Israel - the promised land. The country full of history, hiking and hummus. The country of quality time with Jesus. Whereas Jordan and most other countries are mostly about the ministry although you learn a lot from it too, God gave Israel as a country just for me and Him together.
Contrasting to Jordan, the spiritual atmosphere in Israel was so light! It felt like we could breath again and walk around as girls without feeling threatened. You create this expectation that because we are now in the promised land, Jesus would just feel so much more tangible. I mean, He walked here, some skin fragments must have stayed behind or something. The day when we came into Israel I read John 4 where Jesus told the woman at the well that soon people will no longer go to Jerusalem or to the mountain in Samaria to worship God. We would be able to worship Him wherever we are! So yes, I did experience Jesus, but not because He walked on the sea of Galilee or on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, but because He is within me and I can speak to Him wherever I am, on the walls of the old city or in Hezekiah's tunnels under Jerusalem, in South Africa or Israel.
And it doesn't matter if it is truly the grave where He was buried or the "holy" rock He lied on when He cried out to God, because He is not there! Thank God He isn't there, then we would have a big problem, but my God is not dead! If you idolise the place instead of the God then you're kind of missing the point...
For a while in Jerusalem I was struggling with why am I doing Global exactly. I mean, it is nothing at all according to my personality, I am not using or developing my talents or skills, I struggle to fit in with the rest of the team and sleeping on an airport for 4 nights again isn't exactly the most idilic way of travelling. So why am I doing it? The only thing I could think of is that God told me clearly to do it and keeps on confirming it while I'm even here. But is it enough? The one evening we watched Risen in Bethlehem and Simon Peter tells the soldier that He is now a Fisher of men because "After everything that I have seen, how can I do anything else now?". I started crying as I realised that Jesus really is more than enough for me. After the countless stories of people experiencing God's love through us, Muslims praying in the Name of Jesus, people blessings us exactly when we need it (and even don't need it), not even mentioning the way He has changed my life, HOW CAN I DO ANYTHING ELSE NOW? If this is what Jesus has called me to, I will be available to that calling. I will root in Him so that He can change me from the inside out. I will focus on loving my teammates without compromising who I am. I will sleep on an airport for 4 nights, because God is my promised land. The promised land is not a country or a thing or even a warm feeling, it is God with me. And that is enough! It is Jesus showing me where to walk, what to say. It is Him opening my eyes to see that I have heaven while I am walking on Earth, because I have the Prince of Peace in my heart.
It is me asking, "How do I even want to do anything else now?".
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