[StBernard] Letter from a Friend who returned from trip to Israel & Egypt

[Westley Annis]

 (This is a note from a friend who returned from Israel and Egypt and asked
that it be shared across our nation.)  She sent it to me and I think it is
one of the clearest pictures of what is happening to the Middle East.

 

R. Daniel

 

 

Dear Friends,


We are home. Our trip was physically very hard.  I am glad I went, but would
not go back to Egypt.  It is a dirty, ungodly country. The smog in Cairo,
Egypt was terrible.  There are 17 million people in that city and they just
throw their trash in the streets.  The Nile River is awfully polluted.  It
amazes me as to how such a people who built the pyramids regressed like they
have.  If the Arabs take over America, we will be a slum. And oh my, the
noise pollution was terrible.  They chant their Muslim prayers all day.  Our
tour guide was a Christian, and he was a fine young man, but the ungodliness
of the population is everywhere.  It was a real example of the difference of
'light' versus 'darkness.' Jesus is truly the Light.

Israel was clean and wonderful.  We could eat the food and drink the water.
They were kind and loved us.  They may not believe in Jesus but you can tell
that God is in that land.  It snowed in Jerusalem while we were there and it
was cold, but we still toured.  The Sea of Galilee was stormy and we went
out on a boat a short distance, but came back to shore.  It is absolutely
true in the Bible about the fact that you cannot be out on the Sea of
Galilee in a boat without the danger of dying.  We were amazed at the big
waves and wind on the sea.

The weather cleared in Israel at the end of the week and we went to the
Temple Mount on a beautiful morning.  It was a time with the Lord. We stood
at the Golden Gate where Jesus will return.  The Gate is sealed because the
Muslims are concerned He will return! They even have one of their graveyards
outside the gate thinking no King will come through a graveyard, but Jesus
is coming!  It shows the Muslims are concerned and may believe there is a
possibility He will come.  I stood and looked at that Gate, and was very
moved to think I was standing at the very place where Jesus will enter
Jerusalem again.

We went to Bethlehem.  We had to let our Jewish guide out of the bus; and
our Arab bus driver drove us through the security gate. That high wall that
you have been hearing about on TV is there, dividing Palestine and Israel.
We then got a Christian guide when we got into Bethlehem.  I was there twice
before, once in l980 and again in l999 and there is a stark difference in
Bethlehem since the Arabs have taken it over.  There were hardly any
tourists.

We ate in a cafe on the square where I had eaten before in '99 and it was
packed with tourists, but today, it was vacant except for us.  They have
killed their tourist trade.  The Christians in Bethlehem asked us to pray
for them, because they have no income now. The Arab men on the manger square
glared at us.  We did not feel safe and clung together.  There were beggar
boys everywhere.  They hate Americans and Israel. 

There is so much more I could say about this trip.   It has changed my life
in some ways.  I look at the 'lostness' of the Arabs and the darkness.  I
look at Israel; that tiny country amidst such turmoil.  If America does not
continue to support Israel, I believe God will judge us severely as
Americans.  The Israeli soldiers were such fine young men and women.  They
are clean and disciplined and have great love for their land, which is
something that is missing in America among some of our youth.  I rode back
to Lubbock from Dallas on the plane with an American Air Force career
soldier. He said the Israeli pilots were the best in the world. They can fly
planes like no one else!

Lastly, we were asked everywhere about the Presidential race in America.
There was great interest.  The Jews came up to us and asked us many
questions.   They warned us that Obama is a Muslim, not a Christian.  In
Egypt, the Arabs said the same thing to us; they said Obama is Muslim and
they are amazed that Americans would consider electing a Muslim President of
America!  Once a Muslim, always a Muslim. 

I came home loving America even more!  Our country is a 'light on a hill.'
Our streets are clean.  There are no chants all day.  People are kind and
take their turn. People over there pushed into line and were rude.  They
have never heard of the Golden Rule.  They will stomp all over you if they
want to get in line.  I can see now why Jesus' words of loving your neighbor
and doing unto others, what you would have them do unto you, were strange
words to the lost.  We take our Christian heritage for granted here in my
opinion.  We have sanctity of human life.  In Egypt, the Arabs don't have
any hope so I can see why they would bomb people and commit suicide.  They
smoked cigarettes everywhere!   I could not breathe in Egypt and I think
that is why I came down with the flu again.  The smog was so bad at the
Pyramids, I could tell I was getting sick.  I would gag on the fumes.

We need to pray for America and this election every day.

 

Jane