Shalom, I'm Off to Israel!

19 pairs of socks rolled, taped, and stuffed in sandwich bags

I leave for Israel in about two weeks...this is stated with a mixture of absolute excitement and heightened nerves. Since I am a planner and I like being prepared in advanced for things, I practiced packing today. My sister generously has let me borrow her North Face Terra 65 back pack, which we have affectionately dubbed "Maximus".  Maximus has already survived three months in India, so I am very optimistic about our future together in Israel. I spent the better part of the evening squishing and squeezing nearly my entire wardrobe into the narrow but stretchy confines of the back pack. My sister, who is a veteran of international packing, was kind about my efforts, but stated that I needed to do a better job of it before I actually left. Considering that I didn't even get around to packing everything I need to take, I heartily agreed with her. But thankfully, after hoisting the load on my back with a lot of huffing and puffing, I found out that I am still 15lbs shy of the 50lb weight limit for checked luggage. I took that as a blessed relief.

Visiting Israel has been a dream of mine for a while. Naturally, the Land has spiritual significance for me, but over the years it has also taken on a deeper aspect; something that I don't even know if I could put into words.

History has always been a love of mine. I grew up watching and reading about heroes and villains during the great wars, especially WWII. Through that, I became very aware of Jewish history (apart from that which I had grown up hearing about in the Bible). From Anne Frank to Auschwitz, I learned about hatred and the drive to annihilate. I would look at pictures from the Holocaust and think, "These are real people. This really happened." I would wonder about who the people in the pictures were before the war. Were they happy? Did they laugh often? Did they see this coming or was it beyond their imagination? The sorrow of such things seemed to me like it would leave the Jewish people completely broken...

But then I look at the modern state of Israel. A thriving nation with a culture rooted deep in the Land. Israel is a miracle. I love what that says about God. Oh sure, there are plenty of modern critics and "holier than thou" types harping on the grandiose themes of the Bible until they philosophize the Jews into oblivion. But when God says things like, "Because you [Israel] are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give human beings in your place, and peoples in place of your life" (Isaiah 43:4, HCSB), I can't help but take Him literally.

"I love you." They are perhaps some of the most hackneyed words in the history of mankind, but when I read the above passage, I cried. It's so simple. Throughout all the struggles that Israel has been through, God is still saying, "I love you." What excuse do I have to do anything less?

I don't really know what to expect from this trip. I know that God orchestrated it, but the "why" is beyond what I can fathom. My heart's desire is that I will come away having been a blessing and being blessed in return. But, as always, the details I will leave up to God :)