One Month Down!

How can I even begin? It has been about a month since I said my goodbyes and I've hardly had enough time to soak everything in. To start off with, I still don't really feel as if I am actually in Israel. The whole experience is so surreal. I can't believe God has sent me HERE. Not only to Israel, but to Jerusalem! We've started to get into a routine finally. We've been doing "prayer watches" where at every hour of the night someone is up praying over the country and the team. It so awesome to know our whole trip is always covered in prayer.

Ministry has finally kicked off and we've been making weekly commitments to different organizations,ministries,congregations etc. There are two things that have been really incredible for me to be apart of and I absolutely LOVE. The first is working at a soup kitchen every thursday in Tel Aviv. I've always had a heart for homeless ministry and it gives me a little piece of back home with the Povertees gang. One day I was serving this table and sat down to talk with them a while only to find out their names were Abraham,Esther, and Jeremiah! I was sitting with major biblical figures! Well, not literally but how awesome is that!? The homeless in Tel Aviv are so different from the people in Downtown Los Angeles. In L.A., I was usually nervous of getting harassed,yelled at, stolen from,grabbed etc. Here in Tel Aviv, I am more nervous of how I will be received as a foreigner. Frankly, its a little intimidating when a table of 7 guys known to be part of the Russian Mafia are all staring at you. Aside from the mafia crew, the people I've gotten to know are so intelligent, welcoming, and not to mention hilarious!

The second ministry we've become a part of is a children's hospital called Shevet Achim. Based here in Jerusalem, they go into Iraq and pick up children with life-threatening heart issues. Iraq has a very poor medical system and many children with heart problems are turned away at hospitals, left to die with no options. This team of believers reaches out and brings these children and their mothers into Israel for quality treatment. They have saved hundreds of lives and have blessed the Iraqis so much. As a team, we go to the hospital to play with the children, lead worship, help renovate, etc. I am absolutely in love with these kids! Even despite their state of health, they are determined to live like happy, active, normal kids. We will be working with them every Tuesday, all day. I wish I could spend even more time there a week!

It's been soooo sick being here but really terrifying and challenging at the same time. Ashley and Beto are constantly challenging me to lead worship (which I feel I'm not good enough yet) and will tell me to go on stage behind the microphone at any given moment. No preparation, no warning, just to go play. That literally happened on Thursday. I was serving food at the soup kitchen and Ashley handed me a guitar and told me to play some worship on stage. It's been hard but I've been doing it. Maybe it'll make me better, I trust they know what they are doing. Another thing that's been challenging has been walking in boldness. I'm a pretty shy, socially awkward person when I am around new people, ESPECIALLY people my own age. So, I usually avoid meeting newbies unless I have a wingman. Here, thats really not an option. It is against the law for any one over the age of 18 to evangelize to people 18 years and younger. SO, since I am the only 18 year old on the team, it's kind of up to me. That is the hardest thing for me, so prayer would be awesome :)

I really miss you all so much! I look at all of your pictures and it makes me wish I could be in two places at once. Please let me know what is going on in your lives so I know what to pray for!

Shalom from Jerusalem!

After spending a couple days in Tel Aviv, we have officially moved into our apartment in Jerusalem! It is absolutely incredible. It is only by the favor of God that we are here. Before we left, It was prophesied over us that we were going to run into some serious spiritual warfare getting into the country. It was definitely a challenge.

To begin with, Ashley and Lindsay got a serious case of the flu right before we left. Then we had been told that since Beto has a Mexican passport that he would not be allowed in the country. Next, we couldn’t get our boarding passes because our return date was for five months from now when we only have three month visas. We decided to just keep praying, pressing on, and asking different people at the airport to print them. We finally got them all printed, got on our flight, and walked on to customs. At customs however, is where we met our biggest obstacle. The whole team got through except Ashley and Beto. Beto had accidentally pulled out a folder for send ministries instead of the flight itinerary. When the lady saw it, she asked to look through it. It had everything about out trip in it. Copies of all our passports, our mission statement, vision, and it must have included the word “missionaries” like 2374987 times. Now I’m not sure if you knew this, but Israel does not allow “missionaries” into the country. After four hours of almost being deported, somehow they got sick of interrogating them and just let them go. So here we are!

Tel Aviv was so beautiful! The sand at the beach was like flour and the water was so clear and warm. The people aren’t super friendly though. It reminded me a lot of New York. Everyone was clubbing, partying, at a bar, or passing out flyers for all of the above. So I didn’t feel far from home in Tel Aviv. It was weird and definitely not what I expected. Jerusalem now, is a completely different story. Everything is so old! The walkways are all cobblestone and every building is made of all stone from way back when. I feel like I have went back in time. We walked through the old city and visited the western “wailing” wall. It is the saddest thing. These jewish people have no sacrifice system so all they have is their deeds and the little prayers they put in the cracks of the wall. It was really hard to see because they don’t even realize that they have fully rejected their messiah who doesn’t need any of that. By the time were done here, hopefully some will come to realize that. Little interesting thing about the wall, when you walk away from the wall you have to walk backwards out of respect. It’s a way of saying, “ I will never turn my back on the wall or God.” So you see a lot of people running into each other and falling haha. We haven’t started ministry yet but I will update as soon as I can with more news! Thanks for everything, I love you all.

l'hitraot!

(goodbye)

Alaina