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Topic: Fulfillment (04/06/06)
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TITLE: The Trail to Freedom | Previous Challenge Entry
By Terry Mason
04/06/06 -
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It is cold and dark, 5:30 in the morning, March 10, 1999, but my surroundings look more like 1949. The snow that is falling can only be seen as it passes in front of the high wattage lamps surrounding the train station. Off in the distance, I can see the light of the train we have been waiting for. It is headed for platform seven.
I am far from home working in the Ukraine as a volunteer assisting the Olim (immigrants). They will soon be among the Millions who have already completed aliyah, the return to the land of Israel proclaimed by God to Ezekiel
27: When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28: Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which cause them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. 29: Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. Ezek. 39 KJV
We move quickly. Those who have done this before know the Olim will be in the back cars. I stand at the door of the train not really knowing what I am about to see. The door opens. There before me is a man in his forties. He is clean shaven, has dark hair and a smile adorns his face although he doesn’t look quite awake after his long journey just yet. A young girl of about seven pushes her head out around him to take her first look at this new place. She looks at me as I ask her father in Russian if he has any bags that he needs help with.
He looked at me, smiles, and gives me the proper Russian pronunciation of the word bag. His daughter giggled as he motioned for me to follow him. There were five in his family and they had four bags. It was all they had in the world. I grabbed two of their bags and started for the door walking down the narrow corridor of the train. They followed me to a bus which was running and very warm. I placed their bags in the luggage compartment and asked them to join the others already on the bus.
I was headed back to the train station when the feeling hit me for the first time. It was like nothing I could ever explain, like I was being held by God Himself. I felt like I could have flown over to where I needed to be. I was being filled to the deepest part of my soul. I had helped fulfill prophecy and it was filling me.
I grabbed the next bags which now felt as light as a feather. We had about twenty five people now on the bus. It was time to take them to the place they would stay until they boarded the ship that would take them from Odessa to Haifa.
After we had shown everyone to their rooms, we walked to the dining area for a well deserved breakfast. There was a place set aside for the volunteers and I joined those who had not gone out this morning. My face must have been glowing because they just laughed at me apparently knowing what I was feeling.
For the first time I could see the people we had brought in now sitting in the well lit room. I sat eating my breakfast and noticed that although their clothes were clean they were quite old. Some of them looked ragged as they spoke to one another about how much food there was here. I felt happy and sad as I looked at my new friends. These people, the Olim, Jews from the former USSR, would be cold or hungry no more.
It is with a full heart that I write these words to you today. I have seen the word of our Lord and God come to life before me. I know the Lord has much more in store for all of us who follow his words in the days to come.
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