The City of David

David took the strong hold of Zion: the same [is] the city of David...And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. 2 Samuel 5:7, 11 This Jebusite city became "the city of David", the capital of Israel and the dwelling place for the king.  Today much of the original area is overbuilt, but there are a few sites where they have unearthed parts of the ramparts and buildings that existed.  The City of of David is one of the sites visited by many groups that come to Israel.  There is an excellent 3D presentation about the history of this city near the entrance to the site which every visitor should see.

Here is a large support structure built by the Canaanites prior to David taking the city.  It is in the area known as the Royal Quarter which overlooks the Kidron Valley to the east.  It is believed to be part of the support structure for King David's house which was unearthed.    You can see parts of the walls of some of the residential development called the House of Ahiel.  This name was discovered on pottery fragments found at the site.  It was likely a four room, two story home occupied by an influential family and was destroyed by the Babylonian army in 586 BC.  There is also a stepped wall immediately adjacent to this site which is believed to have been constructed by Nehemiah and his men upon their return from Babylon as part of their efforts to reestablish the city after its destruction by the Babylonians.

There are other points of interest in this area, but probably the most intriguing is the shaft known as Hezekiah's tunnel.  The tunnel connects the Gihon spring with the Pool of Siloam.  The spring was the primary water source for the city as mentioned in 2 Chronicles 32:30.  The Assyrian army had taken the northern kingdom of Israel and now, under the leadership of Sennacherib, is knocking on the door of Jerusalem.  In order to protect their water source, Hezekiah ordered a tunnel constructed from the Gihon spring to the Pool of Siloam.  It is a marvel because the construction was started at both ends and the two shafts met in the middle.  The tunnel is through solid rock and still runs water today.  You can take the trip from the City of David through the tunnel down to the Pool of Siloam if you don't mind getting wet.  Just be sure and brings water shoes and a flashlight!  For the faint of heart, that would be me, there is another tunnel which is a dry path out from Hezekiah's tunnel to the surface and then you can walk on to the Pool of Siloam.  It is time well spent and is a fun and interesting trip down the to the pool.

Jerusalem, the City of David, is a city of history.  No matter where you turn, history unfolds before your eyes.  Every spade of earth turned over yields precious truths about this place.  It is a testimony to the veracity of the Bible as if the Bible needed verification.  In any case, it is a place every believer should go at least once in his or her life.

We love this city,  this land and the people of God.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  Pray about making the pilgrimage to Israel.  We are currently putting together a trip for February of 2013.  Join us, if the Lord so leads.  You can contact us if you have questions.

Blessings to you, and may Yeshua be glorified in your life as you serve Him! 

On the Mount

So ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the Lord...And it came to pass, when the priests  were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord.  1 Kings 7:51; 8:10  In your mind's eye you can visualize this beautiful temple built by Solomon with gold, silver and stone from his quarries outside of Jerusalem.  It was indeed a wonder of the world.  That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  The second temple was constructed during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.  That temple was further expanded in a sixty year construction project undertaken by Herod the Great.  This magnificent temple was destroyed by Titus and the Roman legions in 70 AD not to be rebuilt.

Today Temple Mount, the site of the temple, is occupied by a number of Muslim structures including the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock from which site Islam says Muhammad ascended to heaven.  It is perhaps the third holiest site of Islam.  The history of Temple Mount is a paradox for it is also the holiest site of Judaism.

   The Al Aqsa Mosque                                                     The Dome of the Rock










Jump forward to 1948.  Israel is declared a nation after almost 2000 years following the diaspora (dispersion) of the Jewish people by the Roman empire.  The day following that declaration the surrounding Arab nations declared war on this fledgling state and stated their intent to drive the Jews into the sea.  But, God had other plans.  Israel fended off their enemies, but lost the eastern part of Jerusalem, including Temple Mount, and the "West Bank" (so named by King Hussein of Jordan) which is biblical Judea and Samaria to Jordan.  These areas remained under Arab control for the next nineteen years until the Six Day War in 1967.  Israel regained control of both Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, but something amazing and inexplicable happened.  The government of Israel ceded control of Temple Mount to the Arabs.  Wow!  Why would they do that?  It doesn't make much sense until we look at Bible prophecy.

Daniel tells us that in the end times a man will come on the scene and bring a seven year peace between the Jews and their enemies and will provide for the rebuilding of their temple.  They will be able to reinstitute their sacrifices and they will believe he is their messiah.  You students of prophecy know that is not so because he is the one we know as Antichrist and he will turn on the Jewish people.

There is much discussion about where the future temple will be built.  There are several suggestions including the area of Solomon's stables and the current location of the Dome of the Rock.  However, there is another location just north of the Dome of the Rock.  There is a large area where a small cupola sits.  Here is a picture of the undeveloped area with cupola in the background and an enlargement of the structure also.

Some say that the Jews would never share the platform with another religion.  But, Ezekiel sees a wall constructed between the holy and the profane which would separate the two areas.  Jewish tradition tells us that the priest could stand in the temple and look out the doors through the Eastern Gate to the Mount of Olives.  We know that Jesus will come down on the Mount of Olives and then enter through the Eastern Gate, pictured to the left, on His way to take His rightful place in the temple.  When you stand at the cupola and look eastward you have a direct line of site through the Eastern Gate to the Mount of Olives.  It would seem that this is at least a possibility for the site of the future temple.  It is just something to think about.

These days are exciting and challenging for believers.  We need to live expectantly.  What do I mean by that?  John tells us that, ...every man that hath this hope in him, purifies himself....  1 John 3:3 What hope?  The hope of the soon coming of Yeshua.  We need to live expectantly folks.  It will make a difference in our lives.

Blessings to you from Jerusalem.  Come quickly Yeshua HaMashiach!

The New and the Old

Jerusalem is an amazing city.  It is so diverse and is the the subject of discussion in every nation in the world on any given day.  Zechariah said that Jerusalem would be a cup of trembling to all nations and it is so today.  The world is intent on dividing this city.  But it is the place where God said He would place His presence.  Deuteronomy 12:11, 12 says, ...there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that [is] within your gates....  This city is the eternal capital of Israel.


The city is a mixture of new and old.  Some of the city is changing very rapidly.  The people jokingly say that the national bird is the crane because there are so many construction cranes extending into the sky around Jerusalem.  A new Waldorf Astoria hotel is being constructed just northwest of the Old City.  It is a beautiful structure with its Jerusalem stone exterior finish.  The stone is white in appearance and is the stone that all buildings in Jerusalem must have as an exterior.  The new light rail train project is done and the trains pass quickly and quietly through downtown.

There are numerous shops and malls throughout the metro area like this one.  There seems to be no shortage of people to frequent these areas.  Both tourists and residents fill the shops and businesses.  It is all very amazing considering that this is a nation and a city that has been at war since the reestablishment of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948.  Soldiers move through these area with weapons in hand and essentially unnoticed by the shoppers.  I marvel at the resilience of the people here. 


 On the other hand, there is part of the city that has remained virtually unchanged.  The Old City of Jerusalem is an anomaly.  It is like walking back in time.  This area is divided into four parts described as the Jewish quarter, the Christian quarter, the Arab quarter and the Armenian quarter.  Each part is distinct in character and feel.

 This is the Hurva (means destruction) Synagogue and it is in the Jewish quarter.  The synagogue was destroyed twice during the history of Israel.  This structure is the third time the building was established.  Interestingly, Jewish religious tradition is that construction the third synagogue would proceed the coming of Messiah.  Come quickly Jeshua Ha Mashiach (Jesus the Messiah).




In the midst of these areas is Temple Mount.  Here you see worshipers at the Western Wall with the Temple Mount in the background.   The religious Jews gather here at the Western Wall (aka Wailing Wall) to pray.  The wall is the western wall of the temple platform built by Herod the Great at the time he expanded the temple which took about sixty years to complete.  The wall is the area nearest to the Holy of Holies where the ark of the covenant rested.  So the Jewish people gather here to pray to Jehovah.  We hope to visit the Western Wall and go up on Temple Mount tomorrow.

The Arab quarter is very different.  It is a mixture of colors and wonderful smells from the Arab culture.  The shopping is interesting.  Bargaining is not natural to me.  I am accustomed to paying the price asked, but that will make you a poor man here.  Bargaining is expected and is not an insult.    After a brief shopping experience, we moved to the Damascas Gate on the north side of the Old City and walked around to the Jaffa Gate at the southwest corner...and the nearest ATM.


All in all the Old City is an exciting place to spend time.  We are thoroughly enjoying our time here and expect the Lord to guide us through our remaining time in Jerusalem.  Remember to pray for the peace of this city.  Blessings to you all!

On to Jerusalem

Well, our time in Uganda has come to a close.  The Lord blessed our time with the McCourtney tribe and all of the different and wonderful people with whom we built relationships.  We have a new capacity to appreciate the work and ministry going on in Kitgum, Latotore and the northern Uganda area.  Our heart's desire is to be a small part in supporting Zane and Summer and their work through prayer, giving and coordinating future trips as the Lord leads.

Sabrina and I left Entebbe on Friday evening and headed to Tel Aviv via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Ethiopian airlines.  We had a three hour layover in Addis Ababa where we met a group of Korean Christians.  I notice them reading their Bibles and stopped to comment on that blessing.  Although language was a barrier, I asked them if they were believers.  The pastor of the group asked if I was a Christian and when I said, "yes", he stood and gave me a big hug.  The rest of his group began to clap.  The group began to sing Korean worship songs in the middle of the airport.  The people gathered to observe the group pouring out a sacrifice of praise in an unlikely place.  It was a tremendous blessing and a reminder that God has His people in every part of the globe which are bound together by the Holy Spirit.  Some of the Korean young people said, "God bless you" as we walked on in the airport.  It was a fresh breath of God's Spirit in our lives.  Praise Him!

We arrived in Tel Aviv at about 2:30 a.m. on Shabbat and obtained access to our Jerusalem lodging in Jerusalem.  After arriving at 5:00 a.m. we caught some much needed rest.  There is not much happening in Jerusalem on Sabbath. 

The Jewish section of the city basically shuts down from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.  So, we walked down to Hillel Street, near the Old City, to an Arab market to pick up some basic food items.  On our way, we walked by the Great Synagogue.  It is an impressive structure that is central to orthodox religious life in Jerusalem.  I was reminded of the freedom that we have in Jesus and how we have been set free from the law.  We can celebrate the great gift of God's grace.  Try reading the book of Galatians every day for one month.  It is only six chapters and it will revolutionize your life.



Please continue to pray for us as we spend this next week here in Jerusalem.  We are praying for you!

The Least of These

It has been a hectic few days and I have not had access to the internet.  I am sorry for the delay in giving an update on the ministry here in Kitgum.  It is not for lack of desire that is for sure.

We journeyed north from Kitgum on Tuesday to the northeastern part of Uganda.  It was a long trip and the roads are...challenging to say the least.  We passed through a number for small towns which were camps set up by the government during the war a few years ago.  The government required the people to move from their villages to these areas which basically became overcrowded refugee camps.  They are now trying to direct the people back to their villages, but that has proven a bit difficult.

The village where we spent our time ministering is Latotore (pronounced Law-tow-tow-ray with the emphasis on the second syllable).  The ladies did a Bible school for the children which numbered about 150.  Julius, one of the brothers from Kitgum that accompanied us, led the kids in worship.  There was a lot of energy in that place!  Gloria taught the gospel message to the kids through the Wordless Book bracelet and then the kids practiced sharing the message with us.  They were then sent home to share with their families.  Just think of it.  150 missionaries set loose to carry the message of the gospel. 

While the kids ministry was ongoing, we went into the village and shared the gospel.  A young lady named Atim (Ah-teem) Janet accepted that Lord.  That was so cool to see.  She has six children and now a new life in Christ to share with her kids.  Her brother was there when she prayed.  Although he was not ready to receive Christ, he said that if Jesus could change "this woman" (his sister...ha) he would accept Christ too.  Pray for them.


Oh, did I mention that is was about 115 degrees.  The heat here is amazing.  I know it is cool somewhere, but it is not here.  Wow! 

We completed the Bible school and then started the medical outreach.  Our focus was the children. The people of the village had not had any medical treatment for at least a year.  The health issues are many, but we concentrated on worms, ringworm and fungus problems.  We were able to treat the children that attended the Bible school plus others that came in later.  The need is daunting, but we are called to care for one person at a time.  Jesus was always reaching out and touching children and we had that privilege this week.  I was blessed to watch as

Gloria, Sabrina, Therese, Julius, Ryan and the others loved on and cared for these children.   Pray for these kids and their families.  May they come to Christ and become  instruments in His hands to impact northern Uganda.  The needs are many as you can see from these photographs.  I am reminded of the many blessings that we have in the place where we live.  We often take these things for granted having had them all of our lives.  My prayer is that we can use those blessings in the coming days to minister into the lives of these kids and the many just like them around the world.  Time is short folks and it is time to get about the business of the Kingdom.
 
  Ryan's House (on the right!)

We also spent time on the farm here.  The ministry has forty acres which they are developing into a fully operational farm.  It requires much work.  But, the Lord is bringing fruit.  They are harvesting papayas, sunflower seed (for oil) and sorgum.  They have also planted teak trees for future harvesting and orange trees for fruit production.  They are also growing chickens and goats and hope to have milk cows sometime in the future.  We slept in one of the huts on the property.  I was joined by a furry friend during the night.  But, a quick leg sweep sent him flying against the wall, not to be heard from again.  Thank the Lord!  I must be related to Bri-RatSlayer!

Shower Facility

Kitchen facilities

Ryan, one of the staff members, has been in Uganda for around ten years.  He recently joined Zane and Summer in ministry here in northern Uganda.  He is living at the farm in a temporary home while his is being constructed.  They are building one of the earth bag homes for him.  He is overseeing the farm ministry and outreach to the surrounding villages.  He is doing a great job.  Pray for him as he settles in and embraces this new calling in his life.


Thanks again to all of you who are praying for the McCourtney family and us during this season.  Please keep it up!  We can feel the effects.  I will write more later.  Blessings to you all.

The Face of Uganda

Fifty percent of the population of Uganda is eighteen years of age or younger.  Many parents died of Aids or were casualties of the war.  Here is the face of Uganda. We had eighty five children in Sunday school to hear the Word of God.  Each of them made a Wordless Book Bracelet.  Now that was a event to behold!  It was an amazing time for the ladies as Gloria Kruzic walked each of these precious children through the truth of God's greatest gift to us.  It was a wonderful time as we saw the children respond to the message of the gospel.  The ladies were greatly encouraged and blessed to have a part in planting the seeds of God's word in the hearts of the children.

We had church under a mango tree.  It was the first time that I have taught with turkeys standing beside me.  I think I heard an amen from them. It was great!!!  We began at nine on Sunday morning for morning worship and prayer.  The regular service started at ten with more worship.  The Ugandan worship is so sweet. I wish I could post the video that I took, but it is too long.  After worship, we had a sweet time in the Word of God.  The people of Calvary Chapel of Kitgum were wonderful, and they responded so well to the message of grace as we looked at Galatians 3:1-5.  The Lord is doing a great work here.   The church is prospering under the ministry of Zane McCourtney.  Pray for him as he disciples the sheep of this pasture.

Gloria and Sabrina have been busy making new friends.  Here Gloria is with Therese, Santa and Joyce.  Therese is one of the staff here and is doing women's ministry here in Kitgum and the area at large.  Santa, on the left, is serving at the farm and preparing food for the workers and guests.  Joyce has been involved in service at the church and in the McCourtney home.  Please pray for all of these servants.  The Lord is at work, but the challenges are many.  I know they will appreciate knowing that the church in Oregon is praying for them.

Sabrina is ministering to the women of the fellowship as I write this missive.  Our prayer is that she can encourage them in their pursuit of godliness.  She will plant the seed that Therese and others will water in the coming days.  May the Lord be glorified as His Word springs to life in the lives of these people.

We have also had time to hang out with our daughter Brianna.... when she is not chasing one of the thirteen McCourntey clan around.  It has been a special time for us to see her in her place of ministry.  We are truly blessed to know that our daughters are lovers of Jesus and want to serve him.  Please pray for Bethany as well during our absence and for Brianna as she serves here in Kitgum.

We will head to the village on Tuesday to serve the children there.  We hope to provide wormer to all of the children.  Worms are a major problem because of polluted water.  Many children die from what is a problem with a simple solution in our country.  We will also do house to house evangelism and work on the farm.  The plan is to return to Kitgum on Wednesday evening.

We continue to covet your prayers.  May the Lord be glorified as we serve here and you minister at home.  Blessings to you all.

Hunger for the Word

We were at the farm for a second day of worship and study of the Word of God with the people from around the area.  What a great group the Lord has brought to share with us.  We are so blessed as we join them in worship of the God of the universe.  We are meeting in one of the huts on the farm.  People have been so excited about hearing from the Lord.  They challenge my heart as we watch them respond to the Spirit.  We spent two hours in the first session, had lunch which some....really enjoyed! Psst, don't tell Sabrina!  Actually we all have enjoyed the food prepared for us.  You really never know what is going to
 


appear, but the chef (Santa) did an outstanding job in cooking for our rather large group.  Thanks to all of these amazing servants of God.  Their willingness to serve us is a great blessing and encouragement.








The farm is prospering and is providing work and supply for the people of Kitgum.  They now have a well that is ninety feet deep.  It was dug by hand....can you imagine?  It is a testimony to perseverance and the faithfulness of God in providing water for the crops, workers and the McCourtney clan.  The McCourtneys and staff (including Brianna) will be moving to the farm in about two weeks so keep them in prayer.   It is an exciting time and a time of challenge.  But, the move will provide savings that can be used to further ministry at the farm and in the churches that have been planted.

God is at work and we are excited to be a part of it.  Continue to pray for us and the people with whom we come in contact.  May we be an encouragement to the church here.  Pray for the people of Uganda.

Sorry for the formatting problems.  Remember, it's grace!

Up to Kitgum

Wednesday morning it was up early after a night, or was it day, or was it night?  We stayed at a guest house near the airport.  It was a very nice facility and we enjoyed visiting with a number of people, including a couple from California involved in setting up a orphanage here in Uganda.  We were able to get all six totes to Entebbe without problem.  Here in this picture we are loading them up for transport to Kitgum.  Zane rescued me from having to crawl on top of the truck.  Whew!  Once everything was loaded, we headed out for Kitgum and the McCourtney clan.  We are excited!

Driving in Uganda is an amazing experience.  The traffic pattern is reversed from home.  You drive in the left lane rather than the right.  The only rule is that the right-of-way goes to the biggest mass.  The progression from the bottom to the top is people, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks and then the passenger bus.  There is not much margin for error.  Here is a Ugandan freeway.  I spent a lot of time trying to steer from the left side of the vehicle using the panic bar on the dashboard.  I'm sure it was all very humorous to Zane!

We saw some amazing territory on our journey north to Kitgum.  We crossed the Nile River before reaching Kitgum.  It was not as I imagined it reading the Bible, but I'm sure that the topography and climate of the area have a lot to do with that.  This portion of the Nile is some of the most challenging rafting water in the world.  There is an amazing amount of water running during this period of the year.  I was quite surprised.
















Our last stop was at the farm in Kitgum.  It is an amazing place.  Zane and the workers there have made great advances with much hard work.  You will see just some of the work that has been done.  The first picture is the future shop and work area, the second is the future homes of staff and visitors and the third is the papaya plantation.  We will have more on the farm later.

 The papayas have begun producing and the produce is a blessing to the farm and the people of the area.

We met the people from Kitgum and the surrounding area to begin our study through the book of Galatians.  The worship of the Ugandan people is precious and very different from ours in style.  But, they worship the Lord with heart and soul!  The Lord was in our midst and we had a great time of worship and study.  The people who came were hungry for the Word of God and we spent a good part of the day together.  We are being truly blessed as we serve here.

Continue to pray for us.  We will continue in the Word tomorrow and are excited about the prospect.  Truly, the Lord is good and we look forward to what He will do in the coming days.

Divine Appointments

We have arrived in Entebbe, Uganda.  The twenty eight hours of travel is now behind us and we are grateful for the Lord's watch care and provision.  The Lord always has special little gifts for His kids.  We had two divine appointments on our journey.  The first was at Washington-Dulles airport.  We were hungry after our trip across the country, so we went into a little sandwich shop in the airport.  Seating is always limited in those place and so we shared a table with a man sitting by himself.  He spoke to us and a conversation began.  It turns out that he is friends with a Calvary Chapel pastor in Entebbe.  He works in seed production for farmers and is on his way to Berlin.   He commented that his pastor-friend had been trying to get him to Uganda.  Perhaps the Lord will use our time with him to His glory.  It was an enjoyable time and we left with a new friend.

We journeyed on to Brussels on the next leg of our flight where we met Kelly.  She is a young lady from New Mexico and is a missionary sent out from Albuquerque.   She is serving north of Entebbe with a Calvary Chapel outreach there.  Brianna had actually met her previously.  We had a good time of fellowship with her before parting ways.

We arrived in Entebbe just before midnight.  All nine of our pieces of luggage made it at the same time.  Now how did that happen?  It was a short journey from the airport to our lodgings.  It is a beautiful setting and we had a good night's rest...all four hours of it!

This morning we got up and had a sweet time of fellowship.  We broke bread and had the requisite coffee which I made very strong in honor of our sweet sister Diana Farris.  So please let her know if she doesn't see this post.  The team is in really good spirits and we are excited to see what the Lord has in store in the coming days





We are getting ready to head northeast to Kitgum and the McCourtney's home.  It is an eight hour road trip, so please keep us in prayer for safety, provision and empowerment to do the work of ministry.  We thank you for joining us on this trip and covet your prayers.  May the Lord bless and keep you and the sheep of Crossroads Christian Fellowship in our absence.

Waiting

Waiting is never easy or fun when you are on a trip.  But, it is part of traveling.  Here we are in Portland just east of the airport waiting.  It is just a few hours now until we wing our way to Uganda.  I suppose that waiting is a good thing if kept in a positive, or should I say, a biblical light.  Isaiah 40:31 comes to mind.  "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."  It is good to wait upon the Lord for He always has good things in store for His kids.  I am learning, but it has taken a lifetime.  That being said, I still don't like waiting much.