The Beginning of My Adventure to Israel...

This story starts off with a phone call to my friend Aaron, a former travel agent who still works in the industry.  I called him to tell him about Curt & I's upcoming trip to Israel.  And all about the stuff in my blog, "This Good Work".  When he heard that my passport was to expire on the 26th of November, his ears must of perked.  "When did you say your passport expired??" he asked.  I repeated the date.  "Umm, hon I hate to tell you this, but you need a 6 month cushion on your passport in order to fly out of the country."  This began an immediate panic...oh no, now what do I do!  I quickly figured out that the U.S. State Department (the place that issues passports) was closed for Veteran's day!!  GREAT!

I found this wonderful bit of news out at 12:30 noon Friday the 10th - 3 days before we left!  After stopping by the Post Office to pick up a renewal form, I drove to Word of Life and spent the next 6 hours in our church secretary's office trying to figure out what to do.  After about 5 hours we figured out that if I had an appointment at an U.S. Passport Agency I could get a passport that day.  Okay...which agency??  We start making calls...Curt, my husband, makes me an appointment for 10:30 am Monday the 13th in Norwalk, CT.  (We're to leave that afternoon on a 3:50 pm flight in Newark, NJ approx. 1 hr 20 minutes away from Norwalk, CT).  This was a HUGE risk....I had no idea how things would work out...but in my heart I had peace and I KNEW God had a way!  (Jere 32:17-27 NOTHING is too hard for God!) 

I then called my brother, Andy, who lives in Longmeadow, Mass (2 hrs 40 mins from Newark, NJ) to see if by chance I were to fly in Saturday afternoon if it would be okay for me to stay with him and his family.  Yep, not a problem.  I just need to rent a car to get there.  This would help me save a little money and then give me an 1 1/2 hour drive Monday morning to Norwalk, CT to go to my appointment.  So I change my flights...instead of leaving on Monday morning, I now have 16 hours to pack and be on a plane to NJ.

Okay...I went to bed, tossed and turned...ugh!  I was cold so I turned on the heat in our room.  Went back to bed...it seemed to get colder.  Got up and checked the thermostat.  Yep, it's on heat but it's in Celsius not fahrenheit.  UGH!! Can't remember conversions....it's 2.something per degree F.  Bump up heat...back to bed.

Toss and turn....check thermostat.  Times that about 3-4 in about 15 min cycles.  Try to scoot closer to Curt for more warmth....but our beds are 2 twins placed side by side with twin sized sheets and blankies on them.  Once I  get to the middle of the "big" bed I'm out of sheets on my little twin and he's still over in the middle of his twin!!  Major UGH!!!!  I thought I never was gonna get warm.  Then I remembered...more pjs...and put on socks and added bottoms to my long pj Tshirt!!

Finally decided to get online and check official converter from F to C.  Then determined thermostat must not work or something...it's still blowing cold air at 32 degrees C!!!  Ugh!  Shut it off.  Go back to bed.  Check the time...12:30 AM Israeli time!  UGHHHHH!

I did finally go to sleep, but I know it's gonna be a long day today!

Would appreciate any and all prayers for energy today!!  Thanks so much!!!

For all those who have kept me in your prayers...I've jumped through all the hurdles and made it to Israel!!  I'll explain the whole thing hopefully tomorrow...

We're all here and dead tired.  We're arrived in Tel Aviv at 9:30ish Israeli time, about 1:30 AM St. Joe, MO time.  We are currently in Tiberias and can see the Sea of Galilee from our window. 

Chris singing in ancient amplitheatre

Pastor and "I think myself happy!"

Great Pic of Curt at the Med Sea at Caesarea!

Just the two of us!!

Entrance into the Crusader Fortress

Elijah got fire...we got SERIOUS rain!!

Where Cornelius lived - 1st place where the gospel was preached to the Gentiles), ate falafel at a Druze community and went to Mt Carmel (where Elijah called down fire from God and whooped up on some Baal prophets!).  When we were at Mt Carmel the rain came...in SHEETS!!!  Rain is a GOOD thing in Israel because they are very limited in water.  We had a yummy dinner with of course hummus and cucumber tomato salad!!  The fruit is to die for!!! Curt's favorite was the chocolate moose...I think he had 3 servings!  (One of which as a palate cleanser after his salad and before his meal!!)  Oh well!

Well I'm gonna go hit the sack!

Shalom!

It’s not always easy…but sometimes there is no other choice.  The worries of life – logistics, work, finances, relationships, etc. have the ability to suck the life out of ya!  I can always tell when those worries are getting to me….they race through my mind as fast as race cars on a NASCAR course, causing my shoulders to tighten up to point they’re touching my earlobes and my head to pound.  Then all of the sudden I realize…I don’t have to worry.  God says I don’t!  All I have to do is remind myself of His promises to provide, protect and guide me as I hand over those crazy thoughts for Him to handle.  Then TRUST Him to do so!  Instead of race cars, I’m going through an incredible exciting adventure with Him!

The last 24 hours has had me close to tears with the race cars zooming and almost at one point I was in a near panic.  Then I would walk away from the situation, talk to God, give each and every situation to Him and then ah-ha ~ found peace in the middle of the storm!  I’m learning that all things ARE possible to those who believe AND all things work out for good…when you trust and believe.  You know…that moment when you capture God’s peace and know in the middle of the storm, that it’s all going to work out just fine.  Your mindset changes as you go from fear to EXCITEMENT!

I’ve received two Words today (Sat) confirming this fact.  One from my Dia, my loving step-mum…she knows of my adventure and has came along side to help me keep focused on God (via prayer and encouragement).  I just happened to call her this morning when the adventure was getting a little bit frightening again.  She told me about the story in Jeremiah 32: 17-27 – buying land when it seems just plain foolish.  Twice in that passage it stated to trust God and nothing is too hard for God!  When she studied this passage she felt that it was for me and my adventure…but she didn’t know where I was or what I was doing, thus she didn’t call.  I found out cuz I felt like I needed to call her just to check in and pray together, as fear was trying to set in.  Hearing her words of encouragement soothed my soul and brought immediate peace.  Yes Lord, you’re in control.  It’s all gonna be okay…

Then, I finally get to the point where I could sit down a read my devotional.  I’m on Day 2 of Holly Wagner’s “Daily Steps for God Chicks”.  The scripture of the day is Philippians 4:6-7 from The Message, “Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”  As I read these words tears of joy filled my eyes…it’s REALLY is going to be okay!

Just as I shut the book and began to sing a praise song in my head, the cellphone rang.  It was another awesome family friend.  I left her a message earlier asking her to help pray.  Turns out, she’s gone through this same experience too…and it all worked out in the end!!  Not only did she have God sent encouragement…she’s able to assist me in my adventure!  She told me I was taking the correct steps thus far…and is able to offer a place to stay on my little detour to the REAL adventure.  This will save me time and stress and get me closer to where I need to be for the next part of my adventure.  Only God could make something that in man’s eyes look so impossible, so smooth.  Every step of faith brings more peace AND excitement!!  I’ve found the peace that passes understanding and the knowledge that my God is mighty and TOTALLY in control!!

Before you know it, I will be reunited with my fellow adventurers and ready to start another thrilling part of this journey.

We're going....we're returning to the Promise Land after all.  After hearing PBZ's sermon this morning, Curt & I looked at each other and said, "I wanna go!!!"  At that moment we didn't think it was even possible.  "I think my passport is expiring in the middle of the trip." I told Curt.  It seemed impossible to make it happen on such short notice.  (FYI - background info - Curt & I met on the trip to Israel in April 2005.  We originally wanted to go on this year's trip, but when things got crazy over there this summer....we felt as if we were to back out of the trip. We were gonna go to celebrate our honeymoon).

After church we talked to both PBZ and Peri.  PBZ told me that I wrote such an accurate account of last year's trip that if we were going, he'd might make me his personal blog assistant.  Last trip, every night I was in the computer center of the hotel up til 1-2 am composing my daily accounts of our Pilgrimage to Israel.  It was awesome and really helped me to put to memory every detail of our journey.  I can still look at our pictures and tell you almost every detail of each place...that is until the day we went to the Old City of David and saw Hezekiah's tunnel....at that point I think I was a walking zombie!!  I remember PBZ telling bits and pieces of his Goliath message (he said he needed to preach it again soon -- I think he did soon after we got back) and then Peri and another pilgrim got locked out of the entrance to the tunnel cuz we didn't do a good job counting and getting in the turning gate.  It was kinda funny cuz they looked like prisioners holding onto the bars wanting to get into the tunnel.  It was all worked out in the end...and they were able to join us.  (Rabbit trail...sorry!)

After talking to PBZ, we longed even more to go...but with my passport...

Then we saw Peri.  I shared our longing and doubt that it was probably way too late.  "It's never too late!" she said.  She went on to say that people bought tickets just this past Friday...and the best part, the airfare was still priced about the same it was when we orginally signed up.  And as far as the passport...there's a service in Chicago and we can overnight it, etc., etc.  Hummmmm....maybe this could happen....

We called Dia (my step-mum), she went with me last time...with her on the speaker phone we all pray for peace and wisdom regarding Curt & I's decision.

After lunch we went to JcPenny's...to get my passport picture taken....just in case.  We return home and dig out our passports.  I check the expiration date on mine....November 26th, 2006.  You gotta be kidding!!!!  That's 4 days after the trip is over!!!  Wow Lord! 

Yeah, but flights and airfare...are the flights still available....can we still get on the flights with the rest of the group??  Get online...search...call Peri for more info....

Yes the flights are still available.  Check finances, incoming paychecks, bills....yeah, it's feasible. 

Call Barb Young to let her know what's going on and see what else we need to do to prepare for the trip.

Curt knows he can get off work...I'm my own boss and it will mean some creative juggling when I return....but it's  do-able.

We pray again...look at each other and have peace.  Curt gives the go ahead to hit the purchase button online to buy the tickets.

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!  We're going to Israel!!!!  I think this now is tops for the biggest spontaneous decision I've made in my LIFE!!!  We're very excited...but have a great deal of stuff to get done before we leave next Monday the 13th for Israel.

Keep us in your prayers!  Pray we're extra productive this week at work and that we have favor in each and every area of our jobs!

This is what I'll see in 8 days....

Tel Aviv & the Med as seen from Joppa (place known for Jonah & the Big Fish & where Peter has his vision)

The Med Sea as seen from Caesarea....where Paul stood before King Agrippa "I think myself happy!"

Boat on Sea of Galilee (taken from the shore of Tabgha aka Peter's Primacy - where Jesus appeared to Peter after the Resurrection) -- This is one of my FAVORITE places!!

Ahhhh....must go to bed and dream of the Promise Land.

Don't worry...you'll get to live the experience through me!!!  I now have a digital camera AND a laptop!!  And now I know how to blog AND add pictures.  Stay tuned....you're in for a real treat!!!  (Maybe I should charge for viewing my blogs....hmmmm.)  That would be too selfish...can't do that!!

G'nite!!!

Okay...let me explain.  It's Heaven & Hell weekend at WOLC.  And well, since I'm a sport's wife and now INTO the World Series, I'm gonna miss "Heaven" tonight, in order to see the Cardinals hopefully get a little piece of heaven by winning the series!  Of course I'll be back at WOLC on Sunday to see the "Tour of Hell"!!  But you got to admit...catchy blog title, eh???

I haven't skipped Friday nite church in so long I'm probably going to feel like I'm really missing a piece of heaven.  Usually it means I'm deathly sick or out of town...otherwise, I'm always there.  But alas, the Jordan household and a couple of neighbors (also WOLCers ...their identities not disclosed) will be watching hopefully the last 2006 World Series game in St. Louis.  Of course, it would be ironic justice if they lost tonight!  Teach us right to skip out on yet another fantastic PBZ sermon at WOLC!  Thank God for the CDs!  And being able to watch it live on the net!

Hope ya'll have a great night & weekend!

Tootles!

We're getting ready to watch game 2 of the World Series with some friends and "pothibly Stoup!!" (movie quote from "The Ringer" - awesome movie with real life individuals with special needs - hilarious 4 thumbs up!!).

Game 1 was a blow out and a shocker to the media and Detroit fans!  It was awesome to watch.  Hopefully game 2 will be just as exciting.

I'm starting to get REALLY hungry!  Hope the friends and soup come soon!!

P.S.  Check out my photo page for some wedding pics and some pics from my trip to Israel in April 2005. (That's where I met my husband).  It's a long AWESOME story...maybe sometime I'll take the time to blog it all...

The Cards just won the playoffs and are now heading to the World Series!  Shea Stadium was sooooo quite as the last strike was thrown.  Too bad they couldn't have won it in St. Louis with proper celebration & fireworks!

I guess that means we're watching yet another week of baseball this next week!  Wahooo!!

Ahhh!  It's nice to be home!  I've put 350 miles on my car this week traveling all over NW MO seeing kiddos.  Today my route included King City, Stanberry, Maysville and Hamilton!!  I'm now serving 9 rural school districts and maybe picking up 2 new students in an addtional 2 schools! (I'm a pediatric occupational therapist and work with children with special needs within their home and/or school.)  I'm working really hard at trying to keep one day a week as a paper/catch up day as it's a necessity -- otherwise I get stuck doing paperwork in the wee hours of the night or the weekend - yuck!  However, with the lastest influx of kiddos I may have to sacrifice some of my precious paper day!  Thank God for providing!  Although, there is more demand than I can serve...I need about 3 of me!!

The nice thing about being a traveling therapist is watching the seasons change.  Recently I was traveling South of King City on 169 and thought, "Where am I?  Did I miss my turn?" (I have been known to be deep in thought or on the cell and forget to turn.)  Then I realized that the area farmers must have harvested several fields of corn since the previous week and my view has DRASTICALLY changed!!  I have especially enjoyed the leaves changing colors this year.  The reds, oranges and yellows are so crisp and vibrant.  I was so VERY excited to see the sun pop out of the clouds today.  These long drives with dreary gray misting skies just make me feel as gloomy as Eeyore!  Sun definitely makes me happy!!!

My car stereo is on the fritz, which means my long drives include deep thinking, singing praise songs, praying (of course with my eyes open) or on really boring days trying to figure out who I should call next on the cell!  I will be excited to replace it soon.

Tomorrow is an easy day...just kiddos in Savannah and St. Joe!  Yeah Me!

It's official...I'm now a sport's wife!  Before knowing Curt, my main sports including watching Chiefs and Navy football.  I only had 2 TV (ABC & TBN - wahooo!!) channels because I wasn't home enough to value paying $50/month for cable or Dish, thus I didn't get to watch much football or much of anything.

It took about 4-5 months into knowing Curt and I was researching Cable vs. Dish as he is a HUGE sports fanatic.  Okay, maybe not completely diehard...but he follows ALL Mizzou sports, Nascar (go #24!! Jeff Gordon), KC Chiefs and his favorite baseball is the St. Louis Cardinals!  Just when I realize that one season is over...another one is just starting.  I think this is a major ploy by the media to divert guys attention from other things such as mowing, etc.!!

So now, I too am learning to enjoy sports.  I now know a good share of the Card's roster AND what position they play.  I enjoy watching Nascar...it's kinda fun to see the wrecks!  (I know, I'm twisted!!)  Of course I always pray that no one is hurt!!  Having DVR (aka Tivo) is awesome as it makes a 3 hour sports event about 1 1/2 as you're fast forwarding through commercials, halftime reports, etc. --it's a MUST have for all sport's wives!!

I know I have it bad, cuz tonight Curt is gone to a Bible study and I'm at home watching the Cards without him (and yes, I remembered to set the DVR!)!!

Craziness!!