BETHLEHEM

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."                         Micah 5:2

The High Dividing wall between Bethlehem (Palestine) and Israel.
It is equipped with Electrical Shocks and is High Security to prevent
Palestinians from gaining access to move out of Bethlehem. They have
no other exits and are in poverty due to this quarantine. Every bus that exits
requires Palestinians to exit the bus and go through more security checks
than all other passengers. Most Palestinians just stay in Bethlehem and it is easier
to leave the country than to enter into the rest of Israel for Palestinians.
Bethlehem is inside the West Bank of the country of Israel.

Shepherd's field overlook of Jerusalem from Bethlehem.

The store owner across from Shepherd's Field recounts that this is the area that Israelis
would fire arms into Bethlehem from the mountain. There are many stories that recount the
gory details of war and fire arm battles between Israel and Palestine over the years.

The Shepherd's field is a garden with Byzantine ruins that
appear to be like remains of houses where the nearby Shepherd's roamed the hills
with their sheep and it is recorded in the Scriptures that it is in the hills here that
the angels came and they were the first to know of Jesus' birth.

Shepherd and Sheep fountain

The Bethlehem Church of the Nativity is the main tourist place where it is claimed that Jesus was born in this place and so the Catholic church set up  another highly adorned Cathedral to have mass and celebrate the life of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Inside of Nativity Church Cathedral Aisle

Underneath the church of the Nativity is a fireplace with this
adorned "hole" which is believed to be the exact location that
Jesus was born, according to the Catholic Church.
It is interesting how many people will visit and touch and kiss this
adornment because of the meaning behind it.

Independent Baptist Church in Bethlehem 

Pastor Musa Abuali

Our new friend, Manuel Abuali,  the pastor's son, invited us to their church service
where guest speakers/ storyteller John Walsh and his friends shared a message
from the word of God in the form of a story. His group is traveling through Israel sharing
150 stories from the Bible at 50 locations.

YWAMers from Holland shared a dance/ play that was originally by
Lifehouse called "Everything". This picture is of the young girl finally on her
knees after being spent by the world, crying out and praying to Jesus, which
is when He is finally intervening and coming in between her and all the temptations
and sins of the world.
Before she fell on her knees and prayed, she continued in bondage.
This was a beautiful live display of God's love, mercy and our need to pray to Him for his protection

HOUSE OF HOPE

Our friends, Masu and Manuel Abuali, from the Independent Baptist Church have also been 

running Bethlehem's House of Hope for many years now. House of Hope is a shelter and school for the Blind and Children with Special needs. We were given a tour of the grounds and explained how they are in GREAT NEED of volunteers, especially "House Parents", people that are willing to live and care for the children after school hours in exchange for room and board and some

small payment per month. There is also a GREAT NEED for more financing and for the word to be spread to more churches and people to gain supporters.

Blind residents of House of Hope are trained to work in the Olive Wood Workshop making
Olive Wood crafts.

Little lamb stencils in Olive Wood ready to be cut out.

Our tour guide of the workshop shows us a bookend made with
Olive wood that has the Calvary Chapel Dove emblem

The Olive Wood gift shop's proceeds go to help support the House of Hope and all its residents and workers. We were encouraged and very blessed to buy these quality crafts for a great price!

Candace Parish, Calvary Chapel Bible College Jerusalem student,
plays with the children in the House of Hope as they are in the classroom
using various manipulatives to learn Gross motor skills, shapes,
and simple learning concepts and academics at their various levels.

Stacy Abel from Calvary Chapel Bible College Jerusalem
sits with the children in the classroom for a picture.
At the House of Hope the children learn about Jesus and especially prayers
and songs in English to Jesus. They go home and share these with their
Muslim families and are genuinely full of joy to sing these praises to God.

This is the Living Quarters for House Parents that would be willing to volunteer and live there.

The YWAM team stayed here for a few days and they are always in need and waiting for more volunteers.

Bethlehem is very different than Jerusalem around the city. Similar to other Muslim and Arab areas, the poverty is evident in the city cleaning. Trash is found all over the landscape and streets.

THE PALM RESTAURANT, BETHLEHEM

      Yasar Arafat and
Bedouin traditional
dress adorn the walls
of our Muslim family
friends' restaurant.



    In Jerusalem the students at the Bible College have befriended and we are attempting to build a loyal friendship with some local Muslims we see daily on our way to our class which is at the border of the Christian and Muslim Quarter. We stay loyal to one of our friends, who owns a souvenir shop and exchanges money for us at the best prices. He believes that if he gives good deals and is friendly he will get more customers... he doesn't seem to be having any problems. He often invites us to sit and have tea at his shop, many of the students usually end up purchasing the 7 dollar Indian skirts and dresses he sells shortly after. He cordially invited us to visit his family's Restaurant while in Bethlehem.

We took this opportunity to visit enjoyed a delicious "mixed grill" plate for 70 shekels that was plentiful with salads, chicken and kebabs. Not only did the owner's son feed us, he sat down and shared much insight about the strife in life in Bethlehem. They have very little freedom to leave, much poverty, and much tension between Israelis and with politics. It was very enlightening to hear his experience and we were very grateful for his generosity and open hospitality. Later he invited us to have coffee at his nearby house with his family. We hope to continue building on this relationship with this Muslim family in Bethlehem and Jerusalem in hopes that we can soon share more about Jesus' (Isa) love for them and for their salvation.

Chris Kim and I put on Bedouin garments that
traditional Bedouin's where in the desert.

Our Muslim friend, the son of the owner
of Palm Restaurant in Bethlehem.

Calvary Chapel Bible College, Jerusalem

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."                2 Timothy 3:16, 17

Calvary Chapel Peru Tour meets Calvary Chapel Bible College, Jerusalem.
This is where I continue my venture into how the Lord has brought me into His Land,
to discover the land, His Word, the people, Jews and Christians,
and especially HIM.

Calvary Chapel Bible College, Jerusalem was kept by the Harrington's a few years back, was closed down and kept in the hands of Dave Shirley, and now reopened since the Spring of 2009, under the leadership of Doug and Christine Search.  

Doug and Christine Search,
Calvary Chapel, Jerusalem Directors and Overseers
at Mt. Arbel, where they were married.

It is located in the Old City by the Jaffa Gate at the New Imperial Hotel, East Jerusalem. The classes are in a nearby classroom and sometimes in the garden areas of the city. Students get to be in the center of the Old City with everything there is to see in Jerusalem at walking distance. 

Imperial Hotel, in the Christian Quarter
by the Jaffa Gate. The living quarters of  all the students and directors.
One of the places students also serve at.

The Old City is divided into 4 quarters: the Christian Quarter (where the school resides), the Muslim Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Armenian Quarter.

It is easy to meet the locals, especially the Muslims, who are extra friendly and the school has already set up relations with some of them that gets passed on and continues with upcoming groups as they come each semester.

Christine Search leading worship on the rooftop of our hotel,
followed by Doug Search giving the morning devotions.

The Semester goes through 4 or 5 blocks with visiting teachers coming out to teach a section of the Life of Christ, according to the Harmony of the Gospels. Being in Jerusalem and learning these things makes the places full color with visits to some of the Biblical sites, and allows students to see today's reality of this Holy Land in its multi-cultural diversity, in contrast to the Biblical past. Mainly, students are allowed to absorb 4 to 5 full days of study and worship, participating in sharing daily devotions, worship, and serving the community. Weekends are used to visit cities outside Jerusalem and even spend leisurely hours around the city with students and locals.

Steve Vigil and Tyler praying for a lady from the congregation.

During the middle of the semester the students took a week tour through the Galilee and the Dead Sea areas. Throughout the semester they also have weekends off to travel anywhere else within Israel. 

Tel Dan River Restaurant waiting to eat fish and salads.

Christine Search playing worship for our sunrise Galilean trip.
Block 2 teacher, Steven sits to the left. He made class a whole new
way allowing each student to be the teacher.

Block 3 teacher, Steven Lane, teaches the students how to do water baptisms
to each other at the River Jordan.

Mount of Beatitudes Sermon on the Mount and reflection with Steven Lane.

Afternoon class at the park outside the Old City Walls.

Temple Mount sifting project with Stacy Abel, Shavian, and Alexandrah.
Looking for treasures in the dust.

Chelsea Guzman, Stacy Abell, and Chase Cundiff chilling at Mt. Arbel.

This is the creativeness of our youth at Capernaum.

Capturing seashells at Caesaria.

As the different teachers come in, they also plan new ventures to the sites throughout Jerusalem, 

where we are enriched in the history of God's City.

Yad Vashem's memorial to a man who helped many orphans
after the Holocaust.

The students outside of Yad Vashem.

Block 3 teacher, Chad Lacomb, and his 13 year old help, Elijah, at

our YWAM fellowship and Independence Day Picnic Lunch

at Christ Church.

They fellowship at various churches in and outside of the Old City at King of Kings congregation, Christ Church, Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv, and a few others.

Outside of Narchiz street Congregation, under Chuck Kopp, in the Big City of Jerusalem.

This is a Baptist church that invited our group and another Bible College

to do worship and share some testimonies. 

The local Messianic congregation, Shemen Sasson.

Jewish law strictly forbids open proselytizing and especially to minors. However, spending time here and building relationships opens the door to conversations about Christ as our Messiah, in hopes that the Lord can make a way to have the truth of God shared, despite the laws of men.

Homeless ministry in Tel Aviv with Pat Apple.

Calvary Chapel, Haifa visit to their home ministry. Drew Grizzle plays
 worship with Robyn Miller. Melissa Smith plays the jimbe, and
Bryan Harrington teaches.

Steve Vigil and Odell Burton puttying the wall to be painted
at Haifa's new building soon to be a coffee house and homeless shelter.

The students are able to outreach at least once a week around the community and serve. Because the Hotel blesses the program by allowing a corner of rooms and community kitchen to be for the students, the students help out in hotel clean up at least once a week, and some evenings in the dining room. 

We also are much involved with the neighboring guest house: Christ Church, that houses volunteers as well for up to two years. 

Many volunteers also help at a local ministry called Shevet Achim that houses infants and toddlers that have just received heart transplants and are recovering from surgery. Volunteers help clean and the like.

A new ministry is opening up to serve in Bethlehem, there is a great NEED for volunteers. We are in the waiting process of how to be able to send some volunteers from the school there as well.

The Blind and special needs children at House of Hope and Stacy Abel.

Independent baptist church. Led by Musa Abuali, citizen Christian Arab Pastor. 

Just recently we met a man in Bethlehem that is trying to sell 3 lots of land in Jerusalem, outside of the old city. It is million dollar lots from about 1 to 2 acres. He gave us his phone number. 

It would have to be the grace of God that could grant the funding as well as the workers to make use of even one of these pieces of land to expand and have a full Bible College and congregation in Jerusalem. A piece of land like that could even have space for a farm or ranch and ministry for the community and long-term missionaries dedicated to Israel. 

Please pray for all these things and that if the Lord wills, He would complete His Work with His faithful servants in the Holy Land and keep Calvary Chapel teaching for students and community participants. Please pray for Doug and Christine Search and there ministry in Israel to be increased, blessed and provided for.

Daniel 6:10
"When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously."