites, it looks like it is really going to be warm - 80's and 90's during the day and 60 - 70's at night, but do I really trust those sites? I guess I will take clothes for warmer weather and then take layers to add if I get cold.

Today, I went in to make sure my "world" cell phone would work overseas and ran into some complications that I have to wait until Monday to work out. Of course at the rates I was quoted for overseas calls, I am going to spend more time on Skype than I will my cell. Hopefully we will have good Internet connections at the Hotels we are staying in.

The one thing I would ask is that you pray for this trip. Pray for me as I help lead and for Debbie and the kids as I am away. Also pray for all those who are going on the trip as well. There are a total of 25 on the trip.

Thanks and have a great day.

Jim

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Thanks for Visiting.

Hey, thanks for visiting our blog. I hope to keep you updated daily on my upcoming trip to the Middle East. Please check back often.

Here is a recent photo of my lovely bride and myself we had taken. We appreciated Jamie taking this for us.

Finally Landed

WOW!! Who would have thought we would end up working for SAT-7. If you have never heard of SAT-7 I would invite you to look at our web page at http://www.sat7.org/. I think what SAT-7 does is so awesome and I am sure you will too.

I started with this ministry on August 27th and have been on a steep learning curve ever since. I serve as the US Director of Church Connections for Eastern USA for SAT-7, but my first major task is to raise our support. We need to get it back to the level it was before we left MECO and then we need to double it. I know God is able to make this happen and I am really excited about how He is going to do it, but at the same time, in my self, I am worried it won't come in.

Just a quick update on what we have been up to - I have made two trips to our Maryland office. (That doesn't count the trip to Maryland Deb and I made together for the job interview.) The first trip was in August for 4 days of training. It was great to get to know the staff at the office better and to begin learning about the ministry and what God is doing through it. I was blessed that my co-worker Dennis came out to spend some time with me as well during my training.

September was real busy with fund raising and soccer - yes, soccer. Since I didn't have full time work this summer, I helped with my daughters high school soccer team, so when we joined SAT-7 I told them I needed to finish out my commitment with the Soccer team What a great time of working with a super bunch of girls. We had tons of fun and for a building season we did pretty well - we finished over .500 for the season.

Then on the first weekend of October I made my second trip to Maryland. This time to spend time with the International CEO and Founder of SAT-7, Terry A. I also had the opportunity to meet the International Chairman of the Board while I was there. I had the privilege of joining Terry at Calvary Community Church of Riva, in Riva Maryland where he spoke briefly in two different worship services and in three different Sunday School classes. What a great time for me to observe what our CEO thinks is important to share with the church in the US.


Then on the second weekend of October I had the privilege of speaking at Grace Evangelical Church in Indianapolis. They can be found at http://www.indygrace.org/. I really appreciate the prayer and support my family receives from this church and am grateful for the opportunities I had to share at this church last weekend.

This past week, I was at the Great Lakes District Conference of the EFCA. It was held at the Evangelical Free Church of Naperville, in Naperville, IL.

Then today I spoke at First Community Church in Lebanon, Indiana. First Community is another church that stands behind our family with their prayers and support. It was great to share with them about the ministry God has led us to be apart of.

God is so good and I am excited about my new work and look forward to sharing with you regularly about the ministry God has called us to be apart of.

Also I will be making a trip to the Middle East for two weeks starting the 30th and I hope to post photos of that trip on here as well.

God bless each and everyone of you,

Jim

Still Pressing On

Well, I have been unemployed nearly a month now, had four interviews, taking numerous temperament and personality tests. We still don't know where God is leading us to serve next. He has closed one door so far, but has already opened another possible opportunity.

You would think with a month a no work I would get lots done around the house, but it took us nearly three weeks to get everything out of the office that was in our home. We still have lots of stuff to put away and sort.

Besides the changes with the job, I am still sorting out all the things from my sister. I am thinking of venturing into EBay sells and see if I can get rid of some of the many things she was collecting.

Stay tuned and see what God does. We are excited.

Love and peace,

Jim

On the Move

It is hard to imagaine that after being with the same organization for 25 years, we will be moving on.

I wish we knew where we were going, but at present we are still in the process with two groups. Hopefully we will know something soon.

God has remained faithful through the whole process and we have had so many confirmatins over the past month that we have made the right decision.

In His love and mine,

Jim

Rebirth

My blogging has been reborn on this new site. I am looking forward to putting things on here as God continues to teach me about Himself and as He uses me in His work.

God bless you all.

In His love and mine,

Jim