Hi Everyone, this is Rance's wife Brandy filling in for him today. We are almost to the end of our tour in Israel and Santiago and I stayed back to rest today and prepare to have worship and communion at the Garden Tomb this afternoon. Rance is currently with our group at the City of David and King Hezakiah's tunnel.
Rance wanted me to update you today about our time yesterday at Yad Vashem, the first Holocaust Memorial here in Israel. I will be putting some pictures in between my writing.
In a nutshell, I can tell you that this is my 7th time being there and I almost didn't make it through. Half way through I told Rance, "I can't stay here any longer". Then, right after that, we came to the place in the museum of the "righteous among the nations". That's when I completely fell apart. But being there yesterday got both of us painfully refocused on why we started "Comfort Israel" in the first place. www.comfortisrael.ws
(To try to properly write about this horrendous subject, I need to wait until I go home, where I can take all the time I need to write. For now, however, I wanted to share with you the website to Yad Vashem where you can get just a glimpse of an idea of where we were. www.yadvashem.org.il )
For those of you who are not familiar with the term "the righteous among the nations", they were gentiles who saved and hid Jews during the Holocaust. They risked their lives to save Jewish children, men, and women alike. Some were discovered and put to death, some made it along with rescuing and saving lives of the future of Israel. I am so without words right now on this that it will be best for me to write about it after I get home, back to Mexico, where I can have quiet time to process, weep, sit before the LORD and then share more... there could never be enough words to share about it, and never, ever enough tears.
I know one thing for sure, both Santiago and I wouldn't have made "the cut", Him being handicapped, and me being a Jew.
Someone once asked David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, "if there hadn't been a Holocaust, perhaps there would never have been the nation of Israel" and to that he thoughtfully replied, "but if there had been been the nation of Israel, there never would have been the Holocaust."
Just above this photo is of Rance, just coming out of the horrific reality of walking through Yad Vashem and seeing the horrific atrocities committed against the Jews, simply because they were Jews. Yet a magnificent statement is made when you come out of that heartbreaking place. The exit doors open wide, you walk outside and all you see are the MOUNTAINS OF JERUSALEM, FILLED WITH HOMES, WITH PEOPLE, WITH LIFE!!!!! Am Yisrael Chai!!! The people of Israel LIVE!!!!
The truth is, is that what satan tried to accomplish once again by trying to snuff out the Jewish people from the face of the earth during the Holocaust - he failed. Just like Pharoah, Haman, Herod, many others and now the diabolically inspired Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to do... the resurgence of the spirt of Haman from ancient Persia, modern day Iran's president. BUT HE WILL NOT SUCEED. For thus says the LORD of hosts: "He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. Zechariah 2:8 (In other words, he who touches Israel pokes God in the eye).
Be sober and alert during these days, and be a watchmen you who call upon the name of the Lord. Isaiah 62 May we be found faithful at His coming, about our Father's business, preaching the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile, sharing the Truth of His kingdom, and loving His chosen people Israel, NO MATTER WHAT THE COST. He died for us, let us live for Him.
With blessings from Jerusalem,
Brandy Cook p.s. Below is another picture I took at Yad Vashem near the children's memorial. Did you know that of the 6 million Jews who were systematically murdered by the Nazis, 1.5 million of them were children????????? Here you can see a photo that EVEN IN THEIR OWN LAND, they must be protected by an armed guard against the terrorists who want them dead. God have mercy. Genesis 12:3.
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