April 5
Got
up and prayed with David and the team before leaving to Akko (about one and a
half hours north of Tel-Aviv on the Mediterranean). All in all, like I keep saying, our brief stay at the
shelter was a period of considerable character growth. I realized that I’m not nearly as tough
or hardy as I thought I was. I
realized that I’m probably much too comfortable. I realized that I’m incredibly thankful for material
comforts. I realized that it’s
easy to idolize comfort. I realized
that sometimes Jesus requires us to abandon our comforts to follow Him wherever
He leads (as wondrously demonstrated by David and co.). Most of all, I realized how privileged
I really am. The women who come to
rest at the shelter are battered and bruised, fatigued and stressed, hopeless
and forlorn. Most of them are
heavily addicted to drugs. To feed
their habit many of them sell their bodies, sleeping with up to 30 ‘clients’
per day. Wandering the streets,
and totally exposed, many of them are beaten and raped and even mugged by other
addicts desperate for a fix. On
the walls in the main room at the shelter some of the ‘regular’s’ pictures are
framed and posted. Many of these
women are skin and bones. They
look pretty rough…
So,
God’s grace is amazing. I can’t
say I understand it, but I can say I’m extremely thankful for it. Not only has Jesus saved me from an
eternal Death, but He has also raised me to an eternal, abundant, purposeful
life. I feel so FULL. There is joy, peace, hope. I’ve been spared from so much pain and
calamity. Not only am I liberated
spiritually, but I have also been blessed materially – born into a loving
family in a prosperous nation; good education, world traveler; drugs and
alcohol never a problem; no real broken relationships; loyal friends, etc.,
etc. I am SO undeserving! I want to spread this great grace and
mercy of Christ to the glory of God wherever I go, whatever I do…
Took
the train to Akko. Saw lots of
conscripted soldiers apparently catching the train home (everybody’s going home
for Passover – starts tomorrow).
Most of them are our age – I’d say between 20 and 25. Most carrying their machine guns
strapped loosely around their shoulders.
A lot of people carry guns here – quite militaristic. Guess that’s understandable. They’re pretty much always under
constant threat.
Arrived
in Akko. Our friend Hani wasn’t
there to pick us up right away so I used a girl’s cell phone and he came
shortly after – miscommunication I guess.
He’s actually a pastor. He
took us to the church we’re staying at.
We left our heavy bags and hit the streets to discover our new
surroundings. Akko is a wonderful
little place. It’s easy to get
around on foot. There is a lengthy
boardwalk along the water. Lots of
tide pools along the shore. We saw
the rotting skeleton of a sea turtle washed up on the beach – disgusting.
Had
shwarma and falafel for lunch.
Basically just moseyed about and breathed many deep sighs of
relief. Tel-Aviv is a bit too big
for me, and I certainly wasn’t ready for the shelter. God’s still working on me and stretching me. I do pray for David and co. for energy and perseverance – it’s such
a battleground in that neighborhood, both physically and spiritually…
Went
to a really neat food market in an open warehouse. Bought lots of beautiful fruits and veggies and prunes to
stay more regular. Got a free
lemon and kiwi from one of the vendors we bought from. Got some pita and hummus and brought
that and some of our veggies to the seaside, sat on a bench facing the water,
and watched contentedly as the sun underwent its color changes from blazing
yellow to burning orange. It slid
down from the top and finally fell nearly unnoticed into someone else’s
day. We watched carefree children
play unsupervised and walked along the boardwalk under a glorious full moon. Now that today’s over I think I finally
realize that I’m in Israel.
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