Dear Byron, I thank the Lord for you and the ministry of Father’s House! My family an dI were so blessed by our fellowship with you and the other members of the team visiting the Holy Land these last weeks.

Our faith was strengthened as we witnessed the historical accuracy of God’s Word affirmed through the sites we visited. We gained a greater appreciation for our Jewish heritage and the foundational importance of every “jot and tittle” of the Old Testament. Finally, our enthusiam for the study of the Scriptures has known no bounds as the Spirit uses the events and teaching of the trip to expand our insight into the Word. May the Lord bless you for your generosity, and may He help us to be good stewards of the insights to greatly increase His kingdom! Gratefully in Christ,

Hallow Family at Father’s House, Words fail me, with which to express adequately my appreciation. I am truly grateful for the opportunity the Father’s House Educational Foundation made available for me and other pastors to go on an educational tour to Israel. Just being there and seeing the richness of our Christian faith was such a blessing to me. The physical evidence to the biblical message was both encouraging and an eye opener. The Lord has used this visit to give me a stronger desire to read and study afresh His Word. I feel emboldened to proclaim God’s Word. I tried suppressing my emotions the whole time I was in Israel but I could not contain myself the last day we were in Galilee. As we sailed on the calm Sea of Galilee, I saw the sun setting (as it were) between two mountains. I could not help but weep with joy for what Christ has done for us. In spite of the turmoil the human race is going through, God’s plan to save mankind is still on course. He is faithful in making the sun to rise and set, to calm the waters, and bring every believer to our eternal home, safely. Somehow, I could not wrap my intellect around the thought that my Savior walked along this sea and called some saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Now I am one of those fishermen! What a privilege! Chacha D. Mwita Pastor, Tumaini International Church

April 6, 2009 Dear Byron, John, and Father’s House, Thank you so much for sending me to Israel.  I have tried to wait to write a thank you until I had time to process more of what we saw, heard, and experienced.  The truth is, I am still in something of a state of awe at the wonder of God manifest by the whole trip. It has been a long-standing desire of mine to go to Israel and see the places where biblical events took place.  I could never have imagined the impact that being there would have on my understanding and perspective on the Word of God.  There is a deep, spiritual stirring in my soul that is like a revival meeting but much deeper and longer-lasting in its influence.  There is new fire in my preaching and new depth in my teaching.  People here at First Baptist have commented about the difference they hear and see in me. The things I have learned and believed for years have been re-formatted by the trip.  I know them in a way I could not have known them before.  It is in a small way like what our transition from hope to sight will be when Jesus comes: We hold to the reality, but we have not experienced it in its completeness.  I know that I have yet to experience the fullness of Who God is and what redemption is, but there is a greater appreciation for the revelation of God in His Word and in His Son that makes the present reality so much sweeter! Thank you, thank you, thank you for answering God’s call to send pastors to Israel.  John, thank you for being with us and making the trip more wonderful with your songs and your servant heart.  Byron, thank you for your heart to help move us toward revival through the experience of biblical places in Israel.  You have blessed my life and enriched my ministry more than I can express. I am encouraging every believer to go to Israel and experience the wonder of the land of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and the disciples.  We are praying and working on details to try to take a group back in 2010 because the excitement of the group that went has taken hold of the church!

After traveling from Fresno, Ca. to Israel I was ready to smell fresh air, touch solid ground. Many prayers had been answered, we arrived safe and my desires to come back to Israel became a reality. After going through customs, getting our baggage we as a group embarked upon Israel, ready to take the next step in our journey. The most impressive moment was our welcome. There was a tiny curly headed woman jumping up and down saying in a most angelic voice “WELCOME HOME.” My first sight in Israel on my second journey. This brought tears of joy to a old man’s heart. The following morning my eyes were opened to only things I had read about and saw pictures of. Moshe began to teach and share with us his developed knowledge of his home land. I marveled at how he was able to remember every detail of the moment we shared. There one spot I was so moved: when Moshe took us to Shepherd’s Field and we saw what is believed to be the actual birth place of Our Lord Jesus. Not to say that there were not other places: the City of David, the place Christ was handed over to the crowd and his walk down Via Dolorosa where He carried His cross, Mt. Nebo where Moses looked over the Holy Land, the walk under the City of David through the tunnels. I encourage other churches and their pastors to connect with Father’s House. I think that Father’s House, Moshe, and Dr. John and Roxie Turner have put together a very viable tour to the Holy Land. I applaud them. Dr. Turner is a very good teacher of Israel and its history. Thanks to the both of them.