It is quite a privilege to write about a House of Prayer Hinesville missionary trip to Israel. This is the land on which our forefathers of faith traveled, prayed, went through tests, trials, and lived as witnesses. It is the land from which our Bible was written. It is the land of experiences that shape our lives today. It is the land on which Abraham offered Isaac, and Moses crossed the Red Sea. It is the land where the fire fell on Mount Carmel. It is the land wherein Gethsemane experienced our Savior on his face with tears. Countless volumes of books and testimonies can be written even today about the experiences in this land of Israel. But we will take a journey and give the testimonies of some who have traveled in Israel.
House of Prayer Hinesville Missionaries in Palestine
Within the boundaries of Palestine, there are many landmarks of which we read in our Bible, where men and women have experienced miracles, signs, and wonders. Two of the places visited by House of Prayer Hinesville missionaries on this journey in Israel that were within the boundaries of Palestine are Rachel’s tomb and Jacob’s well.
Rachel’s Tomb
Rachel’s tomb, which was visited by Pastor William Pilkington of HOPCC and the House of Prayer Hinesville missionary team, is surrounded by 20 ft walls of cement and many feet thick and deep for bomb protection beneath the ground. In Rachel’s tomb, the men and women are in separate areas. (This is quite normal in Israel in Judaism, the same thing takes place in the synagogues and at The Wall) upon entering Rachel’s tomb, there is a Yeshiva. This is a school where they learn the Torah, all with other religious texts and traditions. After passing by the yeshiva, men can be seen praying against the wall right next to Rachel’s tomb. They have their phylacteries on their arm and their forehead, holding their prayer books in their hand and reciting the prayers, many of them rocking back and forth as they pray. Sometimes they even begin to pray and unison one with another, saying Amen and unison. Directly behind the men praying towards the wall is a hanging oil lamp burning, with a floating wick filled with what looks like to be half a gallon of oil. Half of the tomb of Rachel is on the men’s side, and the other half is on the women’s side. The women are also praying on their side. Both men and women can be seen crying, weeping, and then fervent prayer at different times. The House of Prayer Hinesville missionaries to Israel saw little children playing around just like they do in your house.
Jacob’s Well
Jacob’s well comes with quite a bit of history concerning Jacob himself. As well as in the New Testament, it is the same well where the woman of Samaria met Christ. It is there where she said, give me this water. Is there where she left her water pots, and ran throughout the city, shouting, come see a man which told me all things ever I did, is not this the Christ. This area is in Palestine and is completely under Palestinian control and authority. Anyone entering into this area enters at their own risk, and there are large signs stating that anyone entering in will enter at their own risk… There are large amounts of Israeli soldiers, trucks, weapons, and razor wire, all on the Israeli side of the border. After crossing through the border entrance into Palestine, Pastor William Pilkington and the House of Prayer Hinesville missionaries to Israel experienced a drastic change in their environment. There are no more white lines on the road dividing the lanes; therefore, people are driving all over the place. The majority of the buildings have no paint on them, and many of them bear the remnant of rocket attacks with holes and blown-out pieces of buildings visible throughout. The fresh fruit being sold in the market on the street looked worse than the fruit that is being thrown away at the local supermarket in America. The few women on the street seemed very scared, and there was always a male with them. Before making it to Jacob’s Well, the group had to turn around and head back out of Palestine and head back to the Monastery in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives.
This is only a small part of experiences within this holy land. And there are many more experiences to be shared very soon.
