2019 ended with an extended trip to the Middle East.  It was a lot of firsts.  We got be a part of MANNA’s very first team to Israel.  It was a huge blessing to be able to tour the Holy Land and watch the Bible come to life. And, the best part, Kim got to join me this time!  I am really excited about MANNA leading more tours to Israel.  While we were there, a couple of us were able to meet with a church planter, who we may be able to start a MANNA project with. Very exciting!

After the team left for the States, 4 of us journey on to Jordan.  It was also an amazing blessing. We met with a ministry that is planting churches in Jordan and doing an amazing job of reaching the Muslims in Jordan.  In the process we had the opportunity to deliver Christmas shoe boxes with gifts to refugee families and Jordanian families.  We spent time at a children’s Christmas program and met with several pastors.  If you ever wonder what happens to the shoe box you send with Operation Christmas Child, we got to see it first-hand.  It was a humbling experience, and a great platform for us to share the Gospel.

To cap off the trip, we ventured on to Iraq. We were in the Kurdistan portion of Iraq, working with the Kurds.  They were extremely inviting.  We put together food baskets for families, took part in several church services, and got to interact with a large youth group they have started. It was a blessing to see all of these teenagers seeking the Lord and we got to share the Gospel with one young man for an extended period of time. We finished the trip meeting with a principal at a public school in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.  They welcomed us, showed us the school and we got to meet the kids.  We will be starting a feeding program for children at the school, and we helped upgrade their water tanks and drinking water piping.  Many, many open doors!