by guest rambler Sindy Warren
It’s been just over a week since I returned from a whirlwind ten days in Israel on the JWRP mission. I’ve just barely started to process everything I saw, learned, and felt, but one thing struck me right from the moment I got to Hopkins airport and saw my fellow JFX-ers. I was grateful to be traveling with a group of women I’ve come to know over the past year, some more than others, but all people I knew I’d love to get to know better. The simple experience of being a JFX member created an immediate bond.
As I’d hoped, the experience of being on the mission as part of a smaller group was truly special. I formed new friendships, strengthened existing ones, and felt privileged to be part of such an inspired and inspiring group. The fact that we’ve all been learning with Ruchi and Rabbi Koval augmented the experience in a significant way. Many of the concepts we heard were not brand new to me (though I did learn a tremendous amount about Israel, its history, and its people). Thus, I felt I was able to really let the classroom lessons sink in and marinate in my mind and in my soul in a way that would have been nearly impossible if I had been processing totally new information. In the words of my dear friend Li sa Millard, if I try to boil my feelings about the experience down to a word (or three), I would say “gratitude, gratitude, gratitude.” Those of you on this trip or prior ones know what I’m talking about. Those who have not yet been, I encourage you to explore the possibility in the future!
