Galilee

OUR day trip to the Galilee turned out to be the highlight of our stay here in Israel. The weather was unbelievably mild and very sunny for January. We had the delight of walking through the olive grove, located right across from Mount Tavor (Tabor--the Mount of Transfiguration scene), from which our beautiful golden olive oil is obtained. The view at the very top of the grove provided a breathtanking panaroma of the fertile valleys of the lower Galilee with the Sea of Kinneret (Galilee) shimmering in the distance.

We learned from the owner of the grove that this area, as well as the entire nation of Israel, is experiencing a severe drought. He estimated that the sea is 20 ft below its normal level, which translates into a dramatic water shortage for the irrigation of the olive trees, almond trees, grape vineyards, winter wheat and all other crops grown in that region. As we continued our tour we prayed over the land and asked our Father God to open the windows of heaven and bring the much-needed rain. We would implore everyone who reads this to join with us in praying for the waters to fall from heaven--that He would bless the land with rain.

at the olive grove, inspecting and praying over the olives

All in all, our time here in the Holy Land has been tremendously fruitful and blessed. We leave knowing that God continues to have His hand on this promised land, in times of drought as well as rain, conflict as well as peace. And we are thankful that the fighting in the south has stopped. We commit, as always, the Israeli people and the Palestinian people to God in prayer. May His kingdom come, and His will be done.

Many thanks to those who covered us in prayer during our weeks in Israel. Blessings to you all.

Shalom.

Shalom from Israel

Shalom and greetings from Israel! We made it here a few days ago and have been traveling the land, meeting with our Israeli business associates for olive oil as well as talking with local Jewish people along the way about the current situation here. We have much to share!

When we first arrived we stayed at a convent in a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem called Eim Kerem (the place where John the Baptist was born). Sixteen nuns welcomed us, ten of whom have taken a vow of silence--not a lot of kibitzing! From there we traveled to Israel's southernmost city of Eilat, which is on the northern tip of the Red Sea. Here the weather was warm and sunny, and we took a couple of days to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Then we drove north to Ashkelon, a city north of the Gaza strip and one of two major cities where Hamas rockets have hit repeatedly. (See the map on the blog titled "Gaza"). During a business meeting with Israelis the air raid siren went off signaling incoming rockets from Gaza. We were escourted quickly--within 15 seconds--down to the bomb shelter in the bottom of the building, but before we could get there we heard the rockets explode not too far from us. A bit chilling and definitely sobering. God is faithful to us (todah rabah to Yahweh!) and our group was not hurt in the least. The next day we were having lunch at a restaurant in Ashkelon when once again the sirens wailed. We got up to move somewhere safe, but this time our friends explained that the rockets don't hit that part of town. The residents there have lived with rocket fire from Gaza for years despite the fact that Israeli civilians and military no longer live there. Even though there is currently a cease-fire rockets still sail across the border. The Israelis we spoke with do not believe that there will be peace as long as Hamas is functioning. In their opinion (and ours), it's pure rhetoric. Plain and simple, they are a terrorist organization intent on killing Jews. Having gone through these incidents in Ashkelon makes us so much more aware of the stress that these families go through each and every day with incoming rockets 20-30 times in one day! Please pray for the Israelis who live close to the Gaza border.

We are now back in Jerusalem, where it's been rainy and cold (a typical January day here). Soon we will be heading north to the Galilee region to inspect and pray over the olive groves where we obtain our olive oil. Please pray for us as we continue to travel and meet with Israeli friends and associates--for our protection as well as God's hand on Abba Oil.

Blessings!

Gaza

OF GREAT importance to us at this time is the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip. With rockets sailing east toward Israel and bombs being sent to the west in Gaza, many lives are on the brink of eternity. Already, more than 1,000 souls have been lost.

Gaza is a small area in the southwest part of Israel, boardering the Mediterranean Sea. It's approximately twice the size of Washington, DC, with 1.5 million people living there. The unemployment rate is huge--nearly 50%. Mostly it's an agricultural land, producing olive oil and citrus fruit. Throughout its existence, Gaza has been controlled by Egyptians, Ottomans, Philistines, Jews, Turks, and British entities. Israel took control in 1967. Most recently however, Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but tension between the two peoples has not abated.

Unlike other Palestinian groups that fight against Israel, Hamas has been deemed a terrorist organization. Sadly, the militants of Hamas hide among the civilian population, making the number of casualties much higher than need be. The Gazans, like us, want to live in peace alongside their Jewish neighbors. It is the fundamentalist groups like Hamas that seek to stir up conflict and perpetrate war. They are determined, at cost to their own people, to follow after strife.

To be sure, God loves both the Israelis and Palestinians, and while there may never be love between the two peoples, we are instructed in God's word to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. This means, of course, that we need to pray for the lives of civilians, government officials, and military personnel, whether Israeli or Arabic, Jewish or Muslim. Please join us in lifting up the nation of Israel in prayer, covering God's chosen people. Pray that the leaders of Hamas would be exposed. And for the salvation of souls on both sides of the conflict.

And please pray for us, Rodger and Greer, as will travel to Israel soon for business purposes. We will have photos in the next blog along with current information on what is happening in the Holy Land. Shalom.

Blessings!

Welcome to the Abba Oil blog!

Shalom and Happy New Year 2009!

We, Rodger and Greer, are excited to be starting a blogspot for our customers, friends, and fellow devotees to Israel. On this site we will be posting a variety of information about the company, Israel, other countries impacted by Abba Oil, prayer requests, and more. As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments. May you be blessed by the Holy One this year!

To begin, although the past year offered many financial challenges, God kept His hand on Abba Oil to ensure its prosperity and well-being. He is currently expanding our boundaries in foreign countries, such as Korea as well as ones in Africa. This is our 12th year in the business and we are excited to see where God will take His anointing oil. We are planning a trip to Israel this month, and will post more blogs during that time.

On a personal note, our two youngest daughters were married in the summer of 2007. Bridget and Brandon married in the beautiful mountains of Keystone, Colorado. And Courtney married Doug on the gorgeous island of St. Thomas. Both weddings were spectacular and we are blessed to have 2 new sons-in-law.

Bridget and Brandon

Courtney and Doug

And this past summer we were blessed with the addition of another granddaughter, named Hannah (older sister Madalene is 2), born to Tristan and Tyler.

Hannah Elizabeth

Madalene and Hannah

Above all, God continues to draw us near, giving us wisdom and direction concerning our role in the advancement of His kingdom. Exciting times are ahead, and we are honored to be a part of His plan to bring hope and salvation to a needy world. And we are thankful for the hundreds of lives with whom we have connected over the years, as well as for the ones to come! Shalom.