Sadly, our last day in Israel has arrived. The past 10 days or so have become life changing in different ways for each person. One thing is certain: being in Israel causes God’s Word to go from black and white to HD living color. It is impossible to ever read God’s Word the same as before.

My apologies beforehand, as this post will be rushed. I catch a flight home soon, so may not have time to caption pictures or provide lots of detail. Perhaps additional pictures will tell the story.

We started the day (Tuesday) at Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum where we met Rena, a Holocaust survivor. She shared her harrowing story of being separated from her mother, having to disguise as a 10-year-old boy (as a 6-year-old girl) in order to stay with her father, eventually separated from her father also, not knowing what would become of her, enduring temporary “families” who all gave her different names, to finally ending up in America. She had no identity, no known family, and history she could not figure out.

But she made the most of it. She set out to discover who she was and who her family was. Born in Poland, she was a lone survivor in an unfamiliar country, but she was determined! She ultimately found her birth certificate, the home she grew up in, and who her parents were.

Today, she is a bright, cheery woman in her 90’s and living life to the fullest. She lives in Jerusalem and is a spokesperson for Yad Vashem. She has greeted dignitaries from around the world. Rena is the epitome of Israeli resilience!

This is Rena with our group.

Next, we toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Like most groups, there were tears for the Jewish people and various depths of anger toward those who perpetrated such heinous acts.

Words and photos are never adequate to describe the feeling as you go through the museum. Women and children in gas chambers. Jews lined up on the edge of pits and shot point blank, causing them to fall on to the pile of other bodies already in what would become their grave.

BTW – Yoyakim’s nephew is an accomplished trumpeter in the IDF band and happened to have completed a ceremony. They crossed paths and it was a pleasure to meet that young man. There is Messianic influence in his family and he has definitely heard the Gospel. He recently began reading the New Testament in search of truth. Pray he comes to know Jesus!

I’m out of time, friends! A 20-hour trip awaits. But stay tuned. I’ll finish up details in the days to come!

Shalom from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv!