Sally will be ministering in concert today.
Come and worship the Lord!
The Music & Ministry Of Sally Klein O'Connor
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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.
I
The final Rose of 5,000 long-stemmed beauties handed out by ATOR in Israel , 2024
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
Thought you’d finally heard the last of me? Not hardly. Not so long as there is breath in my lungs, electricity surging through my computer and, most importantly, there are ATOR TEAM Members stranded in Israel. Like the US Marines–“We Will Leave No Rose Person Behind!”
Having missed yesterday’s update–because there was simply nothing fresh to report–there is now new information about flights leaving the Middle East. And there are even new testimonies from the gang you won’t want to miss. First, let’s catch up.
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
You can see by their casual attire the Team did not attend the Young Missionaries Haifa Cotillion last night. Instead, they spent their final evening in Northern Israel holed up in a bomb shelter. While it was certainly no Studio 54 (for those of you under 100, Google it!) our heroes made the best of an uncomfortable situation. And it certainly made for the best ATOR team photo EVER!
We asked each Team member to share their thoughts and feeling in their final testimony. What was most special to you? What memory will you bring back home that will live on in your heart? Their candid reflections follow.
NOTE: Please don’t leave before reading the important message below in the Itinerary section.
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries And A Tour Of Roses,
If you are looking for mystery, intrigue and a wondered sense of the unknown . . . answer these four questions for me:
● How does a woman take 10 large durable plastic flower buckets, magically turn them into a bunch of beautiful flowers, then make those white flowers disappear right before your very eyes for a Shabbat service?
● How does a casual trip to the mall turn into a 3-hour prayer session with a Nutella sandwich thrown in for good measure?
● How do 10 Americans make 900 roses disappear in just 40 minutes? And are they willing to share their secret with Penn & Teller?
● How can a conversation that takes place in Israel fail to be understood in English? Fail to be understood in Hebrew? But is ultimately successful in Spanish?
What can I say? It was a day for sleight of hand and slight of, uhhh–tongue. Mmmmmm . . . NU-TEL-LA! We know you can’t wait to see the connections in all this. So take it away TEAM Rose!
[Read more…]
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
While there were no reports from Sally of heading for bomb shelters today, we are ever-vigilant toward the serious moment in history the good people of Haifa and our Team are facing at the moment. We ask you to continue to pray for their safety as well as a peaceful, fair resolution to the conflict. The Team continues to experience gratitude, gratitude, gratitude for the love we are showing Israel through the simple act of handing out a free rose as a gesture of the extravagant love God has for His Chosen. The testimonies continue to amaze. So let’s get right to them.
This soldier is packing heat. But so are our ladies.
Dear Friends of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
We have reached double digits in days and possibly triple digits in temperature. Yet, when you read the stories below you’ll see there is nothing but joy being spread in Haifa these days. At least when it comes to our crack team of Rose-ologists. (It’s a word–trust me! I’m going to spring it on Sally in a game of Scrabble when she least expects it.)
But before we share those tales we’re going to break tradition and let you all know about some specific prayer requests needed for Team Members. They are not a complaining lot, but sometimes the journey can wear one down. So please take a moment to read and lift our street warriors and their issues individually up in prayer. We thank you for your ever-faithful covering of the Team.
ERIC is down with a sore throat and some congestion
LURA‘s ankle is swollen.
DAVE has a heat rash in and around–these are his words–“Area 51”.
SUNNY asks for strength and safety.
KHAHLIDA has severe trauma triggers that are causing her to lose sleep.
KAREN has an issue with her knee. She requests prayer for better sleep and energy.
SALLY: “God gave me what I needed this morning. My voice is certainly not great. Tired.”
Please pray also for unity for the group. Mission trips can be true testing grounds for love and patience.
Sally administered communion today and asked the team to search their hearts and make right with
anyone on the team they were having trouble with.
Finally, keep praying for the flights for Air France to reopen on Saturday so everyone can begin the journey home safely and on schedule. THANK YOU.
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
Given the circumstances and heightened tension of their surroundings, the Team’s first day in Haifa was relatively peaceful. The sirens only blared once to send our men and women to the local bomb shelter. Just another day in Paradise, I guess. Meantime, A Tour Of Roses hit the streets of Haifa with thrilling and heartwarming results. So let’s hear from them directly.
Dear Friends of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour of Roses,
The team left Tel Aviv Saturday morning and headed North to Haifa. As they spent the day traveling in the heat it seemed only fair to give them a rest from sharing for the day and also taking pictures. So today’s update will be short. Sally volunteered to give a glimpse of Saturday with the team and the journey into the eye of the metaphorical storm. So take it away, Fearless Leader!
Dear Friends Of Improbable People Ministries and A Tour Of Roses,
Who is that singing on the outdoor baby Grand? Who just plopped down on the stool in the middle of Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and started belting out a worship set without fear of condemnation or reprisal? Why, it’s our very own Fearless Leader–Sally Klein O’Connor, that’s who! You thought maybe it was Sophie Tucker? Oy! How this happened will become apparent in just a few minutes. Meantime, back at the ranch, we have some long and meaty testimonies today. So let’s get right to them:
TESTIMONIES
LURA:
I just want to give you a little praise report about our day yesterday. It really was a glorious day. We had some misgivings about things and some wonderings about things when we first started out because we went to Holocaust Square yesterday and our first outreach was there.