Our last days!

This weekend was the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from the plot to destroy them told in the book of Esther. How amazing that Papa would plan our trip around this holiday! To celebrate, people give gifts to one another, dress up in costumes and we were told it was the one day of the year Jews are encouraged to get drunk until they cannot tell the difference between the phrases "cursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordecai". People dress up for two days in costumes and party all night to celebrate! For us the partying ended early as this was the night the tummy bug caught up to Amber! Needless to say, we have avoided all street food ever since!

After resting up, the last few days we have spent in Jerusalem we have put on our tourist hats, checked into a hotel and joined the thousands of other Christians and Jews who are here to see the land. We visited Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum, and the Garden tomb, the place where Jesus was potentially crucified and resurrected. Yad vashem, which comes from Isaiah 56, means a place and a name, signifying that the victims of the holocaust will have a place to be remembered. It was an emotional museum as you are filled with disbelief in the evil, apathy and hatred built up over the years for such an atrocity to happen. I left asking Holy Spirit to stir in me a stronger conviction of His righteousness. That the righteousness of us as we travel and of His children in Israel would blaze like a torch, they would stand up to injustice and intercede for his kingdom to come. 

We also had the chance to visit one of my favorite places from last year, living bread church in Jerusalem. It was started by a fiery woman of God, Karen Durham, who moved to Jericho and gave out bread to the hungry people of the refugee camp. She now has a church in Jerusalem and takes trips into Gaza and the West Bank to share Jesus with Palestinians! And my favorite part is that her church is an NGO supported by Israel! She's a regular day Esther, with favor in the government to bring salvation to the people! We joined them for a few of their prayer and worship times this week. The intimacy they have with papa is so sweet to be around, it was so good to just go and drink deeply of him there! While there we met an amazing couple from Texas who were assigned by God to come to Israel on a trip of intercession across the nation. We joined the and prayed on top of Mt Zion for the nation of Israel... Watchmen on the walls. 

Tomorrow we head to Jordan to spend time with some of my moms friends! 

Praying that God would continue to solidify in us his heart for these people, for His righteousness, for their salvation, for they are his delight! That he would continue to show us his face! We want more of him! Praying that we would bless this land and the people that are here!  Love you guys!

These two ladies just celebrating Gods deliverance of the Jews... 

Tourist pics!