At the Sea and More

When we arrived at the Mediterranean sea, I enjoyed putting my feet in the water, but Nathanael got himself a bit more wet, being a little more adventurous. It was absolutely beautiful.

Junior made it to the sea with us!

We stopped at a little cafe and Nathanael got himself a nice, large tuna sandwich for the journey home :)

When we arrived back at the Shavei Tsion, I began preparations for Erev Shabbat. We were planning to welcome Shabbat (Kabbalat Shabbat) with Leon and Nina, the leaders of this congregation, as well as Isaak and Lena. By the time we ate, there were a few other people who also joined us. I think we ended up having about 12 adults around the table. They asked me to do the candle lighting blessing and light the Shabbat candles. What a blessing that was! What family we have already in this place!

The continuing story

I have a hard time not sharing about all the details of this trip! I am so blessed by everything, big and small.  I am excited about what God is doing in our lives here in Israel, the land of our fathers. 

To retrace my steps a bit, as I don't make it on here to blog as often as I would like, I have to take you back to our first day here in Haifa. Here are some pictures from our train ride from Tel Aviv to Haifa, and our dear friend Isaak Abaev who graciously traveled with us to our destination from the airport.  Isaak and his dear wife Lena are such wonderful, gentle people. I felt right at home immediately with them. They are loving and affectionate and go out of their way to serve us. isaak and his wife are originally from Kazakhstan, and have not long ago made aliya to Israel where they are an integral part of the congregation Shavei Tzion in Haifa, as well as in leadership in a small daughter congregation in Nazareth, of which I will tell you more later. 

Misha was so excited about this wheelchair accessible sign in Hebrew on the train, which took us all the way from Tel Aviv to Haifa. This was a big blessing because the contact we thought we had made regarding wheelchair accessibility ended up not being available to us because of the dimensions of Misha's wheelchair. Baruch HaShem Adonai!

17 October 

We rested a lot more on this day, recovering from our jet lag. In the evening, our new friend Misha "Malinki"(or small Misha -  there are so many Mishas here, including my husband), took us to the food store in the basement - a wonderful convenience as it is close by. It is a primarily Russian store and there we found many basic things that we needed to prepare our own food in the kitchen. As the days went by, we found some other stores a bit cheaper if we were willing to take a short walk.  

18 October

Today at about noon we met up with Dinu, a man who also uses a wheelchair here in Haifa.  He wanted to help us with transportation, as he has a wheelchair van, but unfortunately we were unable to use his vehicle because again, Misha's height when sitting in his power chair was too tall.  We ended up going on a very nice walk with Dinu to Bat Galim, the beach nearby on the Mediterranean sea. It was about a 20 minute walk for us through the city. Below are some pictures from our walk, our first time at the sea and just hanging out with our new friend. 

These palms are everywhere! It's so cool. They grow wild dates which are not very edible, as Dinu told us.  

Misha found another "privileged" parking spot :)

Downtown Haifa with the Carmel mountain in the background. 

He looks pretty miniature next to one of these!  :)

This is one of many bomb shelters located around the city - a reality I know nothing of living in Canada. 

Misha and I with Dinu. 

The guys still waking up. 

 Green skin Israeli oranges with orange colour inside! I thought this was so cool :)

He gives and takes away

Our Father gives life in the form of a new baby; he preserves life in the way of keeping one alive in a car accident; restores life when one faces a terminal illness...but sometimes not.
 
Sometimes He takes away life.
 
Sometimes life is not very easy.
 
Sometimes those we love are snatched from our hands and we are left with an emptiness that cannot be described.
 
Sometimes illness takes away the lives of those we love and care for, and it is hard to see how GOD is really sovereign over all.
 
But He is.  He gives and takes away, and along with Job, who was considered a righteous and upright man in the sight of GOD, we must choose to say in the midst of our pain,

Baruch HaShem Adonai - Blessed be the name of the LORD.

 

 

Last night I was preparing for bed here in Israel, and my brother came to our room and shared the shocking news that a friend that I had not much opportunity get close to had died.

 

Cancer.

 

One more life.

I was shocked.

I was greatly saddened.

Stephanie was not a close friend, but one that had become close in name and in my prayers. I had one opportunity to have a conversation at length with her when I had returned to the states to visit family with Misha.  I had been praying for her since May of 2012 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 Choriocarcinoma, and received updates through her mom, who I have been quite close to since my days of attending the Mt Zion Christian Church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  Stephanie left behind her husband Joshua and their four young sons; Isaac, Eli, Logan, and Camden.

 

I don't believe it is wrong to ask why. I do. Although GOD is sovereign, His ways and thoughts are far above and beyond ours. I can't say that I understand. Like a child I come to Him and I do ask why. 

Why was my life spared after I was diagnosed with cancer?

Why do more people not know the things that I have learned about health and healing the body with natural remedies? It breaks my heart, and I wish there was a way to tell the world what I have experienced with health and healing.  All that I have I have been given, and all that I have learned is through another man's research.

 

There is a cure for cancer.  There is life in the face of death. I'm not saying that GOD doesn't allow people to die, and their families to suffer through the result of their loss. GOD doesn't say, "oops!" There are no mistakes with GOD.  Truly it was time for Stephanie's life to be finished here on earth.  Truly life will spring out of this loss, and death will be swallowed up in victory.

 

Still my heart grieves for her family; her precious husband, her little children.

 

Please remember the Hart family in your prayers - Joshua, Isaac, Eli, Logan, and Camden; her parents; Ken & Barbara Andrews, her sisters; Rebecca, and Tana, and their families as they mourn the departure of their beloved and precious Stephanie.

In the air, and finally on soild ground :)

Photos!

Here are some pictures from our El Al flight, Toronto to Tel Aviv. We had an overnight flight, so there was only a short time that we were able to view scenery from the sky. We saw some amazing lightning and awesome sunset and cloud scenes! As we began to descend, we began to see things on the ground, and below are some photos. Here is one that we took of some coastline...the stewardess could not tell us where we were, or what country we were flying over - that was a bummer. It was so beautiful!

 

Here are some interesting structures we saw from the sky

 



The flight was uneventful in regards to the ride. It was quite unique to hear so much Hebrew being spoken in most every corner of the plane! Even before we boarded we felt that we were surrounded by so much Israeli culture. I even observed a Jewish man put on his tallit (prayer shawl)and tefillin (traditional Jewish way of 'binding GOD's commandments upon the hand and forehead') and have a short time of prayer right there in the gate before we boarded.

On board, we were happy to be able to speak short phrases in Hebrew with the stewardesses such as, "toda"/thank you, "b'vakashah"/please, "hakol beseder"/everything is alright, or in order, etc. Michail even ordered a cup of water in Hebrew for me! :) We had fun with the little we knew.
During the flight, there were movies played back to back, most of which only seemed to serve as a mere distraction from the long, 11 hour journey, although sadly Michail and I were quite disturbed by the violence that was displayed in all of them. We had to purpose to not watch the screen, and spent some time in prayer, and even repentance for allowing our eyes to watch things that were dishonouring to Adonai. I tried to make sure that I walked around quite often to keep up my circulation in my feet and legs, as well as massage and move Michail's limbs around while he was stationary in his seat. I'm not sure how well I did though, because when we landed I discovered to my dismay that my feet and legs were quite ballooned up and painful.

Another discomfort came when we descended into Tel Aviv airport. I have previously had trouble with the change of pressure during flights, but this time, I was exceptionally nauseous as we came down. I forgot until almost near the end of the descent that I had brought along some fresh ginger for the nausea, so I chewed on some, and I believe it finally gave some relief! I cannot forget to mention that our little one riding inside had quite the enjoyable time of traveling with us! Our baby was quite active with kicking and moving around most of the flight.

 

We were the last to deboard the plane, as Michail needed assistance. This time, the flight attendants were much more willing to listen to instructions which made a big difference in how the transfer went. We were escorted to the baggage claim and then moved on to customs, where we sailed through with greatest of ease!


As we came through the gate, we were greeted by the big smiles and hugs of our friends awaiting us - Isaak and David - who came to escort us to Haifa. We were so happy to see them! They then proceeded to purchase some train tickets for us to travel to Haifa, and then we waited a bit for the train to come. While waiting, Michail and I sang the Israeli National Anthem for them - Hatikvah!

On the train, we had a bit of a tour while we watched the scenery go by. We went by Mount Carmel - which happens to be the mountain that sits right behind where we are staying in Haifa - and also the train went fairly close along the Mediterranean sea.

 

 

When we arrived at our destination in Haifa, we met up with another brother, Andrey at the train station who brought a car for our luggage.  I got a ride in the car while Misha and Nathanael walked a short distance to Shavei Tsion building where we would be staying. I was among only Russian/Hebrew-speaking brothers and sisters, so I was very limited in communication until Misha arrived. They were asked to give me something to eat, and without knowing my diet, they gave me bread, cheese, and yogurt. :) Of course, I was hungry, and that's what was available. When we arrived, I met another Misha, a man who would be helping us every day with Misha's caregiving. I gave him a briefing on how to put Misha to bed around 1pm after we all had a bite to eat. We managed to then sleep all day - about 7 hours, wonderful, truly refreshing. 

Eretz Israel - at last!

Israel - a beautiful country, and I am here finishing my seventh day in Haifa. There is so much to share. So many experiences we have had already that I don't want to forget. Let's start at the very beginning.

My husband and I have been praying and waiting for the day when we would be able to visit ha Eretz Israel-the Land of Israel. We didn't know how or when it would happen, but we trusted Him to open the doors to what we felt that He had promised us. Because of this, we know that our Father made possible this entire trip, and that is what makes it so special. So many circumstances have just all fallen into place to get us to this point. Truly He is the creator of all good and perfect gifts! As we came to a point where we had dates lined up and contacts here in Israel to connect with, we began to pray and ask our Father for a companion for us to help us with the load of making such a monumentous trip - a quadriplegic and his 6-month pregnant wife going overseas to a land where we had never been. To us it was not an impossibility, as Father had shown us with "many infallible proofs" that He is a miracle-working GOD. We knew practically that it was not wise to try to make this trip without extra help. With all that said, we asked among our trusted friends and mishpacha in our congregation to see if there were any available hands and willing hearts. One was willing, but unable; another was able but not ready at this time to make such a trip. We ended up deciding to step out blindly and ask my parents about my younger brother Nathanael going along with us. We felt this might be a far stretch, but to our amazement, my parents were quite willing to send Nathanael to help us, and he was also quite excited! He has been a part of a couple mission outreaches within the USA, but never had opportunity to travel abroad. Nathanael was recovering from a break in his hand following a game of football with friends. We were unsure if he would be able to physically help us. It turned out, we were granted great favour in this also. His doctor gave Nathanael a clean bill of health, and by the time the trip came around, he was so far advanced on the mend that he had no issues coming along. As it worked out, it was a tremendous blessing that my brother came along. So far there have been many instances that have really required his help physically where I would have not been able to help in the situation at all, primarily when in relation to Michail's care.  Before leaving on our trip, my brother got a crash course in transferring my husband from his wheelchair manually, and it really came in handy at the airport. We would have really run into trouble had he not been with us. We are so grateful!

Okay enough background, I think :) After picking up my brother a few days before our trip from the Port Huron, MI train station, we prepared and departed from our home on October 15 early in the morning, making the trip to Toronto to catch a non-stop flight to Tel Aviv. We arrived with only one incident on the highway where another vehicle and I chose to change lanes at the same time - eeek! Praise Adonai my response was quick and was able to swerve back into the lane I was coming out of!
At the airport, we were able to get right in line to where we would normally check our bags and proceed to our gate for security and check in. This time, we were flying with an Israeli airline, El Al, and we discovered that their security is unlike what we have experienced before in overseas travel. First, before we approached the counter, we were asked a whole bunch of questions regarding our purpose for our trip, and other random questions about ourselves. They were very thorough, and though had to be very stern with their security, I found them very friendly. I was even able to share about our miracle pregnancy with the security personnel! (They wanted to know why Nathanael was going along when he was from the US, had never been to Israel, etc. They even asked him why Michail's wife couldn't take care of her husband on the trip instead of Nathanael going along.

We were happy to share that I was pregnant, and this was the reason why!)   Praise Adonai, after about 45 minutes of questioning, we were permitted to proceed to the counter to check in our bags.

Our next hurdle which we easily overcame was transferring Michail from his power chair into his manual chair. The power chair would go on the plane with the luggage, and Michail would get transferred two more times before getting to the seat of the plane. Oiy vey! Nathanael and I worked together to do these transfers and things went fairly smoothly. Before we boarded, we were called to the desk at our gate. The security wanted to know if we had sent a cardboard box with the wheelchair to be loaded on the plane. They even had a picture of it on an iphone. No, we didn't have a cardboard box with the chair, and we were just as surprised as they. It turned out that one of the security officers had disengaged one of Michail's batteries on his chair, removed it, and placed it in a box on the seat of his chair - unknown to us, as it was done after we left the chair in their hands. Of course we didn't recognise it!  They figured it out though, and the journey continued with another transfer to a narrow wheelchair, called an aisle chair that fit on the plane to get Michail to his seat. Wow! We finally got on board! We brought along two long straps with Velcro on the ends to wrap around Michail's chest and the seat to keep him upright. It worked beautifully!

First trip to Israel!

Dear friends and family,

 

Below is an update from my husband Michail about our upcoming journey to Israel tomorrow!

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Shalom—peace and blessings to each one of you in the name of our dear Lord and Saviour, Yeshua the Messiah!

Melanie and I are so excited to share our latest news with you: we are making our first overseas missions trip as a married couple.  We are going to Israel!  Melanie's younger brother Nathanael is traveling with us.  He will be a huge blessing and of much assistance to Melanie and I.  He has a servant heart and he is joining us on this adventure!

We will be hosted by our very dear friends, Leon & Nina Mazin who lead the Return to Zion messianic congregation in Haifa.  We will be away October 15-November 7.   Click here to visit their web site.

We are looking forward to our first trip to the land of Israel.  This is something we have been praying about and planning for several months.  And here we are, our plans and hopes have taken shape!  As I write this e-mail, Melanie and Nathanael are finishing packing the suitcases.  We fly out tomorrow, October 15!

Please pray for us that God Almighty will protect us, bless us and speak to us in many ways as the visit the land of Israel.  Please pray with us that God will use us to be a blessing to everyone we encounter on this trip. 

With much love,

Michail & Melanie (+ Jr.) and Nathanael

www.quadonamission.com

 

3 years and Counting!

Happy Anniversary to my dear husband! Today marks 3 years since we met in person in the town of Burlington, WI.  What a day of memories we shared!

We started out at the Sleep Inn in Mukwonago, WI, where Michail was staying that was about 15 minutes from where I lived at the time. He had arrived in WI from Canada late the night before, and that Friday morning, called and asked if I would meet him for breakfast at the hotel where he was.  This was a bit unexpected, as I had "planned" on meeting him where I lived.  Well, no big deal, right?  I drove there, and got there too early. I parked and thought a bit on what I was about to do. I was pretty nervous!

I parked next to this van with Canadian plates...which I knew by this point was HIS van.

 I went inside after seeing two of his close friends come out to the van.  They informed me that Michail was still getting ready with the caregiver, and would be a few minutes longer. That was okay with me, and I ended up sitting down in the foyer of the hotel and chatting with Przemek, one of Michail's friends for about 45 minutes before the man himself came riding out in his "chariot" :)

 

I chose to extend a hand in greeting, but he was planning to give me a hug - so that's where we began "Can I give you a hug?", Michail said. Of course I did. We shared a mini bagel with cream cheese and some orange juice.

 

 

And, since Michail is not much of a breakfast person (and maybe was a little nervous), we wrapped up our mini lemon poppy seed muffins to go. :)

 

 

After we had a nice chat, and I learned a few things about how I had to help Michail with eating and such, we headed out to the parking lot. We planned to then drive over to Meadowlark Acres Family Campground where I lived and worked at the time. There we were to meet up with my family who had make the 40 minutes drive out to meet this "dear" friend of mine :)

We exchanged some gifts - this was one I made for him:

He had nicknamed me "Miss Watermelon", and of course, he was "Mr. B".

 

Below is one of many gifts he gave me over the course of the time we spent together that weekend. A Niagara Falls cap. :)  This is our two hats together...of course.

 

Here he is making me a sweet card for me, 

 

and me wearing my new hat.

 

My family gave him this funny hat - here is the two of us together in Gramma Beth's house.

 

The day has so many details, and I would love to go back and recount them all. But here is just a few for you from the weekend. We hung out together and also with my family. We played music and sang together,

 

and just hung out as one big happy family :)

 

 

 

As I mentioned, there were a lot of memories we made that I didn't recount here, but those will just be treasured up in our hearts and remembered always.

 

Michail I love you and may our next 3 plus years only get better and better! Apart from Yeshua, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me!  I love you with all my heart!