Returning, Continuing, Processing

Friends

This past year, in so many ways, names have become faces and faces have become stories and these stories have captured my heart.

Now, I want to invite you into one particular story, so will you listen for a moment?

Last January, I had the beautiful opportunity to step into the Holy Land and engage with the people living there in a way that surprised me and left me with a passion for stories. This next January, I have the chance to be a part of a small team that will be returning to Israel and Palestine.

This place is a land in the midst of a great story. It's a story with two sides. It's a story of confusion and frustration, a story of fear and hopelessness. And it's a story that desperately needs quiet listeners and fiercely caring hearts.

What captured my heart on my initial trip was a question from one of our Palestinian waiters. He asked us what we as Americans knew of life in Palestine. He asked if we just didn't know or if we just didn't care.

A typical trip to the Holy Land is for the purpose of seeing the places but not the people. However, we as a RockHarbor Fullerton community feel that God is opening doors and inviting us to return to this land and continue to learn about the people. Our community has an opportunity to engage in this land of conflict, to experience daily life, and to share these stories.

This January, our team will be in Israel and Palestine for 2 weeks to scout out specific opportunities for our community to invest and establish partnerships. We saw and experienced an immense amount during our last trip, but now we want to get on the ground again to listen to where God is leading and be able to define our area of focus for investment.

As a second phase in the development of our ministry plan, the RockHarbor India residency team will be spending their 3 month furlough in Israel for the purpose of spending a significant amount time with the potential partners, learning from them, and gaining deeper insight into how we can invest long term and where some of their specific needs are. So as part of the January scouting trip, our team will be going to Tenali, India to check in on the residency team and help prepare them for their time in Israel.

We are not trying to go into Israel and Palestine to be heroes or to solve any problems. We don't want to just jump in and "do stuff," so we are in a phase of listening. We are going to listen, to hear the stories of the people, both Israeli and Palestinian, and to try our best to communicate that we do care and we want to tell their stories and that we want to be involved in their process.

There are a few ways that you can join in this story with me: personally, financially, and prayerfully.

Personally: Ask me about my process. Listen to my thoughts. Sit with me in confused silence.

Financially: I have committed to raising $4,000 for the cost of this trip. I feel very strongly that I personally need to feel the financial weight of this trip. However, I also believe in inviting others into this process to walk with me. Through financial support you are saying that you are affirming Gods call to our community and my role is helping develop this vision. Therefore, I have decided to be personally responsible for 1/3 of the cost of the trip and I ask that you would consider truly partnering with me in this journey to raise the remaining amount.

If you would like to make a support donation, please visit my ROCKHARBOR fundraising website https://rockharbor.webconnex.com/israeljan2013amanda. Please note that donations are tax deductible and are non-refundable. All donations will go toward the overall cost of ROCKHARBOR’s Israel ministry, and any excess funds will first help support other fundraising efforts and secondly will be gifted to the ministry we are going to serve. (If you’d rather write a check, please make donations payable to ROCKHARBOR Church. Please do not write my name or the country anywhere on the check. Please mail to ROCKHARBOR Church, Attn: Israel /Amanda Wheeler. 3095 Redhill, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.)

Prayerfully: The investment of your time for the sake of prayer is just as significant in this process of confirming Gods voice.

Pray for clarity.
Pray for unity of vision within our team, both on the trip and back home.
Pray for safety.
Pray for words.
Words to communicate. Words to express. Words to describe.
And Pray for space.
Space to listen. Space to process. Space to learn.

Walk with me?

Amanda Wheeler

*Mount of Beatitudes on the Sea of Galilee*