With an unexpected free day (Monday) until our 4:30pm food distribution time, we headed out to see the beautiful city of Ashdod. Our first stop was Givat Yohah (Hill of Jonah), which is the highest point in Ashdod, providing a 360-degree view of the city. Some believe Jonah may have been spit up on the beaches of Ashdod and likely buried there. I have yet to confirm those facts, but even if not, it makes a great story!

Givat Yonah overlooks the gigantic harbor of Ashdod through which 60% of goods come in and out of Israel. Rail lines also come in and out, stacked with shipping containers transferred from barges to rail cars and vice versa. At any given moment, 7-10 ships are seen lining up in the Mediterranean waiting to get into harbor to unload and reload. It is a bustling place!

Meanwhile, the city is a very modern, cosmopolitan center of life and activity. The skyline is filled with cranes and there is a sense of pride about the city.

Nestled at the foot of Givat Yonah was a Visitor Center displaying Ashdod’s history and modern-day art. The modern city of Ashdod was settled in 1957 when 22 Moroccan families were dropped off at night so the people could not see where they had landed. By morning, their ship was gone and all they saw were sand dunes! Yet, as Jewish immigrants, they had the vision and ingenuity to build a seaport, which has become the primary industry of the city.

The Visitor Center hosts art workshops and has a gallery of artists only from Ashdod. We saw some very interesting pieces of artwork!

Along the Israeli Mediterranean coast, the further south you go, the more beautiful the beaches. With mid-winter-like weather and sea warnings, Mei Ami Beach was all but deserted. However, my mind’s eye can certainly imagine how beautiful and how lively this beach is in warmer weather. Along the path to the beach was a very common site: large banners filled with hostages’ pictures and evidence of the never-ending hopefulness of the Jewish people.

A fun afternoon followed as we returned to our favorite soup place, Bleecker Bakery. This time we also shared a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Oh my…what a treat!!! That place is tasty wonderful!

Driving in Israel has definitely been an adventure! Mostly good, but one should definitely know the parking rules in Ashdod! I managed to collect 2 parking tickets in 2 days without knowing what I was getting into! Lesson learned…ask a native before you just shut it down in the midst of what appears to be a perfectly good parking space! Otherwise, plan to contribute to the Israeli economy in a way you never planned!

Eager to distribute food bags and engage with new Jewish immigrants, we headed back to Beit Hallel (House of Praise) at 4:30pm. What a blessed experience! There were two sessions in which primarily Russian-speaking new Jewish immigrants gathered at Beit Hallel. During these sessions, the dear immigrants were told about various resources available from Beit Hallel, including food bags, clothing, counseling services and legal services, all either free or at a very nominal fee.

The folks at Beit Hallel invited me to say a few words and it was such a tremendous blessing to express our deep love and support for the new Jewish immigrants who have made Aliyah (return to the homeland) from Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Belarus and other Slovic lands.

Between sessions, we enjoyed such sweet fellowship with Sasson Pochtar (lead pastor Israel Pochtar’s son) and Olga (my Russian translator). The work being done at Beit Hallel, a group of 8 congregations throughout southern Israel, is beyond amazing. God has blessed them with resources from around the world to be able to help those in need. In addition, the ways in which God has provided space and protected them from government overreach is truly miraculous.

The opportunity for our team to see face-to-face those for whom we packed food bags was such a special treat. Olga taught me a simple Russian phrase meaning “My blessings go with you,” and it was a joy to see the look on Russian faces as they heard my blessing in their own language.

Today was very special and we look forward to another opportunity to serve in Sderot tomorrow. It will be our final day together in Israel as the group heads home very early Wednesday morning. Stick with us right here over the next few days for final reflections of our wonderful ON MISSION with God trip to Israel!