Israel- An Introduction

This morning at 5:30, my return flight from Israel landed at the Atlanta airport. Though I was cautious to post about the upcoming trip beforehand, I can not help but blog about the trip on the other end.

To start from the beginning, Brian and I are part of a wonderful Sunday School class of newly married adults. The class began as a "Nearly Newly" class, but has slowly transitioned out of nearly and really out of newly to just young marrieds. I like to think that our class is unique. When the class started three years ago, both the teachers and the directors of the class were following God's call to be missionaries and were awaiting the time when they would go on the field. As the class grew, the focus on missions continued to be a key element in the foundation of the class. Since the start of the class, both the original teachers and directors have left Birmingham to serve God in the Middle East.

Fast forward to January 2010. Our class was planning a mission trip where we could serve together. With the classes' original teachers serving in Israel, the country rich in history, but deep in need, hit our short list almost immediately. After some prayer as a group and in couples, our class decided Israel would be our destination. We have planned and prepared for the past 6 months so we could both serve and see the country.

When our flight left on Friday, June 18th, I had no idea what to expect. I was nervous and excited. But today, after a 15 1/2 hour flight and very little sleep, after walking where Jesus walked, standing where David hid from Saul, walking through the Old City of Jerusalem and seeing how lost God's people truly are, I am anxious to share with you all that I saw and experienced. Once I have had some sleep and recovered a bit from our traveling, I plan to post about our trip. My posts will serve as both a way to inform you and a way for me to document our time in Israel. Feel free to read as much or as little as you would like- I am just looking forward to sharing it with you.

Have a spectacular afternoon my friends!

John 6: 68-69

*"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."*

John 6: 68-69

A friend and I are reading through the book of John together in preparation for our trip to Israel. As we were reading, this scripture stood out to me. Peter has this great way of messing things up, yet he seems really have a great understanding of who Jesus is.

Lord, to whom shall we go when we are going through hardships and pain?

Lord, to whom shall we go when we are struggling with temptation and sin?

Lord, to whom shall we go when we have experienced great joy?

Lord, to whom shall we go to find salvation?

Lord, to whom shall we go?

John Grisham- Children's book author?

*A perfect murder.

A faceless witness.

A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth . . . and he’s only thirteen years old.

Meet Theodore Boone

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.*

(Quote taken from the book jacket.)

I am SO excited about this book. I love John Grisham's adult novels, so I can only imagine what a children's book will be like. I bought it last week, but am TRYING to wait to read it until our BIG trip coming up soon. I will let you know how it is- or you can beat me to it and see if you like it yourself!

*

By the way, have you seen Amanda's latest blog update? Brian and I are trying to find a time to go. PLEASE check out the post and look at the pictures. God's creation is amazing.

Have a blessed week my friends!

Things I have learned the first week of summer...

I officially started my second internship in my educational media (school librarian) graduate program. This is my secondary placement. The two librarians are nice and I have a great opportunity to really learn a lot.

But just a little secret for you....

I don't want to be a high school librarian.

Give me this...

Or this....

Or this...

Any day.