AriseNow vol.10

arisenow ISSUE #10 / April 2015

SERVING the LAND

Callings come with a great responsibility.

Kurt and Maggy Vetterling tell their story.

LIVING IN ISRAEL Kurt Vetterling discusses the realities and blessings of living in Israel

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THE ESCAPE

The true story of Cameron Cruce from the Rwanda genocide to the streets of the USA.

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OUR vision is to courageously and creatively teach, live and share God’s passion for the young generation and stand firm by His plans for Israel and the world.

Blessings from Jerusalem,

Jani Salokangas WORKING IN: USA, Canada, Germany, Finland, Norway, England, Philippines, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Namibia, Switzerland...

Rooted in the powerful scripture of Ephesians 5:14, Arise stands to unlimitedly glorify God: to inspire and promote Biblical truths into young people’s everyday lives. Arise devotes itself to cause a generation to arise for spiritual awakening, works of love and support for Israel.

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CREDITS

International Director JANI SALOKANGAS International Administrator SARAH AJILEYEWW Graphics / Illustration JANI SALOKANGAS Writers JANI, EMANUEL, SARAH AYILEE, KURT VERTTELLING, JURGEN BUHLER, PAUL PARKHOUSE, JUHA

From its beginning in 2002 the ARISE movement has had one mission – to gather students and young people from across the globe to live a life centered in God. We believe that God has a special plan for each person and it is our responsibility to live that calling to its fullest potential. Above all we want this generation to see and discover the unique and crucial plan that God has for Israel in His epic world redemptive plan.

The Arise movement is spreading worldwide. Join the movement today!

KETOLA, LEANNE ROGERSON. Photography JANI, EMANUEL, POND 5, PER ARNE KVAMSO ARISENOW is published by Arise ICEJ. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem www.icej.org

For more information contact us www.arisegeneration.org arisegeneration@icej.org Telephone: +972-2-539-9700 PO Box 1192 Jerusalem 91010 Israel

From the leader’s pen

W

e have come to the end of the year and as it has become my personal custom.

It is a time where I can take an honest look at my past year and see my weaknesses and strengths. I have found that reflecting plays a crucial role in the learning process of my life.

Reflecting the total sum of the year and consolidating it in my mind and paper helps me to understand what did I actually didn’t do and did do. Usually people don’t like to do for couple of reasons: they’re too busy, they don’t enjoy analysing reality, too lazy or simply don’t understand the importance of it.

O

ur year consists of 8760 hours into which many laughs, tears, challenges, failures and succecces are

milkshaked together. Filtering this milkshake into pieces has shown me clearly what God did and has done in my family’s life during the past year. This simply has always reinforced that God truly was and is there in my life and that He truly answered many prayers. Without this “filtering” many answered prayers would go un-noticed.

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ore importantly this end of the year reflection puts me to think have I truly being a reflection of Christ during the past year. This is by no means an easy reflection but it is a very purifying, painfull but teaching process. Life is simply too short to keep doing the same things over againg expecting different results. If we are not able to recognise our mistakes we will keep repeating them. Being able to detect our strenghts

is equally important in able to refine these strenghts, talents and gifts that each and every one of us posses.

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encourage each one of you to reflect your past year in order to recognize the areas which need improvement and also the areas which need to be totally changed.

Remember God wants you to reflect His glory on earth so take an hour or two to reflect 2014 and strategise 2015 how can you shine Jesus even better.

Hot articles in this issue The nobility of man

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The Garden of Life

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The burning bush

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Jani Salokangas is the Arise International Director and he is based in Jerusalem with his family.

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the movement today Like us in Facebook. facebook.com/arisegeneration

Worship page 16 The Unimaginable

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The coming Flood

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Which side page 22 Re-Discovering the lost path

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Fresh Generation page 30 2 AriseNow

Peace with Music

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T ime out!

THE GREEN PRINCE Green Prince is a gripping documentary about Mosab Hassan Yousef the “Son of Hamas”. Mosab was recruited to spy for Israel, when he was arrested as a teenager. He had been some time under the surveillance of the Shin Bet. The documentary tells the story of Mosab Hassan by his own mouth, and from the mouth of his Shin Bet “handler” agent “Loai”, who gave Mossab his assigments and was Mosab’s link to Shin Bet. “Green Prince” prevented over the years dozens of Palestinian suicide attacks to Israel and assassination attempts of Israelis, exposed numerous Hamas cells and assisted Israel to hunt down many Hamas militants, including his own father After years of working for Israel and the Shin Bet, Mosab met a missionary who introduced him to Christianity. Mosab gradually converted to Christianity. He was secretly baptized and he left from the West Bank to live in the United States.

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SHAKSHUKA Fiery red with puddles of white and yellow, this colorful tasty dish is eaten directly from the hot pan. A thick slice of fresh bread to mop up the spicy sauce is a must. Originally from North Africa this dish that has been adopted into the taste bugs of all Israelis.

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium eggplant diced into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes 2 cloves garlic, sliced 8 ripe tomatoes cut into 2 cm (1 inch) cubes 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon hot and/or sweet paprika Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 eggs 4-5 slices fresh soft goat cheese Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the eggplant until golden. Remove and set on paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Lower the heat and add the 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and sauté for half a minute, taking care not to let it get brown. Add the tomatoes and eggplants, season with cumin, salt, pepper and paprika, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce must be flavorful and fully seasoned before adding the eggs.

Break the eggs, one by one, into a small bowl and slide them carefully into the frying pan. Arran-

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ge the cheese slices on top, cover and cook for 2-5 minutes (depending on how you like your eggs). Serve at once with lots of fresh bread or challah.

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A r t i cl e

“We need to understand that our friendship and support for Israel is not dependent on Israel’s political choices or on certain decisions in the Knesset, but it is based on God’s irrevocable calling and eternal covenants with Israel.”

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LETTER Jurgen Buhler | Per Kvamso

Dear friends, Israel just went through another election season. As the only true democracy in the Middle East, all the Jewish and Arab, Muslim and Christian citizens of Israel can cast their vote. By the time this magazine reaches you, a new government might already be formed. One thing is for certain: Whoever is being elected is so by the will of God. Daniel declares: ”the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (Daniel 4:32).

Our calling as Christians is to continue our prayers for Israel even more earnestly. Years ago, a long-standing friend of Israel told me that a certain government decision of the Knesset changed his support for Israel: “Such a nation I cannot support any longer,” he said. We need to understand that our friendship and support for Israel is not dependent on Israel’s political choices or on certain decisions in the Knesset, but it is based on God’s irrevocable calling and eternal covenants with Israel.

This new government will face many existential challenges. It will need to deal with the nuclear build-up of Iran. It dwells in a neighbourhood which continues to be plagued by war and instability. The Islamic State terror militia continues its brutal onslaught against Christians, Muslims and Jews. At the same time, we are witnessing in the Western world a new wave of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hostility. Israel needs your prayers today more than ever before.

In this issue, you will also read about exciting developments in the nations. Rev. Juha Ketola received an exceptionally warm welcome in Papua New Guinea recently and saw an entire island national blessing Israel. I also hope you will be blessed as you read a Bible teaching by one of Israel’s most articulate local church leaders, Peter Tsukahira, a message which he presented at our recent Envision pastors conference in January.

I trust that you will be encouraged as you read this latest Word from Jerusalem. May it truly speak to you!

And may the Lord richly bless you out of Zion!

Dr. Jürgen Bühler ICEJ Executive Director

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A rtic l e

Serving the Land Kurt Vetteling

| Pond5

On a sunny October day, AriseNow set out to harvest olives in what has been called the “Garden of Life.” To reach this garden one has to descend from Jerusalem and travel towards Tel Aviv to a place called Latrun, situated in the Judean foothills. It was in the vicinity of this place that the biblical city of Emmaus was located and where God made the sun and the moon to stand still in favor of Joshua.

portunities that are here. Do your homework and research places to serve, contact these organizations and ask as many questions as you want. My wife and I lead a local young adults ministry and over half of the people we meet tell us “I found my (job, school, internship, etc) on Google!” Your generation has the world literally at your fingertips, or just your thumbs, now use it! But be wise in your search, don’t settle for the first thing that sounds promising. Look for a need that you know you can meet, according to the gifts God gave you. Once you have found a place to serve, begin to save enough money, get supporters, and have enough to live on your own for a few months. Exercise faith, but also exercise wisdom! Doing this is wise, and it shows responsibility, not every ministry offers housing.

Even Paul was a tent maker! This will take a lot of pressure off of your journey and let you focus on finding your way here.

Once many arrive they find that Israel, and especially Jerusalem, is a melting pot of young adults. Students, interns, volunteers, young professionals…everyone has a story and every

In the early part of 2012, my wife and I felt a calling to come to Israel. After considerable prayer and seeking Godly counsel, we decided it was time to investigate. God often gives the vision, but we have to take the initiative. Now, over three years later, we are honored to call Jerusalem home and to serve in local ministry. As Christians, it is only natural that we should feel called to the land of Israel. This call, however, is different for each individual. Can I be honest? There is no shortage of people who want to move to Jerusalem.

Our responsibility, however, is to look at the gifts and talents that the Lord has put in our hands and ask “how can I best serve You with these?” For some, that is to raise awareness of Israel and the Jewish people in their home country. For others that is to be successful in their career and support the cause financially. For others still, that is to live and be in the land.

If the Lord has opened doors for you to be in Israel, understand that this calling comes with great responsibility. Luke 12:48 reminds us that to whom much is given, much is required. Have patience as you seek out all of the op-

“If the Lord has opened doors for you to be in Israel, understand that this calling comes with great .”

responsibility

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“...this place has brought me to one of the best seasons of my life.”

spiritual

single story is incredible. The one thing that can stunt those stories being told, however, is isolation. Jerusalem is a city that has been fought over politically, geographically and spiritually since its inception. The weight of the spiritual battle can be felt and one of the biggest struggles, in my opinion, is loneliness. You found a place to pour into, now find a place to be filled back up. Find a community, find a small group and be involved with people who believe in Yeshua. This will be the place that you will find strength and rest in the hard days, because those days will come. Israeli culture easily lends itself to having friends over for Shabbat dinner, talking with friends over long, leisurely coffee or having a picnic in the park. Don’t underestimate the spiritual battle in Israel and use your time to build relationships with others and, as a result, with the Lord. Plus! You are guaranteed to make friends with people from all over the world. One of the biggest gifts of serving here is the incredible people you will meet who have also laid their lives down to be here, don’t miss those opportunities.

Those are some the realistic struggles, now how about the realistic blessings?

Let’s face it. You get to live in the land of the Bible. You literally make your coffee in the morning, sit down with your journal, read the scripture and then look out your window and see the very place you just read about, visit the very place where these incredible heroes of our faith walked and lived. There are hard days,

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but I promise you that not a day goes by where we don’t thank the Lord for the blessing it is to call this life a reality. For example, our community group is currently studying the book of Zechariah. At the end of our study we’re visiting the Temple Institute in the Old City to see the tools that they are preparing for the third temple, just like Zechariah and Joshua would have done. That’s nothing short of epic.

You will find in the west some of the most beautiful coast lines, beaches and sunsets. If you travel north you can visit the cities that Yeshua visited, the Sea of Galilee where He called the disciples and walked on water. Travel south and visit the desert. Float in the Dead Sea, snorkel in the Red Sea. Israel offers not only history, but present day adventure and it’s an epi-center for hi-tech, future inventions. It’s not just a country that exists in your morning devotional, it’s an international player on a variety of levels.

Finally, this place has brought me to one of the best spiritual seasons of my life. I have sought after the Lord more then ever before, because I need his strength and wisdom more then ever before. God is here in this country; he has a plan for His people and this country. All we want to do is to make His name higher than any other name. If you are feeling called to Israel, or if the Lord is simply stirring your heart to learn more about this incredible country, do it. Bless this country in any way you can, and watch how the Lord responds. I guarantee it will be good. •

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PASSOVER Juha Ketola | Jani Salokangas

The story in the whole Bible where the God of Israel has portrayed the power of the blood of Jesus in a narrative form – and concealed it from the notice of hardened hearts – is the historical exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

Every family in all Israel had to take a lamb – a lamb without blemish for each household – and then kill it at twilight (Exodus 12).

The shed blood of the innocent lamb was then to be taken and put on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses. For the Lord had proclaimed: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

(Exodus 12:13) Every family living in the land of Egypt – both among the Egyptians and the Israelites alike – was in danger of having death enter into their household to rob their first-born sons. The judgment of God was about to fall on the land of Egypt because of their idol worship.

We can read in the book of Ezekiel that the Israelites in Egypt also had fallen into the same snare and temptation of idol worship and thus death was about to fall upon their families alike (Ezekiel 20:710). But God provided a way of escape for His own people!

The penalty of death and the judgment of God could be transferred from their families onto an innocent lamb slaughtered on their behalf. Someone had to die as the consequence of their sins.

But this someone was not one of their own family – not the firstborn, not the father nor the mother – but a male lamb. The sins and resulting death of each Israelite family were transferred and laid upon the lamb, and the life and innocence of the lamb was transferred upon the family. The lamb died – and the family, including the firstborn, lived!

“...whenever he saw the lamb’s blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts of the Israelite families, he passed over.”

Egypt destroying life among the Egyptian families, whenever he saw the lamb’s blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts of the Israelite families, he passed over. Death had already come! The destroyer then did not come into these houses to strike them a second time and the families inside were in complete safety!

Only the Israelites had been told to act in this manner. The instructions for saving their lives had come through the mouth of Moses and they had heeded the word of the Lord – and they lived! The punishment for their idol worship and sins had been laid on the lamb and the families were forgiven because of the blood.

This proved to be life-saving knowledge from God spoken through the mouth of Moses, who faithfully had delivered the word of God to them (Exodus 12:21). Then the elders and each family in turn had just as faithfully passed on the word from one family to another – and so the whole nation of Israel had been warned, instructed and as a result had been saved!

Remember: “Indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” Our death and hell was transferred onto him on the cross, and his life and righteousness was transferred upon us through his resurrection. When we believe, his life is in us and the life we live is his and we will never die! (Galatians 2:20, John 11:26) •

When the angel of death was then passing through the land of

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A rtic l e

SIGNS OF

THE TIMES Paul Parkhouse | Pond5

Sometimes, we can perceive more about what God is doing from watching the activity of His enemies than we can from watching the activity of His own people. For at least the last 1,500 years, and certainly since the writings of St Augustine, the predominant concept of the Kingdom of God in Western Christianity has been of Jesus ruling the spiritual kingdom of the Church. According to this view, there are no longer any specific earthly people or places which are of particular significance to the Kingdom. It is a kingdom detached from the affairs of men, other than that they repent before the final judgment. It should therefore be no surprise that much of the Western Church has found it difficult to be enthusiastic about the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. According to the traditional understanding, this event is either of no spiritual significance or, worse, one which should not be taking place at all.

sus was not Himself planning to soon do that exact same thing? Sometimes it is God’s enemies who tell us most about what His next move will be.

But now the Western Church has another perplexing and even more recent phenomenon to grapple with: the dramatic rise of militant and imperialistic Islam.

While this movement was primarily focussed on the Middle East, and particularly on Israel, it was easy to ignore. But now it is increasingly rearing its ugly head within Western nations, some serious questions are being asked. What have we done to provoke this? Is it because of the sins of our own imperialistic past? Or is it because of our role in the re-establishing of Israel?

And doesn’t this therefore confirm that modern Israel is a mistake and should never have happened?

“It is time for the Church to fully return to an understanding of the Kingdom of God which is ‘here and now’ and not just ‘there and then’.

Oh my brothers and sisters, it’s time to wake up! There is no smoke without fire. Jesus said in Matthew 24:28 that, “just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near”, so we must not ignore the significance of the nations increasingly gathering against Jerusalem. If much of the Church has long stopped believing that Jesus is returning to this city in order to rule all the nations of the world, Satan clearly never got that memo. Militant Islam is busier than ever making preparation for their own world leader to come rule all the nations from Jerusalem, but why would that be if Je-

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It is time for the Church to fully return to an understanding of the Kingdom of God which is ‘here and now’ and not just ‘there and then’. Adam and Eve were called to have dominion over this earth, which will not be fulfilled until the ‘Second Adam’, Jesus, returns to do just this through His own Bride, the Church. Between now and then there will be much opposition to this plan, but God’s word will prevail. Of that, we can be sure. The important question is this: “when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (Luke 18:8). May you and I be counted among the faithful! •

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C U LTUR E

DREAM WEAVERS EXHIBITION

The exhibition displayed creations from best known designers like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs as well as very talented Israeli designers such as Yigal Azrouël, Avshalom Gur, Sonia Rykiel and Inbar Spector.

Beautifully embroidered and precision cut dresses hung from the ceiling, giving the illusion of them floating just slightly above the ground. Shelly went on to describe her vision behind the exhibition and given the fact that “each dress tells a story”, it seemed as though all pieces came together to portray a dream like sequence.

Designn by Marc Jacobs.

Sarah Ayilee | Yaki Halperin

Last Fall saw the opening of the “Dream Weavers” exhibition at the Beit Hatfutsot museum on the grounds of the university of Tel Aviv. The exhibition is the first of its kind in Israel and showcased dresses and accessories from some of the fashion world’s most renowned Jewish designers. Walking through the low lit exhibition with Shelly Vertheim, the curator of the exhibition, she spoke with passion and pride of the strong Jewish influence within the industry- from simple tailors to inspirational artists of fabric.

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Although Dream Weavers doesn’t tell the viewers the histories of the modern designers whose works are displayed, the exhibition does give you a glimpse into the history of the Jews in the world of fashion; their early struggles in the textile industry, how Jewish immigrants influenced their surroundings through their creations- think Levi Strauss founder of Levi’s jeans Companyand their rise to success in the world of creative design.

Designn by Avshalom Gur.

The world of fashion without question has a major impact in society, in the past (and much so today) clothes showcased wealth, status, power and even ideologies. To many it may come as a surprise that there are many notable designers who are Jewish, many have dreamt their designs into reality and in the process transformed the fashion industry whilst establishing empires that are widely respected and influential. •

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Q & A

”The thing I always loved most about music, was that it has this way of becoming the soundtrack to your life, each song is like a landmark to a specific moment.”

THE ESCAPE An incredible testimony from international recording artist Crucifix.

Cameron Cruce | Crucifix Media

Tell me your real name if you are bave enough?

My real name is Cameron S. Russell. But ever since I was kid I’d always went by nicknames. When I was sixteen I was given the name “BabyBlue” by some of the guys I was running in a gang with. The “Blue” part stuck, and I’ve been called that ever since.

But when I think back to some of the great men in the Bible, like Abraham, Peter, Paul, Israel... as God called them out of their past life to do great things for Himself, He gave them each a new name.

I guess that’s kinda what happened with me.

It was around 2007 that everything really started to change for me. The first time I truly gave my life over to God and started pulling away from the streets, the drugs, the sex, the violence... It was one of the most amazing times in my life. God was showing me things and speaking to me in ways I had never experienced before, it was so real that it was almost frightening. Shaping me and molding me out of the old and into the new. Then in the midst of it all I suddenly began to feel this strong and heavy conviction about my name, and this one question just kept ringing through my head day after day... “If someone was never to hear your music and only hear your name, would it be enough to point them to Jesus?”.

At that time I had already released my first double disc album under the name BabyBlue, so changing my name would be like starting all over again. I kept thinking, how could a screwed up mess like me point anybody to Jesus anyways? But I couldn’t shake that conviction. Eventually I just finally said “Ok God, what’s my name?”. And I stumbled across Luke 9:23, it said; “Whoever wants to be my disciple must take up their cross daily and follow me.” I thought about what that meant. What it meant to get up and daily put my flesh to death so that somehow, through all my faults and failures, the world might still see Christ through me.

Then the name became clear as day. I had to be a Crucifix... A living symbol of Christ and his love for sinners just like myself.

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Where did you grow up?

I was born in Atlanta Georgia, but grew up in East Africa. My family moved to Congo as missionaries when I was twelve...

And I’ve been roaming the globe ever since. I lived in Rwanda just prior to the genocide in ‘94, then after that most of my childhood was spent in Kenya, where my family still lives to this day.

What was your favorite food?

Depended on which country I was in... In the States I’ve always been Mexican to the core. All day every day. In Kenya, there was nothing like some well grilled ostrich or eland, marinated just right. Rwanda, I was a sucker for goat shush kabobs and fries.

Favorite thing about music?

The thing I always loved most about music, was that it has this way of becoming the soundtrack to your life, each song is like a landmark to a specific moment. You can hear a song today that you listened to growing’ up, and you suddenly remember exactly what you were doing at that time, who you were with, how life felt... It just takes you back and lets you relive those moments all over again.

For me, one of those moments was driving out of the genocide in Rwanda... all the chaos and bloodshed going on around us...

I remember my dad turned up the music to try and cover up the shots, to cover the screams, to help us get our minds off everything going on outside our window. He played Phil Collins, ”In The Air Tonight”. Over and over the whole way out... For me that song will forever be the soundtrack to that moment. It takes me back there, reminds me that I survived for a reason, that I’m here for a reason. Until the day I die that will be my favorite song of all time.

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the main strip, an armed soldier hanging out of the top hatch. The vehicles pulled to a stop and the soldier began exchanging words with a man walking by on the street. Then suddenly he pointed his rifle at the man and fired three shots into his head, then they drove over his body.

It was the first time I had ever seen someone killed. His body laid there in the middle of the street for three days, only noticed by other passing soldiers who riddled it with more bullets. I remember not being able to fathom how people could be driven to such hatred.

How an entire country could plunge itself into such selfish chaos, shooting and hacking up each other’s children with absolutely no remorse. After a few days the hope that it would pass faded, we knew we needed to get out, so we decided to risk the drive to the Burundi border. We tied a white bedsheet to the antenna of our truck and pulled out into the streets of Kigali, joining a 32 car convoy of other foreign refugees trying to escape the bloodshed.

The drive out was the hardest. What we couldn’t see from behind the compound walls now surrounded us on all sides. Dead bodies and burning cars lined the streets, the heavy stench of death hung in the air... I remember that stench, I couldn’t get the taste of blood and iron out of my mouth. As we hit the outskirts of Kigali we came up on a roadblock, the small dirt road funneled to a close as hundreds of Hutu militia gathered around our vehicles, they were screaming and cheering, AK-47s, garden tools and bloodied machetes in their hands.

Tell me about your time in Rwanda during the Genocide in 94’?

There’s really no words... Just images. So many images... even now. Pictures I’ll never be able get out of my head. Almost 20 years later, and I can still feel the gunshots, hear the screams, smell the death... like it was all yesterday. I was thirteen at the time, my youngest sister had been rushed to the capitol city of Kigali for an emergency appendectomy. We almost lost her. But she came through surgery alright and was released from the hospital... the next day the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were killed in a plane crash. The entire country was like a rock in a giant slingshot, quietly wrapped in years of tension. Then suddenly let loose. A few days later soldiers ran up in the hospital and started pulling people out of their beds and shooting them...

and if He intended for us to leave, He would pave a way. So we trusted. That’s all we could do was trust. Trust and faith were all we had.

We were trapped in a small Baptist Guest House that sat on the top of a hill. Me, my parents and three sisters, looking down over the city of Kigali... A front row seat to the chaos to the bloodshed that would unfold over the coming days. We couldn’t leave, there was nowhere for us to go, all we could do was watch... Watch and pray. Trusting that it was God who had brought us to this place

We were trapped in Kigali for three days, the violence around us was only getting worse, our food supply was running out. We knew eventually we would have to venture out of the compound and risk the all night drive to the border, but we knew once we did, there was no turning back. I remember one morning looking out over the city and seeing a couple armored trucks moving down

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The nights were hard, you never know what’s waiting just beyond the darkness. The ground was shaking from the bombs and mortars. Automatic gunfire rang through the night in every direction, accompanied only by the sound of screams... I remember those screams. I remember laying in bed wondering what each person might be like. What their favorite food was, what their dreams or ambitions might be... Then that scream would fade into the night and another would take its place... I’ll never forget the screams.

Those screams will stay with me until I die.

” I loved Rwanda. I loved the people, the culture...I left a piece of my heart there. I never had any closure, never got to say goodbye. Never knew how many of my friends died, how many made it out...”

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The first few cars in our convoy passed through before they blocked off the road, rolling out a large stone right in front of our Ford F-250.

I remember my dad hitting the gas, the African man if front of him diving out of the way as he sped past. The crowd went wild, they were blood drunk... crazy... You could see it in their eyes. We looked back as one of the Hutu men pulled the pin out of his grenade, drawing back his arm to throw it into the back of our truck. I remember my dad yelling “Get your heads down!”. With my face on the floorboard I waited, waited for the explosion... But nothing happened.

It was a long night, at one point our truck broke down, at another point we got lost, but eventually we broke through the back woods of Rwanda and into the country of Burundi. The US military had set up base in a Bujumbura airport, gathering together all the refugees.

They fed us MRIs, strapped us into the hull of a C-130 and flew us out to Kenya where we basically had to start our lives all ove again.

It was tough... I loved Rwanda. I loved the people, the culture... I left a piece of my heart there. I never had any closure, never got to say goodbye. Never knew how many of my friends died, how many made it out... It’s always been and always will be a big hole in my life.

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”As a teenager I don’t think I fully grasped the magnitude of what I had seen at that moment, or even the impact it would have on me down the road.”

How did this tragic episode in Rwanda affect you as a teenager?

As a teenager I don’t think I fully grasped the magnitude of what I had seen at that moment, or even the impact it would have on me down the road.

When you’re that young it’s hard to really understand death. You see it as tragic, it stirs up a flood of strange emotions inside you, but you don’t really know how to process or file away those emotions.

At the time, being in Rwanda just felt like being in a movie. Here I was a thirteen year old boy living in real life what my friends back in the States only saw on TV. It wasn’t until a few years later that the weight of what I had seen really began to sink in and effect me.

I was about fifteen when it finally did. All the sudden I had this unnamed, aimless anger that was just boiling up inside me, eating me from the inside out, and I had no way of knowing how to deal with it.

There was never any counseling. No one to really talk to about it. People were always interested in hearing my story, but never in how that story may have effected me. So I just tried not to think about it. I couldn’t really understand or describe what I was feeling anyways, so I just pretended it wasn’t there. But the anger kept simmering. Until eventually it started to boil over.

I had fought depression pretty much my whole life, so now bouncing back and forth between depression and this newfound anger put me in a pretty dark place. I felt like I couldn’t contain what was building up inside me. I was battling with thoughts of suicide, getting into fights at school... By the time I came back to the States and hit the public school system I had already given up on fighting it. I got in with the wrong kids at school and it just went downhill from there.

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What got you in trouble?

I’ve spent a lot of years asking myself that question, trying to trace back my steps to that one single moment where everything went wrong. All I find is just one compromise that stemmed from another compromise, until eventually I had just given myself over completely.

Deadened my conscience enough that nothing really felt wrong anymore, and it just snowballed. You don’t start out slangin’ dope and doin’ drive-bys. It starts with little white lies and a compromise. Then once you start to rationalize the wrong, all your lines just disappear, your moral compass goes out the window and anything can be made to seem right. Even the best of men can become the worst of men, swept away on the wings of compromise.

”But every man has his prison, and it doesn’t always come with four walls, a jumpsuit and bedroll. I see men and women everyday, walking the streets free in the flesh, but caged behind the walls of addiction, abuse, prostitution, gang life, doubt, fear and anxiety...”

That’s how sin gets you, chews you up and spits you out. It’s the promise of a satisfaction that only leads to deeper need. You head down that road hoping for some kind of gain, but by the time you realize you’ve lost more than you’ve gained, it feels impossible to go back.

The shame, the guilt and the emptiness just eat at you, so it’s easier to keep finding a moments pleasure in what’s killing you than turn around and suffer the journey back home. I got in so deep, it felt like I could never undo what I had done, I felt like no one would ever forgive me, and no one would ever believe it if I did truly change. But there just came a point in my life where I had to say ”I don’t care what the world thinks. I’m not living like this anymore. I wanna change. Not for them, for me, and if God’s the only one in this life that can forgive me for what I’ve done... Then that’s enough for me.

How was life in prison and how did it change you?

I never did hard time... but a cage is still a cage, and the thought of being caged does one of two things to a man; It either makes him feel at home, or makes him determined to never be caged again. Watching some of my closest friends catch ten year sentences back to back, and just being locked up for a short time myself, was enough to secure me a position with the latter.

Once you’re behind those walls it does something to you... whether it’s two weeks or two years. It changes you.

Some guys find ”jailhouse religion”... Just enough God to get them through their trial until the can continue life without Him on the outside. Others truly find God and are changed forever. But most just get out with a better eduction in the lifestyle that landed them there in the first place.

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But every man has his prison, and it doesn’t always come with four walls, a jumpsuit and bedroll. I see men and women everyday, walking the streets free in the flesh, but caged behind the walls of addiction, abuse, prostitution, gang life, doubt, fear and anxiety... And regardless the cage, the rules still apply. It either makes you feel at home, or makes you determined to never be caged again. I guess the real question is, how will your prison change you? Will you find just enough God to just get you through your trial? Do you truly find God and truly become changed forever?

”I love Israel. The first time I came to Israel I was sixteen, and it did something to me... It gave face to my faith...” www.arisegeneration.org

What do you think about Israel?

I love Israel. The first time I came to Israel I was sixteen, and it did something to me... It gave face to my faith. It took all those stories I had read about in the Bible as a kid and just brought them to life. You can read about the life of David, of Jesus, but to be able to actually put your feet in the places where they walked, to drink from the streams they drank, to gaze on the sites they woke up to every morning... It just takes your faith to a whole new level. •

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C ULTUR E

Walkaboutlove Sarah Ayilee |

Walk About Love is hiking event in which a group of people walk the Israel national trail for 1000K from Eilat (southern Israel) to Mt Hermon (northern Israel) in 80 days during the Spring. The purpose of the event is for the participants to explore and connect with the Israel whilst walking through the various parts of the country. Since its establishment in 2009, the nonprofit has attracted many international backpackers, holiday makers and hikers of all levels along with Israelis who live in Israel to trail Israel and witness its breathtaking and challenging terrains together.

WAL is tailored for those who wish to walk parts of the trail (with options as to when and where you prefer to walk) alongside those who choose to fully complete the trail.

“...Israel national trail is a great way to explore the country...”

The idea for WAL was conceived by the founder Rea Pasternak who, on being called to army duty during the Israel- Lebanon war in 2006, was compelled by a vision for love instead of hate and “to bring people together from all over the world to experience a journey of togetherness, love and tolerance in the land of endless conflicts”. What started as a personal walk with friends soon became an organised annual event.

be an adventure. Ryan from Australia was living in Tel Aviv and decided to join his friend from Switzerland to walk for 2 weeks before going back home to Oz and deciding whether to make Aliyah. One of the participants from the Galilee in Israel opened up about her confusion as to what course she would like to study at University this year. Her determination to fully complete the trail she feels will give her the time to think and “hopefully make the right choice”. And there were some who had recently finished their IDF placements and chose to take time out to travel Israel before moving on to the next phase of their young lives.

The friendly atmosphere in the group was welcoming, as the ethos of WAL is one of brotherly love and respect this was evident during moments of preparing meals together, serving and sharing life stories and experiences. In the mornings we warmed up together before the days hike, during the trail there was plenty of support and encouragement for those struggling and during the evenings after a hearty meal around a campfire, you could sit back and listen to someone playing a guitar and others singing. Indeed the Israel national trail is a great way to explore the country and WAL is a well organised way to do it. •

The walks are informally guided by leaders who have experience with the trail and a descent knowledge of the history of the various areas the trail passes through. For those who have never visited Israel this can be very informative and can help to illustrate the cultural richness of Israel. With this in mind there is also flexibility given to the participants who wish to walk the trail themselves and meet the group at the designated campsites before sunset. Arise had the opportunity to join in on the first day of the walks by hiking part of the Eilat mountains. The hike itself, although slightly challenging at parts (due to the sun’s heat), was refreshing and the conversations with the other participants aided in the good experience of the hike. Marcella from Brazil, explained how she came across WAL online and decided to take almost 3 months off to be a part of it, despite friends and family thinking it odd, she felt she had to come to Israel. For some being out in the nature and exploring the land can bring clarity as well as 28 AriseNow

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IC EJ R EP ORT

Y O U R S TO RY

THE NEED

Haifa Home The Haifa Home for Holocaust Survivors is able to operate only thanks to the generosity of Christian donors like you! Every month, we trust the Lord with great faith that through your support this critical work will be sustained here in Israel. Please consider partnering with us, and be a blessing to these ageing survivors while there is still time to touch their lives!

Here are some of the most pressing needs at the Haifa Home which we need to cover: 1. The Home’s normal operating costs amount to $65,000 per month. One way to help is to join our ‘Adopt a Survivor’ program.

2. A recreation coordinator is needed at a salary of $1,800 per month.

3. Funds in the amount of $20,000 are also needed to renovate and furnish a ground-level apartment which will be turned into three new residential suites.

Today there are still close to 200.000 holocaust survivors alive in Israel.

Today 70 years after the Holocaust many of them are still traumatized from the horror they experienced. In addition many face social challenges.

A Recent study in Israel revealed that 1/3 of the survivors are living below the poverty line. One of the greatest challenges of survivors today is loneliness.

Since 2010 the ICEJ started a historic initiative to help survivors in need. A unique home of holocaust survivors has been established in Haifa hosting more then 70 survivors. They established a unique community, occupying 9 different buildings finding the attention of Israel’s media.

This home helps the survivors to escape their loneliness and allows them to be a part of a unique and vibrant community of people who survived the most horrendous chapter of human history.

Papua New Guinea In February, I visited the lush tropical nation of Papua New Guinea together with ICEJ-Finland national director Kari Niemi. As first-time visitors, we were somewhat aware of the positive attitudes of the local believers towards Israel, but were still taken by surprise at how strong the support for Israel actually is in this ‘isle afar off’!

We experienced an amazing and wonderfully warm welcome – simply because we came from Jerusalem and carried the Word of God! The roads were lined with people on both sides, dressed in blue and white (Israeli colours), smiling and throwing flowers and leaves into the air. Thousands of people gathered together to hear the message concerning Israel and to get connected with the people of God. During our visit I also met with many spiritual leaders, was interviewed on the state radio and on the nationwide Christian radio. So the whole nation was touched! - Juha Ketola

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Transformed by Mercy Leanne Rogerson | Mercy Ships

Ever found yourself trying to explain your current living situation to airport personal when you’re trying to exit a country, knowing that it really doesn’t make any sense? That’s the situation I found myself in after attending the Arise Summer Tour last July. I had just spent 10 amazing days travelling around Israel with 40 other young adults. We hiked mountains together, prayed together, danced on a boat together, broke bread together at a Shabbat dinner and shared our Israel journey together. I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up to AST, but I’m so grateful I took the opportunity to go, it turned the places I’ve read about in the bible into real life tangible places.

Places that now when I read through different stories in the bible, I can be instantly transferred back to the setting in which Jesus stood, or biblical accounts took place. I couldn’t tell you the best part of the tour because you have to go on the tour yourself to experience the uniqueness of Israel and her land.

I looked at a number of different tour groups, ones that took all ages, and it wasn’t till a friend of mine said “young adult tours” that I found out about Arise

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Leanne with one of the happy patients in the ship.

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Nearly 50% of all people in Africa have no access to a hospital or doctor. So the Africa Mercy brings volunteer medical teams and sterile operating rooms directly to people who would otherwise go without care.

Summer Tour, a tour that worked in perfect timing for the my July holidays. With the opportunity to do “project days” during the tour I was sold, there seemed no better way to learn about the land that to tour and interact with the local communities hearing them describe their homelands and their love for their country.

Currently, Africa has only 25 physicians and 91 nurses for every 100,000 people. But don’t let the statistics numb you. Because behind every number there is a name, a face, and a story.

What does all this have to do with trying to exit the country? Well life for me wasn’t exactly normal at the time. I was volunteering as a nurse with Mercy Ships, onboard their hospital ship docked of the coast of Africa. When I first started my nursing training I knew one day I would take my nursing skills overseas, I thought maybe a developing country, maybe a hospital somewhere, but a white ship was never in my mind, until the “google” search.

Mercy Ship volunteers in Africa

Leanne at the Arise Summer Tour planting Olive trees.

”Arise Summer Tour, a tour that worked in perfect timing...with the opportunity to do “project days” during the tour I was sold”

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Every day the ship would treat patients with health conditions that are unimaginable in Western countries. Patients with facial tumours that had been growing for 10 years or longer, women who after experiencing birthing complications were left childless and incontinent of urine or children who weren’t given a first name because their parents saw their cleft lip as a family curse and presumed they would die. When a hospital ship comes to their country and offers free surgery treatment, our patients will do doing anything they can to travel to the ship.

I worked as a nurse providing wound care and dressing treatment and post op education to patients once they were discharged from the ship. I got to be a part of a ministry that saw patients’ lives transformed, from lonely, sad and withdrawn patients to watching them being discharged and their personality changed into someone who has a future, who is smiling. My journey with Mercy Ships included living on a ship with 450 other volunteers from 43 countries doing ever part of life together. Looking back on my time on the Ship I feel so blessed and thankful for the opportunity to serve God in this way. I know the stories of the patients and their families will remain a special memory of mine for years to come, and my heart will always be changed by my experiences in Africa. •

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”Every day the ship would treat patients with health conditions that are unimaginable in Western countries.”

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INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN EMBASSY JERUSALEM SINCE 1980

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