Melanie's part of the Holy Language tribe, following Yeshua and learning Hebrew! Here's her story.

The first time I had an inkling to learn Hebrew, after one glance I quickly shut the workbook and actually got rid of it. "It is a right-to-left language! I can never get my brain to read backwards," I thought. Little did I know that in reality, left-to-right languages are the backwards poor imitations of the original: Hebrew.

I am a 23-year-old lover of Yeshua, redeeming the time until my earthly bridegroom comes along (Yah willing) by sewing garments from the super healing fabric of linen for my Life-giving Linen business (filling orders from around the world); spreading the freeing message of my book Chucking College: Achieving Success Without Corruption to young people who wish to gain a higher education without losing their faith, fidelity and finances in the process; and serving expectant mothers as a doula and birth photographer here in SW Colorado.

My homeschool background serves me well in the pursuit of learning Hebrew. After my first non-successful exposure to Hebrew, the heavenly Father was gracious to give me a few years to warm up to the idea of learning this life-changing language. When I was ready, He sent two friends who sat down with me at two different times and began to introduce me in a gentle way to the language of Creation and of Messiah's coming kingdom (by teaching me the alephbet and vowel points). I remember the light-bulb experience when I "got it" and finally understood how to read Hebrew. (As an aside, I think that there is probably an initial spiritual wall to learning Hebrew that has to be overcome. Understanding that can be an encouragement to stick with it!) Something clicked in that exciting moment and I fell in love with it. I listened to this beautiful CD of verses in Hebrew accompanied by classical music (which has been an important part of my life), and it was as if my very DNA responded to it. It was as if this language was a part of me (and now we wonder if Hebrew wasn't indeed the language of Creation)!

My hunger for more of this language centered around one desire: to get a Hebrew-English Bible and commune with my Father in the language of His original writings. But I didn't want just any copy of this Bible. No, I wanted to pick one up myself in Jerusalem. Well, seven months ago, Yahweh granted the desire of my heart with an invitation to come to His Land. Oh the joy of embracing (literally) that Bible for the first time! I have made it my goal to read through every word of the whole Torah in Hebrew this year, and am more than half way there (in addition, I have read the gospels, etc. in Hebrew). Izzy's Hebrew Chapters have been such a blessing in coming to deeper understanding of various words. Though I have been a believer since a very young child, to be able to read the Scriptures without a translation shading the text has brought me deeper knowledge of the Word.

As a family, we used to think that Zephaniah 3:9 - "then I will restore to the peoples a pure language" - meant that Yahweh would miraculously cause us to understand Hebrew all at once at His return. But now we are looking at the sudden mass interest in Hebrew and are wondering if maybe He is fulfilling it now, gradually! What a blessing it is that we have resources such as Holy Language Institute to help make the impossible within reach.

Shalom,
Melanie Ellison

You have a story too, and the tribe would love to hear it! Share here?

This is your chance to read Genesis 4 in Hebrew with me and learn the Hebrew words for getting, futility, offering, attention, master, encounter, play, lust, forge, and profane!

Watch the trailer here http://youtu.be/e4AypCkrZMI or at the bottom of this email, and watch the whole episode here!