Barry and I enjoyed 2 tours with Cliff and Monica. The first tour we took was in 2000 - to a conference "One New Man in Christ" in Israel. From a teenager I had had a love for the Jews and Israel, but never expected to be able to go to Israel, - and the only Jew I knew was Yeshua! The options were a tour, followed by the conference, or the conference followed by either a repeat of the pre-conference tour, or an archaeological tour. We decided, as it was to be a once in a lifetime visit, to do the pre-conference tour AND the post conference archaeological tour. During our time there the second Intifada started, when Shimon Peres went onto Temple Mount. We could hear gunshots and helicopter gunships from our Jerusalem hotel. We were not able to go to Bethlehem as there was a 3 day mourning period and it was not considered to be safe. We were very happy as we went to morning worship at Christchurch, had a lovely service and met some friends who were also visiting Israel! This tour was the beginning of a new chapter for us. We have been back many times and have taken several tours out. The conference was encouraging and inspiring, - it was so wonderful to be a part of Jews and Gentiles worshipping, praying and learning together.
The second tour was to Greece. One of my main memories of that tour, apart from enjoying seeing places mentioned in the Bible come to life, was laughter. On our travels by coach we were making up estate agents' blurb for many of the decrepit houses we were passing. Cliff was very good at it!! We were in Greece at the time of the Orthodox Easter, so were able to witness the way in which a different branch of the Church celebrated. The walking under a long cloth, on which was a painting of Yeshua, at a service on Friday night, was very different from anything we do. Easter Sunday morning we celebrated communion on the roof of our hotel and proclaimed "Christos Anesti", CHRIST IS RISEN. Wonderful!! We were blessed, not just by the tour, but also by Cliff's ministry throughout.
Other contacts we have had have been through other meetings we have attended, I did a few voluntary days at Moggerhanger, and I proof-read 3 of Cliff's books.
I cannot speak for others, but Cliff and Monica's ministry have been influential in my life. I have learned a lot, not always liked what I have heard, and have had my eyes opened to world events and their significance.
