Gail-Friends: Holy Land

Showing posts with label Holy Land. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Israel Trip - My New Igbo Friends

This post is part of my series 31 Days of the Holy Land

I met a delightful couple on my second trip to Israel. Lazarus and Rosanna Abanonu are from Nigeria, and both members of the Igbo tribe, also known as the Igbo Jews. Both Lazarus and Rosanna are believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

The Igbo tribe is unique in that they have maintained their Jewish culture over hundreds of years. These are the traditions they have maintained:

Belief in the One True G-d of Israel
Circumcision eight days after the birth of a male child
Observance of kosher dietary laws
Separation of men and women during menstruation
The celebration of holidays such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and Passover.
Wearing the tallit and the kippah

I found this fascinating, and enjoyed talking with them about their tribe and about how they came to accept Yeshua. Both were reared as believers by their families. Both attended Christian schools and accepted Yeshua early in their lives.

Lazarus said the first time he saw Rosanna they were both in elementary school, and he immediately knew she would be his wife. He pursued her and they were eventually married after they'd both graduated school. Both went on to college and became educators. They have five children, all college-educated and holding professional positions.

They came to the United States through a special initiative that allowed a certain number of Nigerians to immigrate to America. When they moved to this country, they both worked as teachers in the public schools. Lazarus became a principal and has retired, but Rosanna continues to teach middle school classes. They both love teaching and I'm sure their personalities have been a big part of their success in working children and teens.

When we left the boat after our trip across the Sea of Galilee, we met some Nigerians. Rosanna was so excited and kept saying, "Nigeria, Nigeria," and giving them high-fives. The Nigerians were so excited to be going on the boat and were all singing and praising the L-rd.

The Aboninos are dedicated members of their church, and love to sing. The first night of our trip, I heard people singing in the hotel, and found out later it was them. They told me that every night they read the Bible together and sing hymns of praise to Hashem. They also led us in singing on the bus a couple of times. When others didn't want to sing, they would sing very quietly to themselves. It was so uplifting to see their beautiful hearts of praise and worship. Meeting them was one of the highlights of my trip, and I feel blessed to know them.

As we were leaving the Temple Mount, we ran into some more Nigerians. Don't you love their colorful outfits?

You can read more about the Igbo tribe at this LINK.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Israel Trip - Western Wall Tunnel

Entrance to the Western Wall Tunnel - Photo courtesy of David Jackson

As promised earlier, today I am sharing about the Western Wall Tunnel. I visited here on my first trip to Israel in 1996. The photos I'm sharing in this post were taken by David Jackson, a member of our synagogue on his trip in 2014.

In 1996, I stood on the steps pictured above and looked longingly at the Kotel Wailing Wall to my right. Praying at that wall was my main desire on that trip. It didn't happen on that day, but my loving Heavenly Father had something even more wonderful in mind.

A trip through the tunnel had not been planned in advance, as the tunnel was not officially open at that point due to Arab riots protesting the opening. Our tour guide informed us that the tunnel would be open for us to take a tour if we could go at that very moment. The group voted and agreed to skip going to the Wailing Wall and to tour the tunnel instead.

It is fascinating to realize that in this tunnel are the foundation stones of G-d's Holy Temple, and is as close as one can get to the Holy of Holies. This is a very special place. If you can't read the print on the plaque, I've typed it out below the photograph.

"You are standing at the point closest to the site of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.

According to tradition, this is the place from which the world was created; the place where the binding of Isaac took place and where Abraham was commanded, “Lay not thy hand upon the lad; the place where the tablets of the Covenant written by G-d on Mount Sinai were kept; the place where prayers are gathered and from where they rise to heaven.

The High Priests would enter the Holy of Holies only once a year, on Yom Kippur, to plead for the entire Jewish nation.

Jews from all corners of the globe came to this place during the long two thousand years of exile to share their sorrows with the Divine Presence, to pray for its return to Zion, and for Jerusalem to renew its days as of old."

Doesn't that just give you chills?

These are photos inside the tunnel:

One of the stones (pictured below) is 44.6 feet long, 9.8 feet high and 10.8 feet wide, and weighs 517 tons. It is not on the bottom row either. The stones fit so precisely that a piece of paper cannot be slipped between them. Try to imagine how this could have been accomplished thousands of years ago. Also, marvel that these stones have remained intact over those same years.

I remember feeling great awe as I stood before this stone. I touched it and was so humbled to be in that place. Memories of reading about the building of the Temple flooded back. I thought about Yeshua going there. I trembled as I remembered the Scripture, "You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit." (I Corinthians 6:19-20) I felt humbled by the realization of a Mighty G-d who is fulfilling prophecy made thousands of years ago, and yet warmly comforted by the personal knowledge of His ever present love, compassion and guidance in my life.

Adonai is not finished with His Temple. The Scriptures say it will be rebuilt. Plans are being made to that end. I encourage you to visit the website Temple Mount Institute and read about the preparations that have already been made. So many prophecies have been fulfilled already that I believe it could very well happen in my lifetime. The rebuilding of the Temple also ties in to the return of our Messiah Yeshua. To that I say, "Come quick, L-rd!"

I also encourage you to see more photos and read about the history of the tunnel at the website Bible Walks

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Israel Trip - A Lesson Learned

I've mentioned before that I've made two trips to Israel. I often hear people describe how they felt while in Israel with glowing terms such as these: Holy. Spiritual. Closer to G-d. Full of Peace.

When I visited there in 1996, I was very emotional due to personal problems at the time. I spent almost the whole trip in tears. I will do my best to explain what being in Israel did to me.

First of all, I was just overwhelmed to be there, plus I was keenly aware of G-d's hand in my life. That He had miraculously provided the money for my trip awed me and I felt so humbled by it. He wanted me there, even more than I wanted it myself. Only time would tell the reason. I had no idea at that time that I would become a Messianic Jew and a rabbi's wife ten years later.

Seeing all of the places I'd read about in my Bible since I was five years old was such an emotional thing for me, too. I had memories of looking at the maps in the back of my little, white Bible, and of trying to imagine what it would be like to walk where Jesus walked.

The thing that impressed me most, though, was how G-d has kept His covenant. Just prior to going on my first trip, I had done an in-depth study of covenant by Kay Arthur. I read and absorbed many scriptures about G-d's faithfulness to keep His promises.

Those scriptures went with me to Israel, and they convicted me of sin in my life. This added to my tears. He promised to bring Israel back from the destruction she had experienced. He promised to bring the Jews back from the countries to which they'd been scattered. He promised to make Israel a nation again. I was seeing the prophecies fulfilled that people had waited on for over a thousand years. It overwhelmed me. I cried the whole time. Tears of joy. Tears of sadness. Tears of conviction.

My tears of conviction were related to marriage. I grew up in a home filled with alcoholism, abuse, anger, and mental illness. I made a vow as a very young child never to live like that again. Unfortunately, I married into a similar situation and lived that way until I was divorced eighteen years later. Another bad marriage followed and ended quickly.

While the men had plenty wrong with them, I had something wrong with me, too. I was not as committed to marriage as I was to not being abused. This became crystal clear to me in Israel and it caused me to cry the whole time. I learned a valuable lesson, and came home a much wiser woman.

I never thought I would marry again, so I didn't even go out with anyone for ten years. But G-d had other plans, and that is the subject of a book I'm writing.

Rabbi Jem and me at our wedding in 2006

I usually journal every day, but I didn't write while I was on my trip in 1996. Part of the reason was that we were very busy, but mostly I couldn't put my feelings into flowery, spiritual words. The only word I could identify was "misery". I was miserable the whole time. When I left the country, I said I never, ever wanted to go back. That changed over time. I was amazed to see my love for Israel develop, and also my desire to return to the land. He gave me the desire of my heart when He opened the way for another trip in 2013.

My prayer is that every one of my dear Gail-Friends will have the blessing of aliyah - going up to Israel.

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I'm linking up today with:

Spiritual Sunday
The Gathering Spot Link-Up GRAND Social
All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up
Meet-Up Monday
Growing Homemakers Link-Up
Titus 2 Tuesday
Tuesdays with a Twist
Share Your Stuff Tuesday
A Hope in Every Season Homemaking Link-Up

Wordless Wednesdays
Winsome Wednesday
A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday
Wake Up Wednesday
Jenny Marie's Wordless Wednesday
Favorite Things Hearts for Home
Friendship Friday
Freedom Friday

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Israel Trip - Israeli Art

While staying at the different hotels on my trip to Israel, I always noticed the art on the walls. The painting above and the two below really caught my eye. I think they are depictions from the movie, Fiddler on the Roof, which is one of my favorites. These three paintings were in the hotel in Jerusalem. I don't know the artist's name.

This painting was also in one of the hotels I love the scene of a woman as she sits above the street. Is she sad? Or is she praying? (artist unknown)

I love these mosaics, that hung on the walls of the hotel in Tel Aviv and Tiberius.

artitst unknown

artist unknown

Can you tell I love mosaics?

Notice the hamsa* in the center of this mosaic. I'll explain it below.

Aren't these pomegranate-themed items beautiful? And notice the mosaic hamsa* on the top right. I only wish I could have gone inside this shop. We didn't have much time to shop on this trip. Maybe next time, right?

* The hamsa is a popular symbol in Judaism. The word “hamsa” comes from the Hebrew word “hamesh,” which means five. There are five fingers on the talisman,and some believe it represents the five books of the Torah. Sometimes it is called the Hand of Miriam, after Moses’ sister. This symbol is used in jewelry, art, and in decorations for the home.

When I first began visiting Jewish roots churches, I was told that this symbol was occult. But my rabbi husband assures me that is incorrect. There are people who believe it gives them good luck, or that it is a protection from the "evil eye". That belief is indeed occult, because Hashem, Himself, is our only protection from evil.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this beautiful Israeli art, and that you will join me next week for the next installment of my Israel trip journal.

Shalom.

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I'm linking up today with:

Spiritual Sunday

The Gathering Spot Link-Up
GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up
Meet-Up Monday

Growing Homemakers Link-Up

Titus 2 Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist
Share Your Stuff Tuesday

A Hope in Every Season Homemaking Link-Up
Wordless Wednesdays

Winsome Wednesday

A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday
Wake Up Wednesday
Jenny Marie's Wordless Wednesday

Favorite Things
Hearts for Home

Friendship Friday
Freedom Friday

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Israel Trip - Masada

I am smiling, but the story of this place is a very sad one.

Masada is AMAZING. The model above shows what the fortress looked like when built by Herod the Great. He built this retreat between 37 and 31 BCE on the top of a mountain that looks over the Dead Sea. The view from the site is incredible.

We rode a cable car up and back, and I can't imagine how people endured the climb before this modern transportation was installed. Climbing would be hard enough, but to bring up tools, supplies, and who knows what else, is mind-boggling.

Photo from Wikipedia

Herod was a Jew, but turned his back on ADONAI and on his own people. He embraced the Roman empire in order to achieve his lofty goals, and taxed the Jews unmercifully to finance his lavish building projects.** He built this fortress as a protected retreat / hide-out for himself. The compound included a surrounding casement, cisterns for water, storehouses, palaces, a Roman-style heated bath house, and military barracks.

About 75 years after Herod’s death, at the beginning of the Revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a group of Jewish rebels overcame the Roman garrison of Masada. Jerusalem had fallen and the Temple was destroyed, around 70 CE. Other Jewish zealots and their families joined them, and held the fortress until 73 CE.

Then, the Roman governor Flavius Silva marched against Masada with an army of thousands, and established camps at the base of the mountain. They constructed a ramp that reached the doors of the fortress and, in the spring of 74 CE, broke in with a battering ram.

Once it became apparent that they would be defeated, Elazar ben Yair - the Zealots’ leader - decided that death by suicide would be better than death at the hands of the Romans. The following is from his final speech to the people:

"Since we long ago resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to G-d Himself, Who alone is the true and just L-rd of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make that resolution true in practice ...We were the very first that revolted, and we are the last to fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favor that G-d has granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom." (from Josephus Flavius’ The Jewish War)

The final ten Jews etched their names on stones, as noted below.

The event at Masada symbolizes the determination of the Jews to be free in their own homeland, and this site is the second most popular place to visit in Israel. Jerusalem is, of course, number one.

Masada was discovered in 1842, but excavations didn't begin until the 1960's. In the photos below, the black line shows the amount of dirt and debris that covered the floor of the fortress.

These photos are of Herod's private bath with a sunken tub, and walls covered in different colors of marble. It must have been beautiful.

These two photos show the heated bath area. The floor was raised, with heated water underneath. The second photo shows it even had a window to see the beautiful view.

And here is the spectacular view from the top of Masada.

Shelby loved seeing Masada, and it was so good to see her smile. She was a real trooper on this trip. She amazed me with her determination to see everything, even though she didn't always feel well.

I was so glad we got a group photo while there. Well, actually several had wandered off, but this is most of us. The young man on the far left wasn't even part of our group. I think he just figured we were a fun bunch and joined in. We all called it a wonderful day.