A Tour Of Roses Israel, Day 7

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

We’ve been experiencing more of our share of technical glitches in getting this Update out to you since the Team’s arrival last week. First it was Microsoft Word that resisted my charms and wouldn’t allow me access, even after trying “Pretty please” and “Open sesame!” A couple days later the entire IPM web site crashed and we needed tech support to save the day. Last night the crash occurred again, and we discovered that there were 30,000 individual attacks on our site that day with the intention of taking us down like Hulk Hogan with a roundabout haymaker. Order was restored, but I began to think that somebody out there doesn’t like us. It’s almost as if some unseen malevolent force in the universe would stop at nothing to keep you, our gentle pray warriors, from reading the Updates and springing into action. (pause) NAH!

So what is the latest tech-setback du jour?

Our email client, Constant Contact, a generally reliable purveyor of mass emails, has shut down their servers for maintenance and software updates. So I guess we are not the only ones doing updates around here. The upshot is you are receiving this one even LATER than usual as I have to set my alarm for 4AM, drag my sorry carcass out of bed and stumble upstairs to send this out so you receive it before Christmas. That’s ok. I don’t mind. I live to serve. And that’s why they pay me an 8-figure salary around here.

But we do have a few pieces of business to take care of. Or, as my high school English teacher who hated ending sentences with prepositions would correct: “a few pieces of business of which we must take care.” (God bless you, Mrs. Larson)

First, I need to remind you all of the time differences and constraints in the reportage of these offerings. To those in the Eastern Time Zone Israel is 7 hours ahead of you; to those in the Central the number is 8; and on the Western Front there are a whopping 10 hours difference. Today’s photos and testimonies are from Friday’s activities (Day 7) in Tel Aviv.

Aside from the time difference there is the ATOR need for sleep so that we often don’t get reports from them for 16-20 hours and they often arrive while I am dreaming sweet dreams of the San Francisco Giants winning pennants again in the year 2045. All this to say, in a world used to a 24/7/365 news cycle, it’s impossible to report these updates in real time. But the good news is that we believe in a God who is not constrained by the boundaries of time and He can hear your prayers and act on them outside of time should He choose. So don’t be frustrated by the lag time. Let’s be grateful for the fact we are cheering on a committed Team of warriors using flowers and prayers as their weapons of choice in a land torn by munitions more severe.

Now, on with the real news. Sally posted this encouraging note on Facebook:

The reference to the journey North comes with a bit of trepidation as this blast from The Times Of Israel signals concern for the area and the Team as they head up to Haifa on Sunday:

Sally also reports, “There are concerns about Haifa. No GPS because IDF is scrambling the signal to keep it safe. But there probably is still cell service. At least, one friend of mine says it’s working.”

Everyone on the Team understood going into this mission that it could be dangerous–or at least a little concerning. So I ask each and every one of you to up the ante, please, on your prayers. The situation is volatile in the Northern part of Israel, but the Team has made commitments there they feel called to keep. So double and triple your prayers as you feel led. Thank you, dear friends!
—Michael O’Connor

 

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