Getting a Life

Has anyone ever thought about the words Jesus said in Luke 9:24-25? It states: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” I’ve thought about these words in the past and what came to mind was not exactly a life of joy and excitement but of pain and suffering for Jesus sake. Sounds appealing, right? Jesus sure knew how to stir a crowd to flock to him. However, recently these versus have come to mind in conversation, reading and prayer so I’ve thought about them more in depth and have come to a new revelation… Jesus was right! As I look at the last few months of my life since I’ve begun this blog, the Lord couldn’t be more clear that by losing the life I thought I wanted and following Him, I have gained more “life” then I ever expected. The last few weeks here in Israel have proven that. Here are the highlights.
Olive Harvesting and manual labor in Bethlehem.


Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Jesus birthplace.
Herodian Ruins near Bethlehem, Herod's hometown.

Gilgatha and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. The place of Jesus crucifixion and resurrection



Road trip to the Dead Sea and En Gedi.



The City of Jericho where the walls came tumbling down!
Visit to the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, where Christ came rode in from on Palm Sunday and will return again!
The Garden of Gesemene where Jesus prayed, "Lord, if you are willing, take this cup from me.
The Golan Heights in the Galilee area. The peak over looks Syria, Jordan and Israel.
Caperium, the small fishing town in the Galilee where Jesus performed many miracles.
Playing in the ruins of the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man.

A nighttime cruise on the Sea of Galilee. Perfect weather and a clear night!

While in Galilee, we spent two days harvesting olives for a local family. After harvesting, we were able to taste the oil that came from our labor. So good!

And now, Welcome to Egypt! A city of 90 million people. The streets are crowded and no one drives without honking their horn but I can't wait to fulfill my dream of seeing the Pyramids. We have already had a chance to help in the Mother Teresa Orphanage in what is known as the "Garbage City". We spent all morning playing in a room with 16 babies, holding and loving them. So amazing. Today we will be off to the "The Cave Church" also located in the Garbage City. It's holds 20,000 members, the largest church body in the Middle East! This is going to be amazing!