"40 hours to the Promised Land" WYW Exodus

Waaaa who would have thought that the first sentence off a blog can take 10 minutes to think of. Neither did I, but I guess I just wanted it to be the right one, but this one will do. Well I will get straight into it. Road to the Promised Land was quite an experience both spiritual and physical and in 40 hours we had a little taste off what took Israelites 40 years.  (Exodus 16:35) Thank God it was hours and not years otherwise I would be writing you this when I would be 60.

It all started in the morning of the fifth day of the ninth month. Some of us woke up earlier some later but we all got together at 7 to pray for the day ahead and for Turkey. (Just to explain to you little bit about Turkey. We have been thinking about going to Turkey for quite few months but never really talked about it until we were in Egypt. We thought we would catch a ferry somewhere from the north coast of Egypt to Turkey. We prayed and fasted to hear Gods direction and guidance. Well it soon proved to be a mission impossible and we searched and searched and only found one ferry which would cost us a fortune. I felt disappointed because it was on my heart to go to Turkey and the door to it was closing fast and although the next day we found hope at one off the big cargo shipping companies it would be 1% chance getting on one off their big cargo ships. I felt like a little boy dreaming off playing with ‘Big Boyz Toyz’ and stering the ship or somethin,  you know like when you were little you just couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel off a car and some off us got lucky for few minutes before your parents got to you.) Anyways the negotiations went on for couple of days and we never got a sure answer but this morning we asked God to give us a definite answer and few hours later it was a definite NO. Bit disappointed that we couldn’t get on a big ship but were glad that we got a definite answer so we moved on.

Our next destination was to get to the border crossing between Egypt and Israel. We hurried to catch a bus at 1pm from Port Said to Suez. I think all of us felt relieved that we were on the road again and coming closer to the Promised. Suez is an undifined city. We got off, had to get another bus, were getting a lot off rip off offers and ended up on some bus station in middle off nowhere which had no buses for Taba till next day, a usual WYW day on the road. Half off the times I feel that the only thing we know if someone asks us where we are  is the country we are actually in but not the exect place but as long as we are in the right country. After some new rip off deals we found a cab to another bus station that would take us to the border crossing that same night. Ahhhh how can I forget that cab, its still in my mind and I guess its because my camera was in it as the driver took off without me knowing it.  I can’t say that I was laid back or even sad, I think the word for it is crushed and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. And I asked myself all sort off questions where, how, why, when and by the time I thought off all the possible scenarious we were at the Taba crossing.

It was allready 11 at night so we decided to crash on the local beach and after mingeling with the actual locals from the beach we went to sleep. I don’t know how fats you can fall asleep but I counted exectly seven sheeps and I was out, in another words I was extremly tired. But everynight is special for wyw and this one wasn’t exception. I was woken up and the first thing I heard was laughter and I thought guys are just really being unfair joking around with me at this time but they wanted my passport. I was already crossed but sure enough as I looked up there was a policeman standing above my tent saying ‘Passport, passport!’. I just couldn’t belive it but few minutes later we were escorted to the police station. For some reason guys found this very humurous and looking back at it now it was funny in a way. Getting arrested for sleeping on the beach hahaha I almost felt like a criminal, maybe it was sacred sand or something I don’t know but I do know that we were in a open door prison cell from 1.30 am till 11am. Sadly the only english words that the policemen new was passport, yes, no  and the world known word OK. Those words just couldn’t exlplain or tell us whats happening and when are we going. I had some sleep on the cell floor but we were all frustrated and tired and the devil knew that. We did go off key at some times but later discussed and asked fogivness and learnt from our weaknesses. So thankfully the Captain off th epolice station knew english but what he didn’t know what we were in the cell for so off course he treated us like we actually did something seriously wrong, you know five guys that kinda stink and an open door cell so we were told to go back to our cell and not to walk out. I mean its kinda hard to write a picture for you but we were so joyfull that we even had a cell heheheh. So soon after the National Police gave the local police OK to let us go for sleeping on the beach  we were finally free and just 2 amazing hours after we were in the Israeli police’s hands.

It turned out that De Necker’s 8 month long beard finally got to us. Just about everything we possesed was legal to enter Israel except his beard. 2 hours off freedom but at least we weren’t escorted to the police for possesing a beard but were pulled of to the side and questioned. So the next seven hours we were questioned and everything from your family history (and its amzaing how much you don’t know) to what are we doing, where we are going, what undie size we are wearing to why is my hair brown. (ok I’ve exaggerated little bit but you get the picture and most off it is true). I’ve got to be honest with you, I was enjoying evry bit off it. I just don’t know why but I guess being pulled over and going through all the procedures, seeing big boz toyz, being asked questions that nobody else in life would ask you is kinda cool and some people consider it a privilge but I guess that’s just me. I never knew my bag in such a detail and what was actually in it as one off the officers completely searched it from top to bottom. They even looked what you wrotein diary, books, little random notes that even you don’t know where they came from and the 2 month old chocolate at the bottom off your bag, I mean everything absoulutly everything was checked, scanned, checked again and little bit off more scanning before you had to all put it back into your bag yourself. They are professional trained soldiers that would make even the best wifes and mothers jeleous how detailed and profeesional they were in unpacking your bag. But the border police was kind enough to give us a meal and we scuffed down every flavour and every particle that existed on the plates. We were kinda hungry I suppose. 

As we waited for our passports to be returned I was just thinking about everything we went through and just how our God is a great God and He was with us throughout all the time and He knew it was going to happen and He knew the minute when we would be released, the hour when we would get questioned and that we would be hungry and thirsty and that it was hot outside and that we were tired becaue He is God Almighty and knows the number of your hairs on your head and when we are disobidient we get  consiquence for it because He wants to teach us how much He loves us and how much His road, ways, directions are better then ours. And one way for you to make God laugh is to tell Him your life plans. ‘God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.’ Psalm 46:1.  ‘Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 and looking back at it now Jesus was with us on the beach, Jesus was with us in the prison, Jesus was on the border crossing and why should we fear or be frustrated. If God is for us, who can be against us.

I think it was around 7-8 o’clock in the evening of the sixth day off the ninth month when we got our passports back and the first thing that we did when we entered the promised land we went to sleep on the beach.

Here is our little video on the scene:

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80yIb5M2Dd4 400x400]

God Bless 

Ivan