Paul Calvert interviews Zac Waller, the executive director of HaYovel Now, about uniting Jews and Christians through volunteering on Israeli farms, and fulfilling scripture.



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The main time that we need people to come is during the harvest, which happens from August through October.

Usually we have about 200 people at one time and around 400 people during the whole harvest season. We have two week trips, three week trips and six week trips. On the six week trip you're going to get a lot more out of it, it's a little bit more affordable for that long, but we understand some people can only get away for a couple of weeks.

We are a very family oriented organisation. We have a lot of families that come over, and we really encourage that. We have had children from a few months old all the way up to 92 years old come and volunteer with our group, so everybody is welcome and we always need more labourers.

Paul: If someone comes to volunteer will it open up the Bible for them?

Zac: Absolutely, you can't get more connected to the scripture than when you read Jeremiah 31:5 where it says "There will be vineyards planted on the mountains of Samaria" and you are actually standing there and harvesting the fruit from those very vineyards.

When you come you connect to the scriptures, you're connecting to the Bible in ways that you just can't do from the US or from other places in the world. We read the scriptures and we believe them, but when you are actually here, they say it's like the scripture becomes 3D, like you can actually see it. It's so faith strengthening to actually fulfil these prophecies with your own hands.

The volunteers are able to see the places in the scriptures, because during our volunteer trips we take four days a week to do volunteer work in the vineyards and then two days every week we go and tour around. We will go to places like Elon Moreh, to Shiloh, to Beit El, and to Hebron; to all these places where such incredible biblical things took place. We like to refer to it as the heartland of Israel.

A lot of people hear West Bank and they don't realise that's biblical Judea and Samaria. This is where 85% of the Bible happened.

So yes for sure, if you come with us on a HaYovel volunteer trip you will connect in ways that you really can't anywhere else. You're getting your hands dirty in the soil and experiencing the Bible literally every day.

Paul: Are you making a difference in Israel?

Zac: I would like to think so. Through being here we are definitely seeing the relationship between Christians and Jews begin to heal. We're bringing a good name to Yeshua, to Jesus, through blessing and serving people and loving them in His name, after 2000 years of horrific things being done in His name.

That is a huge thing for me as a Christian, to be able to do that here in the land of Israel, where so much wrong has been done in His name. To come and do something good in His name is a huge privilege for us.

I think we're on the cutting edge of Jewish Christian relationships because we are working with Orthodox Jewish people. These are the most hard core Jewish and we are very conservative Christians and we're able to come together. As far as I know this has never happened before in the history of the world.

So yes, I think we are seeing an impact being made in the relationship between Jewish people and Christian people, and in the way the agriculture has flourished. I think big things are happening here and all we have to do is show up.