A few months ago, a woman named Shannon purchased a few bottles of the King's Valley Olive Oil. She didn't think much of it when it arrived on her doorstep. She opened it and admired the beautiful bottle, but then she set it aside in her kitchen.
Her family walked by it several times, and it seemed to go unnoticed.
A week or so later, she opened it up and served it to her family for dinner. They dipped bread in it, she put it on her salad, and as they gathered around the table that evening, she started talking to her eight-year-old daughter about where this particular oil came from.
Read as Shannon shares how this simple oil sparked a conversation, not how she planned, but how the Lord designed it.
I thought when I served the King's Valley Olive Oil with our dinner that night it would spark some profound conversation between my husband and kids right then and there. I explained to my children that the oil they were eating was produced from olive trees that people across the globe bought to have planted in Israel—right outside of Jerusalem in the King’s Valley.
“My children gave a ‘oh cool' response. A nod of the head and a slight glance at the bottle was all I got. I felt deflated. Why didn't they see the significance of this amazing connection to the Promised Land?
“Weeks went by, and one day after school, I took my daughter to a fast food restaurant to celebrate her efforts in school. It was report card day. We were sitting there, sipping our slurpies, and my daughter, Claire, got quiet.
“I assumed she was enjoying her favorite treat, but she broke the silence with a question I wouldn’t have expected: ‘Mom, you know that bottle of olive oil sitting on our counter? The one you gave us a while back at supper?'
“‘Yeah,' I said, not sure where this conversation was going.
“Claire continued on, ‘You said it was kinda special, but why? And you said it helped people, but how?’
“I wondered how long she had been mulling this over in her mind. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that the Lord had opened up a gate for me to walk through to talk about Him, His people, His land, and His return. Wow! I couldn’t have planned it better.
“All in His timing, right? I told Claire about the generosity of people all over the world that Believed in Jesus and wanted to be a part of a movement to restore the land where He actually walked, taught, prayed, died, and was resurrected.
“I shared with her God's heart for the people of Israel—that He loved them and had great plans for them, just as He did for her. I got to tell her about the hope of Jesus' return. How things in this life can be so confusing, so messed up, so full of hurt, but that God promises to make it all right someday. He will rule from the very place where the olive oil we dipped our bread in that day came from.
“What I remember the most was Claire's reaction when I told her about biblical prophecy. She didn't really understand what it was. I told her that the Bible says that the Israelites would return to their land and become a nation again. Then I explained how this happened in 1948 when they officially became a nation and the events that took place for the olive trees to be planted, ultimately bringing the King's Valley Olive Oil to our table.
“Honestly, I can’t even remember the conversation in its entirety, but I do know that we sat in that burger joint stall for nearly another half an hour talking. Who would've thought something as simple as olive oil could spark such a meaningful conversation between a mother and her 8-year-old daughter? A conversation where a mom got to share the love of Jesus in such a way that her daughter got it.
“The last thing Claire said as we were driving away from the restaurant that day was, ‘Mom, we HAVE to go to Israel! It sounds like such an awesome place!’ I laughed. I told her it was not quite as easy as jumping on an airplane to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but the next time we ate the King’s Valley Olive Oil, we would take a moment to pray for Israel and remember the land where her Savior died for her so that she can live forever.
“So, thank you, My Olive Tree. Thank you for not only giving my family something tasty (I really love the King's Valley Olive Oil on salads and even drizzle it over my eggs in the morning) but also giving me a tool to use to minister to my child. One that allowed me to share with her God's love for His people, and to make Him real to her through the explanation of prophecy fulfillment and what we have to look forward to.
“Many blessings, Shannon K.”
We know you have stories just like Shannon's—ones where God unexpectedly united you with another under the olive tree. You know, this story really brings to life the olive tree being a symbol of peace.
The olive tree and its oil are connected to healing (see James 5:14), Jesus' great Olivet prophecies (see Matthew 25), and how we are adopted into God's family (see Romans 11).
We hope the next time you open your bottle of King’s Valley Olive Oil, you can use it as a conversation starter that inspires the next generation to learn about God’s land and His people.
What an amazing legacy you will leave your children!
We want to hear from you! Contact us and share how you have been inspired to pray for Israel today!
