Rob's Ramblings

So at 11:30, I am sitting here amongst suitcases, piles of clothes, and other travel necessities, trying to get it all sorted and packed so that it won't exceed the 50-pound weight limit at the airport tomorrow. So, why am I sitting here blogging late at night when I should be packing? Well, when I got home from work this afternoon, I made some calls, and decided to check messages. I laid back on the bed to check, and that did it. I woke up 3 hours later! I had done absolutely nothing to get ready! Hence, I am not the least bit sleepy, and I think I want to be a bit drowsy for the many, many hours that I will be on the plane. Going to Israel takes a long time! This is the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. I remember saying as a kid that I hoped that I could travel to see the place where Jesus lived on earth. Now it's finally happening. In the background, I have on "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade," where they are searching for the Holy Grail. The final section of the movie is filmed in front of the Treasury, which looks like a giant church carved into the side of the cliff. The Treasury is just a part of an area called Petra (not the band, you 80's fans, Lol). I will be able to see this in real life! Maybe I can go in and grab that grail while I'm there? I will be able to stand in the Megiddo Valley, where the final conflict between God and Satan will take place. We will have Bible studies in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will get baptized in the Jordan River. It still doesn't seem quite real to me, and it may not sink in until we set foot in Tel Aviv and take the shuttle into Jerusalem.

I've had people tell me "Text me when you get there!" I will do what I can, but I can't spend all of my time texting. I'll simply post a Facebook message when we get to our different stopping points. I'm going to post as much as I can with whatever Wi-Fi I can manage to get hold of. I'll probably post the pics and then add descriptions later. I have a new up-to-date phone, so hopefully that will work to my advantage. I'm hoping to do some Facebook live events. If you want to follow my journey, feel free to stalk my Facebook. If you have no interest, just skim over my posts. 

This will be a quick post, because I need to get moving again. I just want to close with some thank-yous. First of all, Thank you God for making this possible. My job at the Alley helped finance this trip. Second of all, a BIG thanks goes to YOU! Those of you who bought goodies, made donations, and prayed. That's a big part of it right there! Please don't quit praying. We will need them more than ever as we travel  into what can be a very touchy political situation. If you watch the news, you know what I mean. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait. We leave tomorrow morning! Thanks for reading, and God bless you!

Shalom.