House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville GA missionaries at the Western Wall

Known in Israel as Hakotel or the Western Wall, it is the temple’s still remaining ancient retaining wall. It is of great importance to people of many faiths from all over the world. It is said that the presence of God abides at the wall, continually. The House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville GA missionaries to Israel have experienced many times the deep spiritual meaning and prayers of men, women, children, Jews, Christians, Catholics, and tourists, who are in awe and wonder at their personal experience at the wall. Pastor William Pilkington of HOPCC and the House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville GA missionaries went to the wall they had to pass through the Old City of Jerusalem along its narrow pathways, arched walkways, limestone pavers. Before entering into the wall area, you must pass through metal detectors, along with a whole group of Jewish rabbis, students, children, wives, and daughters, all pressed together, awaiting their experience at the wall. The women and the men are divided by a partition and pray separate one from another. There are many prayer books at the wall for anyone to pick up and use to help them pray. When there are many people at the wall, you will wait your precious moment so that you can reach your hand through the crowd and touch the wall. Then when one of the individuals has completed their time at the wall, will move and make a space, it is rapidly filled by those awaiting their chance to put their face against the wall and pray. The environment is surreal, and time escapes you as you hear the prayers of hundreds of people and see individual prayers written on individual pieces of paper, nestled in between the crevices of the large foundation stones of the wall. There are bar mitzvahs and special services at the wall. There are also little children running all over the place playing tag and hide and seek.

Convent with the Nuns

What a privilege and blessing for the House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville missionaries to spend their journey, on top of the Mount of Olives, in a monastery in Bethphage. The nuns who took care of the group became family members to Pastor William Pilkington and the House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville GA missionaries. Their care for each and every individual is a testimony in itself. All the nuns were older and rose early in the morning to prepare breakfast for the House of Prayer missionaries, then cleaned the monastery grounds, inside and out. Then they went into town and purchased what foods were needed to cook dinner for the HOPCC missionaries and themselves at night, and the food was delicious, to say the least. Small bananas in the morning with fresh bread and jam, and coffee. After breakfast was served, the missionaries helped the nuns clean up and then prepared themselves for the day’s missions. The nuns were tireless servants, one of which was in a wheelchair. They said they did not want anything, but the missionaries loved to bring them sweets at the end of the day and flowers to show their gratitude to the nuns. These precious ladies served the House of Prayer Christian Church Hinesville GA missionaries with an undaunted service of sacrificial love and care. They also went to classes in town to learn Arabic because the area of the Mount of Olives is in the Muslim area.