C–O–N–N–E–C–T–I–N–G PASTORS WITH WHAT GOD IS DOING IN ISRAEL

BY JOHN VEDDER CHURCH RELATIONS COORDINATOR

them to their land and restore them to it. We see the fulfillment of that promise in our days. It does not mean that the journey will be easy for the Jews, but it does point again and again to God’s power and faithfulness to keep His Word.

Through world-class teaching, many shared meals, personal interactions with the people, and personal reflection, these pastors went home with a deeper understanding and personal connection to and love for the Jewish people. As this group departed Israel at the end of their tour, many shared a similar sentiment of how impactful this trip had been for them personally and for their ministries back home. We at the ICEJ want to thank everyone who partners with us in our calling and purpose to love and bless the Jewish people. We do that in many ways, and one of the most important is by educating and connecting those in ministry to Israel. This trip, designed specifically for pastors and those in ministry positions, is integral to the work of the ICEJ. With God’s blessing and guidance, we look forward to taking another group of pastors in 2024. To send a pastor or sponsor a pastor so they can go, contact our tours department at (615) 895-9830.

Ijust returned from leading two back-to-back tours of Israel, and let me tell you, I don’t recommend it. Not the touring of Israel—THAT I highly recommend! I mean the back-to-back part.

It was my privilege to co-lead the two-bus Foundations Church tour of Israel alongside Pastor Michael Hines, a former staff member of the ICEJ and architect of our tours program. That was followed by the Freedom Church tour with Pastors Paul and Laurie Andrews, who really became like family by the end.

Touring can be tiring at the best of times, even if you’re not speaking and running the day-to-day mechanics of a tour. But that was not even the most challenging part of going for a twofer.

What I found out is that déjà vu is a real thing and can be extremely confusing. This hit me on two fronts. The first was at several sites where, amid my presentation to the group, I found myself speaking words I could not be certain I hadn’t already uttered to this particular group. Was I repeating myself? Or was I saying the same thing in a very similar way to the group I had before? To this day I cannot quite be sure. The second came from the group members themselves. It’s not