On the Journey...with Alan Vanderkolk

March 24, 2009

 

The transition from Campus Crusade to Blossoming Rose has been going smoothly.  As part of this transition, I have decided to change the name of my newsletter.  The Bible is full of references to life being a journey and our need to walk with the Lord and follow His ways and path.  As I continue to send out my newsletters, I want to share with you some of my thoughts as well as moments from this path and journey God is leading me on.  I pray it will be a blessing and encouragement to you.

 

I officially left the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ towards the beginning of this month on March 2, 2009.  I found it interesting that I was in Israel during this transition.  As I mentioned last month, I was in Israel from February 18 to March 9. I was there for an archaeological course, The Third Annual Seminar on Archaeological Reconstruction, Conservation and Maintenance, which was put on in a joint effort with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Blossoming Rose, the ministry I am now working with.  It was held at Biblical Tamar Park where university professors and IAA personnel provided lectures and instruction for the two week course.  Each of them were seasoned and licensed archaeologists or educators in the field of archaeology restoration and conservation.  I was able to complete my requirements to become a certified technician after the completion of this program.  I am now able to oversee groups and teams that desire to volunteer and work on the archeological site at Biblical Tamar Park.  This will be helpful in stewarding the facility.  The IAA has stated that Blossoming Rose/Israel is the only Christian organization that has ever been given the opportunity and responsibility to oversee and develop an archeological site such as this.

 

The main project we worked on as a class was an ancient Roman wall that was uncovered in one of the digs.  It needed to be preserved from the elements and presentable to the tourists who visit.  We took pictures, did drawing explaining the condition, wrote up what needed to be done and how to go about the work.  Then we spent time actually doing this work.  In prayer ministry we often see how the physical is a reflection of the spiritual and vice versa.  Jesus even had us pray in the Lord's Prayer... "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  This is an encouraging sign that Christians are able to work with Jewish authority at this place.  Not only will tourists be visiting this place, but also intercessors, pray-ers and church groups as they desire to spend time here seeking the Lord and worshiping Him.

 

 

 

One example that touched me this trip was at Masada. Masada is the busiest tour attraction in Israel.  It is a high fortress on a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea.  You might remember the story of how the Romans built siege ramps up the side of the cliff on the day before they were going to overtake the city and how the Jewish community living there killed themselves instead of becoming slaves to the Romans. As I was visiting Masada (about a 45 minute drive from Tamar) during one or our archeological field trips with a professor who worked at this site for years I ran across this quote by some of the ruins: "Why did monks settle in the ruins of a fortress in the heart of the desert?  In the desert they sought the tranquility that would bring them closer to the Creator… Here they communicated with the Creator in isolation and here in this church they gathered to worship together."  This was posted in the ruins of a church built on this site sometime in the 5^th to 7^th century, about 500 years after the Roman occupation. I was reminded again how men and women have been going to the wilderness to spend time with God since the time of the Old Testament prophets to today’s Christians.  While I was at Tamar this past trip, I met a young man from England.  He had heard about Biblical Tamar Park from a friend.  He felt the Lord had led him to spend a couple days here while he was in the Holy Land.  I share these examples to let you know that I am not making a shift into archeological study, but that it is a part of the whole of what it takes to develop this park into a place where people can meet with the Lord and use it as a base while they stay in the Holy Land. It is one piece of the whole.

 

Earl and Trish are working on taking a prayer team to Israel this coming October and I am helping them with this.  I also plan to be a part of this team.  DeWayne Coxon has also mentioned to me that we need some help with staffing the park for a couple months this summer.  I may be going over to help them with this.  We will be talking about this all shortly.  Please keep these things in prayer.  Thank you so much.