From the Pastor at Trinity!

According to a quote from Charles Krauthammer in The Weekly Standard, May 11, 1998: "It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago." What nation is it? Israel. Why bring this subject up? Because of two special prayer requests: The first has to do with God's people, the nation of Israel. And the second has to do with some pastors, which include me.

As it stands now, I am scheduled to arrive in Israel on March 8th with a group of pastors from all over the United States and return on the 17th. The reason I say, "As it stands now," is because I was suppose to take this trip back in 2003, but the atmosphere in that part of the world at that time was not very travel-friendly, if you know what I mean. At that point, I thought my life-long dream was gone forever, until I received notice in the mail, back in July of last year. It stated that I was still on the list to go, thanks to my good friend, Tom Thornley, who, thoughtfully, recommended me to the Holy Land Pilgrimage Committee of the S.C. Grand Encampment of Knights Templar. (By the way, please continue to pray for Tom and Ann.)

No, I am not going on vacation. Rather, I am traveling to Israel for some Continuing Education. (I can hear some of you now, "Thatﾒs a long way to go to get educated." Trust me, you don't have to tell me. I've done my homework. It's almost 6000 miles one way!) Seriously, this is a dream come true for me and I am eternally grateful to my Lord and Savior who has provided me with such a glorious opportunity through an organization, that until a few years ago, I didnﾒt even know existed. For those of you who may not have heard, the Knights Templar date back to the Crusades and one of their primary missions is providing ministers with the means to make this awesome pilgrimage and to protect Christians in general who travel to the Holy Land.

I covet your prayers for the other pastors and myself as we take this trip of a lifetime. Please pray for the obvious: our safety in general, continued peace in the Middle East, my family while I'm away, for the health and well-being of your fellow members at Trinity, that this experience will enhance my spiritual life beyond my comprehension and any other pertinent need you can possibly think of.

With Love, From Jesus,

Pastor David