A Tour Of Roses Israel, Day 5

 

Dear Friends of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour of Roses,

As we are still playing catch up with previous days activities of the Team, let’s not waste any time. Here are some testimonies of A Tour Of Rose on the streets of Tel Aviv on Wednesday. What can I say? Get your hankies and Kleenex ready. These are some very moving stories coming your way.

 

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TESTIMONIES

ANNIE:

Praises   are that there have already been so many Divine connections. Muslim and Israeli taxi cab drivers were calling us over to get roses. Some would give it to the woman in the back, others alone. The question, why are you doing this would come, and I could tell them that God loves them, that we in America are praying for them.

So many just couldn’t stop thanking us! The love God is evident and touches so many as we give out roses. There is so much more to report but it’s been constant running.

My biggest prayer is for enough sleep, and that the enemy will stop throwing up blockades.

Like today. I got locked in the bathroom. The first night we were locked out of our bedroom, and we also got stuck in an elevator. The enemy doesn’t like what we’re about, but the people receiving flowers are so touched! Today one lady wanted a picture of me holding the roses, she was amazed that we came from America to do this! So please do pray for more Divine encounters. Also, we cleaned and prepared these roses yesterday. So much more to come.

ERIC:

NOTE: For those who don’t know, Eric has a prosthetic leg and often wears shorts in hot weather.

As I was sitting to rest in a chair close to where Sally was singing, there were two men that came up that were sitting on a bench. There was another man who was already sitting there who had a fake injury. He was a beggar. He had a fake bandage and a sling on his arm.

And he would just occasionally ask people for money and ask our people for money.

We offered him food but he didn’t want any. But beside him, he was with these other two fellows. And they wanted to know so much about what was going on in the United States and about the roses. But they kept looking down at my leg and checking out my leg when I wasn’t looking. But I caught them out of the corner of my eye, and they wanted to know what happened. But there was such a language barrier that I couldn’t quite share my story.

They went on to inquire about how I felt with the presidential race and the things going on in the United States and how the people thought that things were so crazy there, how we could represent the people.

And that there was a need in the land of Israel for prayers and for people to help, and they went on to ask about how I felt with Bibi Netanyahu. I just gave him a kind of non-committal kind of answer. I made it real short and took the conversation back to the cards and the roses.

And they sat for the longest time and kept looking at my leg and wanting to know what happened. And I told them that it was in an accident and that God came to me in the accident. And that there was the compassion that God felt toward me, the love that he had for me was more than more.

Then I could understand more than I could explain, so they kind of took me as being okay to sit by and to relax with as they waited for stuff, and they had a little bit of food with them, They were eating and drinking, and having their lunch for the day, and eventually they stopped asking questions about so many different issues and really said that there something they felt from the heart. It’s hard to explain because they didn’t speak the language very well. But they felt from the heart that this was such a wonderful thing this impact that we have on other people through these roses and these messages that are tied on, that are on the cards to the roses.

KAREN:

Today we were out in the shuk, the local marketplace, and we were giving out roses. One of the first ladies I gave a rose to was an older lady and she was standing there and I asked her if she wanted a free Rose and she said yes and of course asked what it was for. And I told her that we had come to pray for Israel because we loved Israel and had come at this particular time. The lady choked up so bad she couldn’t talk for five minutes.

Ten minutes later, she came over and wanted to take pictures with us when she got her composure back. She was just so, so very touched and there were so many people today who were just so touched that we were there to pray for Israel and we come all the way from the United States.

KHALIDA:

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Today when I was handling out roses in the morning, I gave a rose to a Muslim woman and she was so touched when given the rose. And we talked a little bit. After a while she asked me if we could pray. And I ask her, what is the most important thing that she wants to pray about?

And she said, to pray for peace. So, I said to her, I’m going to pray in the name of Jesus, is that okay? And she said, yes, you could pray in the name of Jesus. So, we held hands and prayed for peace and for Jesus to touch the people, And one of the prayers she prayed was that God will change some people’s mind. And that was really a wonderful experience to be able to touch that Muslim woman with the love of God.

LURA:

My first story starts with two girls that we met in a hotel. It is one of the hotels in Tel Aviv that is a refugee site, a sanctuary for people that have been sent from the north and been evacuated because of the war. So, we went upstairs into the pool area of the hotel and encountered two young women, mid-twenties I’d say. And they were just relaxing together.

They had come, one from Haifa in the north, and the other one had come from the area near Gaza in the south. They met together in Tel Aviv and they were just having a few days of holiday, to stay out of the war for a little while.

When they asked us who we were, why we had come, we told them we were Christians that had come to Israel, to tell the Israeli people that we were there to support them, we were there to honor them. to let them know that they were not alone and that they were not forgotten. And the one girl, she got tears in her eyes and she said, “I can’t believe that you came all the way from the United States just to say that.” And I said, “Well, we want you to know that there are people that care about you and people that are thinking about you today.

We went back down on the street, and we were talking to an older lady, who was walking by At first she didn’t want to take the rose, but we told her, who we were, and why we’d come.

She said, “Oh, I’m so grateful to know that there are people praying for us.” She said, “I thought everyone was against us.” And I said, “No, we’re not against you at all.” And she said that she was unsure of what her government was doing, and that she was sad about that and was afraid. And she said, “In these times I just think it might be the time of the Messiah.

She says, “And I kind of hope that it is. Isn’t that crazy?” And I said, “No, it’s not crazy.” And I told her, “I said, “Everyone has to hope in something, don’t they?” And I think that’s a good thing to hope in, don’t you?” And she said, “Yes, I do.” And she said, “Well, thank you for coming. Thank you for standing with us and praying for us.”

ROBERT:

This morning during the event where we were in front of the bakery, handing out roses, we ran out of roses and decided we wanted to get some more. So Khalid and I walked back to where we were staying, which was within walking distance, and we grabbed another two buckets of roses. Ww were walking back to the group, and we ran into this lady who had a little boy and a stroller.

We stopped to give her a rose and talked to her and talked to her about the love of God for her and what the rose was all about and how what it represented. And she was very touched and she was started to talk about the stress of what it’s like in Israel right now. And she said, “I want to take my grandson out for a walk, but I’m in an area where I don’t know where the bomb shelter is.” She was concerned for the safety of her grandson–that if something happened, where would she go?

And we both sensed the fear in her, so we asked, can we pray for you and pray for your grandson? And she was so open to that, so we prayed. And I asked if she was okay if we pray in the name of Yeshua and she was okay, so we prayed for her and for her grandson, and she just so appreciated the prayer and she had tears running down her cheeks. It was a very touching encounter.

Later I met a woman, a young woman, who wasn’t very receptive to receiving a rose, but she was willing to talk. I just had this feeling from her that she just didn’t feel worthy of receiving a rose.

I did continue to talk to her, as she was open to talk, and I showed her the words on the card. I told her what the Rose represented, and she mentioned I don’t read Hebrew, so I flipped the card over to show her the Arabic, and her demeanor changed, and she read it, and she became very grateful, and we had some additional discussion.

I just really felt that she was like, oh, you mean this is for Arabs as well. The conversation went a little bit deeper on things, but the main thing I want to portray was her incredible gratitude that she had when she realized that what we were doing was meant for her as well, for the Arab people as well. And what we were saying about God was meant for them as well, that God loved them as well. So, it was an interesting and a touching transition that she went through as she realized that what we were doing was not just to the Jewish people, but for her personally as well.

SALLY:

Ware in Tel Aviv and today we were handing out roses. I was with Annie, but we kind of got separated a bit and I went into a small shuk area, an open market area.

I started giving out the roses to some of the shopkeepers and some were open and some were not. The men were less open than the women. The women were more open and some of them received a rose with a smile. All of them read the card. It is interesting. I think many of them in this particular shuk were Arab, although there were some Israelis.

Sharing the roses was kind of slow today, but it was still good. And I wondered, with the roses I had in my hand (which were quite a large bunch) if I would be able to give all them out.

I turned around and I saw a young girl in front of me. She was probably high school age.  And she asked me if she could have a rose. The next thing I knew, I was inundated by

I don’t know, thirty high school kids, girls and young men, and I couldn’t give the roses to them fast enough! There was just a lot of excitement and joy that they could have a rose like that One young guy offered me some money.  “No, this is a gift,” I said, He tried again “No, no, really.” And I said, “No, this is a gift.” And it’s because God loves you and He loves Israel and He’s not forgotten you. And that seemed to help him understand. And just the delight in their faces was really refreshing to me. I was really blessed by them.

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COMMENTS

We’ve been receiving a lot of encouraging notes from faithful readers who wish to encourage our Team out there on the front lines. Here are just a few:

 

ED & JANIE CHANGUS:

We love ❤️ all of you, along with Israel. They are God’s chosen people & are so loved by Him. You all are in our prayers. You look much more rested than you did when you arrived there. You glow with the joy & love of the Lord.

CAROLINA DE LA CRUZ:

Hola! I’m continuing to pray for Yara, David, and the entire Team! God is with you All! I was reading the Word and thought about you. In 1 Corinthians 3, it talks about some people planting the seed, others watering the seed, and God growing the seed! I give thanks to God for your willingness and courage to go plant and water the seed! Thank you so much for sharing your testimonies! God bless you!

Janice Flinn:

Million thanks ATOR Team for these inspiring reports! We were a day late in receiving them but today they arrived and were devoured with great delight! The photos were just superb too especially seeing your brave leader looking so beautiful and joyous! Be assured of very much love and prayer flowing your way! We stand united behind you…Roll on next update and special thanks to Michael (with his great Celtic wit!) for solving this now resolved huge and complex “Technological Enigma.” So looking forward to reading the next reports!

DEBORAH JOHNSTONE:

Thank you so much for sharing the stories. I have been on a couple of missionary trips and it is so wonderful to serve others and share the message of the Gospel. My eyes tear up as I read the devasting stories of the people of Israel. My one trip to Israel just brought the scripture alive to me. I am praying that Jesus will be more visible to the people in Israel through the roses and God’s divine encounters. Praise our Lord of Miracles. I am praying for Air France to allow flights at the end of September and trusting that our God has provisions already in place. Bless you all for your witness to all corners of the world. Israel is such a special place.

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PHOTOS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meantime word came down from Sally that the Team was exhausted, so the Day 6 Update (Thursdays activities) which I had planned to report separately in just a few minutes, will need to be delayed until tomorrow. But the good side of that is our dear brothers and sisters will be getting some needed and well-earned extra rest. Please continue to be in prayer for our folks, that their forays onto the streets of Israel will be full of Kingdom blessings, and that God will keep them all safe. Until tomorrow, then . . . . –-Michael O’Connor

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ITINERARY