The Holy Land, Part III

Our second week in Israel was spent “blessing the Holy Land.” Our crew of four adults, three graduated senior girls, three junior boys and one sophomore boy headed to the city of Haifa. Haifa is the third largest city in Israel and it is positioned right on the beautiful Mediterranean.

We worked with a messianic Jewish congregation in the suburb of Quirat Yam called Tents of Mercy.

Throughout the week we sorted food in their pantry, separated tea bags, babysat, organized a library and sorted clothing in their distribution center.

 

We also spent the majority of two days working in a former bomb shelter. The building is in an area known as “Little Texas,” named for the high crime rates, which the Israelis relate to the Old West they have seen in movies. The nickname really amused our majority native Texan group! While the bomb shelter was once used to protect people during the most recent Lebanon war and then used as a daycare, it was now being used as a center for troubled teen girls. Our challenge was to clean and update this bare-bones building into a place where young girls would want to hang out.

Overall, the week of work was amazing. We got to invest in an already established ministry, and hopefully help them expand their reach in the community.

In between projects, we enjoyed our downtime at the beach. Life is tough when you’re watching the sun set from the shores of the gorgeous Mediterranean, right?

At the end of the week, we took in the sights from the top of Mount Carmel. We visited the spot that is believed to be where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Micah read the story to us from his Bible as we looked out over the mountainside. It was another moment to remember!

After that, we shopped in the marketplace and took a look at the beautiful Baha’i Temple and Gardens.

On our last day with Tents of Mercy, we attended their Shabbat service. We wore headphones to listen to the English translation of the Hebrew service. Many others heard the Russian translation in their headphones, as Haifa has a large population of Russian immigrants. The service was beautiful, passionate and long! After three hours, though, we said a sad goodbye to our new friends and headed off for our very long journey home.

Overall, it was the trip of a lifetime!

-Laura