Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Israeli Soldiers - Air Force Base - F16's - Children's Center

We spent today with a dear friend who was one of our tour guides on last year's trip, Tisha Michelle. She took us to some special places close to her heart, and her ministry to the people of Israel. We began at the recruiting base in Tiberias and watched the new recruits say goodbye to their families and head off to basic training. In Israel there is mandatory military service for everyone when they turn 18, 3 years for males and 2 years for females. Tisha's ministry has provided much needed clothing and supplies for soldiers.



This was quite an emotional time.



We were able to drive to the top of Mount Tabor and visit a church that's on the site. This mountain is where Deborah, one of the judges/leaders of Israel, led Israel in victory over Cisera in Judges 4.



Because of Tisha's charitable work in Israel with the military, we were able to visit one of Israel's Air Force bases, meet with the commander, and watch the F-16's take off and land. It was spectacular! The commander gave us a history lesson on the wars and types of aircraft Israel has used over the years and even how they fought the war against Hamas in January to prevent as many civilian casualties as possible.



We were able to go to a high mountain near Tiberias and overlook the Sea of Galilee just before sunset. Shepherds had a flock of sheep grazing just below us!



At the end of the day Tisha took us to a Children's Center that her charity supports in Tiberias for underprivileged children. This place broke our hearts. They take in the 15 worst cases of children that social services approves for the program. These kids come from terrible homes, mostly with one parent, and they often don't get fed or get proper sleep at home, among other deplorable conditions. After school they come to the center for several hours, are fed 2 hot meals, shower, clean-up and have fun playing with the other children doing various activities. Their ministry supports 6 of these centers at this time.



Leslie and I with 2 of the ladies who run the center.



Not all of the children are picked up at the end of the day. These 2 had to walk home on the dark streets of Tiberias all by themselves. We followed them for a little while.




Tisha, her sister, and her mother run a ministry called Exodus Limited. Her mother lives in the U.S. and helps coordinate things in the states. I truly support this ministry and encourage you to check it out online and support it if you are led. The website is: www.exodusltd.org and their mailing address is: Exodus, Ltd., PO Box 1387, Redondo Beach, CA 90278. 100% of donations received go directly to cause you specify, and they are involved in many, see the website.

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