Letter to Pastors

December 5, 2010
Dear Pastors:
From Southern California [Ontario] this ole man writes to you this Sunday morning. In a few hours Dr. Ezekiel Salazar will have someone pick me up and I will speak in his English Church at 9 AM, and then in his Spanish Church at 11:30 AM and again in the evening service to a "COMBINED SERVICE." Brother Salazar moved Montecito Baptist Church from LA 7 years ago, and, in Ontario, is doing the very same thing he did in LA. Zeek is being mightily used of the Lord.
Tomorrow evening, the Lord willing, I shall go to an interdenominational church somewhere in Anaheim to meet Vice Prime Minister Moshe "Boogie" Ya’alon at a reception prior to his speaking in that church tomorrow evening. Then, Tuesday, I have the privilege of being part of a Pastor’s Luncheon [Independent Baptist] hosting Boogie in a Hotel in LA.
Yesterday afternoon, one of Brother Salazar’s Associates, John, had picked me up to take me out for a combined lunch and supper. We were sitting in the restaurant awaiting our orders to come and John was asking me questions about American History and the History of the Jews. He teaches history in Brother Salazar’s school.
I pulled out my I-phone to google up the exact names of a couple of books and realized that I had missed a call from G.M., an IDF officer, whom I shall just refer to with his initials. You may remember that GM was commanding the Reshef Battalion [Paladin 155s] near Kiryat Shemona on August 4, 2010, when Major General Udi Adam sent his aide to get me as he wanted to meet me. We drove to the Reshef Battalion location.
When I rode up in the Major General’s Humvee and stepped out of it, the Executive officer of the Reshef Battalion, a Captain Ephraim, thought "that ole bald headed man is SOMEBODY." Now, to be truthful, I know that I am a nobody, and the more that I realize that, then the more that I see the LORD GOD OF THE HEBREWS using me. I told John yesterday, "If someone thinks you are somebody, you must just take that to your heart, and never to your head, for, if it goes there, your britches will get too big for you."
Ephraim told me that Major GM and Udi [Major General Adam] would not be there for a couple of hours, and asked what I would like to do in the interim. So I said, "I would like to shoot a couple of rounds in your next mission at Hizballah." Ephrain retorted, "We can’t do that. Its against regulations." My comeback was, "Let this aide call the General, and let's get that squared away. I didn’t come over here, not to get my licks in on Hizballah." "Oh," Ephraim exclaimed, "We won’t bother the General."
I then told him to give me their best gun crew, for I didn’t want to shoot with turkeys. He introduced me then to a Gun Commander named David, then a Sgt. David is now a Lt. in the IDF. David and his gun crew showed me what I would have to do to stay alive while they were shooting the first 6 rounds. The barrel of that Paladin ejects 39 inches back into the Canon. It shoots a 97.4 lb projectile.
Well, they got a mission, and up into that Canon this ole man hopped. [You preachers say, "Brother Vineyard, you are crazy." Thats what GM thought when he laid eyes on me a couple of hours later. Katyusha rockets are falling hither and yon, and that ole bald headed preacher was right there amongst all that when he did not have to be.] It was 98 degrees outside, and I suppose every time that Canon shot, the temperature inside rose about 3 degrees. Time the mission of 10 rounds was over, I was about to have a Heart Attack.
David’s gun crew shot 6 rounds. They gave me the lanyard and # 7 was my practice round. # 8 was the round I’d marked "To Hizballah from Jim Vineyard." The Jewish Canoncokers got a real buzz out of me writing on one of their rounds. Then, they shot rounds 9 and 10. I had to get out of the Canon as soon as they stopped for I was in trouble physically. I sat on a pop cooler and poured a liter of cold water over my head as I drank another liter of cold water.
After I had recovered, Ephraim asked, "What would you like to do now?" I asked, "How long has it been since your Machine Gunners have practiced." He replied, "Too long." I told him, "Get them together, and lets go over to that bluff over there and I shall teach them something about shooting the Fabrique Nationale .308 Machine Gun." They were rounded up by a Lt. And we went over to this bluff, and I showed those Gunners and Assistant Gunners some tips of the trade of the "ole guys."
When we came back from shooting the Machine Guns, Ephraim tells me, "The General is to be interviewed here at out gun position by two Israeli TV crews and he doesn’t want them seeing you. He would like to have you to stay behind GM’s Armored Personnel Carrier while the interview is going on, and when the TV crews leave, he wants you to come and meet him.
David’s gun crew had asked me not to say anything to their commander about shooting their cannon at Hizballah. I had agreed not to say anything.
So, when the TV crews leave, or at least we thought they had, they motioned me out to meet Major General Udi Adam. I did. He thanked me profusely for feeding his soldiers. He then asked, "Have you done anything else interesting today." I had forgotten my promise to Sgt. David’s gun crew, as I was very tired and not thinking.
So, I says, "Yes General, I did. See that cannon down there, [and I pointed at David’s gun.] I crawled in that sapsucker and pulled the lanyard twice, shooting two rounds at Hizballah." GM’s throat was jumping up and down. General Adam looks very seriously at me. Then, he grabs me, pats me on the back and says something like, "As the British say, good show ole chap."
Pulling that lanyard twice and sending those two 97.4 lb rounds at Hizballah has opened up a lot of doors for this ole man relative to the Israeli Defense Forces.
In early 2008 I was over in Israel and GM and his wife, a Medical Doctor, asked if it would be inappropriate, them being Jews, to ask we Christians to pray that she could get pregnant and have a baby boy. I told them "Absolutely not. We will pray for you to have a baby." I have a picture of GM holding that newborn baby, which I took while I was over there during Operation Cast Lead, their Dec. ‘08 - Jan. ‘09 War against Hamas in Gaza.
We saw GM and his wife back in June while we were there with the Givati Family Celebration in honor of their 197 KIA’s, helping those families adjust to the loss of their sons in combat against the Ishmaelites.
She asked me to pray that they would have a baby girl. So, she had asked GM to call me and tell me the news that she is now pregnant and they will find out in January whether it is a girl or boy.
And GM told me that he had been promoted to being a Brigade Commander a few days ago from being a Battalion Commander.
We talked about the February Football trip. I told him I was going to discuss that trip with Boogie either tomorrow night or Tuesday. [Some time ago GM and his wife had asked what the affectionate name was, which my family called me when I was a wee small lad. I had told them, "Jimbo."] So, GM says, "You don’t have to bother Boogie about that. Tell him GM will take care of all the details for you."
GM having been Yoav Golant’s aid, and Yoav going from being Southern Division Commander to being Chief of Staff come January 1st, I am sure Boogie will remember GM. It’s a small world when God allows you to be a blessing to the Jews.
Preachers, there are only two choices. There is not a third. You state, "The Jews had their chance. It’s the Church age now." You show your ignorance of the Bible by going there. You need read, and heed, Romans 9, 10, 11, which if you just will rightly divide the Word of Truth, it will square you away in those areas.
The LORD WILLING, tomorrow night I will get to see my friend, Vice Prime Minister Moshe "Boogie" Ya’alon, and his very sharp PA, Anat Tal. I sure am looking forward to that visit.
I remains, sincerely and gratefully, your dutiful friend and obedient servant,
　
　
JIM VINEYARD
YEDIDIM OF ISRAEL
www.yedidimofisrael.com