PREPARE FOR ALIYA
MAINTAIN PERSONAL DEVOTION - ‘Pray without ceasing’ should be a lifestyle and especially on mission trips, more especially in the land of demonic invasion. You are safe in Yeshua, but you are vulnerable to spiritual warfare. DO NOT FORGET! Walk with Yeshua/Jesus through His land; write letters, poetry, songs, and love letters to Him. You will never be the same!
BE PUNCTUAL - It is important to be ON TIME for meals, meetings, appointments, and devotions.
BE ACCOUNTABLE - The hallmark of our time together is team UNITY. Please do not surrender to temptation to be independent spirited, the urge to ‘go your own way,’ or to split the team. Be the one we can count on to bond the team in love.
BE CONSIDERATE - We want to be like Yesha in every facet, in CLEANLINESS (daily shower), ENVIRONMENT (pick up trash in rooms and bus), how you SPEAK, what you say, your ACTIONS, attitude toward the team and others. Please do not SIT in the same seat every time you get on the bus or in the van. NOTE: FRONT L & R SEATS ARE RESERVED. Be considerate when using hotel computer. Quiet time in Ysrael is from 2 until 4 PM; many take naps especially in hot weather. Respect Ysrael’s law of the Sabbath.
BE SAFE - Do not bring valuable jewelry; keep your monies and PASSPORT on you at all times; watch traffic; do not leave the team without confirmation. The power in Ysrael is 220 AC. Power converters/ transformers typically do not handle hair dryers, curlers, etc.
DRESS PROPER - We do not want to attract attention to our bodies by immodest dress or clothes that flag the body. Bathing suits for Dead Sea to be modest, no bikinis or tight fitting spandex suits. Men wear comfortable shoes, pants, and shirts with sleeves (short or long); women wear comfortable shoes, pants, bring at least one skirt for messianic worship; blouses and shirts with sleeves (short and long).
SHARE YESHUA WITH PEOPLE - Use terms of culture like “messiah;” do not use negative terms like “missionary.” Before going to Ysrael read good books on Jewish evangelism like, Why Me by Yacov Damkani, Betrayed by Stan Telchin, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Our Jewish Friends by Luis Goldberg, and my favorite, Our Yerushalayim by Bertha Spafford, daughter of Haratio Spafford.
KNOW THE TIME PERIODS
COPPER AGE (4,000-3200 BC)
EARLY BRONZE AGE ((3200-2200 BC)
MIDDLE BRONZE AGE (2200-1500 BC)
LATE BRONZE AGE (1500-1200 BC)
EARLY IRON AGE (1200-1000 BC)
IRON AGE (1000-600 BC)
BABYLONIAN PERIOD (600-539 BC)
PERSIAN PERIOD (539-332 BC)
HELLENISTIC PERIOD (332-165 BC)
HASMONIAN PERIOD (165-60 BC)
ROMAN PERIOD (60 BC – AD 324)
BYZANTINE PERIOD (AD 324-640)
EARLY ARAB PERIOD (AD 640-1099)
CRUSADER PERIOD (AD 1099-1291)
MAMELUKE PERIOD (AD 1291-1516)
OTTOMON PERIOD (AD 1517-1917)
BRITISH MANDATE (AD 1917-1948)
MODERN ISRAEL (AD 1948-2018)
KNOW THE TEMPLES/TEMPLE PERIODS
EDENIC PERIOD (4000 BC)
Adam tabernacled with Elohim in the Garden in Eden
MOSAIC TABERNACLE PERIOD (1445 -1011 BC)
Elohim gives Moshe the schematic for His dwelling among Israel. Moshe gives to Bezalel (“shadow of El”) a Judahite who builds the Tent
FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD (960 BC-586 BC)
David conquers Jerusalem and brings Ark of Covenant from Kiriath Jerarim to Yerushalayim desiring to build a permanent House for God (1 Chron.21)
Shlomo builds the Temple; Yosiah renews Temple ritual; Babylon conquers Jerusalem and destroys the Solomonic Temple.
SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD (516 BC-165 BC)
Zerubbabel returns from exile and rebuilds the Temple following Babylonian exile; finished in 445 BC; Temple plundered by Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Temple regained by Maccabees and reclaimed as Temple.
HERODIAN TEMPLE PERIOD (37 BC – AD 33)
Herod did not build the Temple, but remodeled, reconstructed, recreated it. He doubled the size to 145 acres (some suggest).
YESHUA IS THE TEMPLE (4 BC – AD 33)
Yeshua said, destroy this Temple and I will rebuild it in 3 days. The Temple is ALWAYS God dwelling with us.
THE NT CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE (AD 33 – 2018)
Shaul wrote that the NT Church is the New Temple (God dwelling in us since Pentecost) and Kefa/Peter says we are all living stones.
TRIBULATIONAL TEMPLE (IT IS COMING)
Spoken of by Yeshua in Matthew 24 and Shaul in 2 Thessalonians this is the temple that the AntiChrist will desolate.
MILLENNIAL TEMPLE (? THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL)
Yeshua’s one-thousand year Temple will fulfill the Davidic Covenant (Ezekiel 40; Psalm 89:34-36)
THE ETERNAL STATE
HOLY LAND AND OTHER NAMES
The land of Canaan (Genesis 12:5; 13:12; 17:8; Numbers 13:16)
The land of Moriah (Genesis 22:2)
The land of the Hebrews (Genesis 40:15)
The land of Your Fathers (Genesis 48:21)
A good and spacious land (Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 8:10)
An exceedingly good land (Numbers 14:7)
The promised land (Numbers 14:6)
Your land (Exodus 23:26,33; Leviticus 22:24; 23:32;25:7,9; Psalm 85:1)
Your own land (Ezekiel 37:14, 21)
Land of milk and honey (Exodus 3:8; 33:3; Leviticus 20:24; Numbers 16:13,14)
A land of grain and new wine (Deuteronomy 33:28)
The land of Ephraim and Manasseh (Deuteronomy 34:2; Judges 12:15)
The land of Judah (Deuteronomy 34:2; Ruth 1:7; 1 Samuel 22:5; 30:16)
The land of Israel (1 Samuel 13:19; 2 Kings 5:4; 6:23; Ezekiel 7:2; 38:19)
The beautiful land (Daniel 8:9; 11:16, 41)
The land of the sons of Israel (Joshua 11:22)
The land of Galilee (1 Kings 9:11)
The land of Benjamin (Jeremiah 32:8, 44; 33:13)
The land of Naphtali (Isaiah 9:1)
The land of Zebulun (Isaiah 9:1)
My land (Joel 1:6; Jeremiah 2:7 cf. Leviticus 25:23; 25:23; Ezekiel 38:16)
His land (Joel 2:18; Ezekiel 36:20)
A desolate land (Ezekiel 36:34, 35)
Beulah land (Isaiah 62:4)
The land of the living (Psalm 142:5)
A land of brooks of water (Deuteronomy 8:7)
A land of wheat and barley…vines and fig trees…pomegranates…olive oil and honey (Deut. 8:8)
THE land (Genesis 12:1)
A pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations (Jeremiah 3:19)
A vineyard...His inheritance (Matthew 21:33,38)
The Holy Land (Zechariah 2:12)
The glory of all lands (Ezekiel 20:6, 15)
Eretz Yisrael (modern Hebrew)
PRAYER WALKING IN ISRAEL
1. Be spiritually clean! Confess all known sin(s). Make sure you have been forgiven by others and that you have forgiven others.
2. Be comfortable in clothing, shoes, and dress. Also, be comforted dressed in God’s battle armor.
3. Have a significant other; never, go alone! NEVER GO ALONE!
4. Pray as you walk. Talk to the Lord as your Father about what you see, what you smell, what you hear, what you sense and feel, etc.
5. Pray God’s Word since it is God’s Word and He never returns void. Say what God has said about everything. Don’t disagree with God about anything.
6. Pray over the land, over the village, over the neighborhood, over the streets, cars passing, buses, people walking, and over the homes. Talk with God about it all.
7. Have quiet moments. Let God talk to you and usually He does so when you get quiet.
8. Walk slowly, but don't meander. Be sensitive to where you are, how much time is left, where you are going, how to get back, and be intentional and be alert.
9. Feel free to sit and stand and converse and be quiet. Don't be rigid or ritualistic.
10. Pray for things: believers, missionaries, congregations, churches, souls needing salvation.
11. Pray against things: demonic forces, dark powers that tempt, deceive, corrupt, oppress, depress, blind, and terrorize. Pray against rabbinical teachings and leadership, the confusion reigning in Israel’s synagogues.
WAYS TO RELATE
(From “A Guide to Short Term Missions,” YWAM publishing)
1. GREETING. Give an appropriate greeting, a nod, a handshake, a bow, or whatever specific culture expects.
2. AGE. Take time first to show respect for the elderly.
3. RESPECT. Avoid calling people by their first names at first. Listen and ask people what is courteous. Show respect by calling people by their titles.
4. GENDER. Avoid being alone with and talking at length with anyone of the opposite sex. Dress modestly.
5. FORMALITY. If you have a position of formality, a teacher for example, polish your shoes and wear clothing in a way that reflects honor onto your students.
6. SENSITIVITY. Americans tend to talk too much, so be sensitive. Some people groups communicate through hints and metaphors rather than frankness. As a rule, well told stories are appreciated.
7. TIME. Be flexible, not uptight.
8. PEOPLE GROUPS. Most people are more rooted in groups than we are. Learn to tolerate a crowd. Talk positively about your family showing photos.
9. ANGER. In some cultures, losing your temper is about the greatest sin possible. Keep quiet. Defuse explosive emotions in your prayer.
10. PHOTOS. Don’t offend people by taking their picture in their private space. Ask!
11. BEGGARS. Be careful of when and to whom to give. In some places they may return with a myriad of family or friends who will be insulted if you do not deliver.
TEN BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Dr. Leonard Rasher & Dr. Reginald Lisemby
1. Be Observant/A Learner. See; Smell; Listen; Taste; Feel/Understand
2. Be Genuine/Transparent. The best “you” is You!
3. Be Impressionable/Receptive. Be open/welcoming. Be sensitive & sensorial
4. Be Adaptable. Be flexible; Be prepared for change
5. Be Serene/Content. Have a quiet spirit; Don’t be in a hurry. Set realistic expectations
6. Be Benevolent. Give of yourself without expectation of reward
7. Learn the Culture and Language. How they think; How they speak/use their language (demonstrates genuine interest)
8. Learn Their Value. What is important; Why it is important; How they believe.
9. Learn to Contextualize the Message. Use their frame of reference. Think in terms of their world-view. Speak with their patterns of thought
10. Learn to be a Prototype of Regeneration. Pattern of behavior; forgiveness; love. Pattern of humility; speech; Avoid obligations; Ask for favors (fosters worth).
TWELVE WAYS TO RUIN A MISSIONS TRIP
World Christian Magazine, 1983, Vol. 2
GO IT ALONE. Beware of being a “team player,” of joining any organization. This could hamper your style. Do things your way, on your time. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP!
REMEMBER YOUR PURPOSE IS SPIRITUAL. Refuse to do the menial work like making beds, sweeping, taking out garbage, cooking, doing dishes, loading or unloading trucks. These distract you from your spiritual tasks. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
ABANDON DAILY PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDY. Time will go fast; you won’t have time for these, so load up on the word and prayer before you go. Once there you will find people needing your full load, and you will get all you need spiritually from the daily devotions. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
BE SCHEDULED. Plan your schedule before you go and stick to it. Delays, last-minute changes, impromptu visits are obstacles to be avoided at all costs. Also, carry an arm full of watches to keep up with time. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
HELP THE MISSIONARIES BY POINTING OUT THEIR MISTAKES. Relate to them the latest missiological trends. Be sure to win the favor of the nationals to your views. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
DON’T EMBARRASS YOURSELF BY TRYING TO LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE. Remember that English is spoken around the world, and people need to learn the language of your superior nation. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
BE SURE AND POINT OUT THE SHORT COMINGS AND FAULTS OF FELLOW TEAM MEMBERS. Time is short, and people must be willing to make the changes that will make you comfortable or else they are selfish. God has you on this trip to teach others the myriad lessons that you have learned. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
TAKE CARE NOT TO GET DIRTY OR EAT THE LOCAL FOOD. You may miss a few friendly opportunities with “the natives,” but you will avoid any chance of getting sick. Also, “cleanliness is next to Godliness” so do not succumb to foiling your attire. Stay neat and tidy for others to see. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE TEAM MEMBERS WHO COULD NOT RAISE THEIR FULL SUPPORT. THEY WILL ATTEMPT TO MOOCH OFF YOU. It will build their faith more if you let them sweat it out. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. Identify those lonely urges as signs from God that it is not good for you to be alone; you should consider drawing close physically. AND YOU WILL RUIN OUR MISSION TRIP.
REMEMBER that as an overseas veteran you are honorably discharged. You are now much more valuable at home lecturing. AND YOU WILL RUIN YOUR MISSION TRIP POTENTIAL.