Greetings and salutations!
Hello my friends, or should I say, Shalom! I have now been in Israel for nearly two weeks, so I thought I had best file a report! But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let us look back a ways....*PHOTOS PENDING*
As you may be aware, I have felt a strong burden for Israel since I was about 8 years of age. I was finally able to travel there in 2003, where I stayed as a volunteer for 3 months at Moshav Yad Hashmona. You can read accounts of this period here. Ultimately, I knew I wanted to return to Israel as soon as possible. I could not have imagined that, following my parent's divorce, a trip to Japan, and other significant events in my life, that I would be able to return nearly 3 years later!
This past summer really brought Israel back into the forefront of my thoughts and I began considering a return in earnest. In early fall I was put into contact with Every Nation Pastor Sam Hawkins, who put me in touch with David Skjaerlund - who would be leading an outreach team to Israel in October. I desperately wanted to join the team but, even up to the very last moment, the logistics of planning and financing such a journey seemed overwhelming. However, as He has done over and over again, God miraculously provided and I was able to join the team. I want to especially thank the following people for their support:
I want to send a very special thank you to my father, Wayne Armstrong, who is singularly the largest supporter of my dreams regarding Israel, and also to Jeff Nelson of Anduro Technologies for his amazing understanding and unwavering support. To all the others who have supported me via prayer, encouragement, or other means - thank you and God bless you! Thanks also to Jodie Coghill for the administrative support.
Moving right along, I left Calgary on Oct 14th, following a week-long visit with Takako. I traveled first to Germany where I was able to visit a friend I had met on my previous trip - Leon in Erzhaussen. We had a great time and I enjoyed my short visit to the Fatherland - which makes the list of places I have traveled to be: Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, Italy, Germany, Israel, Jordan, and Japan. I am immensely privileged to have been able to live such experiences and remain thankful for the opportunities I have been granted.
Following my time in Germany (Frankfurt really), I landed in Tel Aviv and, after another 6 hours, the rest of the team arrived. Shouts out to David, Sam, Josh, Brandon, Clyde, Steve, Jeff (Canadians Rock), Ken, and Dennis - you guys were all amazing and I am so honored to have served with you! (Before I forget, shouts out to Jeremy Perdue on the occasion of his RCMP graduation, and to Jeremy Armstrong - my brother - on the occasion of his 22nd birthday!) We spent the next two days in and around Jerusalem as Arie Bar David inspired us with his anointed teaching - something that undoubtedly prepared me for what lay ahead, and left a significant lasting impact. On a brief cultural note, during this time of year, Jews are celebrating Sukkot while Muslims observe Ramadan.
Coming back to Yad Hashmona was just an absolutely awesome feeling! Seeing old friends and visiting old haunts made me feel right at home - right where I wanted to be. Without the ongoing support of Sari, Demaris, Itai, Takako, and others associated with the moshav, I couldn't be here right now. The list of people whom have been instrumental in bringing me to this point just grows and grows. Anyway - the team was very quickly thrust into the purpose for which it came. We traveled to Tiberius in preparation for attending the Beresheet Festival at Dungit Beach. This was a 4 day event somewhat akin to Woodstock on the seaside (Galilee/Kinnaret is really a large, freshwater lake).
Imagine between 20-25,000 Israeli (Jewish, Arab, European, Asian, etc.) young people gathering with the vision of having a massive party (concerts all night, every night) while exploring different spiritual paths (representatives from nearly every conceivable religious, political, social, alternative, mystical, etc., etc. organization/group/movement were present). Ultimately, the beach was trashed, people were an exhausted mess, but the journey had been so immensely fulfilling! I know I appreciated the chance to serve the community of Jewish believers (shouts out to Shimon, John, Johannes, and others), and I was even more blessed to meet some truly spectacular new friends (shouts out to Tolek, Yoni, Roee, Efrat, Shanni, Julia, and others). I am hopeful these relationships will continue to flourish.
We were witness to the gamut of joys and despairs of a great sea of people just having fun, seeking answers, or sharing their stories. We were blessed to see the Spirit move in ministries of education, fellowship, evangelism, and healing. The Newsboys concert was a huge success (you have to understand how amazing it is they were even able to play here)!The details of some of these miraculous stories I will leave for another time - but this is all to say that the experience was a wholly phenomenal one which I will carry with me for years to come.
This brings me back to the here and now. I am staying as a guest at Yad Hashmona, which I am using as a base of operations in my ongoing search for employment opportunities in Israel. I have already been developing several leads and hope to attend a number of meetings/interviews in the days to come. For all of this, I will keep you posted, and for all of this, please remember me in your prayers.
With Hope,
Joseph
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