Migdal Arbel: Rising Out of the Ground

In the picture above, I am standing on a balcony in Building 2. In the background you can see Mount Arbel and the Sea of Galilee.

I was in Israel in December. I had planned to take a tour and call it a “Hanukkah Tour.” The Bible calls Hanukkah the “Feast of Lights,” a festival which Jesus observed. We normally take two buses, at about forty-five per bus. Shelli heads up one and I take one. We were well on our way to reaching full capacity, and then the war broke out. So some people started dropping off. But others called us and said, “Our tour cancelled, and we want to join yours.” We had the most first-timers we’ve ever had. And so, we ended up with sixty-three very brave people. We renamed it the “Am Israel Chai Solidarity Tour.” Below you see Guy (our favorite guide in Israel) on the far right.

 

 

The lady in the aqua jacket is Maya, our other tour guide on this trip. When she was in the army, she trained Israeli tank commanders. Her fiancé was someone that she trained to drive a tank. She paid a price. Everyone has a story. And it’s close to home. It’s like having a war in your backyard. She’s absolutely tremendous. She’s the best tour guide, next to Guy.

One day on the tour, she got a phone call (while Shelli was on her bus). Her neighbor’s son had been killed.

The nation of Israel is small, the size of New Jersey. It’s sixty miles wide. If you put the bottom of it on Los Angeles, the top wouldn’t reach San Francisco. War is close to home over there.

I arranged for the tour to go to the Migdal Arbel project site. It was to be the first time anybody was going to see Migdal Arbel Prayer and Study Center coming up out of the ground. We went December 11.

 

 

While we were there that day, we were able to record a video in which Nir Kimchi, our project coordinator based in Jerusalem, shares just how important this project is to the nation of Israel. (For clarification, the text of the video has been transcribed below.)

 

 

Dr. Brim—We want to recognize that He has brought us to this moment. So would you tell them the words of this blessing, please, Nir? [It is called the “Shehecheyanu.”]

Nir Kimchi—[in Hebrew] Baruch Atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v’kiy’manu, v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh.

Dr. Brim—What does that say?

Guy Leibovitz—Blessed are You, Lord God, King of the universe for sustaining us and bringing us to this place today. Amen. This moment.

Dr. Brim—This moment. It’s been a long time for me coming to this moment.

Nir—First of all, it’s a very, very important project for Israel. And this is something that I figured out immediately when I heard about Miss Billye’s vision: bringing pastors and influencing people to [come to] Israel, to teach them about Israel, to learn about Israel. There is no place in Israel that is doing it now. And Israel needs this place. And this is my speech when I went to all the authorities in Israel to explain to them about it. When I got this [project], I started to speak with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Tourism, and explained to them about this important project. And when they spoke about it, I saw their eyes open and understand exactly what it means to Israel to have this project here, in Israel, with this vision.

Second, when we started to work, before I met Miss Billye, I checked a bit about the ministry. They saw the reputation and the love for Israel for years. It’s amazing!

As I told you, I’m twenty years working with Christian Zionists, and I did my homework. It’s really an amazing reputation to you, to Miss Billye, to the ministry. And when I present the project to all the authorities in Israel, I explained to them about your vision, but also about your reputation. And they know. They are aware. They are aware of your ministry. They’re aware of your name. They’re aware of your influence to Israel in the last few years, which is amazing.

Those two issues are combined to the results of this project, and I think that once people will start to use this project according to the vision, people will realize and will understand what Miss Billye had in her mind when she saw it. I saw it from you two years ago.

(walking and talking)

Nir—Now we are underground. The level of the ground is the level of the upper flag level. The pool is going to be there. So we are going down. You’re not going to see these buildings. You’re going to stand on the ground level—00—and you’re going to see the lake [Sea of Galilee], and you’re going to see Mount Arbel. We are going now the second building. We’re now standing on the ground.

Do you like the flag?

Group—I love it!

Group Singing—Am Israel chai! Am Israel chai! Am Israel, Am Israel, Am Israel chai! …

(Inside second building—walking and talking)

Shelli—[looking out the window] Oh it’s beautiful! Mount Arbel!

Dr. Brim—[standing on the balcony] Look at this! Can everybody see? The Sea of Galilee! Here’s Arbel. There’s the Valley of the Doves.

Terry—(joking—it’s not finished) Do you want to take the elevator?

Dr. B—I don’t think today. Next time.

 

You can’t imagine how I felt. We bought the land in 2000. The Lord caused it to come into our hands. Most of the land in Israel is owned by the government. And you can lease it for ninety-nine years if you’re Jewish. There was a tiny bit of land—at that time 5%—that you could buy outright because it was owned privately before Statehood. We were able to buy that type of land. For years we tried to apply for building permits and were met with delay after delay. We just struggled and struggled. And then our [United States] lawyer went somewhere and met Nir Kimchi. (You saw him there on the video.) Our lawyer told Nir, “I have a client I think you could help.” They vetted us from “A to Israel,” as the old saying goes. They contacted us and said, “We want this project. It’s important for Israel.”

I thought about it when he was saying that “Israel needs this project.” He told me that. And everywhere he went to get building permits, they had to decide that they needed you. And I thought, In that blue chair at 624 South 13th, I heard God say, “I’m going to place you close to the Jews.”

While I was there in December, I was presented with this plaque.
It comes from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Aliyah Foundation. It says:

Dr. Billye Brim,
The State of Israel and the Jewish people
would like to express their heartfelt gratitude
for all that you have done for the last 37 years.
Your contributions have gone beyond measure,
leaving an indelible mark
on the fabric of our shared history.

The Hebrew below that says:

Psalm 121:4 תְּהִלִּים JPS 1917

ד  הִנֵּה לֹא-יָנוּם, וְלֹא יִישָׁן–    שׁוֹמֵר, יִשְׂרָאֵל.

4 Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.

This honor was bestowed because we have walked in love. Just like the Lord said. And of course He gave the favor. It’s just supernatural. And that Shehecheyanu blessing that Nir spoke at the beginning of the video is the blessing you say if there is something you’ve been looking for forever. At the moment of its arrival, you say this blessing, “Thank you for sustaining us and bringing us to this moment.” God has sustained us and brought us to that moment.

 

Thank You, Partners

I am so very grateful for every one of you. You have continued to give throughout all of the years since we bought the land. And as I have reported on what is happening in Israel through these years, I know that finishing this miraculous project is part of what the Lord is doing. And, as I shared in my partner letter in December, we need large funds to do it.

>> DONATE NOW

If you would like to be a part of what God is doing at Migdal Arbel, we would like to give you an opportunity to give toward this project that, as Nir said, is a “very important project for Israel.” Thank you for all you do.