On the Journey...with Alan Vanderkolk

This is our first update report on our Israel Prayer Mission of our strategic prayer team. Our team of seven arrived at the Tel Aviv airport on Tuesday afternoon, October 13, by three of the team members coming in on three different airlines, with three of us coming in on a fourth airline. We met up with our seventh team member that has been on the land for over a month. We did arrive, though, each of us on schedule. We were able to get our rent-a-van and proceed to drive, for over three hours, to our prayer base camp in the Negev at 9:00 p.m. We were able to get some much needed rest. Some of us were up within four hours ready to go. We met the whole team at 5:00 a.m. for an early hike across the desert to climb upon prayer mountain to call upon the name of the Lord at the rising of the sun that was arising over the close-by mountains of Jordan. We spent time worshiping the Lord and declaring the Word of God in heartcry out to the Lord. We made it back to our dining hall to fix our 7:00 a.m. breakfast.

We spent the first morning in briefing the team for the general schedule for our upcoming two weeks together. We, also, had a time of worship and prayer, looking at some significant passages of scriptures that the Lord had laid upon our hearts for our prayer assignments. After our lunch, we drove to the so-called 24 kilometer Peace Route. There is a major lookout not too far from our prayer base camp. This lookout is actually near the Jordan and Israel borders. The original borders were drawn by the British Mandate in 1922, after WWI, trying to establish the disputed borders between Trans-Jordan and Israel. But, it was on October 26, 1994 that the Peace Treaty between the two countries was established, thus fixing the current exact boundaries. We prayed for the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ to be established over the lands with scriptural declarations and by partaking of the communion and covenant meal together. We found two more major lookouts over this desert valley of farming plots of highly mechanized, climate controlled crops. The desert is truly becoming fertile with this large aquifer of underground water in this former Dead Sea basin. These plots go for miles with the crops growing under green houses and netted tents. These farms are really a sign of God’s provision for harvest in this dry, thirsty land. Amazing!

Today, we drove to the extreme southern tip of Israel at Eilat. This very modern small city is located on the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. We stood in a key place where we could observe Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel. We went to the Egypt border crossing to pray for the relationships of Egypt with Israel. We found a couple of places that reflected Egyptian influence that are giving the wrong perspective to the Jewish people of their heritage and relationship with the True and Living God, that Israel once walked with and obeyed His promises. We cried out to the Lord to open their eyes and hearts to the knowledge and wisdom of God. MORE…

Our final prayer assignment for the day was where King Solomon had his copper mines, that were the prior mines of the ancient Pharoahs of Egypt. There were some ancient false god worship sites built by the Egyptian miners, displaying much Egyptian mythology. This provided much information for us to have a powerful prayer time, by our praying for God’s will to be done anew for Israel, for God to restore His people’s biblical foundations of truth. Here, too, was a replica of a regulation-sized, ancient tabernacle in the wilderness, like the Israeli wanderers used under Moses. This was quite an experience to actually be able to stand in this wilderness tabernacle, to imagine what it was really like. We had a powerful time praying together in the Holy of Holies. We all were visibly moved, within our inner hearts, with tears of passion to be in His presence. GLORY!

Tomorrow, we depart for four days in Jerusalem, over the Sabbath weekend in the old city. Thanks for your prayers for our strategic prayer team. You are very important in this prayer journey with us, with your prayers. Pray that we will have access to go up on the Temple Mount, the epicenter of worldwide conflict for who is and will be worshipped. Thanks, too, for your tracking with us on this significant prayer mission.

Blessings to YOU, beloved,
Earl Pickard
Israel Prayer Mission Team Leader