Discovering Israel

On February 19, my travels began again. This time I did not start out alone, but my dear friend, sister and co-intercessor Inge joined me for 2 weeks. For her it was the first time in Israel and I was privileged to be her guide for those 2 weeks. Inge's desire was, to start at the basics. Therefore, we focused more on the Old Testament and God's walk with His people at that time. So we visited Tel Beer Sheva, the remains of the Biblical city of Beer Sheva, where the patriarchs lived and dug wells. We visited a copy of the Tent of Meeting. This stands in Timna Park, a gem with unusual rock formations in the southern Negev Desert. We hiked through the desert in places, where Moses and the people of Israel also went and experienced the grandeur of the desert. We visited the site in Kiryat Yearim, where the Ark of the Covenant stood for 40 years before being brought to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, we “visited” King David and virtually visited the temple as well. Physically, we have been as close as possible, going to the entrance to the temple (on the south side of the temple square) and to the Kotel (wailing wall) and in the tunnels next to it.

In addition to this walking in the footsteps of the people of Israel, we also both wanted to connect with what is going on in Israel today and what God is doing in Israel. So we visited 3 Messianic congregations, had heart-to-heart meetings with Messianic Jewish friends and Arab Christians, and met the local intercessors of TJCII. But also visited the Nova festival site in Re'im, where 378 people were murdered and 44 were taken hostage on October 7, 2023. And we visited my friends in Hadera. He is a Holocaust survivor from Eindhoven. We heard and felt the deep pain of Israel, both historically and today. We had many moments of intercession and experienced special times in God's presence.

It was special for me to experience the country through Inge's "fresh eyes”. One of the most beautiful moments was just walking through a residential neighborhood in Jerusalem at a time when children were taken out of school. We walked through “restored Israel” and were touched by the loving care of fathers for their children. It was a very rich, valuable time, during which I also got to celebrate my 50th birthday!

After Inge went back to Holland, I stayed another week in Israel with friends and at the Fountain of Tears. On March 13, I traveled on to Portugal.

Ontdek de adelaar!