In Israel

Dear Friends and Family,

Today i am in Eilat! Its in Southern Israel, right by where the Red Sea comes up and touches the Israel border... Like if you hold 2 fingers up (peace), I'm at the tip of the middle finger. (fingers being the Red Sea.)

Its really sunny and dry heat HOT here... they say its cool now but in the summer its hot. Ha! I did my laundry in a sink last night, hung it up to dry (didn't even wring it out too much), and BAM, its dry by 10 am the next morning. wow.

I'm staying at a guest house called the Shelter, its run by a couple, John and Judy Pex, who have been in Israel for about 30 years, and they are really great people. They love Jesus a lot. They also wrote a book about a "life time-out" they took walking the 600 mile Israel National trail (i guess like people do our Appalachian Trail)... that goes from the northern Lebanon border all the way south to Eilat, where we are now; its called, Walk the Land.

I'm amazed at the doors God opens up and the connections He makes each step of the way. Many times it has been someone I meet along the way who hooks me up with another person to stay with... and so it goes; open door here; closed door here... i go where the doors open, and don't go where they shut.

For example, I needed a place to stay for Friday/Sat pm; the family i'm staying with in Jerusalem can't have me until Sunday... so i was like, Ok, God, i know that you will use this to allow me to be somewhere where you want me to meet people/to learn something/to be a light for you... and do you know? That's what He did. EVERY TIME. I "knocked" on a bunch of doors in the Jerusalem/Bethlehem area, but nothing really opened up, but then I find out that there are Sudanese refugees (w/ the U.N.) here in Eilat, and met volunteers who are working with them, and I can stay here at the guest house and help out with them! I am really excited about that. Esp working w/ the kids!

When i was in Cairo, I got to visit a school for sudanese refugees, and met some great people from Sudan there, who really want to help their kids get a great education, even when they've been displaced from their country b/c of the war/killing going on there. (Have you heard about the Darfur region in Sudan? I guess its been going on since 1985 and has been pretty gruesome; the amazing thing is, God LOVES these people so much, just like He loves me and you, and He wants to help them and does help them, often thru me and you and others. That's why its so good to care for and help others, b/c it is HIM helping them thru us. God, show us who we can help today, little things big things, right in front of us.) And then when i was in London for 2 days (on my way to Egypt)... the girl that God hooked me up with, Ali, has been volunteering for the past 8 months in Ethiopia/Sudan... so it was cool to meet her and here her stories.

God is amazing. I will be in Israel i think until the 27th of Oct... Jerusalem for a week, and then up to Tiberius for a week. God opened up some great doors to stay w/ 2 families in those places. 


Praying that i would learn all that He has for me.
He is teaching and showing me so much.
It is exciting to walk with Him. He is amazing. And i am so excited to visit the place that He gave to His people, to bless ALL the peoples of the earth!!! Such history is here... Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, King David, Isaiah, JESUS!!, Peter/the disciples, Paul, John, Mary, so many!!! It will be amazing to walk in the places here, that i've grown up reading about and hearing about...

Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers for me. I know that God is using them to BLESS this trip, and open up doors and windows. His protection and provision are GREAT. Nothing escapes His detailed knowing.

Love and Blessings from Him to each of you!!
ericka :)

ps - Thank you ALL for your birthday greetings and blessings and prayers and happy words to me!! :) so great to hear from you and get your "hugs"!!!! if i didn't get to write back, i'm sorry!! but know that i always love hearing from you!!! (sometimes its hard w/ finding internet, paying for it, etc... to find time to write back to everyone like i would like to... so just know that you are appreciated!)