Israel Trip in June

At the Mediterranean coast in Tel Aviv

I'm posting this on my blog so those on our June trip to Israel can easily access it and pass it on to family or friends who are thinking about the trip as well.

Suzanne and I are being very careful not to come across as trying to persuade anyone with concerns about going to Israel to go ahead and go to Israel. That might be a run-on sentence (sorry Jan) but I hope you get my point... We are in a bit of a bind to know exactly what to share, or what not to share. If you are not comfortable with going to Israel we suggest you keep praying, talking with others, reading balanced sources and listening to The Lord. Suaznne and I are 100% good to go with our two teenagers, three other teens, other family members and Christian family too. Yet we acknowledge that our comfort level in no way equals yours.

Bottom line is there is always tension in the Middle East. There was when we went two years ago. The current tension is not directed at Israel, and is not inside Israel. The current and world changing unrest is among the Arab nations. There is an Arab revolution beginning, and while we have no idea where it will go eventually we can say that the signs so far show little or no animosity toward Israel or the U.S. but a growing spirit of democracy and (hopefully, prayerfully) justice in these Arab nations. That would be great for Israel, the U.S. and the free world in general.

A dear friend is taking 16 people to Israel in 2 weeks. She has taken 18 groups in the past 20 years, including the years of the Intifada when suicide bombers were getting into Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem. I asked her if she has concerns and here is her response (when she speaks of the location of her hotel in Jerusalem it is the same with ours as ours is right across the street from hers).

No, I've told them that 1.) every time I've gone in 18 years, something was about to break loose and 2.) I have sent all their names, addresses and our itinerary to the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem and the U.S. Consulate in New York. This way if anything would break out, they'd know where we are. I also tell them the American Consulate is a half block from our hotel.

One last thing... I had a good talk with our agent from America Israel Travel about all this just yesterday. He says Israelis coming to America should be more concerned than Americans going to Israel, especially if they are coming near the Texas or Arizona border with Mexico! He has three American church groups going to Israel in the next week. I will interview their Pastors as soon as possible and share those interviews at our April meeting.

A Pyramid of Concern

Like you I’m watching the events in Egypt with hope that sits atop a pyramid of concern. Just days before President Obama was in Cairo in June 2009 and gave his now famous speech my family was there. We spent three days touring Egypt with our private guide Mohammed and our driver, Samah who described their position as young Egyptians buried under pyramids of generations of oppression. And they did not blame Hosni Mubarak alone.

While most talk in our media concerns democracy, Mubarak (who will most surely step away today if he has not already done so) and the Muslim Brotherhood, I regret the US has not been demanding justice, insisting on what is right and good for all people. These are the conversations and demands that make for peace so that you don't have to make war. No matter who is in charge (I'm not for the Muslim Brotherhood but I'm also against the abuses of the regime we have backed for 30 years) freedom and justice for all people are the outcomes America should be looking for and we all should be praying for. Egypt needs another Joseph, one who sees a future of doing what will benefit everyone and takes the steps necessary.

I can’t know for sure but I am confident that is Mohammed in the long sleeved red shirt in the center of the photograph (taken last week in Tahrir Square and featured in many news stories online). Mohammed and Samah had harsh words for Islamic extremists. When I asked Mohammed why he did not speak out he simply said, “They will kill me.” I am sure his “they” included not only the Mubarak police but also the Muslim Brotherhood.

When you spend three days with a couple of guys driving all around the Sinai, under the Suez Canal, into Cairo and then back through the desert to the Taba border crossing to walk back into Israel, you really have lots of time to talk. We really enjoyed our time with these two guys and we think of them often. We want the best for them and their families. This is a photo of my family with Samah (far left) and Mohammed (far right) with the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba behind us.

On another note... How quickly we forget. One year ago there was a peaceful protest in the streets of Tehran which received almost no support from President Barak Obama. I wonder how a White House full court press then would have shaped things now.

Finally... Suzanne and I are leading a trip of almost 40 people to Israel in June. I believe we will all go and am praying we all go. If you'd like to join us let me know. Today I still believe Jerusalem is a safer place to be than somewhere really dangerous, somewhere like El Paso…