An Amazing ten days in Jerusalem

I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged. I must do better in 2009. In fact I realise I should have blogged when I was actually in Jerusalem and not wait til I got back. But then my first blog would have been me moaning about the cold.

Yes it can be cold in Jerusalem in the winter, in fact it feels much colder than the numbers suggest perhaps because you expect the Middle East to be warm.

I wanted to go to Israel for five days just to pray about 2009. But God and El Al airlines ( not the same thing) had other plans. So I booked for ten days, was ill the first few days because my weak heart does not do cold weather or hills very easily and would happily have flown back. What seemed to happen was I relived experiences from the past 20 years. Literally people I had not met for 20 years suddenly appeared in my path. I relived the illnesses and the couple of years at the end of the 90's when I was depressed. By the Saturday I was at a very low point but somehow I knew that that was the end of it and that the last few days would give me a glimpse into the future and that would be much brighter.

Literally the weather transformed and for the last seven days we had far better weather than is normal at that time of year. I seemed to experience all the struggles of the past only to be given hope that the future looks very different. As different as a rainly day from a sunny day. It all seemed a little weird because on the face of it I didn't get miraculously healed and things are on the face of it as bleak as ever and yet I have this deep faith and belief that this is a year of blessing and God's favour. I hope against hope because if you can see it already it doesn't need faith. I come back stronger in spirit and my body will just have to keep up.

God bless you more to follow.

P.S. I did rather embarrass myself when standing at Damascus Gate Jeremy Bowen the BBC reporter walk passed and I said something like "oh, your the guy off the BBC how are you doing ?" we shook hands and he walked on, two english men connecting in solidarity in a distant land.