Blog

Well its been a week since we have been home and we have a good report! It truly is a land flowing with milk and honey! Its so amazing to see the radical change thats taken place in my brothers and sisters in the internship over the course of one month in Israel. Having the real biblical locations right in your face is something so unforgettable. The second day of being there we drove all the way to the Jordan river to worship and be baptized, But this wasent the tourist trap part of the Jordan. This was a militaritly controled area of the Jordan. The very spot in the river where Jesus was baptized by John and where the nation crossed over into the promised land. We will all ways treasure that moment of being baptized in the same river, and in the same spot as Jesus.We romped around Jerusalem (Jesus stomping ground) almost everyday for two weeks. We saw Arabs and Jews worshiping together. We got to experience modern day Israel in its fullness, but even beyond all that excitement, what the Lord did in us as a group and individually at our little hostel in Jerusalem is what has forever changed us. We were stripped of all our comforts and all the things we hid behind like cell phones and laptops and even the comfort of the food we enjoy. No meat, sugar, coffee, or salt. It was rough to say the least. But in that place of nakedness and vulnerability the Lord surfaced the hidden things in our hearts that he had been longing to heal our entire lives. We all felt the Jealous love of God in a fresh way. One night at Karen's ministry home we had a team meeting in her sound proofed room. It was initially meant to be a logistical meeting, but three hours later we walked out of that room free from shame, self hatred, stress, insecurity, and heart ache. It started with us praying for Laurie Cooper and then one after another we were prayed for and each one experienced massive breakthrough and were given several prophetic words. Along with the healing and restoration, mantels and anointings were also released. We were humbled and vulnerable before God and each other. God shook everything that could be shaken in our lives and the result, through the physical strain and spiritual resistance, is freedom and a greater sense of authority as his sons and daughters. We went from never experiencing a missions trip to being in the most challenging mission field in the world. It was boot camp, but I am so thankful for every moment of it. Israel is a place that will change you for the rest of you life and it has less to do with the physical biblical sights and more to do with truth that it IS Gods beloved nation. We didn't get blasted when we went to the garden tomb and we didn't fall out in the spirit at Abraham's tomb, but we DID encounter God. Just not in the ways we thought we would. The deep inner work that was done in us and in the people in Karen's ministry cannot be reversed. We are excited to walk in the blessing and favor of the Lord this year after giving the first month completely to Him. I, personally, am already experiencing fruit of my sacrifice in the Holy Land. Anyway, here is a list of the places that we had the privilege of visiting: Jericho (Elisha's spring), Jordan River, Nazareth, Caernaum, Garden Tomb, Garden of Gathsemenie, Mount of Olives, King Solomons Quarries, Stephens gate, Via Dolorosa, Hoy Sepulchre, Mount Zion, Davids Tomb, Hebron (Patriarchs Tomb), Pool at Bethesda, En Gedi (Davids hiding place from Saul).

On a lighter note, we also visited an amazing international church in Haifa (an hour north of Galilee). Pastored by an ex-New York actor by the name of David Davis. He has been in Haifa for thirty years and has a congregation of Jews, Arabs, Russians, Africans, and more that I don't remember. The atmosphere there was very positive. It was sort of our refuge from the battle field back in Jerusalem. We had a 12 hour burn over night there in Haifa. We got to experience worship from the different nations represented. This is yet another moment I will treasure for the rest of my life! That night we took the stage and released the life giving sound of heaven in Gods beloved nation. 

We are so happy to be home and excited to impart to our friends and family what was imparted to us on the hill of the Lord. God bless! 

By Kevin Wood