May 22 Our First Day in Israel

Tel Aviv, Israel

Dan with new friend, Omar

Our Israel Adventure has truly begun! Before arriving we had read that perhaps one purpose in traveling to Israel was to bring comfort to the people of Israel. I wondered how fulfillment of Is 40:1 might appear.

We arrived on May 22 about 4:00 pm and were greeted by Isaac (front desk) and Omar (cook) at the Gilgal Hotel in Tel Aviv. After unloading our gear we all walked the 3 blocks to the Mediterranean Sea. 

Enroute to the beach we noticed a gathering like a rally on the sidewalk parallel to the beach. Lots of Israeli flags, shouting, and singing set us to pondering. We came upon 2 men bearing flags waiting to cross the road at the same time as us. Dan asked them if it was a rally, to which they replied affirmatively. They said they were gathering to protest Obama’s speech of a few days ago (in front of the US Embassy Office). Dan related that we were from Canada and that we support Israel. The men gave us genuine smiles of appreciation. Ahhhh....comfort!

The Mediterranean Sea was amazing: clean water, fine sand, and refreshing relatively warm water! Omar provided a feast for Gilgal guests but especially for us. He was so generous! We felt the Lord saying, “Welcome to My Land, Welcome to Israel!”