Rain and Almond Blossoms

Shalom!  I have a huge praise report.  Last week one of the rabbis here in Jerusalem called for a day of prayer and fasting to repent before God.  He said that God had been withholding rain because they hadn’t repented of their sins.  I don’t really know the particulars of what they were repenting for, but whatever it was worked! They had their day of repentance last Thursday and the rain began on Sunday and didn’t stop until Thursday.  It wasn’t a light sprinkle either. We had thunder, lightening, the whole bit!  Friday and Saturday were beautiful sunny days, but the weather report says the rain should start up again on Sunday with the possibility of a little snow too.  I think this has made it obvious that when His people repent He really does “hear from heaven” and respond.  The challenge now is not returning to the sins they repented of.


       On my way back into town from the Temple Mount I noticed a couple stop to take a picture of something (looked like they were photographing a tree).  When they finished and walked on I saw an orthodox man stop where they had been standing, turn and give the tree a funny look. I could see he was a bit confused as to what they had found so interesting.  Isn’t that our first response when we see someone look at something? We are curious, so we want to see what it was.  Then I had a revelation from God.  If I spend my life gazing on Him, completely focused on Him then when people see me they will start trying to figure out what I am looking at! And if I am gazing on Him I will be made into His image and filled with His love to overflowing which means I will need to pour it out on those who come my way or else I will not have the capacity to take in more of His love.  I just stopped in the street and had a WOW moment.  That is something I can do! Sometimes evangelism feels overwhelming to me, but this is certainly something any of us can do.  I have a friend here who is one of the most loving people I have ever met. God’s love just oozes out of her and everyone who knows her just wants to hug her and receive love from her.  She knows half of the shop owners in the Old City and they all get this huge grin on their faces when she comes by because they know she will have a kind word and love for them. That is exactly what I want to be like.  An oozer of His love to all in this world.


I will close with something a friend sang out during a time of worship yesterday. “Love is not love till you give it away, so we give it away as You gave it away.”


     Thank you all for your many prayers for me!  Over the last week God has been providing more for me financially, so I think what is needed is down to about $1,700. Praise the Lord! He is faithful.  A huge thank you to those of you who have given into this. I love each and every one of you and look forward to seeing you all in a few more months! Hugs!


~Lydia


Pictures -  #1 My friend and I having a fun moment on the Temple Mount. Someone had just taught her how to give elephant kisses.  

#2 Almond blossoms!!  

#3 Downtown Jerusalem, I love this city and the people sooooo much!

Discovering God in the Desert

Shalom to you my friends! I pray this update finds each of you chasing after Him.  On the daily living side of things over here life is never slow, but it has been more restful and peaceful since moving to the desert.  The twins have just turned three so we spent the last few days getting ready for the huge party! The kids had a blast and the adults all got to see each other at once, which is not very common so all were happy.  The weather has been beautiful, but we still really need rain.  This time of year should be the rainy season; however we haven’t seen much of that.  So we have lots of water issues to pray over!
        
The last week or so have been more about God changing things in me than much of anything else.  Since I believe we are all on a journey and can be encouraged by each other’s experiences I would like to share some of mine with you.  Two weeks ago I started re-reading I John.  When I got to chapter three verse 2 just jumped out at me!
      

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  

        
We shall be like Him. Why? Because we will see Him as He is. Not as man has told us to see Him, not as our culture has made Him out to be, but as He truly is.  I realized that I need to see Him as He is, and that most of my life I relied on other people to tell me what He is really like. Sure, I know some things for myself, but much of who I have believed Him to be has been based on what I’ve been taught by others.  The Hebrew mentality is to learn by experience, the Greek mentality is to learn by being told.  I am so tired of the Greek mentality! I want to know God completely, and this can only be accomplished through personal revelation.  So I began asking God to reveal Himself to me.  Now, He’s not going to reveal all of Himself all at one time, but little bits. And the more I ask for revelation the more He will continue to reveal.  Which means this is a lifelong process, but what could be more exciting than spending your life discovering who He is? Well, nothing!
        
With all of that in mind I set aside some time at home one afternoon last week to just listen to some music and soak in His presence. I wasn’t there to do or say anything, just be with Him.  I was listening to a CD by Brian and Jenn Johnson called We Believe (which I highly recommend!).  This is a CD I have listened to a lot in the last two months, so I am very familiar with the lyrics.  Once again as I listened something jumped out at me.  It was the phrase (God singing to us) “no longer your master, your husband I will be”.  Suddenly God revealed to me where I’d been going wrong!  My whole life I’ve done things to please Him, or to make Him happy, as if He were my master.  It dawned on me that this was why I had always struggled with really falling in love with Him.  It’s rather hard to fall in love with your master.  But, if I see Him (as He is) as my husband I find it’s not necessary for me to try to please Him.  Why? Because He is already as pleased with me as possible or else He wouldn’t have married me!  I got so excited and for the first time felt a totally new type of love for God, my husband.  He looks at me and is completely over come with love for me, how cool is that?  I know, it’s way beyond cool!
        
God asked me to come back to Israel this year so that I could fall in-love with Him and know Him the way John the Beloved knew Him.  For the last several months I kept thinking, well, I came but I’m not sure I know Him all that much better than I did before!  He does everything in His timing, and I finally feel as if I am moving forward in this area.  Granted it will be a process, but He finishes the things He starts.  I hope this will encourage some of you as you are on your journeys as well.  May we all have new revelations of Him on a regular basis and never tire of searching Him out!
        
Many blessings to all of you this next week! Please continue to stand with me in regard to my finances.  I know He has the cattle on a thousand hills, so I’m just waiting for Him to sell a few of them, ha ha! I am still in need of about $2,000 to cover my expenses through the remainder of my stay, but I’m not worried since I have the best husband ever.  Thank you so much to those of you who have given towards this trip. Hugs to all of you!

~Lydia

Pictures - #1 Ariel and I getting ready for the birthday party

#2 Bethany and Adam with the twins (Ariel on the left and Shir on the right)

#3 Bethany and me being goofy – it had been a long day!

#4 Bet you didn’t know this van could seat 9.