Wednesday, 24 November 2010 20:20
Written by Quentin Ireland
Thoughts on My Trip to Kedumim
“For he who touches you [ Israel ] touches the apple of His eye.” Zechariah 2:8
I recently visited the Israeli community of Kedumim in the West Bank of Samaria. I visited with a group from our church in order to help the community there build a playground for their children.
My experience in Kedumim was one of the most moving experiences that I have had in my life. I felt that I had touched G-d in a unique and intimate way.
Before I discuss this unique and intimate experience, I will set the stage with a few observations about the people I lived with in Kedumim.
First, the people were very hospitable. They opened their homes to us while we were in Kedumim and made sure that we were involved in the day-to-day aspects of their lives. We did not want for food or any common necessity.
Second, they were open and honest about who they are and what they believe while accepting our beliefs. We had very frank discussions with the family that I stayed with about our Christian beliefs and how they differed from their Jewish beliefs. In the end, they thanked us for our honesty and they accepted us for who we were.
Third, they were peaceful people with ordinary lives. When the news media talks about Israeli “settlers”, they are often portrayed as usurpers and anarchists looking to make trouble. The people with whom I lived and worked lived what I consider an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances.
They dealt with the same day-to-day concerns that we face here in America . Concerns about their jobs, shopping, bills, and their children were just as central to their daily lives. And they also carried on their daily lives peacefully with a pioneering spirit.
Finally, the people of Kedumim were faithful believers in the G-d of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob. I mentioned above that they lived in extraordinary circumstances. They cope with these circumstances by living lives of extraordinary faith. They not only believe G-d’s promises to the nation of Israel , but they live those promises in the face of real violence.
Rather than deal with this violence through vengeance and segregation, they live openly among their enemies as an example of freedom and love. For example, several years ago the Israeli Army wanted to build a security fence around Kedumim following terrorist attacks.
The people of Kedumim along with the Mayor of Kedumim soundly rejected such actions and the fence was not built. This is true despite the fact that the park in Kedumim where our church group worked was in full view of three Palestinian Arab villages inside Israel . In addition, Kedumim and other nearby Jewish communities employ many residents of those same Palestinian Arab villages.
Now that I have set the stage, let me try to explain what made my experiences in Kedumim so remarkable. While many people talk about being touched by G-d, please note that I have talked about having touched G-d. The former experience is passively experienced while the latter situation involves active effort on my part.
There is something indescribable about digging your hands into the soil of G-d’s Promised Land working alongside His chosen people Israel . Our work was a tangible start in building the seat of G-d’s Kingdom ( Israel ) here on Earth. This awesome privilege is the single most important calling from G-d in our age.
This calling is about restoring life as discussed in Ezekiel Chapter 37. It is about restoring life to both the people of Israel and the Land of Israel as the foundation of the Kingdom of G-d here on Earth. It is also about restoring the fractured relationship between Jews and Christians.
Our work together with the people of Kedumim shows that we share a love for the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in restoring the Land of Israel. Engaging in that work as a calling together in love will teach us to love G-d more fully and to love each other.
I was honored to answer the call of G-d alongside the people of Kedumim in restoring their land in order to restore the Jewish people to their rightful ancestral homeland. I hope and pray that I can continue to serve the people of Kedumim because the honor is to serve.
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
