So much has happened since the last blog …

Following Easter, I felt extremely joyful because our Lord was risen! What made this time even more special was a week off that some of us (my fellow volunteers and I) were given in order to compensate for two intense weeks of volunteering. It was at this time that I decided to pack my backpack and explore Israel a little more! I wanted to camp on the beach in Eilat and hike in the Negev. I didn’t have a tent, proper backpack or a lot of money but I trusted God – I knew He was going to provide! … And He surely did!

On my first day I visited some friends in Tel Aviv who happened to have a tent. One thing of my wish list was checked off! When I arrived to Eilat I found a nice beach for camping and put my new “home” up for couple of nights. I was swimming every morning with beautiful colourful fish, including an octopus one day! I met many amazing people and even found myself making shakshuka (traditional dish) on the beach with them. God provides.

While I was still in Eilat some friends from Jerusalem got in touch with me and told me they were planning a trip to the Negev Desert. It was a great coincidence as this was also part of my wish list for the week. Another event to check off!

They brought with them a good backpack, mats, blankets and food for our 2 days and 2 nights in the desert. God was fulfilling all my desires. Even more, He knew I could not do it on my own so He provided friends who had all that was needed to be able to experience such an adventure. Our trip wasn´t easy but the amazing panoramas and peacefulness of the desert took away all the back pain. After 2 days without a shower, we found a little stream of water in the middle of the desert in which we jumped in immediately. This made realise how blessed we are, and I have been, to always have constant access to fresh water!

When I returned to Magdala I felt that my faith had grown significantly and I was ready to share all the love I received from other people during the week with the pilgrims visiting Magdala. I could write pages and pages about the amazing experiences I had while guiding in this past month but there are two which stood out for me the most and want to share…

One morning I was guiding a group from the Czech Republic. I assumed that they were Christians so I passionately talked about greatness of God and how He works in our lives. When the tour was finished, one gentleman approached me and said, “I’m an atheist but after listening to you I can say that you could persuade me!” After that I learned that 75% of people from the group were atheists! The Holy Spirit did a great job through me.

The second interesting tour I had was with Rabbi Ed. Ed is a rabbi as well as a tour guide in Israel. He visited Magdala for the first time and he wanted to learn about the site from professionals. It was a tour full of interesting conversations and I learnt that his best friends from childhood were Christians. He celebrated Christmas with them and they celebrated Hannukah with him… simple love of kids enabled them to live in respect and friendship. I’m so thankful that Magdala as a crossroads between Judaism and Christianity creates this kind of friendships nowadays and so brings peace to this land. I can say that here I have been able to truly witness God´s greatness and his infinite love towards us.