Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
To say our recent journey into Israel was a wild ride would be giving Mr. Toad of Disneyland fame unjust equivalency, the ride being rather tame by comparison. The Team might have chosen a slightly less exciting landscape, given their druthers, than the rockets-red-glare and bombs-bursting-in-air backdrop to the business of sharing a single long-stemmed rose. But when God calls, I suppose the best thing to do is look past world events and gaze into the grateful eyes of the people as they receive the gift of God’s extravagant love for His Chosen.
We sent 12 to Israel and, by golly, we returned the same number safely to their homes. Some have taken longer than others to catch their breath and return to normal duty. But I don’t think one would have traded the experience for all the tea in China–especially since there is so much of the stuff currently on American supermarket shelves.
One thing is for certain. God was watching out for our dedicated dozen. While five had already departed on pre-arranged separate flights, seven of the Team were left “stranded” by Air France, who necessarily cancelled flights citing safety reasons for three days after the group’s ATOR scheduled flight back to Houston.
During those three days the unexpected expenses piled up with food, lodging and other items. But the funds in the ATOR account held out. No credit was used. EVERY SINGLE EXPENSE WAS PAID and, quite amazingly, Improbable People remains debt-free! God knew what we were going to need and He provided in advance. It was really quite amazing and wonderful to watch this miracle of faith and finance unfold.
Before we say goodbye until the next time ATOR ventures out where God leads, we have just a few small pieces of business to share. Most of you will find this important to know, so please hang with us just a little longer.
SALLY’S ATOR ISRAEL PRESENTATION
In years past, when we lived in California, Sally held what she called a “debriefing” at our church in Room 12 of the Valley Vineyard. It usually went on for a couple hours after service while Sally and any team members present shared stories and slides of their trip for anyone curious enough to delay their lunch an hour or two. These were always well-attended. This year our Pastor, Dan Sanders of The Gathering Church has generously donated his sermon time so Sally can share the highlights and lowlights of the recent A Tour Of Roses Israel trip.
The great news here is that we plan to livestream the event so EVERYONE who wants to attend Sally’s presentation will be able to do so. The link for this livestream may be found right here.
DATE: Sunday, October 13, 2024
TIME: 10:30 Central, 11:30 Eastern, 8:30 Pacific
The first 30-40 minutes will be the worship portion,
which Sally will be leading, followed by communion.
At approximately 11:30 (Central) Sally will speak for about 1 hour.
WHERE: 24950 Spring Ridge Dr., Spring, TX 77386
For those locals who are able to attend you are most welcome!
Refreshments will be served!
For those unable to watch live we hope to record the service and have the edited version posted by Tuesday or Wednesday, so be sure to circle back to the same URL
ISRAEL UPDATE SUBSCRIPTIONS
This is the final update we will be sending you. If it’s time for you to go, I’m going to explain how to unsubscribe from receiving further communications from us. I’m also going to share how to stay in touch to receive our free blog and weekly devotional if you would like. Sometimes people feel awkward unsubscribing to a mailing list because they may appreciate the business or ministry–but just receive too much email and are trying to reduce clutter. If you need to unsubscribe, please don’t feel bad. We don’t want to be junk mail to anyone. On the other hand, if you’d like to continue receiving email from us we are glad to have you along for the continued ride.
There are 3 groups I will address:
ATOR Prayer Intercessors
If you are an ATOR Prayer Intercessor–that is, if you agreed to pray for a specific ATOR team Member–then you were added to our list by me and will automatically be removed from the mailing list after you receive this final Update. If you would like to receive our blog and weekly Devotional, GraceNotes From Sally, you will need to follow this link and sign up on the Subscription form at the right hand column. We thank you so much for your prayers and intercession for your designated Team Member. To see an example of GraceNotes From Sally just follow this link.
ATOR ONLY Signups
Some of you signed up specifically to follow the team’s adventures in Israel and may not have enough hours in your day to read all the newsletters and memes you’d like to. But we’ve made it very easy to unsubscribe any time the email burden starts weighing you down. Simply go to the email you received that brought you to this page. At the bottom of that email via Constant Contact you will see the “UNSUBSCRIBE” link (seen below). Simply click on that and you will no longer receive free mailings from us. We are grateful for your prayers and your time with us. But we understand if you need to go.
Regular GraceNotes & Blog Subscribers
If you have been receiving GraceNotes From Sally regularly you have the easiest job of all. You don’t need to do anything. No re-subscribes of Unsubscribes. You will continue receiving free editions of our occasional blog and Sally’s weekly devotional in your inbox free of charge. As Sally has been in Israel keeping the local florists in business, GraceNotes has been on hiatus. But starting this coming Monday, October 14, GraceNotes returns in full force for those of you who set their calendars by its Monday delivery. We’re blessed you are finding edification in the stories and Scriptures Sally shares.
ATOR ISRAEL ARCHIVE
For those of you who loved receiving the daily update–and there were many who sent very kind and encouraging remarks–we thought we’d make the entire archive available to you in one place. Whether you came for the testimonies of the Team, the fabulous pictures that helped you feel present in Tel Aviv and Haifa, or the witty banter of this cub reporter (and who could really blame you for falling in love with prose like this?)–we offer this final chance to stroll down this memorable lane of floral splendor and reflections of a gritty, heartfelt, down-to-earth missions team.
DAY 14–No Update
FINAL THOUGHTS
More than a week has passed since the last ATOR Team Member touched ground in Tel Aviv. Everyone has made it home safely. So many stories. So many memories. So many hearts touched by a strange group of Americans wielding roses as God’s precious calling card. It would be wonderful if you can make this Sunday’s time of sharing about the trip. Sally will bring a personal touch that can only be drawn two-dimentionally here. (see the details above)
There are so many to thank. You sent your prayers. You sent your financial gifts. You sent your love and belief in a mission that, on the surface, would appear to be a crazy, futile endeavor. Only though the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could such an undertaking not only be possible–but bear tremendous fruit in a land desperate for hope. We thank you for making this mission possible.
And if God ever taps Sally on the shoulder again and whispers the name of a place and time that needs a glimpse of God’s extravagant love, we hope you will be there with us. Until then, we remain yours in Him,
Michael & Sally O’Connor
Improbable People Ministries
Great Job, O’Connor!! First time you ever had to deal with intensive attacks on the website–but you muddled through, as did we all!! You made the updates very welcoming and accessible. And the format was easy on the eye. I know it wasn’t easy for you to put it together, but I really thank you for taking the time to do this, so everyone who wanted, could have a glimpse into what was going on during our time in Israel. Kinda fond of you, you know… just saying. We make a pretty good “team”–every now and then 🙂
I’m not geared for total approval.