Goodbye, Israel…..

Since we arrived in Israel almost a year ago, our volunteer visa process with the Ministry of Interior has been a virtual rollercoaster.  I won’t go into the sordid details now, but just believe me.  It has been crazy.  When we re-entered the country after spending the month of November in the States, they said we could not stay any longer. They gave us two weeks and we stretched it out until an appeal appointment on Feb. 3.  At the appointment we were told we must leave the country by Feb. 17th.

We were expecting to be told we had to leave, but we weren’t expecting two weeks!  Gary has a one-year visa that is good until July 2010, so he can stay.  It’s just Preston and I who are having to leave. They don’t allow family members to come under the umbrella of the head of household visa any longer.  So…Preston and I are leaving in two weeks and Gary will be leaving on Mar. 12th. Our one year lease is up on our apartment on Mar. 31st. Good timing, huh?!  God’s leadership in our lives is so perfect!

After many confirming words, we have now set our sights on Brussels, Belgium! Even before we left the States last April, our hearts have been drawn to Belgium.  There is no functioning house of prayer in the whole city, and Brussels is the capital of the European Union.  Brussels is a very dark city spiritually.  For that matter, Time Magazine states, “Europe is the world’s spiritually darkest place.“  USA Today says, “ Islam is Europe’s fastest growing religion.” Operation World:  “80% of the French population has never seen, read or held a Bible.” Christianity Today: “Anti-Semitism in Europe is now worse than at any time since 1945.”

There is no doubt that the house of prayer is God’s plan to break in to a city and region.  Declaring His Word, praying His prayers, and gazing on His face through night and day consistent worship is all part of His plan to bring heaven to earth in a region.  Coming against the spirit of Islam must be done in the place of night and day intercession through a people who are committed to each other and committed to building an altar together.  We get SO excited about these things!

Not that leaving Israel won’t be hard.  I don’t even want to think about the day that I drive down out of the Jerusalem hills for the last time.  There are no words to express the effect this city has on me.  This is His city forever. This is where Yeshua will return as a Man to set up His government here on earth.  This is His place!  I feel so at home here….so close to His heart. Leaving will not be easy, but the vision He’s given me for Belgium and His whisper in my heart causes me to say, “Yes, Abba. I gladly go where you send me.”

There are so many unknowns, though.  I guess that’s why it’s called faith.  Last October the guys on the Ninth Hour team looked at a house in Waterloo (yes, Waterloo as in Napoleon!) and they think it will be a perfect base for the ministry. The miracle is that it has stayed vacant for all these months that we’ve been praying about it.  An offer was just presented to the owner in order to secure the lease, and he has not given his answer yet.  Please pray with us that he is willing to negotiate. We really feel that this house would be perfect.  It is large enough to house quite a few people….8 bedrooms and 4 baths!  And the price is very affordable!

Unfortunately, making this type of a move involves added expenses that aren’t in our budget!  Here is a list of our relocation needs, so you can pray and give more effectively.

• $1,500 for moving expenses from Israel to Belgium
• $10,000 for a vehicle – We’ve had no vehicle in Jerusalem, but getting around in Brussels necessitates a car.
• $3,000 for bedroom furniture and other furnishings for Gary, me, and Preston
• Added monthly support – Our income in 2010 is less than what it was in 2009 due to Gary not being employed by our supporting church any longer.

If you desire to help us with these needs, you can give through Modern Day Missions.  Click on the link under our picture.  Any gift goes a long way.  We are grateful for anything you can do to help us with this transition.

I wouldn’t want to trade lives with anyone else on the planet!  This is such an exciting walk of faith.  I never dreamed we would be doing this in our 50′s!  One thing that we’ve said from the beginning is, “We only have this one life. Let’s go for it.” We don’t want to find ourselves in our 70′s thinking, “Why didn’t we do that? Why did we play it safe?” So, there you have it. We’ve lived in Israel for almost one year, and now we are headed to Brussels, Belgium to begin a house of prayer.  I can definitely say one thing, “I’m not bored!”