tag:zemerlevav.org,2005:/blogs/tour-updates"Tour Updates"2021-11-17T12:50:00-05:00Zemer Levavfalsetag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/68046272021-11-17T12:50:00-05:002024-01-01T15:59:51-05:00A Local Concert and More Recording<p>This year we haven't done any concerts till now. I've been focused on my writing, as well as arranging and rehearsing for recording. The end of September we were asked to do a local concert here in Florida for a Sukkot festival, so I decided I'd like to try that and see how well I was able to do physically.</p>
<p>The sound check was extremely difficult as they had no sound engineer on the board. Mark had to do some uncomfortable work arounds to make things happen at all. The monitors were terrible so I couldn't hear myself on stage, only what was coming back to me from the room sound, not optimal! The concert went well though and I did a 45 minute set without getting too dizzy. Mark did have to help me down the steps from the platform. The usual after a concert, but I played and sang well.</p>
<p>Most important, people were blessed and ministered to. I felt the wonderful presence of the Ruach, and the new songs were well recieved. We met some old friends, the Whittens and the Steckbecks, whom we hadn't seen in ages. It was fun catching up!</p>
<p>I sold most of my author copies of my book, The Terra Colony Project: Book 1 The Dreamers. That was an added blessing. We spent the night in a cabin with friends and then took off the next morning for a trip north to visit family. We got to visit all our daughters up the east coast ending in Connecticut with Kerah and her family there.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/21545/0db7a77ca1d9637789af61031448e84bc1867291/original/img-1590.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_left border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>We enjoyed sweet worship with the Congregation there, and got to get some recording done with Kerah. We worked on "Like a Child", a song based on Mathew's telling of Yeshua with the children.</p>
<p>I finished my manuscript for book two of the Terra Colony Project series there. Now, back at home, I'm editing like mad and just found someone to do my cover for me. It will cost this time, but I have a little left in savings to work with.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/21545/5269c59ea83c9f355728d076e7b5840b51d03314/original/img-1680.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpeg" class="size_m justify_right border_none" alt="" /></p>
<p>Pray that the cover is as good as the first book and ties in well with the series look, and that Adonai provides for author copies once I get the editing and cover done.</p>
<p>If you'd like to help, you can give a one time gift to our paypal at zlevavmusic@gmail.com or subscribe monthly on our website. If you do that you'll get access to my personal blog where I share much more than in the newsletters. There are some healthy delicious dessert recipes, the pdf manuscript (not the final edit) of book one, and free music downloads of some of the new songs (not the final version) and much more.</p>
<p>https://zemerlevav.org/subscriber-treasure</p>
<p>Adonai bless and keep you! ~Shimrit</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/67736602021-10-12T13:46:15-04:002024-01-01T15:59:51-05:00No More Touring... But!<p>Shalom All!</p>
<p>All our girls are grown up and 4 of the 5 are married. They've blessed us with five beautiful grandchildren and have settled up and down the East Coast of the country. Mark and I have retired in Florida.</p>
<p>Though we are no longer touring, we are still active in our local church, and minister locally with our music. I've also continued to write new music and we are continuing to record. I've also been writing a faith based speculative fiction/sci-fi series called 'The Terra Colony Project'. Book 1 is 'The Dreamers' and was released October 1st 2020. Book 2 is called 'Flight of the EsCargo' and I'm hoping to have it out by the first of November. Here's a link to book 1 if you are interested in finding out more about it!</p>
<p><strong>Any Comments that contain Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Terra-Colony-Project/dp/B08LNHQ4QF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+dreamers+by+shimrit+hanes&qid=1634060654&sprefix=the+dreamers+by+shi&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/21545/d002eb7e6889c26c4cbe172e3aa0e545fa27bb9b/original/img-0535.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.jpg" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>https://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Terra-Colony-Project/dp/B08LNHQ4QF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+dreamers+by+shimrit+hanes&qid=1634060654&sprefix=the+dreamers+by+shi&sr=8-1</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/50180462018-01-11T02:07:21-05:002023-12-10T11:54:41-05:00Summer Tour of 2017 July - September <p><b>Alabama</b> <b>and</b> <b>Tennessee</b> </p>
<p>This tour was different than past tours, because we took the car with a trailer for our instruments and equipment. My poor car! But, bless Adonai, it held up great. </p>
<p>We started off with a “Home” concert. We love these! They’re always informal and fun. Our hosts were great, providing food and overnight accommodations and we enjoyed getting to know them a little better. </p>
<p>Next we were in Knoxville, TN for a Saturday morning service. I enjoy being part of a service. Every time, it seems that what we share meshes beautifully with the rest of the service. We love Shomair Yisrael, and are always blessed by the congregation. </p>
<p><strong>Kansas and Oklahoma </strong></p>
<p>In Kansas City we stayed with some dear friends, it had been so long since we had seen them we had a lot of “catching up” to do! The concert went well. I was feeling rested and stayed very cognizant and on top of things. This first two weeks of our tour were great! </p>
<p>The following weekend was a bit tougher as we had two concerts and a dance camp. Friday night at our “home” congregation in Wichita, was beautiful. It was so good to see the friends we have missed through the two years we've been away. The “dance camp” I taught Saturday afternoon in Oklahoma City was something I haven't done in awhile. It was so much fun, though by the end of it I was pretty exhausted. I rested in the library on the couch while Mark and some of the guys set up. We ate, did sound check, and it was time to sing my heart out once more. God was so present, and we all came away with a blessing from Adonai. </p>
<p>I was so exhausted, we went right to the hotel and to bed. The next morning we packed up for our trip to Colorado and flight to Alaska the following day. Mark built a heavy cardboard and foam shipping container for my harp and we re-shuffled our baggage to prepare for our flight. </p>
<p><b>Alaska and Colorado</b> </p>
<p>Everything went so smoothly, blessed is Adonai! </p>
<p>From our accommodations in Colorado to storage for our car and trailer, and a ride to the airport in a vehicle large enough to accommodate our luggage, Mark's drums, and my big harp! We are so thankful for Roeh Yisrael and the families who hosted us, and all the coordinating they did that made everything as stress free as possible. </p>
<p>It was such a blessing to bring our music to Anchorage, Alaska! If anything can help people understand their frailty, and look to God as their strength, it’s living in a beautiful but harsh and dangerous environment. The people were humble and sweet, yet strong, purposeful, and tough. We enjoyed working with their music team on a couple of songs that we shared at an Israel Festival which was opened to the public. There was a good turnout, and between us and the worship team, we put on a worship and praise filled concert. We also did a concert for the Messianic congregation and a small Baptist church. </p>
<p> In summer Alaska is gorgeous, green and cool. Winter there has it’s own beauty, and the “northern lights” are something I’d love to experience, but I don’t think I’d flourish in the constant twilight and sub-freezing temperatures of mid-winter! That said, I found the summer daylight that continued till midnight to be disconcerting. Dawn came extra early too (4 am!), so I was getting four hours of sleep a night the whole week we were there. </p>
<p>Besides the wonderful ministry of Adonai, we also got a day to do a little sightseeing. We went to “Cook Inlet” to see if there were any whales. There weren’t, but the scenery was gorgeous. Then we went to an animal preserve, and got to see some of the Alaskan wildlife close up. </p>
<p>By the time we returned to Colorado I was both physically and mentally exhausted. Adonai is faithful, and the ministry went forward. The Lord used the message of His word in the music, to strengthen the weak knees, and lift up the hands that droop. Even as He strengthened me to minister in adversity, He strengthened His people for the road ahead. However on the platform, my weakness was obvious, and the Rabbi expressed his concern to Mark afterward. </p>
<p><b>The Blood Test</b> </p>
<p>After this strenuous week and a half, I was not doing very well. I was having trouble breathing with asthma-like symptoms, was light headed, weak, and had no stamina. At Roeh Israel some brethren were sitting with me at the CD table, I was having a difficult time even holding a conversation. They noticed and suggested that I go to a clinic that did bright field microscopy tests. One of them gave me the money to get the test done. Over the next couple of days I asked for prayer that they would have an opening that week, as we were leaving the area on Friday. </p>
<p>Blessed be His glorious Name, God answered those prayers. Monday morning I called and they happened to have one opening near the end of the week, the next opening was 4 weeks later, and by then we would be long gone. When the drop of blood from my finger was put under the microscope and projected on the wide screen, I gasped. </p>
<p>My blood looked very strange. My platelets were stacked like a stack of plates and stuck together in branching clumps. My plasma wasn’t clean, it was like water from a polluted stream: Uric acid crystals, black clumps, strands of fibrin, mold spores, and a couple different kinds of wriggling parasites! Eeeewwwww! No wonder I felt so awful! </p>
<p>Long story short, I’ve been on a regimen of parasite cleanse, candida cleanse, candida diet, enzymes, and nutritional supplements. I’ve continued in prayer, seeking the Lord for wisdom on where to go from here. I really appreciate your continued prayer support. Your prayers and God’s grace and wisdom will see me through. </p>
<p><b>New Mexico and Texas</b> </p>
<p>We did 4 concerts in Albuquerque and Alamagordo in New Mexico, in both Christian Churches and Messianic Jewish Congregations. We met a very sweet blind couple. The wife Theresa is a gifted poet. She shared one of her poems with me, and also sang one she had turned into a song. They were poignant and beautifully written. I would love to put music to other poems of hers and do a CD of her songs. She was excited about the possibilities and we have continued to stay in touch. </p>
<p>We did three concerts in Texas, interrupted by a flight to, and wonderful week with, my grandkids in North Carolina. I was glad for a slower pace. Mark went home for the week to drop off a milling machine for harp building, and while there prepared Baruch and Adrielle to evacuate our land as Irma was on the way! Praise Adonai, we had a couple of trees down, and some minor damage, but our tiny homes were spared. </p>
<p>When we both returned to Texas, we played in Midland, Dallas, and San Antonio, and Mark got his second of two harp orders. </p>
<p>We had a very eventful tour! Thank you so much for your prayers.</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/16955302016-01-16T11:47:18-05:002022-02-08T06:21:25-05:00Our Open Door In Japan<p>We have an incredible open door to help with an outreach in Japan mid March. I did some research on Japan, her spiritual condition, and how she is progressing after the natural disaster, and the Fukushima Nuclear power plant meltdown. I’ve also included excerpts from some research I’ve done on a probable Israel-Japan connection. </p>
<p>The population of Japan is either 1 to 2 percent Christian. The amount of missionaries in Japan is very small and there is a church for every 35,000. Many areas do not even have a church. Here is a short report from Chris ——— who is heading up this outreach and went on a preliminary fact finding trip there. The glaring need for outreach there is obvious in his report.</p>
<p>I met with ministries from Tokyo and Nagoya Japan. When arriving there I found</p>
<p>everywhere I went ministers were excited that someone would answer the</p>
<p>call to this basically unreached people group. They really are like</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Sheep without a Shepherd.” </p>
<p>YWAM was my host and they showed me the great need with the Tokyo area. </p>
<p>While I was there, 8 people committed suicide by jumping in front of the subway trains.</p>
<p>Depression, high stress, and addictions are tormenting the populace of</p>
<p>Japan. Gambling, porn, manga, and drunkenness are problems, basically anything to</p>
<p>distract them from their desparete need for a Savior. People on the trains</p>
<p>will not talk to any one and not even make eye contact. The subway is</p>
<p>silent and yet people want to talk. Many are searching. I shared the</p>
<p>Gospel with people on the bullet train. One the men I talked with had</p>
<p>never heard of the name Jesus.</p>
<p>When I was in Nagoya, the Pastor took me to a restaurant that had a</p>
<p>nativity scene where different figures bowed before the Manager. </p>
<p>When I ask one of the workers what it was, he just said it was a</p>
<p>Christmas Decoration meant to make you happy. He had no idea who Jesus is.</p>
<p><strong>The Earthquake, Tsunami, and Reactor Meltdown:</strong></p>
<p>It was difficult to find much recent information on Japans recovery as most publications stopped with a six month follow-up, and it has now been 9 months. The hardest hit coastal areas are still struggling to rebuild. It is hard for both companies and individuals to start over after losing everything.</p>
<p><span>Six months after: </span>Some 20,000 people were dead or missing. More than 800,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed. The disaster crippled businesses, roads and infrastructure. The Japanese Red Cross Society has estimated that 400,000 people were displaced, and over 125,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. All of this over 18 prefectures (similar to counties in the USA).</p>
<p>Unemployment benefits will end soon for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. These benefits have already been extended twice, and the Japanese government is concerned that extending them again may reduce incentive for the welfare recipients to look for work. The loss of these benefits could have a serious impact on people in badly damaged coastal areas, where reconstruction efforts have been delayed (You can’t fish without a boat, can’t be a waitress when there’s no restaurant, or do business with no building). Many survivors of the disaster have been relying on unemployment benefits as their main source of income.</p>
<p>Right after the tsunami Several weeks later as debris was removed Six months later, debris is clear but rebuilding is minimal</p>
<p><span>.</span><img src="webkit-fake-url://77713CE6-B29C-4197-8261-52C4CDA11915/Pasted%20Graphic.tiff" class="size_orig justify_top border_" alt="Pasted Graphic.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://77713CE6-B29C-4197-8261-52C4CDA11915/Pasted%20Graphic%201.tiff" class="size_orig justify_bottom border_" alt="Pasted Graphic 1.tiff" /></p>
<p>________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p>The meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants I and II is the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. The plants were declared stable by Japanese authorities on December 16th last month. It will be decades before the area around the plants will be decontaminated and the plants themselves be completely decommissioned. A 12 mile area around the I plant and 6 1/2 mile area around II were evacuated, and are still contaminated. <span>As of July 2011 traces of radioactive material have been detected in a range of produce, including spinach, tea leaves, milk, fish and beef, up to 200 miles from the nuclear plant. Inside the 12-mile evacuation zone around the plant, all farming has been abandoned.</span></p>
<p><strong>Our own family connection with Japan:</strong></p>
<p>Mark’s grandfather immigrated from Japan to the United States. He worked in a coal mine and saved up to send to Japan for a wife. He was trained in cultural dance with Samurai swords. Mark is third generation Japanese American, and that is why our daughters have a bit of an Asian look. Our last Israel trip we were in Netanyah worshipping with a congregation there. It happened to be a Shabbat when the leader of their sister Messianic Congregation in Japan was visiting with his son and a couple of elders. Mark was able to meet them, though their time was very limited. There is a small Messianic Movement in Japan, we don’t know how many congregations there may be, but we would like to visit them if possible.</p>
<p><strong>Our Needs For The Trip:</strong></p>
<p>We will need airfare for each of us, around 1,000 dollars apiece. Ground expenses for two weeks: Living and food expenses 350 dollars each (we’ll be living in the YWAM compound). Transportation about 190 dollars each. Approximately 130 dollars each for odd expenses. This totals to 8,350 dollars for the trip.</p>
<p>If you want to partner with us for this outreach please go to <a href="http://zemerlevav.org/giving">http://zemerlevav.org/giving</a> to donate. We will be updating on our website blog, and through news flashes as things progress. If you are not on our news list and want to be in touch go to <a href="http://zemerlevav.org/">http://zemerlevav.org/</a> and sign up on our home page.</p>
<p><strong>For our Messianic bretheren, some fascinating excerpts from some research I’ve been doing on an Israel/Japan connection in ancient history.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Below is an excerpt from an article by an Orthodox Rabbi:</strong></p>
<p>While there is no explicit mention in our sources of the Tribes reaching Japan, the Japanese/Shinto tradition seems to have some remarkable similarities with Judaism.</p>
<p>For one, a certain Japanese mythology closely resembles the Biblical chronology: The Patriarch of the Japanese nation comes down from heaven, replacing another, while that other is making preparations.<em>[Jacob received the birthright instead of Esau, and the blessing while Esau was preparing food.]</em> The Patriarch falls in love with a beautiful woman but her father refuses unless he marries her older, less desirable sister. <em>[Lavan prevented Jacob from marrying Rachel until he married Leah first.] </em>The Patriarch and his desired wife have a son who is bullied by his older brother and forced to the country of a sea god.<em> [Jacob and Rachel had Joseph who is sold by his older brothers to Egypt on the Nile.]</em> There, he attains power with which he troubles his older brother concerning famine, but eventually forgives him.<em>[Joseph rose to power and tried his brothers regarding the famine until he forgave them.]</em> In the meantime, the Patriarch marries the daughter of the sea god, having a son whose 4th son conquers Japan.<em>[Joseph married Osnat, daughter of Potifar, and had Ephraim, whose 4th son Joshua conquered Cannan.]</em></p>
<p>Also, the Shinto festival of <em>Ontohsai</em> resembles the Sacrifice of Isaac. In the Biblical event, Abraham leads his son up Mount Moria and binds him as a sacrifice on a wooden altar. While the knife is in Abrahams hand, an angel intervenes and instructs him to offer a ram in Isaacs stead. Similarly, in the Shinto festival, a boy is led to the top of a mountain called Moriya-san. He is tied to a wooden beam on a bamboo carpet as a priest symbolically approaches with a knife. Then a messenger appears, the boy is released and a sacrifice provided by the god of moriya is offered in his stead.</p>
<p>Furthermore, a Shinto shrine resembles the ancient Jewish Temple. The entrance to the shrine is in the East while the shrine is in the West. There is a laver near the entrance for washing hands and feet. The shrine is comprised of a courtyard, an inner holy section, and an innermost holy of holies. The holy of holies is elevated above the holy section by stairs. Worshipers pray in front of the inner holy section, but only the priest can enter the holy of holies, and only at special times.</p>
<p>A Japanese <em>Omikoshi</em>, resembles the Ark of Covenant. It is similar in size, overlain with gold, with gold winged figures on top. It is carried on the shoulders with poles, while accompanied with song and dance. The carriers must immerse themselves beforehand, and a special ceremony whereby the bearers carry the ark through a river is reminiscent of the Biblical description of the Jews carrying the ark through the Jordan river on their way into Israel.</p>
<p>There are other similarities as well. The Japanese Shinto priests robe often has cords hanging from its corners, resembling Jewish <em>tzitzit</em>. Also, a certain type of Shinto priest called a <em>yamabushi</em> wears whats called a <em>token</em>, a small black box on the forehead between the eyes, tied with a black cord behind the head. This closely resembles Jewish<em>tefillin.</em> Interestingly, a Shinto legend tells of a ninja who sought a certain <em>yamabushi</em> named Tengu in order to receive supernatural powers. Tengu gave him a <em>tora-no-maki</em>, a scroll of the torah, which gave him special powers. Also, <em>mizura</em>, an old Samurai hairstyle resembles Jewish side locks. A statue of a Japanese Samurai dating from the 5th century shows long, curly locks of hair in front of the ears.</p>
<p>(His source was cited as: <em>Arimasa Kubo, The Israelites Came To Ancient Japan)</em></p>
<p><strong>Here is an excerpt from a fascinating article on<a href="http://www.nova.com">www.nova.com</a></strong></p>
<p><em>Daber</em>: in Hebrew, to speak.</p>
<p><em>Daberu</em>: Japanese for chatting.</p>
<p><em>Goi</em>: non-Hebrews for foreigners.</p>
<p><em>Gai’Jeen</em>: prefix for a foreigner, a non-Japanese.</p>
<p><em>Kor</em>: cold in Hebrew.</p>
<p><em>Koru</em>: to freeze in Japanese.</p>
<p><em>Knesset</em>: Parliament in Hebrew.</p>
<p><em>Kensei</em>: Constitutional government in Japanese.</p>
<p>These are among the thousands of words and names of places with no real etymological meaning in Japanese. And they all correspond with Hebrew words. Even the Kings have similar names. The first known king of Japan, who was named Osee, ruled around 730 BC. This king has been identified with the last king of Israel, Hoshea, who died around the same time, at the time of the Assyrian exile of the ten tribes from Israel. The holy Japanese shinto temple strongly recalls the ancient holy Isrealite temple, which housed a holy of holies section and several gates. Several artifacts in Japan have been traced to Assyrian and Jewish sources, among them, a well in Koryugi with the words “well of Israel” inscribed on its side.</p>
<p>It has also been suggested that the carts of Otsu and Kyoto are of ancient biblical origin, as they are different from any others in Japan. Might the ancient Israelites and their wives and children have been conveyed to Japan in these carts? Among the Samurai sect, there is a tradition that their ancient ancestors came to Japan from western Asia around 660 BC.The name ‘Samurai’ recalls ‘Samaria’. And to which tribe do the Japanese belong? There are those who claim that the Mikado, the Japanese emperor, is a descendant of the Hebrew tribe of Gad. ‘Mikado’ recalls the Hebrew word for ‘his majesty the king,’ ‘Malchuto’. </p>
<p><strong>Any Comments that contain Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1719482012-05-23T20:00:00-04:002023-12-10T12:29:53-05:00What Happened in Nashville<p> We had four concerts in this general area, in Nashville, Murfreesboro, and Franklin. They all went well, and as usual we met wonderful people, got to see old friends that live in the area, and had times of hard work interspursed with relax and chill time. It's been so nice to have Andre' helping with set-up and sound check. Things go so much faster!<br><br>One new thing happened here, and it's something I'm fairly excited about. We finally made a music video! It was Andre's first one, and we think he did an amazing job! It was a learning experience for all of us, and he has gained much knowledge from the experience that will help him on future projects. We'd like to make two more before he and Kerah leave us.<br><br>Yes, they are leaving in October, and it's hard to even imagine the group without Kerah! Natanyah is coming up beautifully though and I've been working with her vocally and musically. She has her own style and her voice blends beautifully with mine and vice versa. I'm enjoying working with her, she is very open to learning new things, and I am excited watching her grow and come into her own.<br><br>Enjoy the new music video on our <a href="./videos.cfm">video page</a>, or go to youtube and view it full screen, and my first blog post on my new blog <a href="./shimritsstuff.cfm">Shimrit's Stuff</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Any Comments containing Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1460542012-03-07T16:00:00-05:002021-12-24T10:27:20-05:00Please Pray With Us! Shalom All!<br>
When we began planning the Japan trip, we knew that we had a very short time to raise the needed funds. We are not good at “fundraising”. We really don’t like asking for money, and feel that it’s up to the Lord to move where He will and bring in the funds. We had a pressing need for new tires on the RV, and still owed our producer/recording engineer 4,000 dollars for his work on the new album, so we felt that it wasn’t right to go anywhere with funds that should be used to keep us safe and rolling (tires) or paying our debts.<br><br>
We decided that if God wanted us to go, that He would provide enough to get tires, pay our producer, and to pay airfare and ground costs for the trip. Miraculously, within a week of our prayer, someone gave a gift specifically for the tires 2,000 dollars! Then we had a really good weekend and sold so many CDs that we had 1,000 dollars to begin getting the producer paid. We were very encouraged and so I let people know through all our media channels that we were going to Japan! We began preparing as though we were going to go, and communicated with the team leader exactly what was happening.<br><br>
Other amazing things have happened. We thought that it would be a good thing to go to South Korea while we were so close. We have a real love for that country as every time we go to Israel we see a group of Korean young people on Ben Yehuda Street singing praises to God! I shared our desire in Oklahoma City at Kehilat Rosh Pina, and a youth group leader from a church in South Korea just happened to be there visiting a friend! She has connections to several pastors and is now putting together concerts for us there! Every time we have doubted, God has done something to encourage us.<br><br>
Now, we have new tires and by tomorrow will have our producer paid. God has brought in all but the last 1,800 dollars. We need to buy our tickets this week. After all the miraculous things He has done we know that God will come through. Please pray with us for anything that may be holding back the last bit, whether there is something we have missed or neglected, or the adversary is binding something up somewhere.<br><br>
Thank you so much! We will write to you from Asia! ~Shimrit<br><br>
P.S. If you would like to have a share in this adventure, you can give a gift on our <a href="./giving.cfm">"Giving"</a> page.<br><br type="_moz">Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1460602012-01-19T13:13:56-05:002023-12-28T15:14:43-05:00Our Open Door In Japan<p>We have an incredible open door to help with an outreach in Japan mid March. I did some research on Japan, her spiritual condition, and how she is progressing after the natural disaster, and the Fukushima Nuclear power plant meltdown. I’ve also included excerpts from some research I’ve done on a probable Israel-Japan connection.</p>
<p>The population of Japan is either 1 to 2 percent Christian. The amount of missionaries in Japan is very small and there is a church for every 35,000. Many areas do not even have a church. Here is a short report from Chris ——— who is heading up this outreach and went on a preliminary fact finding trip there. The glaring need for outreach there is obvious in his report.</p>
<p>I met with ministries from Tokyo and Nagoya Japan. When arriving there I found</p>
<p>everywhere I went ministers were excited that someone would answer the</p>
<p>call to this basically unreached people group. They really are like</p>
<p>Jesus said, “Sheep without a Shepherd.”</p>
<p>YWAM was my host and they showed me the great need with the Tokyo area.</p>
<p>While I was there, 8 people committed suicide by jumping in front of the subway trains.</p>
<p>Depression, high stress, and addictions are tormenting the populace of</p>
<p>Japan. Gambling, porn, manga, and drunkenness are problems, basically anything to</p>
<p>distract them from their desparete need for a Savior. People on the trains</p>
<p>will not talk to any one and not even make eye contact. The subway is</p>
<p>silent and yet people want to talk. Many are searching. I shared the</p>
<p>Gospel with people on the bullet train. One the men I talked with had</p>
<p>never heard of the name Jesus.</p>
<p>When I was in Nagoya, the Pastor took me to a restaurant that had a</p>
<p>nativity scene where different figures bowed before the Manager.</p>
<p>When I ask one of the workers what it was, he just said it was a</p>
<p>Christmas Decoration meant to make you happy. He had no idea who Jesus is.</p>
<p><strong>The Earthquake, Tsunami, and Reactor Meltdown:</strong></p>
<p>It was difficult to find much recent information on Japans recovery as most publications stopped with a six month follow-up, and it has now been 9 months. The hardest hit coastal areas are still struggling to rebuild. It is hard for both companies and individuals to start over after losing everything.</p>
<p><span>Six months after: </span>Some 20,000 people were dead or missing. More than 800,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed. The disaster crippled businesses, roads and infrastructure. The Japanese Red Cross Society has estimated that 400,000 people were displaced, and over 125,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. All of this over 18 prefectures (similar to counties in the USA).</p>
<p>Unemployment benefits will end soon for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. These benefits have already been extended twice, and the Japanese government is concerned that extending them again may reduce incentive for the welfare recipients to look for work. The loss of these benefits could have a serious impact on people in badly damaged coastal areas, where reconstruction efforts have been delayed (You can’t fish without a boat, can’t be a waitress when there’s no restaurant, or do business with no building). Many survivors of the disaster have been relying on unemployment benefits as their main source of income.</p>
<p>Right after the tsunami Several weeks later as debris was removed Six months later, debris is clear but rebuilding is minimal</p>
<p><span>.</span><img src="webkit-fake-url://77713CE6-B29C-4197-8261-52C4CDA11915/Pasted%20Graphic.tiff" class="size_orig justify_top border_" alt="Pasted Graphic.tiff" /><img src="webkit-fake-url://77713CE6-B29C-4197-8261-52C4CDA11915/Pasted%20Graphic%201.tiff" class="size_orig justify_bottom border_" alt="Pasted Graphic 1.tiff" /></p>
<p>________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p>The meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants I and II is the largest nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. The plants were declared stable by Japanese authorities on December 16th last month. It will be decades before the area around the plants will be decontaminated and the plants themselves be completely decommissioned. A 12 mile area around the I plant and 6 1/2 mile area around II were evacuated, and are still contaminated. <span>As of July 2011 traces of radioactive material have been detected in a range of produce, including spinach, tea leaves, milk, fish and beef, up to 200 miles from the nuclear plant. Inside the 12-mile evacuation zone around the plant, all farming has been abandoned.</span></p>
<p><strong>Our own family connection with Japan:</strong></p>
<p>Mark’s grandfather immigrated from Japan to the United States. He worked in a coal mine and saved up to send to Japan for a wife. He was trained in cultural dance with Samurai swords. Mark is third generation Japanese American, and that is why our daughters have a bit of an Asian look. Our last Israel trip we were in Netanyah worshipping with a congregation there. It happened to be a Shabbat when the leader of their sister Messianic Congregation in Japan was visiting with his son and a couple of elders. Mark was able to meet them, though their time was very limited. There is a small Messianic Movement in Japan, we don’t know how many congregations there may be, but we would like to visit them if possible.</p>
<p><strong>Our Needs For The Trip:</strong></p>
<p>We will need airfare for each of us, around 1,000 dollars apiece. Ground expenses for two weeks: Living and food expenses 350 dollars each (we’ll be living in the YWAM compound). Transportation about 190 dollars each. Approximately 130 dollars each for odd expenses. This totals to 8,350 dollars for the trip.</p>
<p>If you want to partner with us for this outreach please go to <a href="http://zemerlevav.org/giving">http://zemerlevav.org/giving</a> to donate. We will be updating on our website blog, and through news flashes as things progress. If you are not on our news list and want to be in touch go to <a href="http://zemerlevav.org/">http://zemerlevav.org/</a> and sign up on our home page.</p>
<p><strong>For our Messianic bretheren, some fascinating excerpts from some research I’ve been doing on an Israel/Japan connection in ancient history.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Below is an excerpt from an article by an Orthodox Rabbi:</strong></p>
<p>While there is no explicit mention in our sources of the Tribes reaching Japan, the Japanese/Shinto tradition seems to have some remarkable similarities with Judaism.</p>
<p>For one, a certain Japanese mythology closely resembles the Biblical chronology: The Patriarch of the Japanese nation comes down from heaven, replacing another, while that other is making preparations.<em>[Jacob received the birthright instead of Esau, and the blessing while Esau was preparing food.]</em> The Patriarch falls in love with a beautiful woman but her father refuses unless he marries her older, less desirable sister. <em>[Lavan prevented Jacob from marrying Rachel until he married Leah first.] </em>The Patriarch and his desired wife have a son who is bullied by his older brother and forced to the country of a sea god.<em> [Jacob and Rachel had Joseph who is sold by his older brothers to Egypt on the Nile.]</em> There, he attains power with which he troubles his older brother concerning famine, but eventually forgives him.<em>[Joseph rose to power and tried his brothers regarding the famine until he forgave them.]</em> In the meantime, the Patriarch marries the daughter of the sea god, having a son whose 4th son conquers Japan.<em>[Joseph married Osnat, daughter of Potifar, and had Ephraim, whose 4th son Joshua conquered Cannan.]</em></p>
<p>Also, the Shinto festival of <em>Ontohsai</em> resembles the Sacrifice of Isaac. In the Biblical event, Abraham leads his son up Mount Moria and binds him as a sacrifice on a wooden altar. While the knife is in Abrahams hand, an angel intervenes and instructs him to offer a ram in Isaacs stead. Similarly, in the Shinto festival, a boy is led to the top of a mountain called Moriya-san. He is tied to a wooden beam on a bamboo carpet as a priest symbolically approaches with a knife. Then a messenger appears, the boy is released and a sacrifice provided by the god of moriya is offered in his stead.</p>
<p>Furthermore, a Shinto shrine resembles the ancient Jewish Temple. The entrance to the shrine is in the East while the shrine is in the West. There is a laver near the entrance for washing hands and feet. The shrine is comprised of a courtyard, an inner holy section, and an innermost holy of holies. The holy of holies is elevated above the holy section by stairs. Worshipers pray in front of the inner holy section, but only the priest can enter the holy of holies, and only at special times.</p>
<p>A Japanese <em>Omikoshi</em>, resembles the Ark of Covenant. It is similar in size, overlain with gold, with gold winged figures on top. It is carried on the shoulders with poles, while accompanied with song and dance. The carriers must immerse themselves beforehand, and a special ceremony whereby the bearers carry the ark through a river is reminiscent of the Biblical description of the Jews carrying the ark through the Jordan river on their way into Israel.</p>
<p>There are other similarities as well. The Japanese Shinto priests robe often has cords hanging from its corners, resembling Jewish <em>tzitzit</em>. Also, a certain type of Shinto priest called a <em>yamabushi</em> wears whats called a <em>token</em>, a small black box on the forehead between the eyes, tied with a black cord behind the head. This closely resembles Jewish<em>tefillin.</em> Interestingly, a Shinto legend tells of a ninja who sought a certain <em>yamabushi</em> named Tengu in order to receive supernatural powers. Tengu gave him a <em>tora-no-maki</em>, a scroll of the torah, which gave him special powers. Also, <em>mizura</em>, an old Samurai hairstyle resembles Jewish side locks. A statue of a Japanese Samurai dating from the 5th century shows long, curly locks of hair in front of the ears.</p>
<p>(His source was cited as: <em>Arimasa Kubo, The Israelites Came To Ancient Japan)</em></p>
<p><strong>Here is an excerpt from a fascinating article on<a href="http://www.nova.com">www.nova.com</a></strong></p>
<p><em>Daber</em>: in Hebrew, to speak.</p>
<p><em>Daberu</em>: Japanese for chatting.</p>
<p><em>Goi</em>: non-Hebrews for foreigners.</p>
<p><em>Gai’Jeen</em>: prefix for a foreigner, a non-Japanese.</p>
<p><em>Kor</em>: cold in Hebrew.</p>
<p><em>Koru</em>: to freeze in Japanese.</p>
<p><em>Knesset</em>: Parliament in Hebrew.</p>
<p><em>Kensei</em>: Constitutional government in Japanese.</p>
<p>These are among the thousands of words and names of places with no real etymological meaning in Japanese. And they all correspond with Hebrew words. Even the Kings have similar names. The first known king of Japan, who was named Osee, ruled around 730 BC. This king has been identified with the last king of Israel, Hoshea, who died around the same time, at the time of the Assyrian exile of the ten tribes from Israel. The holy Japanese shinto temple strongly recalls the ancient holy Isrealite temple, which housed a holy of holies section and several gates. Several artifacts in Japan have been traced to Assyrian and Jewish sources, among them, a well in Koryugi with the words “well of Israel” inscribed on its side.</p>
<p>It has also been suggested that the carts of Otsu and Kyoto are of ancient biblical origin, as they are different from any others in Japan. Might the ancient Israelites and their wives and children have been conveyed to Japan in these carts? Among the Samurai sect, there is a tradition that their ancient ancestors came to Japan from western Asia around 660 BC.The name ‘Samurai’ recalls ‘Samaria’. And to which tribe do the Japanese belong? There are those who claim that the Mikado, the Japanese emperor, is a descendant of the Hebrew tribe of Gad. ‘Mikado’ recalls the Hebrew word for ‘his majesty the king,’ ‘Malchuto’.</p>
<p><strong>Any Comments with Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1289892011-12-16T11:22:59-05:002023-12-10T13:04:15-05:00Texas is a blessing!<p>We’re enjoying our time in Texas! We had a busy 4 concert weekend in the Dallas area on the first weekend, visited family and friends (hi y’all!) and then did two concerts in Houston. We camped mid-week at Matagorda and did some fishing. Now we’re in San Antonio getting ready to do set-up and sound check! We have a three concert weekend this weekend (Hooray for busy!) and then a tv station, and Chanukah concert in El Paso. Happy Holidays, Chag Sameyach, to everyone!</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1289302011-08-03T15:44:28-04:002021-10-12T14:02:33-04:00The pics are grainy, ‘cause the lighting was poor....<p><img src="//31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdoq6Vxaw1r12083o1_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br>The ring!<br><br><img src="//25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdoq6Vxaw1r12083o2_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br>The happy couple<br><br><img src="//31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdoq6Vxaw1r12083o4_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br>Kerah and Andre'<br><br><img src="//25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdoq6Vxaw1r12083o3_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br>Kerah examines the ring<br><br><img src="//24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdoq6Vxaw1r12083o5_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br>The Oliveras rejoice with us!</p>
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<p>The pics are grainy, ‘cause the lighting was poor. There’s no picture of the happy parents, ‘cause I was too busy taking pictures to remember to have someone get a shot of us! Everyone looks tired, ‘cause it was so late.</p>
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<p>It was none the less, a wonderful time!</p>
<p><strong>Any Comments with Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1077402011-08-03T13:58:12-04:002023-12-10T11:57:53-05:00Just two weeks ago, while we were in Road Island, Adrielle and...<p><img src="//25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdjt0SK521r12083o1_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /></p>
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<p>Just two weeks ago, while we were in Road Island, Adrielle and Baruch came out to visit with us and the family we were staying with. While we were there Baruch proposed to her, by offering a cup of wine, which she accepted! We all toasted the happy couple with much rejoicing!</p>
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<p> </p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/1077412011-08-02T20:00:00-04:002023-12-10T11:57:17-05:00The pics are grainy, ‘cause the lighting was poor....<img src="//30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdm5cJx8K1r12083o1_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> The ring!<br><br><img src="//29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdm5cJx8K1r12083o8_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> The happy couple.<br><br><img src="//28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdm5cJx8K1r12083o9_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> Kerah and Andre'<br><br><img src="//28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdm5cJx8K1r12083o10_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> Kerah studies the ring<br><br><img src="//24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpdm5cJx8K1r12083o11_500.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" /><br> The Oliveiras rejoice with us!<br><br><p>The pics are grainy, ‘cause the lighting was poor. There’s no picture of the happy parents, ‘cause I was too busy taking pictures to remember to have someone get a shot of us! Everyone looks tired, ‘cause it was so late.</p>
<p>It was none the less, a wonderful time!</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/988662011-05-03T13:00:00-04:002022-04-05T03:58:41-04:00Adventure of the "Mucky Muck" and Police<p> Hi Everyone,<br>We’ve had another adventure. Here's the whole mucky story!<br>We got badly stuck in the mud on the other side of the building the night before. Three different trucks tried to pull us out, finally the third one succeeded. We have photos on my Shimrit Hanes FaceBook page. Kerah also sprained her ankle that evening as we were off-loading. One of the men in the cong. was supposed to come at 11:30 and help Mark repair the mud trenches that were caused by our wheels, but Mark waited till about 2:30 and the guy didn't show up. We had no shovel so Mark couldn't do anything without the proper tools.<br><br>He finally went to the Ace hardware across the street, and they did have what we needed, a camp/backpackers shovel that folded so that we could store it (we have no room for a full size shovel.) He was in the process of digging on the other side of the building when the police knocked on our door. It was a bit embarrassing, and took about two hours of Marks time that he needed to dig our leveling block out 3 feet of mud, and try to fill in the trenches with his little camping shovel!<br><br>We ended up with the whole police force (all 2 of them), a city inspector and God only knows who else, standing around looking at the mud, burnt rubber, and scratches on the sidewalk "inspecting the damage", and talking to Mark about the city ordinances he was breaking, and was he going to repair the damage he caused; as he was trying to work. Bless God for Mark's patience! I would've fed them some ripe angst! That's small town life for ya!</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/853192010-09-24T10:30:00-04:002022-03-27T13:51:49-04:00Full Speed Ahead and "Tight Spots"<p> Hey there all! We are in Montgomery, AL taking a day to catch up on all things business, and part of that for me is updating our blogs. We had a great concert last night and considering how exhausted I was it went very smoothly. I’ve been having a difficult time getting to sleep at night, which is an ongoing problem.<br><br>We have a full schedule ahead as you can see by our calendar, and it’s continuing to fill up, which we are thankful for! We are heading for Virginia and the Carolinas for Sukkot week, and then will be moving west through Kansas and Arizona to California. I’m praying that some congregations can work out week-night concerts as we won’t have many weekends in any one state! It’s been too long since we’ve been to California and we need to make the trip!<br><br>Wow, time flies when you're having fun! We're in Virginia now, at a Sukkot Festival (Celebrating the "Feast of Tabernacles"). We didn't have much internet access so the posting of this blog entry was slightly delayed. The girls are at the retreat center and we are at a campground a few miles away. The retreat center is down a winding narrow gravel road with low branches and we couldn't get the RV there, so they got a camp spot for us as close as possible. We're bringing in our first carload of instruments today, and we'll transport the bigger things tomorrow in time for set-up and sound check.<br> </p>
<p><strong>Comments with Links will be Deleted!</strong></p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/824982010-08-05T20:35:29-04:002022-05-31T05:50:33-04:00Changes, and Vacation ends with a Bang! Well you might have noticed if you've been to this blog page before, that there are fewer blogs! That’s because I felt it was confusing to have the Album up-dates and the “On The Road” stories and updates on the same page so I separated them. Sadly, by doing so I lost every ones comments. But I think you’ll agree that separating them was a good idea. I’m beginning to link pages together to make it faster and easier to maneuver around the site. For example, I’ve linked the picture of the album on the home page to the “Discography” page where people can listen to more of the music, and click links to order albums.<br>
I’ve been very busy with the website this last few days! I’ve added two new pages as well, Under “Giving” there is now a page titled “Album Project”. It’s basically a store, where you can give a donation to help us raise the funds we need to finish the new album. Then there is the new page under “Blogs” called “New Album Updates”. This page will also feature each week or two, song lyrics of a song from the new album, with an explanation of how the song came to be written, and what it means to me (or Kerah).<br>
Tour-wise, we have ended our vacation, and done our first concert in Long Island at Beth Emanuel in Holbrook, New York, and wow did we have adventures getting there!<br>
We were driving from Philly, and our usual complaint about the highways in the northeast was our constant companion. We were bouncing down the highway in the RV. As Mark opines “We’re paying for this?” Next thing I new Mark was shouting for me to come up to the front, and he was holding the cabinet over his head. “Hold this up for me so I can find a place to pull over!” He shouted.<br>
The left side of the cabinet that hangs just below the ceiling and over the driver’s seat had let loose from it’s moorings on his side and he was struggling to hold it up so that it would not fall down in front of the windshield, blocking his vision.<br>
Natanyah and I road-surfed holding the heavy oak cabinet up and emptying it’s contents to lighten it, as he looked desperately for a spot to pull over. He found one (Blessed be the Lord) and we got safely over. “What in the world can we use to prop this thing up?” Mark asked searching our rolling ship from end to end. “How about the shower curtain rod?” I asked. “Yes, perfect!” Mark answered as I shook off the curtain and couple of items, which had been hung there to dry. Mark used the rod in the corner by his seat to prop up the cabinet and we continued our trip.<br>
As we approached the George Washington Bridge the traffic came to a standstill. We crept along every few minutes and it was getting later and later! We were in constant contact with the Rabbi, and finally found out that Chelsae Clinton was getting married that day and that’s why the Saturday traffic was so bad. All together it took us seven hours to drive from Philly to Holbrook!<br>
We rolled in at 8:00 pm and everyone was still there, waiting for us to arrive. Many hands carried in our gear and helped us to set-up, in record time. We began our concert at 9:00. It was Natanyah’s first time singing with us. It was our first time Playing without Kerah! It was a great blessing, everything went very well.<br>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/784112010-06-03T14:00:00-04:002022-06-01T21:11:18-04:00Back in Florida!<p> We're in Florida visiting Joseph, Shalisha and babies. They are so sweet! Rinah is almost two now and little Yossi is 3 months old. It is so good to see them. Shalisha is very tired, I hope that we can help her so that she can get more sleep!<br><br><img src="//content.bandzoogle.com/users/zemerlevav/images/content/Yossihat-300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_left border_" alt="Yossi 3 months old" height="225" width="300" /><br><img src="//content.bandzoogle.com/users/zemerlevav/images/content/ShaRinah5.10-300.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="Rinah with Shalisha" height="225" width="300" /><br><br>We have a concert at Shoresh David in Tampa on Tuesday night next week, and we're all looking forward to that. Then we play a Baptist Messianic Conference in Orlando, isn't that interesting? Then we will be driving the long haul up to Utica, NY for our two weeks of recording! I can't believe it is so soon!</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/728032010-05-04T22:00:00-04:002021-11-10T12:33:39-05:00New Mexico<p> New Mexico is always a blessing! It was so nice to be warm for a change! We did do a concert in Durango, Colorado before coming down. We haven't played there in a long time. It was a new venue, but we did see some old friends.<br><br>We stayed at the San Juan winery in New Mexico for a few days, It was amazing, beautiful, and the wines were marvelous! We bought two bottles which should last a good long time as we only drink it occasionally, and on Shabbat. It is a family owned and operated business, and we had to meet some of them out in the vineyard to say goodbye. Check the albums below for pictures.<br><br>We played at a Son Broadcasting in Santa Fe in an hour televised special. Check back for videos, as we got a DVD before we left.<br><br>We also played at Adat Yeshua, Calvary Chapel East, and Olive Tree Fellowship in Albuquerque. Then we headed south for Calvary Chapel Ruidoso, and our photo shoot with Jeffery Worthington. Check back for new photos, as we will update the website soon with the new pics.</p>Zemer Levavtag:zemerlevav.org,2005:Post/550622009-11-29T08:35:00-05:002022-03-20T12:20:19-04:00A wonderful day - A morning headache (Sun. Nov. 29th)<div style="text-align: justify;">Not sure when this website will actually be up. I'm hoping for Chanukah, and if that's the case, Happy Chanukah everyone!<br><br>We had two concerts yesterday, and the worship was beautiful. We were at Shomair Yisrael in the morning, and The Vineyard in the evening. Both times the set up and sound check went very smoothly, often we are vexed by what we call "gremlins" in the system, things that won't work and none of us can figure out why. These things add stress, and waste time, but this time there were no problems.<br><br>At Shomair Yisrael there were several visitors with family for Thanksgiving, and a couple of new people who had decided to drop in that morning. We always pray beforehand that the Lord will draw the people that He wants to minister to, and it's always so exciting when people approach us afterwards and say," I just got up this morning and decided to come and I'm so glad I did, because God spoke to me (or gave me a breakthrough, healing, etc.) through your music." We had this sort of a testimony this morning.<br><br>At the Vineyard the praise team came up as we did some instrumental music for a time of prayer, and we spent more time in worship. They prayed for us and the Lord gave me a word through a person there that I had really been needing to hear, it gave me such comfort. After we packed up and hauled out we went as a family to Applebees and had a nice meal. Then we went back to the hotel and got a good night's sleep.<br><br>This morning I woke up with a sinus headache from the dry air in the hotel room. I splashed water on my face, and sprayed my face with Zia sea tonic rosewater and aloe toner. It smells so good, I call it "Giving my face a drink", and it relieved the pain so I could lay back down to get some more rest. That didn't last long! In just a short time my sinuses started burning again, so I got up went through the routine again and went to see what the girls were up to. They were relaxing and watching "Myth Busters" so I snuggled with Natanyah and watched them break a glass with a human voice, and try to turn a shop vac into a mini jet engine (that was a bust!)<br><br>It was a blessed weekend. Now we're on our way to Florida for some beach camping (If you have to live full time in an RV you might as well park it somewhere beautiful!) to get some R & R. Then we have a concert in Thomasville, GA before we go to spend Chanukah with family.</div>Zemer Levav