Casey's Israel Outreach Journal 2010

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Sunday, May 23, 2010

I think…..I think it is Sunday. Once again, time has no meaning…..only what color shirt am I in today, and is it clean???

We’ve had a couple good days of campaign….I finally got to do my stickering sortie the other night, which was big time fun! I just love the covert-ness of it! Most of the stickers are remaining up, too, which is UNHEARD OF!!! The HaSharon region is much more secular with only isolated religious pockets, so the opposition has been polite, barring Peter getting stabbed with a screwdriver on the first sortie….well, up until now. I’ve heard rumors the Yad L’Achim has found us yet again. I don’t know what this means yet, as my sorties today have been sweet…..but others encountered some difficulties from tidbits I got at lunch. I will find out tonight during color reports.

This afternoon on our lunchtime, contact sortie, my team was in Kfar Sava. We were sweeping up and down the streets trying to share with people and passing out gospel tracts. I was struggling with my Hebrew, and beginning to feel completely inadequate. The take rate for the tracts was really quite good for Israel, but I wanted to see more interest from the people. My heart was burning, because nobody cared….nobody would speak to me. I was sharing this with my team leader, Oded, and he was encouraging me, when he was stopped by a cute little older man. Their conversation was entirely in Hebrew, so I meandered on and was still passing out tracts, when a shopkeeper kept making eye contact with me. I motioned to him to see if he’d like a tract, and he said “lama lo?” which means, “why not?”. His name was Oded Gershon. He did speak English, so I began to share the gospel with him, and I watched him go from being indifferent, to interested. He actually was saying, “ok, so what do I do? I want Messiah now!”…..I was so astonished, I didn’t believe him and I kept asking him if he was sure! Me of little faith! We prayed together for his sins to be forgiven and for Jesus to give him atonement and eternal life…..and he gave me his contact information for followup, and then he took me inside his shop and introduced me to his co-workers, who also took tracts!!! That was encouraging!!!

This morning, Oded and I were holding small banners on the edge of the interstate during the morning rush hour. It was going pretty well, no spit….no rocks….only moderate verbal abuse…..actually some were smiling, and some were dialing their phones as we watched!!! Then……I saw two men dressed in plainclothes approaching us, with machine guns. Uh oh…..this will nearly always make a person nervous, yes??? Not just me?

Turns out, after being questioned, taking our papers, searching my bag…..that Oded and I apparently were standing right on top of some sensitive military site…..who knew? One guy was super business-like, but the other guy was nice to me. We started talking and I used my best blond, southern belle charm on him!!!! He was asking me all about my home, and life and so forth, and asked me about what we were doing…..I got to share the whole gospel with him and he was quite interested!!! You could tell he was going to call the number on the banner when he was alone! We were laughing and talking and I offered to shake his hand before they left us there (since we didn’t have much longer), and he said, “I really would shake your hand, but I’m not allowed…” I guess he wasn’t allowed to take his finger off the trigger thingie of the machine gun!!! Oh my! BTW, it was a really nice looking gun, all shiny and clean. I liked it. Mr. Business-like came to interrogate me after talking to Oded…..and me again, with the hair toss and the southern belle “tude”….he asked me “How did you get here?” And I gave him my best “bless your heart” look, and said “um, by ….plane?” I discover he actually meant that exact spot….not the land of Israel……so he rolled his eyes, and decided I was a danger to no one but myself!!!! So so so FUN!!! Seriously, how often do these kinds of things happen?

This afternoon is a phone sortie for my team, which will be a blessed break for us from the heat and the constant walking. I need to ask you all to pray in a really big cold front for the land of Israel……the heat is BRUTAL! Also, remember to pray that my headaches will stop. It’s really hard to stay upbeat, cheerful and focused when you are having a migraine that will not stop for days and days. My last sortie of the day will be banners again…..also very fun!! Love love love this campaign!!!!

Ok, tonights bannering was a first time banner sortie in a very orthodox area of Petach Tikva. It was just teeming with Hasidim, which I really love dearly, as you know. Which makes it hard because they just really dislike us so much!!! God was definitely our rear guard. He gave us favor and protection, right up until it was time to go. At one point, the police came, but it was because they were worried we would not be safe, and wanted us to move a few feet back away from the road, so no one would hit us. Then they wished us well and left!!! We were just astounded and thanking Jesus. There were Hasidim everywhere as I said, and no mob formed at all. We were having a great time, and singing and waving. People were calling the number to Jews for Jesus….just awesome. But as I mentioned earlier, Yad L’Achim has found us, and tonight, they came for my team. They drove the car right up to the edge of our banner, just to intimidate us. Oded told us to lay down our poles (so they can’t be used against us) and to sit on the banner. Sarah and I did so, while Oded tried to reason with 4 macho, screaming Yad L’Achim. There was no way it was going to end gracefully, if we made a stand, so, we quietly rolled up the banner, and went to the car to leave. We actually had finished the sortie anyway, so acquiescing sort of defused the situation, but was not an actual loss to us at this time. However, they followed us to the car, and then got in real close and were taking pictures of our faces and our license plate. Not that it’s a big deal, but they will put It on their website and so forth to keep people from talking to us. Unfortunately, that usually works against them though.

Other teams were harassed a bit as well, but no one is hurt and we are so well trained now with protocols that we emerged unscathed. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I know Who it belongs to….so I’m not worried.

But, I do ask for your prayers that the Lord continue to guard us, protect us and guide us. And that He would thwart all the plans of the enemy. They did follow one team all the way back to where we are staying, but usually there is not much they can do to us at our home base. It worried us in Tel Aviv campaign but it was much ado about nothing so I’m not super concerned that they were around the Baptist Village this afternoon.

As I said, the team is as trained as we can be. We are being as safe as we can be. But we will not stop preaching the Word. Because Israel is ready for her Messiah. We won’t be silent. They can’t stop us. They can annoy us. They can throw rocks (though the only violence so far was the screwdriver stabbing and that was days ago anyway!! And Peter is fine!!!) but we won’t stop. Because God is bigger.

However, on that note, one of my sortie sites is at that exact location tomorrow…..so I do need prayer covering for that. Rumors are flying that Ze’ev might form a Hasidic team, of several of us who have done that work before, and might send us in dressed like Hasidim and see if we can test the waters in the community without being murdered on site!! So, pray for that as well. I really am excited, because I have such a burning passion to reach them. I see them and while my flesh becomes fearful, because they are so angry at us…..my heart loves them so much I could just weep for them……oh how I ache for their souls. It’s a bizarre feeling. It has to come from the Lord because in the flesh it is sheer lunacy. Oddly enough, for no real reason, I packed one very long black skirt…..

Just pray for God’s direction, protection and Holy Spirit anointing, boldness and courage. Our love for them and how it hurts us to see them reject and reject and hate us…..it gives us a small taste of how God must feel loving us all so, and so often is rejected.

It’s late. Must sleep. 5 am comes so early.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

We have a meeting this morning, I imagine it’s more policy instructions as campaign has entered a bit more intense stage than before. We had a sticky situation with a couple of our overall team and the police the evening before last. Now I imagine Ze’ev and Peter have formulated some new strategies in response.

I’m so proud of our two leaders. I’ve never seen such calm, unflappable strength and resolve. I’m honored to serve under them. They are careful with calculated risk and are the first to go into the danger zone when a situation calls for it.

I believe I mentioned before that Yad Lachim has discovered us. We knew they would, but now they make every sortie a good deal more difficult. It’s alright. We press on. We are pressed but not crushed. Persecuted but not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed.

We are all memorizing a verse of Psalm 91 for each day, so that by the end of campaign we all know the entire chapter by heart. Even only into day 5 of the challenge, I have found each day’s message in the verse something I draw strength from.

Here’s where we are so far with that:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, You are my refuge
And my fortress, My God in Whom I trust.

Surely He will save you from the fowlers snare
And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His feathers
And under His wings you will find refuge.
His faithfulness will be your shield
And rampart.

You will not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day.

Given our work here, you can see the absolute beauty in those promises. I cling to Him.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Ok. I’m really feeling tired now. I haven’t as much energy to keep up my journaling and there is so frequently things I want to tell you all, and by the time I have 5 minutes, I can’t remember anything and all I want to do is sleep! Ah. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

We’ve had a few changes on campaign, but the Lord is really sorting things out and keeping us focused on the goal.

Yesterday, Ze’ev let the team I am on, Oded, Anna Marie, Victor and myself, go out to try some Hasidic work in very conservative clothing. We tried to get into conversations with everyone, but especially Hasidim. Oh what a wonderful time we had!!! I just love the Hasidim. We went softly softly gently gently, so as not to get any mob stuff going on. It was awesome and Victor had a Jewish lady receive Jesus by the end of our hour sortie!!!!! Anna Marie and I shared with a really precious young lady named Shlomit (Shlomeet). She was really really intrigued and she actually took a paper with Jeremiah and Isaiah scripture references on it, and our phone number to call. She said she was going to read them right away when she got off work. She seemed very sincere. There was a really polite Hasidic man named Edan who we shared with as well. He wasn’t open, but we had a really really good dialogue and gospel presentation. There were so many we spoke to. It was just so good.

Phone calling was our next sortie and it was very challenging to me yesterday. I spoke to 45 or so Israeli’s and in the end only 1 would receive a New Testament. I actually came back to my room and cried. It tears at my soul when He’s so rejected. I also admit, it is hard sometimes for my flesh to not also feel rejected. It feels so like failing the Lord and failing our leadership and team if nobody listens to the message. I know that is the enemy speaking in my ear and my own flesh…..so I need prayer to keep tenacious and not lose heart.

I’ve been relieved of my severe migraines for a couple days, but on the heels of that, I’ve gotten a really sore throat. Sigh. I’m getting so feeble, eh? The Lord is my strength and your prayers undergird me.

Last sortie last night was bannering in the site where we encountered some hostility on either Sunday night, or maybe it was Monday. It’s all a blur, really. I can’t remember when things are happening. Given the nature of the racheting up of the violence, we’ve been praying that the Lord would send confusion into the camps of those who oppose the gospel, and would disable them when they attack. And, that’s exactly what happened. Also, Ze’ev and Peter brought cameras and filmed each incident…..it’s really quite the deterent! So, a lone man comes up and begins yelling. He kicks the banner. Anna Marie and I begin singing and reciting Psalm 91. The man goes to the side and makes some calls. Soon cars arrive and men pour out. We’re thinking, uh oh this just got really unfortunate……but we were praying they would be disarmed and disabled…..and so all they ended up doing was getting out their prayer shawls and holding them up to block the banner. Anna Marie and I just lifted the Jesus banner higher….and sang praises to Him, even more. We only planned to stay ½ hour for safety reasons, and so, we stayed that long and began to roll up and leave when this ginormous Hasid came, angry and loaded for bear…..he was for sure going to try to make some balygon, but we were in the car, and all he could do was hit the window with his fist. We were on to our next site for thirty minutes. It was brilliant!!!

On the home front, Jessie, our daughter, has an 8 hour video’d eeg today, to help pinpoint some things to aid in how they are going to treat her. Let’s please join together in prayer that it would be a good result and that her doctor would know exactly how to move forward, and that she would not be stressed about 8 long hours hooked up to wires!!! She’s the sweetest young lady you can imagine….and she’s been through a lot.

Don’t know what today holds, yet, but it’s a late one…..finish up at 1 am tomorrow. Sort of praying for stickering again. Love it!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

It’s Shabbat morning.

Well, not anymore it’s not. It’s actually 10:55pm now. We’ve had a wonderful day of evangelism, but it was like 3 sorties all morning, afternoon and evening, without much of any breaks, save for eating. Exhausting, but we get as much done on Shabbat as we can, because it’s the one day the orthodox are in….and not determined to ruin every sortie we have with either shouts, violence or at minimum interruption and intimidation…..not that we are intimidated, but they sure try. I don’t in any way doubt they sincerely believe that they are doing right and protecting their brethren….but, they just are so afraid to actually respond as opposed to reacting….does that make sense? Even when they are shouting, making balagon, or salad (Tzachi always speaks of people making “Sa-lad” emphasis on the Lad part), but we just call it making salad (Americanized) ….it’s an inside joke about Orthodox people just loving salad….but I digress. What was I saying? Oh yes, even when they are so upset, I just fall so in love with them….it’s uncanny really….how I love them……my heart aches so everytime I see them.

Golly day. My mind is shot, really. I can’t remember things to journal, because my time is really really limited and my memory is like water going through a sieve. Sigh. Is it age? Lack of sleep? Constant headaches and knife- like pain in my throat? Could be any or all of the above.

I wonder if I’ve developed some sort of allergy to concrete….ie: my mattress?

At any rate, my late night sortie last night was one where my team took these high tech transmitter thingies into the mall, packed in our backpacks. They transmit a blue tooth message of the gospel, with contact information for Jews for Jesus to any cell phone in a certain radius…..it’s really quite ingenious and very computer-y, techno-savvy…..it was a non-threatening thing, as I sat in a gaming room/bowling alley until 1 am, drinking soda, playing air hockey and basketball….all the while my bag was giving the gospel. I kept seeing people checking their phones….it was SO funny!!!! What was scary for me was trying to get that thing past the bag search at security at the mall!!! I beeped of course, going in….so I pretended to be on the phone with my honey bunny, making movie plans…..and when the guard kept saying “Mah ze?” which means, what is this, I gave my best southern accent and y’all’d him silly, until he just let me in to get rid of me!!!

I had the blessing earlier yesterday to pray with a Buddhist gentleman from Nepal, now in Israel, to receive the Lord at Ramat Hasharon….or perhaps it was someplace else. I have no idea where I am most of the time. He was very despondant and weepy as we spoke, and he seemed so happy afterwards…..very anxious to get involved in a congregation and to learn more about his baby faith. I’m so excited for him. His name is Rabin……please pray for his roots to grow strong and his faith to ever be increased.

Today we started with a beach sortie….but you know, as much as I don’t care for getting sweaty, sandy or dirty, the Lord always shows up when there. So, Hertzilyya North Beach is perhaps the most gorgeous beach I have ever seen. And, while hot and sweaty, in my sortie, I got to really really share the gospel with everyone I approached, and they gave me their follow-up information!!! I got 4 contacts one right after the other!!! It was unbelievably encouraging from the Lord…..I even got to pray with/for two young IDF soldiers on their day off…..on that hot, sandy beach. It really was a good good day. Our team actually got 9 contacts on that beach sortie….2 more in our mall sortie, and 4 new ones(unheard of!!) on our banner sortie! The police showed up there, and they actually said they didn’t mind us being on the bridge, but to just be careful, and to stay away from the road so as not to get harmed! Unheard- of favor!!! It’s so different from last year on the Shfellah. Not that we are always getting favor, but it was extremely rare to get ANY favor at all on that campaign.

I have an early morning sortie tomorrow, so must try to carve out a spot in the concrete for my sleep……keep praying for a cold front to come in….and for my throat and head to just stop already. I got all choked up sharing today and was coughing so, on the beach…..that tears were running down my face. It makes it hard not to look a bit like a biscuit at that point.

Also, pray for unity on our team. We’ve had some very painful goodbyes to some team members….and it’s been hard emotionally on everyone. The enemy is trying hard to thwart our efforts at every turn, and if he can discourage or sadden us on our “home front”, he will. We’re close knit….we’re bonded….and those separations are like tearing limbs off.

Ze’ev and Peter continue to lead with incredible wisdom and incredible creativity and also compassion. I have never been more thankful to serve with anyone before. This team is incredible. I could actually cry sharing about it.

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