Israel Update

Recent Supporters

2007-04-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Irasema Cirrello
Rick and Linda Berry
Chris Atkins
Gary and Cindy Kuehl

Purim

2007-03-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Purim, is one of the more joyous occasions for the Jewish people to have a time of celebration. It is a Holiday that started 3 days ago and is also know as the feast of esther. It is a time of celebration for the jewish people that God delivered them from the hand of Haman, the story being found in the book of esther. In the streets here, it would appear to look almost the same as our halloween. Everyone dresses up, and that have noise makers and clappers that one is to shake and rattle whenever the name of haman is spoken so to blot out his name forever with the sound of the noise makers and clappers. And whenever the name of mordechai is mentioned then you are supposed to cheer and exalt the name. It is a time for celebration and costumes and dancing and praise. It is also a time where the talmid says that everyone is to drink so much that they cannot decipher between blessed be the name of mordachei or cursed be the name of haman. It is a time of celebration but unfortunately you also see quite a bit of decedance also. It has turned to a very secular holiday and I would say very few actually remember for that which it should be remembered. But if it is one thing the jews hold fast to, it is tradition. As far as me personally, there is nothing new to report really. My brother is coming in next week, which I am very excited. I'm taking a couple of days off work which is much needed. We are going to Petra and to Masadah and some of the other places in the area. So it will be good to see a familiar face. Other then that, the time is going well. Still working on the factory floor, doing the many things that entails. Learning Hebrew which is exciting and hard all at the same time. It is a whole mind change, but I am enjoying it for sure. Learning how to do basic communications and learnign how to read. From there it is just memorization. Anyways, thank you all for the continual support and prayer.

Supporters

2007-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Laura McAnnally
Chris Atkins
Gary and Cindy Kuehl
John and Jackie Madrano

Everything from the wind and the willows.

2007-02-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

As far as everything else goes in Jerusalem. Things are going well, and mutually very hard and intense at the same time. I have started learning Hebrew at an Ulpan, called Milah. It is a very difficult language but at the same time it really gives me something to work on, and I find it very helpful and am learning a lot about the culture because of it. I study in class 7 hours a week, which means i have just as much homework if not more. Work has been consisting of a lot of hard labor. At the moment I am working in a food bank and am doing a lot of heavy lifting and packaging food for the jewish communities. I must admit that it gets very tolling physically, and is a very humbling position. I am also going to a 24/7 prayer house consistently and have found that to be such a place of peace. My attitude changes depending on the day. It is one of the hardest experiences I have every gone through, yet at the same time I have never felt closer to the Lord and our intimacy is growing daily. And while that also means more tearing away and stripping away, He is drawing me in, in ways that I have never experienced. I am looking forward to the shabbat tomorrow and the time of rest. I hope all is well with those of you that visit this site. And may God be your peace.

Riots in Jerusalem.

2007-02-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

These are riots that were taking place at the Damascus Gate. The Muslim population, has been rioting because they believe the jews are digging intentionally near one of there mosques in order to destabalize the ground so the mosque will fall. These riots are usually staged by young adults aged 18-23 after the muslim call to prayer on friday's which is there holy day. The Muslim leaders fire them up during mosque and they in turn, riot in the streets starting fires, throwing massive stones at jewish cars, violence, fighting and anything else to disturb the peace.

Donors

2007-01-10T00:22:00.000-08:00

Rick and Linda Berry
Laura McAnnally

Thank you for all the prayers and financial support.

what do i do at bridges for peace?

2006-12-20T02:23:00.001-08:00

I'm sure a lot of you are probably wondering what I am doing at BFP. Basically I was unsure of exactly what it was doing up until about 2 weeks ago. For the first 3 weeks I was here, they had me in every office doing everything so that I was able to see exactly what it was the BFP does. I started out in the distriubtion office delivering food and clothing to the poor. Then I moved to the Head Quarters office which is where I am currently. I work in the Publications department, designing, editing, and creating the teaching letters, the dispatch and the appeals that go to 22,000 people a month. So really it can be a challenge because I am not used to sitting behind a computer screen for 8 hours a day. But it is a necessary thing for Bridges and is very important because it is how they raise awareness for Israel and BFP.

the wall

2006-12-20T02:20:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the wall the is going up all through Israel to keep out people that are illegals in israel, and hopefully deter terrorist attacks.

december supporters

2006-12-20T00:26:00.000-08:00

North Metro Church
John and Jackie Madrano
Tyler Williams
Mr. and Mrs. Tyler Johnson
Laura McAnnally
Irasema Cedillo
Chris Atkins
Gary and Cindy Kuehl

Like always, this is only the list that I have received so far. It is updated twice a month right after we receive the checks from BFP. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me so far in this. It is a continual blessing and encouragement to be on the minds of all my friends and family back home.

christmas/chanukah

2006-12-16T16:02:00.001-08:00

well, we were able to secure a christmas tree, which is nearly impossible here in jerusalem. we decorated it and tried to make things as much like home as possible. some people would argue that celebrating christmas is contrary to the spirit of being in jerusalem, but to be honest it fights off the loneliness. it reminds me of home, which in a place that is so far away helps very much. you don't understand how much you miss the things of your culture until they are completely stripped away. thursday night bridges for peace had a christmas party and the chef had studied culinary arts in san francisco so it was great to have american food again. and then we were able to worship with christmas carols. we celebrated the first night of chanukah last night and had a wonderful shabbat dinner with some friends. it is a beautiful sight to see the menorah's lit up in all the windows over the city. tomorrow morning i am going to the dome of the rock. since at this point it is under muslim control, non-muslim's are only allowed to visit it on sunday mornings since that is the muslim's religous day where they do not work. it is baffling to me how there is only 10 feet between the dome of the rock and the western wall, yet one is under israels control and the other is under the muslims control and the only separation is the westen wall. but needless to say i am excited. the weekend has been very good, and it is back to work early monday morning.

western wall, dome of the rock/muslim midday call to prayer.

2006-12-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

first video, western wall and dome of the rock
second video is of a mid day muslim call to prayer.
must have sound to get the full affect.

The ten.

2006-12-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well so far things in Israel have been a bit of an up and down journey. And like most journeys there seem to be days where all that can be seen are the mountain tops and days that make you wonder if the mountain tops will ever exist again. Spiritually Jerusalem is the hardest place I have ever been. Waking up one finds themselves immediately in a spiritual battle. Heaviness seems to be a way of life here. I feel often that there is a constant pressure on my chest and a heaviness that is a apart of this city. It is often said because this is the birth place of the three main faiths that as a result Jerusalem breathes spiritual warfare. From the different quarters of the city that spill out the Ultra Orthodox Jews to the Arab and Muslim Faiths to the few Christians that walk the streets here. I am constantly surprised to see how secular Jerusalem appears, at least to me. And when you do see faith it is usually being lived out in very legalistic sense such as Judaism. At all times of the day you can hear horns and the Muslims call to prayer, and the Ultra Orthodox Jews. It is a place that one never knows exactly how to respond to. I am constantly stared at, I'm not sure more because of my western appearance or my blonde hair. There are many reasons to feel alone here, yet I am finding a strange, subtle strength in the Lord that is somehow not exactly forceful yet constant. So far my favorite place to go is the Western Wall. I know it is a obvious statement. But to see it lit up at night and the Jews praying and moving and surrounding the wall is an amazing sight. It is a place of prayer, and one can feel the power that this physical location will one day be apart of in the spiritual. Bridges is good. I am getting adjusted fairly well. They are very busy and I'm still struggling to understand everything. But they do amazing things and the people that work there are amazing. As for prayer...My own needs are continually just safety. That God will be a strong wall and place of peace in a place that peace seems at best evasive. There are the financial needs that I have here. And as always pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I still do not have internet which hopefully I will have secured in the next two weeks. So until I get that it is hard to update this, but when I get that...Things will flow easier. Please write and stay in touch. I need the support of friends very much here.

the nine.

2006-12-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

These are people that Bridges supports with food and aid. They are Jews that have made Aliyah back to Israel. Aliyah basically means Jews from outside of Israel migrating or coming back to Israel. This process is a very long and drawn and can be very emotionally and financially draining on these families. At this point they are mostly coming back from Russia and Poland. But the Lord is bringing them back from everywhere.

the eight.

2006-12-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

thank you to the following people who have financially supported me this month.

Faith Bible Chapel.
brett lesher.
laura mccannly.
john and jackie madrano.
vicky mikesell.
tyler williams.
gary and cindy kuehl.

There may have been others that just haven't cleared yet. The process of receiving the money takes time to transfer. I receive a list a the end of each month with the donations they have received so far. So thank you everyone who has been financially apart of this so far. I will announce the donators at the end of each month.

the seven.

2006-11-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Well I am sorry it has taken me so long to write a proper update. The last week has felt like a whirlwind. I am still trying to recover from the jet lag and feel that I am through the worst of it. I have news to report in that I have found a place and it is a lovely apartment and has definitely been a place of refuge for me. It has an amazing view of Jerusalem like all apartments here. So that is certainly a praise. I am still trying to get basics like food and other articles that I am picking up. Everyone speaks English for the most part but I am excited and eager to start learning Hebrew. My first impression of Jerusalem feels a bit schizophrenic. One moment I am still in shock that I am here and then quickly that turns into fear as I question the fact that I am actually here. I haven't had a lot of time to think as I have been very busy with Bridges for Peace. But before I get into that I want to continue explaining my impression of the city and culture as a whole. The city is beautiful. All the buildings are made out of Jerusalem limestone and so therefore they all look the same. But they obviously carry a very middle eastern feel to them. Most of the streets are brick and it is full of hills. I have not had a chance to see a lot of the "sites" yet as I have been in such a place of transition. It is beautiful all in all. Safety issues seem to be fine. Other then the soldiers who are younger then me walking around with guns you would have no idea that there were problems. It is nothing like the news portrays it, yet at least. It gets lonely here for sure. I am sure that is part of the transition and part of everything that is going on. It seems to pull on my chest and I certainly wonder how I got here and what I was thinking when I came here. There is a peace that is comforting. Fear with peace I imagine. As for Bridges for Peace. The organization as a whole does so much. I have been moving around quite a bit because they want me to see everything that the organization does which is a good thing. The last few weeks I have been working at a food bank and delivering food into the many places that Bridges supports through food and clothing. This monday I am moving into the headquarters office where I will be doing publications work for BFP. I am excited about the move. One of the more frustrating things is just the lack of young people in the organization. I knew this would be the case but I wish it wasn't. But a praise is that there is a friend here studying at the Hebrew University so we are hanging out quite a bit. But all that to say, come visit if you get a chance. Other than that I am excited about thanksgiving. The Lord has given me some friends to spend it with and we are getting dressed up as pilgrims and indians. So it is such a good thing to have friends. Sometimes I forget what a blessing that is. I am questioning much now. Some days I can't believe I'm here and I get scared and frustrated at the fact. Other days it makes more sense. Certainly pray please. Pray that I will understand the love of God more, just the love He has for each one of us. That I will understand Him in the quiet places. I need His comfort. I hope all is well with all of you, wherever you are. Thank you for your prayers and support. Shalom.

the five

2006-11-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

i've landed. i'm safe. no internet. no phone. no home...yet. pray for these things. it is very difficult to get sorted out here.
love.

the two

2006-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

How to donate

All CHECK donations made to Bridges for Peace should be marked with the notation (for Chris Kuehl support staff in Jerusalem) and are tax deductible. Any one time gift made to Bridges on my behalf is also tax deductible . Both situations mailed to: PMB(private mail box) 33145**S. Sheridan Rd.**Tulsa, OK 74145-7627. Checks made out to me personally should be mailed to 8147 Pomona Drive, Arvada, CO 80005. Checks made out to me personally are considered a gift by the IRS and are not tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor). Credit Card payments can be made online by going to www.bridgesforpeace.org. Click on the American Flag on your right. From there scroll to the bottom where you find blue letters. Click on support for volunteers in USA and Israel. There are two options on the picture. One is help support volunteer in USA on the left and the other is help volunteer in Israel on the right part of the picture. Click on volunteer in Israel. From here you can give between $5.00 to $250.00. Be sure right after you add your credit card you designate Chris Kuehl/Israel under volunteer information. For credit card donations or reoccurring EFT donations call 1-800-566-1998. Bridges is a charter member of the Evangelical Council of Accountability organization and has the highest standards. Once a month, Bridges will give me a detailed list of donors and amounts. I am praying for the peace of Jerusalem and I am praying for you.

the one

2006-10-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

this is the home of the updates for chris kuehl while I am in Israel. updated as often as possible. hopefully.