This month started out by us hosting Hands of Mercy - http://www.israel-handsofmercy.org/ - an organization which provides comfort and support to Israelis injured by terrorists. Yishai spoke on the importance of reaching out to those in need during this hour. We also had T.J. and Erin from Adat Yeshua join us that night. We enjoyed getting to know them better.
Some of us went to Rosh Kodesh this month and discovered that we have now entered into the month of Elul. This is the last month of the Jewish year. Hence this month is a time of preparation, searching our hearts, and repenting so that we can start the new year afresh. They recomended reading three Psalms a day this month. I have been doing this and the Psalms have been coming alive to me in a whole new way. If you get a chance read Psalm 18, be amazed at how God responds to prayer. Also, several of us girls went to Rabbi's house to learn from his wife how to prepare our homes for the High Holy Days coming up (Rosh Hashanah Sept 13-14, Yom Kippur Sept 22 and Sukkot Sept 27-Oct. 3). Starting to live more by the Jewish calendar has really made the Lord become more of an everyday reality.
The Bible studies on Thursday nights are going well. We were delightfully surprised by Beth Moore commenting on how much she loves the lifestyle of the orthodox Jews, as well as how she is envious of the Messanic Jews. It is amazing how the Lord continues to highlight the Jewish influence to us. Paul is still teaching line by line out of Matthew, and he loves preparing and sharing.
This month several people were away for summer vacations, so we have been putting together plans for this next season. We are implementing a corporate worship time together on Sunday evening in order to glorify the Lord of all creation, as well as a powerful act of warfare to complement the strategic intercession on weekdays at the Merriam House of Prayer. We have also been meeting with people individually to discover where they want to serve, as we prepare for a season of growth. It is amazing how the Lord continues to fill most of the areas we are needing help with. We are looking forward to all that God has in store for us during this upcoming harvest season.
On a personal note: Lauren and Harrison celebrated their birthdays this month. Lauren turned 29, and Harrison moved into double digits ... 10. In light of Harrison's milestone, we took him and his friend Braden to 
Great Wolf Lodge, which is a hotel with an indoor waterpark. We had a blast! In the picture, you can see Paul, Harrison and Braden getting soaked by a 1,000 gallon bucket of water. Noah got in the water also - to see pictures you can check out his blog: http://noahcalebblake.blogspot.com/
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