Jonathan in Israel
I am sorry this has taking me so long to finally get out to you. But now that we are past all of the technical difficulties it will be much easier for me to stay in contact. I first of all wanted to thank anyone & everyone for all of the prayers & support that i received through my whole YWAM experience. It was a time of reunion, growth, & unexpected trials. I will never forget all that was instilled in me from the past five months of being there. I had no idea what to expect, & thank God that my brother Daniel Griebenow was there to help carry me through it.
I must say though, that every second of my experience was truely amazing. In saying that, it would not have been made possible without your financial support. I got to see first hand of what Tiff meant when she said she would "change the world by loving people". YWAM's teaches you, that to succeed in life, you must love God & love others.
I went there to have a good time, & to mainly be as close to my brother as possible. Well, God had a different plan in store for me, & He decided to turn my world upside down. In doing so, I have walked away from that journey forever changed. The Tiffany Johnson Fund made it possible for me to go on my mission's trip to Israel. Going there i don't think anyone knows what to expect. But as soon as we landed i knew that it would be a life-changing experience, & a hard one to walk away from. Just being in Jerusalem made the bible seem to come to life. It was awesome to be able to have my devotions & quiet times in "The Garden Tomb". We traveled all over the city, to the Mount. of Olives, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the garden of Gesthemene, Golgotha, the wailing wall, the Medeterranian sea, the "old city", etc. I also got the chance to go to Jericho & Bethlehem. I saw the tree where Zachias climbed to see Jesus teach. The very birth place of Jesus, & many more historical sights. Israel is the 'mecca' of all religious groups, & is the center on which we base most of our learnings. It was something that i think everyone needs to see with their own eyes at least once.
So in closing, i just wanted to thank the 'Tiffany Johnson Fund Memorial' once more for the help & support. With that, you all have just started the beggining of God's amazing work at hand in today's youth. This fund will help shape & mold my generation to grow as ambassadors, warriors, & great stewards for the Lord.
With all my love,
Jonathan Griebenow
Posted by: Jonathan Griebenow on 01/09/2009
