Shalom

I've spent the day scurrying around in order to be ready to leave tomorrow morning bright and early.

Where are we headed this time?

Dave and I, along with teammates Mel and Amy Ellenwood, are leading a trip to Israel for our single JV missionaries!

On top of the regular conferences we do every year to train and shepherd our team, we also do a care conference - something specifically designed to replenish, refresh and nourish our staff, and even our kids. We always do a JV Kid's camp, and some years there is a women's retreat, a marriage conference, or something for our single women or men.

But this year we're bringing the single men and women together, a total of 41 Americans and nationals from eight different countries, to tour through Israel studying the life of Christ and the way he made disciples.

A beloved tour guide, a Belarusian Jewish man who lives in Israel who has led many trips for GYI (Global Youth Initiative, a partnership organization) will give the historical perspective throughout the week, while Dave will teach the spiritual content along the way.

I can hardly wait to leave in the morning. I feel a little like a child on Christmas Eve who can barely go to sleep. I just want morning to come!

These photos are from four years when I visited for the first time. I hoped then that it would not be my first and only time there as the trip had such an impact on me. Oh how thrilled I am to be going back, and with such a wonderful group of people to share it with.

We take a train to Prague early tomorrow morning, catch an afternoon flight that goes through Istanbul, and get into Tel Aviv at 11:30 PM. We'll catch a few winks at a hotel before going back to the airport to meet up with everyone at 11 AM. And then our tour will begin.

But more importantly, we'll be in Jesus' homeland. I so look forward to walking in his steps again.

Shalom!