Yad Hashmona and Samuels' Mountain

 This day we travelled about 20 minutes west of Jerusalem, in the Judean Hills, to Yad Hashmona. This is the only designated Messianic Jewish Moshav (community) in Israel. They have a lovely Biblical Garden there, a log-cabin style guest house, and plenty of places to sit quietly and overlook the surroudning hills.

 Edith is trying to push the Olive Press in the Biblical Garden area. They have several olive presses, also wine presses, a threshing floor, a watchtower, etc. in their garden.

 Maureen and Edith are standing beneath some grapevines in the garden.

 We found a wonderful spot to sit and pray, overlooking the hills, and in the far distance you can see Tel Aviv.

All three of us wore our 'camel shoes' today...(leather sandals purchased in the Old City)...("The Camels are Coming!" was a recent prophecy by Chuck Pierce...you can google it)

 Edith is emerging from a goat hair tent they have set up for meetings, built similar to what the Tabernacle of David may have been like.

 From Song of Songs 2:8, we are leaping across the mountains with our Beloved!

 Maureen and I in a sitting area at Yad Hashmona.

 We have left Yad Hashmona, and now are sitting on 'Nebi Samwil', or the prophet Samuel's mountain. This man's name is Israel..and he owns this mountain, where Samuel is buried. This is also the site where Solomon prayed and asked for wisdom. Israel and his wife are messianic believers, and have undergone much persecution, from both Muslim and Orthodox Jews who hate what they believe in, and hate that they won't give up the mountain. Many people from various nations come to stay here with them.  They live very simply, back to nature, and seem to be one with the land.  

 This is a view from their place, looking down on an Olive grove, with the cities of Ramallah and Jerusalem in the distance.

The man in the yellow pants is a pastor from Italy staying here. He was praying with us, and teaching us about the olive and fig trees on the property. That's Israel's wife on the far left. The others are Korean young people, also visiting, who wanted to pray and worship with us.

 The Koreans are praising and worshiping in their language, it was beautiful.

 Later that night we walked around downtown Jerusalem.

Gazing up at some expensive highrise condos..we seem some very fancy lit-up sukkahs. I wished we could have gone up there to go in those sukkahs and meet the people:)