Greetings with heartfelt, fraternal love in the Name of Yahweh Elohim, our beloved Father in heaven and in the Name of His only begotten Son, Yahshua the Messiah, HalleluYah!

For years, Directing Elder Jacob O. Meyer has travelled to the land of Israel to verify Yahweh’s Will in determining the correct time and season concerning Yahweh’s Holy Day cycle. Many months ago the group of individuals assigned to study the calendar for the year began submitting their reports to Elder Meyer. As he reviewed their findings and proposals and worked on his own proposal, it became evident that the intercalary month must be inserted this year to bring the calendar for the year into alignment with growing season in Israel but still, visible evidence must be gathered.

On February 27, 2008, Elder Jacob O. Meyer departed Newark, New Jersey and arrived in the early morning hours of February 28 in Israel. With well over 20 trips to the Promised Land it became evident to Elder Meyer almost as soon as he left the airport that the growing season in Israel was late. Travelling south from Tel Aviv he noticed that the leaves on the trees were either small or non-existent, the grapes had not leafed out yet and the hay that was in the fields was very short. As he continued to travel he reviewed the progress of the grain crops, determining that the growing season was indeed late. Arriving at the field of barley where Elder Jacob O. Meyer cut the green ears of barley the last three years, Yahweh’s Will became clear that the proposed calendar was correct. The growing grain was only 6 to 8 inches tall with no head-development evident. For five days this year, Elder Meyer travelled around the land of Israel from east to west, north to south and found only evidence that confirmed his initial impressions. Incidentally, he travelled to Alon and Ein Mabbua again this year. The tares (darnel) which other years have been instrumental in other groups’ determinations of Abib showed mature growth. He has returned with a representative sample of these and will be posting a comparison between this year’s “wild barley” and the ones that he brought home in 2005. The pictorial evidence is located in the Abib 2008 gallery.

Elder Jacob O. Meyer was pleased with the opportunity to address the brethren of the Assemblies of Yahweh using the audio- video Live Streaming system from Jerusalem on the Sabbath of March 1 and informed the Assembly of Yahweh’s Will. The published dates on the Assemblies of Yahweh calendar stand as published.

Praise Yahweh for His infinite mercy during this time in history. The Assemblies of Yahweh brethren will now begin our preparations for the spring Holy Days as Yahweh has instructed. We have been afforded another month of preparation during this Sabbatical in anticipation of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Let us in total unity, work diligently so that we are ready to worship Yahweh in close communion during the upcoming Holy season.