Israel: Monday, June 21st

After enjoying breakfast at the bakery (just as delicious as the day before!), we loaded the vans and headed through the desert to the city of Arad. We started at the Fountain of Tears, an artists memorial to the crucifixion of Christ and the Holocaust. Honestly unsure of what to expect, I was amazed by the time, energy, and communication with God that the artist put into his work. The work itself is very difficult to explain, but was incredibly moving and eye opening to the suffering the Jewish people went through in the Holocaust.

After we left the Fountain of Tears, we split into groups and headed to the market place in Arad to pass out Arabic "literature" (copies of the New Testament and story books containing stories from the Bible.) The city of Arad has a large Hasidic Jewish population that is completely against material distribution, so our time in the market was spent in constant prayer as we looked for Bedouin men and women to give the Truth. The market was not very busy so after an hour of distribution and prayer, we headed to an open air market in Beersheba.

The market in Beersheba was very different from the one in Arad. Though the "threat" of the Hasidic Jews was not present, the market was full of people with Islamic beliefs. It was heart breaking to see how lost the people were. After handing one man the packet of literature, he assured us that in order to know God, we should read the Quran. The positive reception we recieved from some people was quickly overwritten by others that were quick to laugh and mock or simply deny taking the Word. More than anything, Brian and I left the market feeling the weight of the lost of Israel. Though they are very religious, they are missing the key to eternal life- a relationship with Christ Jesus.

After our time in the market, we headed back to the Kehilla to rest and grab some lunch. Though part of our group went out for an authentic Israeli meal, Brian and I stayed at the church, had some sandwiches and took a nap. That evening, the guys went to football practice with men from the Israeli football league. They all came back with bumps and bruises to show their hard work. The girls went to a prayer and worship service with believers from a local university. The student's devotion to Christ and desire to see the people of Israel come to the Lord was so encouraging and convicting. Imagine if we as American believers committed ourselves to desperate prayer for the people of our country. Our world would be a different place.

Thanks for reading friends! Look for more soon!