On the Journey...with Alan Vanderkolk
 

 Dear Friends and Family, 

I recently spent a week in Michigan with my family.  My sister, Beth, prepared a nice meal for our parent’s 49th wedding anniversary.  We also took our mom out to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids for her birthday.  We had a lot of fun together.  I was also able to spend some time with my mother’s twin brother and his wife, who came to visit for a few days while I was there from Madison, WI.  It was fun to see them again.  We had lots of memories to share.  Beth and I were also able to spend time together on the shores of Lake Michigan.  We always have a lot to share and get caught up on. I was also able to visit with a number of friends and family.  It was great to catch up!  I was often able to share about the new ministry work with Blossoming Rose.  I was also given the opportunity to briefly share about this during the Sunday morning service at the church where I grew up. 

I spent one afternoon with DeWayne Coxon and his son, Rob.  We talked about some of the things I have been doing, will be doing, and what is happening at the Biblical Tamar Park in Israel.  I mentioned in my last newsletter that I had been asked by Blossoming Rose to consider going back to Israel for two months.  I have agreed and will be leaving on September 1.  I will be joining a volunteer from Pennsylvania who is already there.   I have been busy getting things lined up for the two month stay, which will be my longest stay in Israel to date.  I will arrive back home on November 3.
 


I will be doing many of the same things that I did back in May when I helped to maintain the park.  This is part of our three-prong focus of the developing prayer center: to seek the Lord wholeheartedly, to serve the people graciously and to steward the land continually.  I will be spending time in the prayer room, taking care of the facilities, and preparing for the many groups who are coming this Fall.  Being at this park is special. 
 

I will be in Israel during the season of the Fall Feasts (early October this year) which is always a special time.  I will also be preparing and will be a part of the October 12-25, 2009, prayer mission team that Earl Pickard is leading.  
 
 

Thank you for being on this journey with me. 

Grace and Peace (Shalom),
~Alan Vanderkolk