Hello Israel team! My name is Shane Barnard. I am turning 18 in May so it looks like I am the youngest one here so far. It also looks like I am the only one going for a month. I live in Peachtree City, Georgia. Home of 90 miles of golf cart paths...to go just about anywhere you need to...its weird. I love pretty much playing all kinds of sports specifically Ultimate Frisbee. I also like to play video games and I run a computer business on the side of school. And just for the record I'm not Shane Barnard the musician...haha.

 

Here is the abridged version on my calling to Israel: I really felt God calling me to this trip. I went to Haiti last July and there God really set my heart on Israel although I wasn't sure how that was going to work out. I just remember God speaking to me through prayer. School hit and I was pumped about the gospel and I remember the Holy Spirit saying "Shane go talk to that guy" I resisted it at first but after I felt Him say it again the next day I did. I found out the guy had actually grown up in Israel for his whole life and was a Christian and had just moved here a week before school started. I got to ask him about a thousand questions and were still good friends.  I knew that this guy was a confirmation to go to Israel. I went for a couple months not feeling God speak to me about Israel and I almost felt like I shouldn't go. Then my friend who had been on a couple missions trips with AIM was recommending me to check out their website. He didn't even know that there was a missions trip to Israel. Thats when I felt the Holy Spirit say "This is it". However, Our church does a missions trip to Cherokee, NC to minister to the Cherokee Indians and I had been going for the past four years. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go to Israel or Cherokee. Then one of my best friends parents decided to go to Israel on a whim and they prayed about me going and they felt I should go. Then another buddy from school and I were talking at Waffle House about what God was calling us to do.  He showed me 1 Kings 13. The Holy Spirit really spoke through that passage. Thats when I decided to do the interview...haha. 

 

I'm really pumped about this trip. Ill be praying for all of yall. Feel free to find me on facebook!