Alyssa Hoffman
Alyssa Hoffman from Alaska
I had a new friend ask me today if I got wrecked while I was in Israel. “It’s okay if you didn’t,” she assured me. I appreciated this. I feel like that’s always the answer we’re supposed to give. That the Holy Spirit manifested and we saw Heaven come down.
We totally did. Just not in the way I thought. Not like I knew what to expect or anything, but I really had to be intentional about looking for it. Like the secrets of the Land wanted to be sought out. Like she wanted to know if you were really serious about finding her, and what it was that Jesus loved about His home so much.
So I sat, and I would wait, looking out over Jerusalem. Jesus began what He referred to as “The Softening” – which was something equivalent to putting my heart in a microwave to get it malleable enough to receive what He was dishing out. That’s when I began to hear it. The sound of the city, Israel, as she sang her own sweet song of unity. I could feel the peace that rode in on the breeze. “I could hardly wait for you to come and be a part of this.”
The rest of the week I searched for opportunity to make sure my heart was in a position to be made soft. That I could see what He was doing, or saying. To see how He felt, or who He was highlighting. It was a really sweet beginning for this new season.
Sanna Tidur Akurstein
Sanna Akurstein from the Faroe Islands
The worship in the convocation was amazing! I loved the worship and the fantastic worship band!
It was SO good to praise God in Jerusalem together with people from all over the world. The presence of God was so near, and you could feel that the people of God were in the same spirit! God filled my spirit in a special way, and I was overwhelmed of this loving presence.
I loved Asher Intrater’s message about going on a higher level. Sometimes there is not a human solution to what is going on, and we get very confused. But in Revelation 4:1 God is asking us to come to a higher level. We have got to get a higher solution over what is going on in our lives!
Asher mentioned 4 steps:
- Step 1— When Yeshua went to Heaven, He took authority over this world with Him.
- Step 2— He gave that exact authority to us.
- Step 3—He invited us up to Heaven to be with Him there.
- Step 4—We have access to Him through the Spirit of God.
Ephesian 2:6 And God raised us up together, and He made us sit together in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Do we really understand this? We are seated with Him in the Heavenly places!! He gave it to us and He invited us to participate with Him.
I have been praying this message over my life, my nation and different circumstances since the convocation. When there are things in my life I do not understand I pray to God for a higher solution – not for a human solutions, but for Godly solutions! God always has a way, even when we do not see any way!
L-R: Jason & Anna Gibbons, Nicola & Christopher Tsoi
Christopher Tsoi from Hong Kong
Upon learning that the Aglow Convocation was going to be in Israel, my mum had a special desire for the whole family to go together. I immediately agreed as I’d always wanted to travel to Israel and step foot in some of the many places where I’d read up about in the Bible.
The opening night of the Convocation was unforgettable as I looked upon hundreds of my fellow brothers and sisters in the Christ gathered from many different nations all in the name of worshipping Jesus Christ. We were given precious insight about the political and spiritual environment of Israel from our speakers, ultimately to better understand the heart of God.
I especially appreciated some of their friends that they introduced who shared about how they are facilitating the spreading of the gospel in the Holy Land in their various capacities. This included a dental ministry, an organization making bags and accessories from up-cycled materials, and a church catering especially to the Arab community.
After the three day Convocation, we were able to visit various sites in Jerusalem, travel up to the Galilee and finish in Tel Aviv. As someone who is fond of maps and geography, the distances travelled between places and the intense heat we experienced has added another level of understanding of the scriptures.
There are many more layers to discover and the ten days spent was just a small taster of this fascinating land. If you haven’t been to Israel, I strongly encourage you to visit and if you have already been, I’m sure you’ll want to go back once again!
From Nicola Tsoi from Hong Kong
"Shalom!" This is the word I heard many times throughout the Convocation in Israel, and yet it's so much more than a greeting of peace. In a sense, me and my family's trip to Israel was supposed to be a time to get away from the chaos of Hong Kong, but truth be told, chaos is found no matter which part of the world you're in.
And yet, what an eye-opening experience it has been! I think what I appreciated most out of this trip is learning how to pray for the current Israel, and knowing that even though there's chaos, we can still find "Shalom" - not only with each other, but peace with God through the blood of Jesus.
Along those lines, the biggest highlight for me would have to be the sharing from Asher Intrater about throwing stones, and doing the prophetic act of casting down the metaphorical stones we hold - stones of accusation, condemnation, and judgement. Instead, we're called to lift people out of their sin because of our love for them, and to pursue personal righteousness in our own lives rather than finding fault in everyone else. This is only possible if we seek and work for the true Shalom, so I'll definitely be putting more of this into practice!
This was my first time in Israel, but it certainly won't be my last! The Bible really comes alive in all the places we visited, and has deepened my understanding of what Israel is and was like. And hopefully, I can bring back and share a piece of Israel with those in Hong Kong - both its amazing history, and its "Shalom"!
Cassiana Tavares
Cassiana Tavares from Portugal
I had a very compelling time with Sarah. (Sarah Catarino was the Aglow president for Portugal for many years and this last year Cassiana has been appointed and serving as their new Aglow president.) As we completed the transition in our ministry I felt the need for further teaching and counseling.
Sarah is very supportive and available but I’m always moving. This was a great opportunity to have really important feedback about this 1st year of work and specific guidelines for other issues. We also had the chance to share and pray, and of course we had fun together.
It was my first time in Israel. I visited Jerusalem. I toured in specific sites and took the time to meditate.
At the wall I felt the need to pray over human trafficking victims. I believe I heard the Lord say that as He heard his people when they were enslaved in Egypt, we should tell the victims that He listens to their voices and that He will deliver them.
At the conference I took the word “come up here” as a life statement and shared it in our conference.
Visiting King of Kings gave us an understanding of prayer and heavenly atmosphere that I still find moving just by recalling it.
Anna Gibbons and Bianca Fuchs
Bianca Fuchs from Germany
Regarding the convocation: I was very moved by the vow that was taken by the Watchmen on the Wall. Standing at this special place overlooking Jerusalem, together with many nations and experiencing the commitment so many have taken was a real encouragement for me.
It has become even more important to me during the last week as we had a man violently attacking the Jewish community in Germany massively.
So for me it has become an even more important task to stand with our brothers and sisters in prayer and speaking up for them. I think being in Jerusalem with all the mighty prayer warriors has set the pace for me.