Letters from Jerusalem
April 17, 2025
“Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.”
2 Chronicles 15:12-15
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Love of Him Who promised, and is true to all of His promises. Greetings in Him Who parted the sea, chose a people for His Own reasons and purposes, sent His Only Son to redeem His lost children, Him Who IS and Who WAS and IS COMING AGAIN! May you be blessed and encouraged and may He be glorified, feared and adored…and REMEMBERED!
I have not written as I normally do, just before Passover and at the beginning, and I was just jarred as I checked and saw that the celebration of The Resurrection is this coming Sunday. Our calendars here do not record the date, and so I must remember to look it up online. Because, as believers, we incorporate The Resurrection with the Pesach, the time of remembrance is observed individually, differently than in the western countries.
We are nearing the end of the 7 day observance of Passover here in just a few more days. It ends this coming Saturday night, 19 April this year. As I watch the balagan around me…the chaos and the division both here and in the world…I take heed to separate my spirit unto Him, as best as I can; to quiet it. Even the weather in most places seems to be reflecting the chaos all around us, doesn’t it?
As I have shared for the last 3o years with you, the picture of how our people prepare for the Passover…cleaning out all possible leaven, (chametz – and even the definition of LEAVEN is up for debate!) even using high powered hoses on the entire apartment after moving all of their furniture out into the street…most people had just about gotten their apartments clean when the sky turned a strange, ominous yellow, signaling a hot sand storm from the deserts of Egypt to Saudi Arabia and even North Africa. When hot, dry winds appear, they are called either a ‘sha’arav’, or an ‘kham’seen’, they are so dry that all water is literally sucked up and our skin can ‘hurt’ from such a dryness. When these winds occur in the Spring, they usually don’t last for too many days. During the summer they can last for a long, dusty time. When they are accompanied by the ‘yellow sky’, we know that it is a khamseen blowing in Saudi, N. African or Egyptian sand. It is nasty stuff in the lungs and needless to say, all of those clean surfaces, windows, cars…must be done again. When the rain suddenly appears, signaling that it is breaking, it actually rains MUD, leaving quite the mess behind.
So, that is how this year’s Pesach was ushered in.
It was sort of a good picture of the land spiritually and emotionally.
I didn’t hear anyone complain…people sighed and shrugged and cleaned again. We were preparing our hearts for the Passover…a heavy Passover with 59 captives (‘kha’too’feem חטופים) still not brought home after more than 500 days (as I write, 505 days). As we search our hearts for leaven (yes, this really is done here by many, and discussed in the streets, looking inward for that which offends God) we carry the heaviness of the indescribable situation that we find ourselves wearily in. There just ARE no words.
Since the Passover Sedar fell on Saturday night this year, it complicated the situation for observant wives, having to prepare 12 meals ahead of time, as no work is done either on Shabbat nor on high holy days. Our Kehila (fellowship) had a Sedar together this year, and I did so much want to be there. Our Messianic Sedars ofcourse include YESHUA; WHAT JOY! J.... (who is living with me and is such a blessing from God for me) got to go, but E... and Y... and our three smallest Grandchildren were going to be alone and so invited me (they had no room for J.... Y... slept on the couch so that I could have his place in their bed). With all of those meals for 6 of us, I set about preparing matzo lasagna for a milk meal and sweet and sour chicken for a meat meal. A friend helped me with meatballs and rice for another meat meal. Since they are religious Jews, they separate meat and milk…a rabbinic (not scriptural) command.
You probably remember that E..., our youngest daughter, lives quite rurally in Gush Etzion (Judea and Samaria which the world press refers to as ‘the west bank’ or ‘the settlements’). I was able to get a ride out to her home with a brother from K.... on Friday morning, and at sunset, we turned off all screens and our phones (a hard one!), and only lights that were left on would be used, as the command to kindle no flame is carried over to the use of electricity. The oven is also left on low for the entire time and certain items (like an electric kettle and refrigerator) are left on a ‘shabbat timer’ which goes on and off automatically.
Our Sedar was traditional and began at 8pm, finally ending at midnight with all of the traditional songs and the reciting of the Hillel (praise Psalms) and the children, aged 3-11, did a wonderful job of paying attention and participating to the maximum. It WAS fun, but oh how my heart longs to share Yeshua with them!
We are allowed to read and play games during this three day Shabbat, so, INTERESTINGLY, (thank YOU LORD), I have been reading the entire Narnia series to them. We finished up The Dawntreader and got to read how Reepacheep left into the kingdom of Light and how the children met The Lamb Who became The Lion and I can only pray that the veil will be removed and that one day (may it be soon!) they will meet The One Whom their hearts already love: The Lion/The Lamb (Rev. 5:5,6) To this end I pray!
On Monday morning I headed back home, this time with 11 year old M... and 8 year old N... in tow: It is a Grandmother’s great joy! They stayed for two days and today I am alone, and so I write. J... comes back this evening.
The Lord commands us to REMEMBER. This is a COMMAND! I spent a good amount of time thinking about this, for don’t we all THINK that we do remember the important things and really don’t forget them? We look at the children of Israel and by the beginning of chapter 16 of Exodus we read “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness” … It wasn’t the first time that they complained and FORGOT, and, so sadly, not the last. We tend to look at them as fickle and faithless – unable to grasp what they had just experienced: and yet it is us! As I read through my Bible, I wonder at how many things that I had FORGOTTEN since I last read a particular section the last time. The Lord gave us ‘APPOINTED FEASTS’ for the purpose of PUTTING AN IMPORTANT LANDMARK IN REMEMBRANCE. He gave us an APPOINTED day of rest in which to remember HIM…He gave us times and seasons to stop and REMEMBER.
We are such poor, frail creatures…such sheep…that He had to send THE LAMB…His Own SON…to redeem us! We could NOT do it ourselves, and we still can not! Oh, the WONDER OF IT ALL!
And here, in His Israel, the bog continues. Our brave soldiers continue to dismantle hamas stone by stone…and to stand on the borders with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan while the Houthis continue sending us ballistic missiles. On Pesach, I was reading to the girls when suddenly there was the wail of sirens and we sat on the bottom bunk of the girls’ bed. M... was visibly troubled and I pray for her…the children! We heard the booms as the body of the missile landed nearby in Ramala (Palestinian city) and big pieces of shrapnel hit in the area of Hebron, also nearby. The booms were loud…but then they stopped and we went back to reading.
The most grievous situation seems to me to be the division within the country (I KNOW that many of your countries are also experiencing this.) Before 7th of October, there was, as there is now, a non-relenting move to overthrow the government with constant disruptive demonstrations. Days before 7th October, a letter was written by retired airforce figures, calling for IDF pilots to not show up for service. This is being done again. There was (in my opinion) an excellent letter written in one of our media outlets today and I would like to share it with you, for, although we are battling huge and dangerous enemies on 7 fronts, I believe that the enemy within is the most serious. I’m reprinting this letter from Arutz 7:
Written by Haggai Luber is very well known in Israel as an actor, playwright, theater director, acting teacher, and the founder and artistic director of the Aspaklaria Theater and Acting School. He is the father of Yehonatan Hy"d, who fell in battle in Gaza in the Swords of Iron War, leaving a pregnant wife and infant son.
“To all those who blithely signed letters (former air force, intelligence and medical personnel, etc recently signed letters saying that the hostages must be freed even if the price is stopping the war, ed.) against the ongoing war, don’t wave your military-security past in our faces and don’t wave your professions in our faces, you are no more worthy than anyone else in Israel. Your past is irrelevant, and your profession is of no significance.
We have seen enough “emeriti” has-beens who in the name of their military record, pushed us into the blood-soaked, egregious Oslo disaster, we have seen the “intelligentsia” and the “wise experts” who led us to leave the Katif Bloc in the Gaza Strip while swearing that not one rocket would be launched from there and that tranquility would reign at our southern border. It did not quite work out that way. The time has come for a bit of humility.
To my mind, my sweet son Yonatan was killed because of the Oslo Accord adventure and the Disengagement, plans that most of you supported. The spirit of those disasters permeates every line of your letters.
Despite that, I am not accusing you of not valuing my son’s life and the lives of so many others who were victims of Oslo and the Disengagement from Gaza, nor am I accusing you for your naive eagerness to sign agreements with murderers. I am not accusing you of “personal and political interests” that made you advance the vision of the lauded “New Middle East” that collapsed on us.
Don’t you dare accuse me either.
You have opinions, and the right to express your opinions, but you do not have the right to taint me and millions of other people who think differently. You do not have the right to say that we want the war to continue because of a “desire for revenge” – that is a disgusting lie.
And on the same subject:
You do not have the right to say that we are willing to abandon the hostages because of “political and personal interests.” That, too, is an abominable lie. It is a mendacious portrayal of me, and of the government with whose policies millions agree, policies that say that in the name of the sanctity of the lives of the hostages, the citizens and the soldiers, it is incumbent upon us to continue to fight with all our might until the last terrorist is eliminated.
And don’t you dare preach to me about the “sanctity of life.” Believe me, I know what it is to lose someone. I cry for my fallen holy son every day, I want the hostages home no less than you do, but I still think differently than you. Say whatever you wish. Erase the idea of refusal to serve. And stop saying that all the truth and morality is in your hands. It is insulting to those who go out to battle as you do, it insults others in your profession who do not agree with you. It insults me. Become accustomed to hearing disagreements with respect, even on critical issues, and learn to listen to other opinions.
Leave your echo chamber.
Translation from Hebrew: Rochel Sylvetsky”
Dear brothers and sisters, may we keep our eyes steadfastly fixed, lest we forget…least we lose sight of the goal; the purpose; the Cross. May you each be blessed and encouraged. May you each fulfill His purpose for you, for He does have a purpose – a vision – for each of us. May we pray together ‘THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’ and mean it…not my will, but Yours.
Thank you so much for praying for Israel…for praying His Heart…remembering that the promise is ‘to him who overcomes.’ Thank you so much for praying for my family, both here and S.... and her family in England.
May He be seen…risen in our hearts.
Loving blessings,
Your sister here.
“Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. Then they took an oath before the Lord with a loud voice, with shouting and trumpets and rams’ horns. And all Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their soul; and He was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.”
2 Chronicles 15:12-15
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” 2 Chronicles 16:9
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Love of Him Who promised, and is true to all of His promises. Greetings in Him Who parted the sea, chose a people for His Own reasons and purposes, sent His Only Son to redeem His lost children, Him Who IS and Who WAS and IS COMING AGAIN! May you be blessed and encouraged and may He be glorified, feared and adored…and REMEMBERED!
I have not written as I normally do, just before Passover and at the beginning, and I was just jarred as I checked and saw that the celebration of The Resurrection is this coming Sunday. Our calendars here do not record the date, and so I must remember to look it up online. Because, as believers, we incorporate The Resurrection with the Pesach, the time of remembrance is observed individually, differently than in the western countries.
We are nearing the end of the 7 day observance of Passover here in just a few more days. It ends this coming Saturday night, 19 April this year. As I watch the balagan around me…the chaos and the division both here and in the world…I take heed to separate my spirit unto Him, as best as I can; to quiet it. Even the weather in most places seems to be reflecting the chaos all around us, doesn’t it?
As I have shared for the last 3o years with you, the picture of how our people prepare for the Passover…cleaning out all possible leaven, (chametz – and even the definition of LEAVEN is up for debate!) even using high powered hoses on the entire apartment after moving all of their furniture out into the street…most people had just about gotten their apartments clean when the sky turned a strange, ominous yellow, signaling a hot sand storm from the deserts of Egypt to Saudi Arabia and even North Africa. When hot, dry winds appear, they are called either a ‘sha’arav’, or an ‘kham’seen’, they are so dry that all water is literally sucked up and our skin can ‘hurt’ from such a dryness. When these winds occur in the Spring, they usually don’t last for too many days. During the summer they can last for a long, dusty time. When they are accompanied by the ‘yellow sky’, we know that it is a khamseen blowing in Saudi, N. African or Egyptian sand. It is nasty stuff in the lungs and needless to say, all of those clean surfaces, windows, cars…must be done again. When the rain suddenly appears, signaling that it is breaking, it actually rains MUD, leaving quite the mess behind.
So, that is how this year’s Pesach was ushered in.
It was sort of a good picture of the land spiritually and emotionally.
I didn’t hear anyone complain…people sighed and shrugged and cleaned again. We were preparing our hearts for the Passover…a heavy Passover with 59 captives (‘kha’too’feem חטופים) still not brought home after more than 500 days (as I write, 505 days). As we search our hearts for leaven (yes, this really is done here by many, and discussed in the streets, looking inward for that which offends God) we carry the heaviness of the indescribable situation that we find ourselves wearily in. There just ARE no words.
Since the Passover Sedar fell on Saturday night this year, it complicated the situation for observant wives, having to prepare 12 meals ahead of time, as no work is done either on Shabbat nor on high holy days. Our Kehila (fellowship) had a Sedar together this year, and I did so much want to be there. Our Messianic Sedars ofcourse include YESHUA; WHAT JOY! J.... (who is living with me and is such a blessing from God for me) got to go, but E... and Y... and our three smallest Grandchildren were going to be alone and so invited me (they had no room for J.... Y... slept on the couch so that I could have his place in their bed). With all of those meals for 6 of us, I set about preparing matzo lasagna for a milk meal and sweet and sour chicken for a meat meal. A friend helped me with meatballs and rice for another meat meal. Since they are religious Jews, they separate meat and milk…a rabbinic (not scriptural) command.
You probably remember that E..., our youngest daughter, lives quite rurally in Gush Etzion (Judea and Samaria which the world press refers to as ‘the west bank’ or ‘the settlements’). I was able to get a ride out to her home with a brother from K.... on Friday morning, and at sunset, we turned off all screens and our phones (a hard one!), and only lights that were left on would be used, as the command to kindle no flame is carried over to the use of electricity. The oven is also left on low for the entire time and certain items (like an electric kettle and refrigerator) are left on a ‘shabbat timer’ which goes on and off automatically.
Our Sedar was traditional and began at 8pm, finally ending at midnight with all of the traditional songs and the reciting of the Hillel (praise Psalms) and the children, aged 3-11, did a wonderful job of paying attention and participating to the maximum. It WAS fun, but oh how my heart longs to share Yeshua with them!
We are allowed to read and play games during this three day Shabbat, so, INTERESTINGLY, (thank YOU LORD), I have been reading the entire Narnia series to them. We finished up The Dawntreader and got to read how Reepacheep left into the kingdom of Light and how the children met The Lamb Who became The Lion and I can only pray that the veil will be removed and that one day (may it be soon!) they will meet The One Whom their hearts already love: The Lion/The Lamb (Rev. 5:5,6) To this end I pray!
On Monday morning I headed back home, this time with 11 year old M... and 8 year old N... in tow: It is a Grandmother’s great joy! They stayed for two days and today I am alone, and so I write. J... comes back this evening.
The Lord commands us to REMEMBER. This is a COMMAND! I spent a good amount of time thinking about this, for don’t we all THINK that we do remember the important things and really don’t forget them? We look at the children of Israel and by the beginning of chapter 16 of Exodus we read “And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness” … It wasn’t the first time that they complained and FORGOT, and, so sadly, not the last. We tend to look at them as fickle and faithless – unable to grasp what they had just experienced: and yet it is us! As I read through my Bible, I wonder at how many things that I had FORGOTTEN since I last read a particular section the last time. The Lord gave us ‘APPOINTED FEASTS’ for the purpose of PUTTING AN IMPORTANT LANDMARK IN REMEMBRANCE. He gave us an APPOINTED day of rest in which to remember HIM…He gave us times and seasons to stop and REMEMBER.
We are such poor, frail creatures…such sheep…that He had to send THE LAMB…His Own SON…to redeem us! We could NOT do it ourselves, and we still can not! Oh, the WONDER OF IT ALL!
And here, in His Israel, the bog continues. Our brave soldiers continue to dismantle hamas stone by stone…and to stand on the borders with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan while the Houthis continue sending us ballistic missiles. On Pesach, I was reading to the girls when suddenly there was the wail of sirens and we sat on the bottom bunk of the girls’ bed. M... was visibly troubled and I pray for her…the children! We heard the booms as the body of the missile landed nearby in Ramala (Palestinian city) and big pieces of shrapnel hit in the area of Hebron, also nearby. The booms were loud…but then they stopped and we went back to reading.
The most grievous situation seems to me to be the division within the country (I KNOW that many of your countries are also experiencing this.) Before 7th of October, there was, as there is now, a non-relenting move to overthrow the government with constant disruptive demonstrations. Days before 7th October, a letter was written by retired airforce figures, calling for IDF pilots to not show up for service. This is being done again. There was (in my opinion) an excellent letter written in one of our media outlets today and I would like to share it with you, for, although we are battling huge and dangerous enemies on 7 fronts, I believe that the enemy within is the most serious. I’m reprinting this letter from Arutz 7:
Written by Haggai Luber is very well known in Israel as an actor, playwright, theater director, acting teacher, and the founder and artistic director of the Aspaklaria Theater and Acting School. He is the father of Yehonatan Hy"d, who fell in battle in Gaza in the Swords of Iron War, leaving a pregnant wife and infant son.
“To all those who blithely signed letters (former air force, intelligence and medical personnel, etc recently signed letters saying that the hostages must be freed even if the price is stopping the war, ed.) against the ongoing war, don’t wave your military-security past in our faces and don’t wave your professions in our faces, you are no more worthy than anyone else in Israel. Your past is irrelevant, and your profession is of no significance.
We have seen enough “emeriti” has-beens who in the name of their military record, pushed us into the blood-soaked, egregious Oslo disaster, we have seen the “intelligentsia” and the “wise experts” who led us to leave the Katif Bloc in the Gaza Strip while swearing that not one rocket would be launched from there and that tranquility would reign at our southern border. It did not quite work out that way. The time has come for a bit of humility.
To my mind, my sweet son Yonatan was killed because of the Oslo Accord adventure and the Disengagement, plans that most of you supported. The spirit of those disasters permeates every line of your letters.
Despite that, I am not accusing you of not valuing my son’s life and the lives of so many others who were victims of Oslo and the Disengagement from Gaza, nor am I accusing you for your naive eagerness to sign agreements with murderers. I am not accusing you of “personal and political interests” that made you advance the vision of the lauded “New Middle East” that collapsed on us.
Don’t you dare accuse me either.
You have opinions, and the right to express your opinions, but you do not have the right to taint me and millions of other people who think differently. You do not have the right to say that we want the war to continue because of a “desire for revenge” – that is a disgusting lie.
And on the same subject:
You do not have the right to say that we are willing to abandon the hostages because of “political and personal interests.” That, too, is an abominable lie. It is a mendacious portrayal of me, and of the government with whose policies millions agree, policies that say that in the name of the sanctity of the lives of the hostages, the citizens and the soldiers, it is incumbent upon us to continue to fight with all our might until the last terrorist is eliminated.
And don’t you dare preach to me about the “sanctity of life.” Believe me, I know what it is to lose someone. I cry for my fallen holy son every day, I want the hostages home no less than you do, but I still think differently than you. Say whatever you wish. Erase the idea of refusal to serve. And stop saying that all the truth and morality is in your hands. It is insulting to those who go out to battle as you do, it insults others in your profession who do not agree with you. It insults me. Become accustomed to hearing disagreements with respect, even on critical issues, and learn to listen to other opinions.
Leave your echo chamber.
Translation from Hebrew: Rochel Sylvetsky”
Dear brothers and sisters, may we keep our eyes steadfastly fixed, lest we forget…least we lose sight of the goal; the purpose; the Cross. May you each be blessed and encouraged. May you each fulfill His purpose for you, for He does have a purpose – a vision – for each of us. May we pray together ‘THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN’ and mean it…not my will, but Yours.
Thank you so much for praying for Israel…for praying His Heart…remembering that the promise is ‘to him who overcomes.’ Thank you so much for praying for my family, both here and S.... and her family in England.
May He be seen…risen in our hearts.
Loving blessings,
Your sister here.
March 30, 2025
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…If You are … But He answered and said, “It is written... “If You are… For it is written:… Jesus said to him, “It is written again…Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” MATTHEW 4:1-11
Blessed greetings in Yeshua, in Jesus, sisters and brothers. May you be blessed and encouraged and may The Lord Alone be glorified.
It is redundant for me to repeat what I am feeling; that it has become increasingly difficult for me to write.
I found a box of old papers and amongst the scraps and photos, there were some notes that I had scribbled, dated 11.11.2004, intending to write a letter. As I read through the notes, I was struck by two things: 1) how little has changed in the past 21 years, albeit the intensity has greatly increased, and 2) how, back then, my pen was still full of lively observation; not yet bogged down by layers and layers of experiences becoming too difficult to dissect accurately. Sometimes I think of what it would be like to be a neurosurgeon and have to divide itty bitty cells…so complex.
The notes which I was reading through, were telling you all about the death of Yassar Arafat. At the time, I was stunned by the international media response…the adulations and praise heaped upon this master terrorist. All of Israel stood in shock, watching this demonstration of blind veneration…almost worship of him, and such deep AFFECTION! I had noted Revelation 17:7 when the angel said to John ‘Why did you marvel?’ when he saw the harlot Babylon.
We are heading toward Passover (Pesach). It seems more real this year. It is not just a holiday or a time to remember what happened in the ancient past, but somehow it feels alive and real for today…as if it is happening again. And surely, again, we need God’s divine intervention…His Own Hand to judge in righteous judgment, the enemy and their gods…to release His captive children and to part the sea that we might find our way through to the promised land…again.
Stores are cleaning their shelves and separating the ‘hametz’ (food with leaven) from the foods that are ‘kosher for Pesach’. In about two weeks, Pesach begins. This year it starts at sundown on Saturday the 12th of April. It is celebrated by sharing a huge meal around the reading of a small book called the ‘haggada’, which contains a retelling of the story of the Exodus, replete with rabbinical interpretations, songs, traditions; we are talking about a 3-6 hour meal gathering! In the stores, the aisles containing shelves with the hametz will be sealed off in shrink wrap (yes, full aisles!) and closed by a rabbinical seal until the 7 days of the feast have ended. Passover is one of the 3 ‘high holy Sabbaths’, set apart by God when all men of Israel are commanded to come up to Jerusalem and present themselves (“not emptyhanded”) before God. The other two are Shavuot (Pentecost, 50 days after Passover), and then Sukkot, the 8 day ‘feast of tabernacles’, celebrated in the fall of the year.
When we lived in Alaska (a remote area – Naknek), we read Exodus 4-14 (yep!) instead of the Haggadah every year. (We fulfilled our hours!)
So…what do I see in today’s reality? That is what He told me; “What you see…write.”
How can I put it into words? The country is weary and exhausted…but I also see a large part of the people setting their faces like flint and turning toward God! Yes, I do. When you are in the reality and grief of war for THIS LONG…many many people seem to be coming to the question: ‘Is The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob real? Did He mean what He said? Do I…ME…do I BELIEVE??’ I mean…these are serious times … times that we are dying for and in… and if it is not about HIM…then what?’ This is my observation. Not everyone would agree with me. There is a violent uprising going on in the country and it is loud, noisy and very disruptive. I’ve noticed over my years that uprisings need ‘buzz words’. We hear ‘The government is destroying our democracy! Prime Minister Netanyahu is a dictator who is dismantling the country! The government doesn’t CARE about the hostages (!!) Overthrow the government!’ This is an awful thing to be happening in the midst of a war for our very existence. BUT GOD!
I began to notice something…and so I began to search His Word. Aside from possibly King Solomon, I could not find a leader against whom the people did not rise up and rebel! And the thing that I found MOST interesting is that it happened to Moses (whom God Himself called by name, anointed, led face to Face and called the most humble man whoever lived!), it happened to David, who God called by name and anointed as He did Moses, and whom He called a man AFTER HIS OWN HEART! It happened to Samuel, to Gideon, to every leader. AND LOOK! IT HAPPENED TO YESHUA!!!
I went back to the shocking account of Koreh in Numbers 16. I began to ask God: ‘What is it in man that must rebel against leaders?’ And I began to look around at all of the rebellion against GOD HIMSELF…my own awful rebellion! I listen in the body of believers who have KNOWN Him and been touched by Him saying things like ‘Well, if He WERE God, why would THIS happen?’ or ‘Where ARE His mercies? How can He allow such an awful thing…’ which leads to ‘IF I WERE GOD, I WOULDN’T ALLOW THIS…’ Didn’t satan say that? In the very garden of Eden? Absolom wooed this kingdom from his father King David with these words…and Judas JUDGED YESHUA HIMSELF over how he would use financial resources (he must have judged Yeshua in other things as well). WE ARE THE POT SHERDS SPEAKING TO THE POTTER!
I am praying that this war brings our people to the place where THE FEAR OF GOD overtakes our rebellious hearts! What Biblical examples we have in Daniel, Joseph, Abraham of men not perfect but UNDERSTANDING that no matter what we see with our eyes…HE IS GOD! HALLELUYAH! May we NEVER be found judging God! My heart weeps.
The planes are flying overhead and the dry dry winter is giving way to strange weather. The clouds are dramatic! “The Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud.” 2 Chronicles 6:1 Second Chronicles is a beautiful chapter as Solomon begins to dedicate the temple! We all know oft quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14, but the humility and beauty of this prayer is something I long to re-capture in my own praying…the awe of Who He IS is so very humbling!
This morning there was another ballistic missile launch from the Yemenite terror group, the Houthis, that set off air raid sirens across all of central Israel. What a miracle that they have not killed a single person with their nearly daily attacks. Ballistic missiles of this size are capable of inflicting massive damage, but thus far, our defense systems have successfully intercepted them. The air raid sirens ARE ‘scary’ in themselves, and then the huge ‘booms’ from the interceptions are pretty jarring. Large pieces of shrapnel fall across the country as we all shelter. It’s a trip! My 11 year old Granddaughter, has begun to have some fear. She has been caught walking home from school or to a friend’s house, feeling alone…and scared. Where as these attacks used to take place in the middle of the night, we now don’t know WHEN they will come, and several friends with small children have been caught on the bus and had to exit the bus and lay on top of their children in a corner. It is awfully difficult to describe these feelings, but the whole population is experiencing it…old and young…crippled and strong…here we are and this is our portion at this time.
As I was reading Matthew 4 this morning, The Lord’s temptation in the wilderness struck me afresh. Ofcourse we all know this portion of scripture well, but sometimes the enemy’s attacks are ‘in your face persistent’ and The Lord’s answers were like arrows set on the string, ready to be fired off; ‘IT IS WRITTEN’! In times like this we can often hear the enemy saying to us ‘IF YOU ARE…!’ IF YOU ARE in The Lord’s will…IF YOU ARE really His disciple…IF YOU ARE really following The Truth. What a BLESSING that we can go quickly back to The Word planted in our hearts and minds and shoot back ‘IT IS WRITTEN!’ and faith arises.
What else should I share? I was blessed to go out to Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion (Judea and Samaria) where my daughter and family live. I spent a wonderful night reading Narnia to them and even though there was a particularly scary air raid at 8pm, I was blessed.
Wednesday was already 3 years since my husband fell, and in just over 3 weeks it will be 3 years since he left…how strange…this new world…daily my hand in His not knowing where I walk.
Today is Eid ul Fitr…marking the end of the Muslim Ramadan. Ramadan this year passed relatively quietly, for which we thank God. In past years, some people have tried to demonstrate their zeal by carrying out horrific attacks against Jews.
May we praise His Name together as one! May we be found gazing at Him! May the fruit of His Spirit grow ripe as we are pruned, fertilized, and face the cold wet and the dry wind. May we be found in His Peace. MAY WE BRING HIM GLORY! I am so thankful for His Body! Many of you know Janet, who is living with me as she volunteers with Bridges for Peace and I wonder at His Love Who has watched over me so lovingly…I am so very blessed. He is ‘enough’!
God bless and encourage each of you. May we ultimately be presented to Him as a sweet smelling savor.
Lovingly, a sister.
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…If You are … But He answered and said, “It is written... “If You are… For it is written:… Jesus said to him, “It is written again…Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” MATTHEW 4:1-11
Blessed greetings in Yeshua, in Jesus, sisters and brothers. May you be blessed and encouraged and may The Lord Alone be glorified.
It is redundant for me to repeat what I am feeling; that it has become increasingly difficult for me to write.
I found a box of old papers and amongst the scraps and photos, there were some notes that I had scribbled, dated 11.11.2004, intending to write a letter. As I read through the notes, I was struck by two things: 1) how little has changed in the past 21 years, albeit the intensity has greatly increased, and 2) how, back then, my pen was still full of lively observation; not yet bogged down by layers and layers of experiences becoming too difficult to dissect accurately. Sometimes I think of what it would be like to be a neurosurgeon and have to divide itty bitty cells…so complex.
The notes which I was reading through, were telling you all about the death of Yassar Arafat. At the time, I was stunned by the international media response…the adulations and praise heaped upon this master terrorist. All of Israel stood in shock, watching this demonstration of blind veneration…almost worship of him, and such deep AFFECTION! I had noted Revelation 17:7 when the angel said to John ‘Why did you marvel?’ when he saw the harlot Babylon.
We are heading toward Passover (Pesach). It seems more real this year. It is not just a holiday or a time to remember what happened in the ancient past, but somehow it feels alive and real for today…as if it is happening again. And surely, again, we need God’s divine intervention…His Own Hand to judge in righteous judgment, the enemy and their gods…to release His captive children and to part the sea that we might find our way through to the promised land…again.
Stores are cleaning their shelves and separating the ‘hametz’ (food with leaven) from the foods that are ‘kosher for Pesach’. In about two weeks, Pesach begins. This year it starts at sundown on Saturday the 12th of April. It is celebrated by sharing a huge meal around the reading of a small book called the ‘haggada’, which contains a retelling of the story of the Exodus, replete with rabbinical interpretations, songs, traditions; we are talking about a 3-6 hour meal gathering! In the stores, the aisles containing shelves with the hametz will be sealed off in shrink wrap (yes, full aisles!) and closed by a rabbinical seal until the 7 days of the feast have ended. Passover is one of the 3 ‘high holy Sabbaths’, set apart by God when all men of Israel are commanded to come up to Jerusalem and present themselves (“not emptyhanded”) before God. The other two are Shavuot (Pentecost, 50 days after Passover), and then Sukkot, the 8 day ‘feast of tabernacles’, celebrated in the fall of the year.
When we lived in Alaska (a remote area – Naknek), we read Exodus 4-14 (yep!) instead of the Haggadah every year. (We fulfilled our hours!)
So…what do I see in today’s reality? That is what He told me; “What you see…write.”
How can I put it into words? The country is weary and exhausted…but I also see a large part of the people setting their faces like flint and turning toward God! Yes, I do. When you are in the reality and grief of war for THIS LONG…many many people seem to be coming to the question: ‘Is The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob real? Did He mean what He said? Do I…ME…do I BELIEVE??’ I mean…these are serious times … times that we are dying for and in… and if it is not about HIM…then what?’ This is my observation. Not everyone would agree with me. There is a violent uprising going on in the country and it is loud, noisy and very disruptive. I’ve noticed over my years that uprisings need ‘buzz words’. We hear ‘The government is destroying our democracy! Prime Minister Netanyahu is a dictator who is dismantling the country! The government doesn’t CARE about the hostages (!!) Overthrow the government!’ This is an awful thing to be happening in the midst of a war for our very existence. BUT GOD!
I began to notice something…and so I began to search His Word. Aside from possibly King Solomon, I could not find a leader against whom the people did not rise up and rebel! And the thing that I found MOST interesting is that it happened to Moses (whom God Himself called by name, anointed, led face to Face and called the most humble man whoever lived!), it happened to David, who God called by name and anointed as He did Moses, and whom He called a man AFTER HIS OWN HEART! It happened to Samuel, to Gideon, to every leader. AND LOOK! IT HAPPENED TO YESHUA!!!
I went back to the shocking account of Koreh in Numbers 16. I began to ask God: ‘What is it in man that must rebel against leaders?’ And I began to look around at all of the rebellion against GOD HIMSELF…my own awful rebellion! I listen in the body of believers who have KNOWN Him and been touched by Him saying things like ‘Well, if He WERE God, why would THIS happen?’ or ‘Where ARE His mercies? How can He allow such an awful thing…’ which leads to ‘IF I WERE GOD, I WOULDN’T ALLOW THIS…’ Didn’t satan say that? In the very garden of Eden? Absolom wooed this kingdom from his father King David with these words…and Judas JUDGED YESHUA HIMSELF over how he would use financial resources (he must have judged Yeshua in other things as well). WE ARE THE POT SHERDS SPEAKING TO THE POTTER!
I am praying that this war brings our people to the place where THE FEAR OF GOD overtakes our rebellious hearts! What Biblical examples we have in Daniel, Joseph, Abraham of men not perfect but UNDERSTANDING that no matter what we see with our eyes…HE IS GOD! HALLELUYAH! May we NEVER be found judging God! My heart weeps.
The planes are flying overhead and the dry dry winter is giving way to strange weather. The clouds are dramatic! “The Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud.” 2 Chronicles 6:1 Second Chronicles is a beautiful chapter as Solomon begins to dedicate the temple! We all know oft quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14, but the humility and beauty of this prayer is something I long to re-capture in my own praying…the awe of Who He IS is so very humbling!
This morning there was another ballistic missile launch from the Yemenite terror group, the Houthis, that set off air raid sirens across all of central Israel. What a miracle that they have not killed a single person with their nearly daily attacks. Ballistic missiles of this size are capable of inflicting massive damage, but thus far, our defense systems have successfully intercepted them. The air raid sirens ARE ‘scary’ in themselves, and then the huge ‘booms’ from the interceptions are pretty jarring. Large pieces of shrapnel fall across the country as we all shelter. It’s a trip! My 11 year old Granddaughter, has begun to have some fear. She has been caught walking home from school or to a friend’s house, feeling alone…and scared. Where as these attacks used to take place in the middle of the night, we now don’t know WHEN they will come, and several friends with small children have been caught on the bus and had to exit the bus and lay on top of their children in a corner. It is awfully difficult to describe these feelings, but the whole population is experiencing it…old and young…crippled and strong…here we are and this is our portion at this time.
As I was reading Matthew 4 this morning, The Lord’s temptation in the wilderness struck me afresh. Ofcourse we all know this portion of scripture well, but sometimes the enemy’s attacks are ‘in your face persistent’ and The Lord’s answers were like arrows set on the string, ready to be fired off; ‘IT IS WRITTEN’! In times like this we can often hear the enemy saying to us ‘IF YOU ARE…!’ IF YOU ARE in The Lord’s will…IF YOU ARE really His disciple…IF YOU ARE really following The Truth. What a BLESSING that we can go quickly back to The Word planted in our hearts and minds and shoot back ‘IT IS WRITTEN!’ and faith arises.
What else should I share? I was blessed to go out to Bat Ayin in Gush Etzion (Judea and Samaria) where my daughter and family live. I spent a wonderful night reading Narnia to them and even though there was a particularly scary air raid at 8pm, I was blessed.
Wednesday was already 3 years since my husband fell, and in just over 3 weeks it will be 3 years since he left…how strange…this new world…daily my hand in His not knowing where I walk.
Today is Eid ul Fitr…marking the end of the Muslim Ramadan. Ramadan this year passed relatively quietly, for which we thank God. In past years, some people have tried to demonstrate their zeal by carrying out horrific attacks against Jews.
May we praise His Name together as one! May we be found gazing at Him! May the fruit of His Spirit grow ripe as we are pruned, fertilized, and face the cold wet and the dry wind. May we be found in His Peace. MAY WE BRING HIM GLORY! I am so thankful for His Body! Many of you know Janet, who is living with me as she volunteers with Bridges for Peace and I wonder at His Love Who has watched over me so lovingly…I am so very blessed. He is ‘enough’!
God bless and encourage each of you. May we ultimately be presented to Him as a sweet smelling savor.
Lovingly, a sister.
March 11, 2025
“When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians… Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”
1 Chronicles 19:10 and 13
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”
Revelation 8:3-5
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Yeshua, Jesus, SHALOM.
PEACE be unto…from GOD THE FATHER…and THE LORD YESHUA H’MESIACH – JESUS CHRIST. May HE ALONE be glorified and may you be edified and encouraged.
PEACE! What a…a ‘what’? What IS Peace? Is it a ‘thing?’, an ‘entity?’ an ‘emotion?’, a ‘place?’…a state of being? Is it so precious to us until it is taken away? How many things are not fully precious to us until they have been taken away; think of it! I took my knees for granted until I fell off of the back of a pickup truck and saw how precious they were. Is it our family, our health, our homes? How He has gifted us in this generation. We have had Bibles in abundance…His Word freely given. We have had how many years on this earth? Oh what GIFTS He’s given us!
More than 50 years ago now was my (oh praise His Name!) night of my salvation. Up until then I had never experienced peace. I was driven, in constant anguish, never at rest: I seemed to have been born with a soul in agony. But, OH THAT NIGHT, I met PEACE! I sat down in a seat after I had been born again (having never even heard that term) and a friend turned to me and said ‘What happened?’ I said ‘I don’t know…but I am SILENT inside (no roaring, no silent scream) and I feel as if I have been born all over again…I am a brand new baby.’ They laughed and said ‘She’s been born again!’ and I had no idea what they meant…but that SILENCE! I kept touching my chest, trying to know what this PEACE was. That PEACE in my heart was the most precious thing that I had ever felt! All of the distracting chatter and the presence of the enemy was GONE and HIS PEACE flooded me.
How rare PEACE is in this world…and how PRECIOUS it is. Once it is taken away, we can search for it all that like, but, like a butterfly or a bird…it is illusive, fragile and will not come…unless it DOES on its own terms.
A cease fire is not peace. And, ofcourse, the peace of this world is not “HIS PEACE. “ John 14:28 brings my heart back to The Rock “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Through these 522 days of war and cease fires I have only experienced some ‘fear’ once; the first time Iran rained its bombs on us. I felt very alone, with my small dog and non-stop sirens. I called my daughter and she prayed for me and His Peace returned.
We have now had this very odd ‘cease fire’ arrangement for some 7 weeks. For the first 6 of those weeks, we received captives home each shabbat. The country stood still…held its breath…wept its tears and wrestled with emotions that we couldn’t identify and didn’t know existed.
Now we have been in, what can only be described as a ‘holding pattern’ for the past two weeks. Living some 15 years in remote Alaska, there was no way to leave our area except by plane. In the summer, barges could get through the waters, but there were no passenger ships, no roads and the valley of 10,000 smokes (a mountain range between us and center of Alaska,) was uncrossable, even by dog sled. In the winter, when the lakes and tundra were frozen, we could travel by dogsled (now mostly pulled by snow machines) between villages, but all except local travel was by plane. The weather was very extreme and many of the runways were ‘exciting’ to say the least. I keenly remember flying into Dillingham one stormy night. The ‘fog’ was so thick that the pilot couldn’t land. He announced that we would circle for as long as fuel would allow and hope for a break in the weather. We circled in that ‘holding pattern’ for nearly an hour. We could see nothing outside of the windows and it was eerie. Just after the pilot announced that we would have to get to another open air strip in a different village, SUDDENLY the plane dropped dramatically and everyone screamed; the pilot had seen lights below through a quick break in the clouds and took it! Dillingham is a village surrounded on 3 sides by treacherous mountains and water on the 4th side. The runway is very short. It was…EXCITING…(you could say). As I think about it, my heart still races. That describes to me a holding pattern; you can see nothing and are completely at the mercy of someone else’s skill. (Now I KNOW that there ARE less dramatic ‘holding pattern’s’ when a plane is simply waiting for its turn…but that is not how this feels.)
We know very little. Really, we ALL know very little about anything much. Even being extremely knowledgeable often dresses us up in ‘the clothes of knowing’ but it does not always add up to ‘knowing’. During these past weeks, most of the main leadership of the IDF has stepped down and been replaced with fresh leadership who seem honorable and worthy of their positions. The leadership in Syria has shown more of his true colors. Having been first a leader of Al Kaieda and then ISIS, putting on a suit and kind words didn’t necessarily mean a heart change. Europe and the UN rushed to embrace him, but after the slaughter of 1,000 this past weekend, I hope that they take note. Egypt has taken these weeks to mass tanks at our border placing our long standing peace with them in question. Turkey is stirring. We have seen MANY videos and photos (and I have first hand reports from soldiers) of Hamas in Gaza sauntering up to the cease fire line and burying bombs in plain site of the troops who are forbidden to fire. It’s INSANE!
Meanwhile, a number of the captives who were released have openly declared that The Presence of The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sustained them tangibly. One in particular has gripped many. Eli Sharabi came out of captivity looking like a skeleton, having been chained, starved, beaten and left alone in a tunnel for much of the more than 500 days, not knowing that his wife, two daughters and brother had all been killed. He spoke of the strong Presence of God sustaining him. He was NOT a religious man, so people listen.
The streets are still lined with protestors of all agendas, brother against brother.
Purim (Ester fast is Wed-Thurs) begins Thursday night – Friday night (Shushan Purim, only in Jerusalem – the walled city – is from Friday night through Saturday night)…where the country WILL rejoice…and too many will party…no matter what. My youngest Granddaughter, all of 3, was dressed up as a beautiful ‘Princess Ester’ this morning for her ‘gan’s’ (kindergarten) Purim party. This morning my daughter sent her sister and I pictures of all of the little Esters and Mordechais, my heart stirred to pray that they might have the HEART of those who prevailed before God, for we face the very same enemy today.
And we have a serious drought problem looming before us as we are experiencing our first heat wave already this week following the driest winter in more than 100 years.
This letter must sound pretty dreary. It is only describing the things that I see and hear around me…but oh, within! HIS PEACE REIGNS FOR HE IS SOVREIGN LORD, CREATOR, THE LIVING WORD, and my heart is settled in Him. I took heart from the word above in 1 Chronicles “…Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” There is such PEACE in the prayer ‘And may The Lord do what is good in His sight”…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. I realize that I KNOW HIM as TRUSTWORTHY and SOVREIGN, no matter how deep and muddy the waters, nor how thick the storm clouds, HE knows the way THROUGH.
We are already beginning to prepare for Passover, which is such a signpost to HIM HIMSELF! Just think, we have been remembering Passover for how many millennia? Remembering that, against ALL ODDS, HE judged, chose a people to bring through the waters and through the desert…to feed and lead, to teach and love…we are all part of this amazing story so we dare not grow weary along the way, but lift up our eyes unto Him Who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless in that day! May we consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Heb. 12:3)
It is amazing that we have been chosen unto HIS kingdom…out of this broken one. I have tried to describe the one (kingdom) that needs saving, that we might pray. I trust that you, in your great stresses, also are walking in the PEACE of His kingdom. It is where He has called us to.
I received the link below today from a dear sister and find it most comforting. Perhaps it will also bless you. May The Lord be most precious in your sight … may we trust and obey, all the way.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
PSALM 91 AND 23
“When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians… Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”
1 Chronicles 19:10 and 13
“Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”
Revelation 8:3-5
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Yeshua, Jesus, SHALOM.
PEACE be unto…from GOD THE FATHER…and THE LORD YESHUA H’MESIACH – JESUS CHRIST. May HE ALONE be glorified and may you be edified and encouraged.
PEACE! What a…a ‘what’? What IS Peace? Is it a ‘thing?’, an ‘entity?’ an ‘emotion?’, a ‘place?’…a state of being? Is it so precious to us until it is taken away? How many things are not fully precious to us until they have been taken away; think of it! I took my knees for granted until I fell off of the back of a pickup truck and saw how precious they were. Is it our family, our health, our homes? How He has gifted us in this generation. We have had Bibles in abundance…His Word freely given. We have had how many years on this earth? Oh what GIFTS He’s given us!
More than 50 years ago now was my (oh praise His Name!) night of my salvation. Up until then I had never experienced peace. I was driven, in constant anguish, never at rest: I seemed to have been born with a soul in agony. But, OH THAT NIGHT, I met PEACE! I sat down in a seat after I had been born again (having never even heard that term) and a friend turned to me and said ‘What happened?’ I said ‘I don’t know…but I am SILENT inside (no roaring, no silent scream) and I feel as if I have been born all over again…I am a brand new baby.’ They laughed and said ‘She’s been born again!’ and I had no idea what they meant…but that SILENCE! I kept touching my chest, trying to know what this PEACE was. That PEACE in my heart was the most precious thing that I had ever felt! All of the distracting chatter and the presence of the enemy was GONE and HIS PEACE flooded me.
How rare PEACE is in this world…and how PRECIOUS it is. Once it is taken away, we can search for it all that like, but, like a butterfly or a bird…it is illusive, fragile and will not come…unless it DOES on its own terms.
A cease fire is not peace. And, ofcourse, the peace of this world is not “HIS PEACE. “ John 14:28 brings my heart back to The Rock “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Through these 522 days of war and cease fires I have only experienced some ‘fear’ once; the first time Iran rained its bombs on us. I felt very alone, with my small dog and non-stop sirens. I called my daughter and she prayed for me and His Peace returned.
We have now had this very odd ‘cease fire’ arrangement for some 7 weeks. For the first 6 of those weeks, we received captives home each shabbat. The country stood still…held its breath…wept its tears and wrestled with emotions that we couldn’t identify and didn’t know existed.
Now we have been in, what can only be described as a ‘holding pattern’ for the past two weeks. Living some 15 years in remote Alaska, there was no way to leave our area except by plane. In the summer, barges could get through the waters, but there were no passenger ships, no roads and the valley of 10,000 smokes (a mountain range between us and center of Alaska,) was uncrossable, even by dog sled. In the winter, when the lakes and tundra were frozen, we could travel by dogsled (now mostly pulled by snow machines) between villages, but all except local travel was by plane. The weather was very extreme and many of the runways were ‘exciting’ to say the least. I keenly remember flying into Dillingham one stormy night. The ‘fog’ was so thick that the pilot couldn’t land. He announced that we would circle for as long as fuel would allow and hope for a break in the weather. We circled in that ‘holding pattern’ for nearly an hour. We could see nothing outside of the windows and it was eerie. Just after the pilot announced that we would have to get to another open air strip in a different village, SUDDENLY the plane dropped dramatically and everyone screamed; the pilot had seen lights below through a quick break in the clouds and took it! Dillingham is a village surrounded on 3 sides by treacherous mountains and water on the 4th side. The runway is very short. It was…EXCITING…(you could say). As I think about it, my heart still races. That describes to me a holding pattern; you can see nothing and are completely at the mercy of someone else’s skill. (Now I KNOW that there ARE less dramatic ‘holding pattern’s’ when a plane is simply waiting for its turn…but that is not how this feels.)
We know very little. Really, we ALL know very little about anything much. Even being extremely knowledgeable often dresses us up in ‘the clothes of knowing’ but it does not always add up to ‘knowing’. During these past weeks, most of the main leadership of the IDF has stepped down and been replaced with fresh leadership who seem honorable and worthy of their positions. The leadership in Syria has shown more of his true colors. Having been first a leader of Al Kaieda and then ISIS, putting on a suit and kind words didn’t necessarily mean a heart change. Europe and the UN rushed to embrace him, but after the slaughter of 1,000 this past weekend, I hope that they take note. Egypt has taken these weeks to mass tanks at our border placing our long standing peace with them in question. Turkey is stirring. We have seen MANY videos and photos (and I have first hand reports from soldiers) of Hamas in Gaza sauntering up to the cease fire line and burying bombs in plain site of the troops who are forbidden to fire. It’s INSANE!
Meanwhile, a number of the captives who were released have openly declared that The Presence of The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sustained them tangibly. One in particular has gripped many. Eli Sharabi came out of captivity looking like a skeleton, having been chained, starved, beaten and left alone in a tunnel for much of the more than 500 days, not knowing that his wife, two daughters and brother had all been killed. He spoke of the strong Presence of God sustaining him. He was NOT a religious man, so people listen.
The streets are still lined with protestors of all agendas, brother against brother.
Purim (Ester fast is Wed-Thurs) begins Thursday night – Friday night (Shushan Purim, only in Jerusalem – the walled city – is from Friday night through Saturday night)…where the country WILL rejoice…and too many will party…no matter what. My youngest Granddaughter, all of 3, was dressed up as a beautiful ‘Princess Ester’ this morning for her ‘gan’s’ (kindergarten) Purim party. This morning my daughter sent her sister and I pictures of all of the little Esters and Mordechais, my heart stirred to pray that they might have the HEART of those who prevailed before God, for we face the very same enemy today.
And we have a serious drought problem looming before us as we are experiencing our first heat wave already this week following the driest winter in more than 100 years.
This letter must sound pretty dreary. It is only describing the things that I see and hear around me…but oh, within! HIS PEACE REIGNS FOR HE IS SOVREIGN LORD, CREATOR, THE LIVING WORD, and my heart is settled in Him. I took heart from the word above in 1 Chronicles “…Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” There is such PEACE in the prayer ‘And may The Lord do what is good in His sight”…Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. I realize that I KNOW HIM as TRUSTWORTHY and SOVREIGN, no matter how deep and muddy the waters, nor how thick the storm clouds, HE knows the way THROUGH.
We are already beginning to prepare for Passover, which is such a signpost to HIM HIMSELF! Just think, we have been remembering Passover for how many millennia? Remembering that, against ALL ODDS, HE judged, chose a people to bring through the waters and through the desert…to feed and lead, to teach and love…we are all part of this amazing story so we dare not grow weary along the way, but lift up our eyes unto Him Who is able to keep us from falling and present us faultless in that day! May we consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Heb. 12:3)
It is amazing that we have been chosen unto HIS kingdom…out of this broken one. I have tried to describe the one (kingdom) that needs saving, that we might pray. I trust that you, in your great stresses, also are walking in the PEACE of His kingdom. It is where He has called us to.
I received the link below today from a dear sister and find it most comforting. Perhaps it will also bless you. May The Lord be most precious in your sight … may we trust and obey, all the way.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
PSALM 91 AND 23
February 13, 2025
“Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.” ZECHARIAH 10:1
Dearest brothers and sisters, shalom…peace to you all in The Precious Name of Yeshua, The Savior, Messiah, Living Son of God and The ONLY Hope. May you be blessed and encouraged and may HE Alone be glorified.
I find myself without words.
I have waited for His nudge, and even as the nudge has come, I am here not knowing what to say, but trusting that He will lead me…that I will open my ‘mouth’ and He WILL fill it.
Over the past 50 years, I have often been aware of the fact that we have the privilege to be living in ‘Biblical times’, but not really grasping the enormity of what that means. Currently, part of my daily reading has me in First Chronicles, reading lists of names, I find myself wondering if they KNEW that they were part of such a great story. There are times when the seasons and the ages have gone dark; we see such times clearly in the gap after Malachai. We wonder about those who simply ‘lived’ during [the] some 430 years between Joseph (saving the people by entering Egypt) and Moses (saving the people by leaving, through the Exodus). We know about the dark ages and ‘enlightened’ ages. I ponder the fact that throughout scripture, from Genesis through Revelation, the story of the Jews continues. Only recently it suddenly occurred to me that the Jews are, perhaps, the main ‘sub story’ line, as GOD IS THE STORY. I just didn’t notice that before.
The Jews re-emerged center stage, in a way that couldn’t be ignored, when the concentration camps were opened after WW2 and the state of Israel was reborn into the modern world after 2,000 years. I was a child then. My parents kept close watch on the tiny country. We had small boxes and went door to door collecting ‘Pennies for Israel’. My Mother, who always seemed to be worried that Israel would be destroyed, taught my sister and I carefully ‘Do NOT ‘rock the boat’! Live and let live. Lay low. Get along with everyone and don’t draw attention to yourself.’ We had been born into a brand new world and I didn’t understand the fear that lay behind much of her guidance. There were still ‘restricted areas’ when I was growing up in NYC, but that didn’t mean much to me. There were ‘restricted’ (no Jews allowed) clubs and things like that. I thought that it was normal and I had enough to do and see without going where I wasn’t wanted. The restrictions seemed to disappear with time.
But Jews ARE front and center again. We continue walking through THE BOOK. How we NEED to be IN THAT BOOK, applying it, eating it, breathing it…for it is The map that will lead us, and the Promise that will hold us in Hope when all around us in chaos. There simply IS no other TRUTH.
I’m sure that most of you (but not all) have seen the painful progression of humiliating captive releases. God is being openly mocked…I cling to The Words that promise that He will not tolerate this forever. I admit that I have only briefly checked world media coverage, and it was so painful, and so distorted, (bold faced lies!) that I simply can not read it. The country (although, YES, remarkably resilient) is broken and bleeding. We have seen quite a creative variety of theater mockery displaying our broken captives on stages throughout Gaza. The first group were literally fattened for release and given ‘goodie bags’ and fake IDF uniforms, ironed and neat, as if they were at a fifth grade birthday party, reciting their scripts perfectly to the crowds who were trying to get selfies with the captives on display. Later they began releasing those who had been chained, beaten and starved…each set of captives in a different area of Gaza, on a different stage, with a different professional display behind them – expensive, slick pictures of defiant terrorists proclaiming what they were planning next. I can’t continue describing the horrific scenes. The whole country wept to see Yarden Bibas (the father of the two little red headed boys) released without his family. We wept again this weekend as a lone father greeted his three year old son, finding out that his wife had been murdered. Eli Sharabi was forced to speak during his release and said “I am so happy to return to my wife and daughters.” Only when he was released did he find out that they had all been murdered. The stories are just beginning to be told – too painful to hear and so hard to be told (by the captives forced to smile and wave for the cameras as they were released). Meanwhile, the largest world media is comparing the Palestinian prisoners that we are being forced to release in exchange, many in jail ‘for life’ for brutal murders, to our kidnapped captives, and we sit open-mouthed. Yes…we are collectively weeping.
And it is winter…dark and cold. How the seasons have always fascinated me! We learn about them in kindergarten but we have a lifetime to understand how many lessons are written in them! Oh, the beauty and the depth of the gifts that God has given us! Even though the weather appears to be going through changes all around the world, the seasons are as regular as a heartbeat. Spring WILL follow winter, even if it is not an average one, and summer WILL follow after. How FAITHFUL is our God, Who set this all in motion, to give us such examples of His ways! Look over the record of wars, famines, earthquakes, plagues…and there are times of soft, fragrant Spring again and again as Spring follows winter.
You know, even though we have the lessons in the seasons, we often do not KNOW what season we are in. Are we in a time of His blessing or are we in a time of God’s judgment? Over the years I have noticed that God puts these three together when He speaks of His judgment: Plague, the sword and famine/drought. I understand that famine and drought are awful! Many of us find it hard to fast for even a short while. I have watched our farms burn and our farmers die. This winter has been the driest in 100 years. The farmers went to the rabbis to ask for them to pray for rain. It is the time of the latter rains right now and it has been raining this week but as yet the country has 20%-50% (depending upon what part of the country) of our annual rainfall.
NONETHELESS…we are planting trees today, because it is tu b’shvat!
Tu b’shvat is a date; the 15th day of the month of Shvat on the Hebrew calendar, and it is known as the ‘birthday of the trees’. It is celebrated by planting trees, even new forests, and eating fruits and nuts. It is a joyous day of growing…THE SAP IS FLOWING! Israel is STILL known as the one country on earth reclaiming deserts with trees…a country getting greener (albeit…the war…). There are all SORTS of traditions and stories concerning tu b’shvat. Its origins appear to be agricultural, from the text in Leviticus 19:23 that states: “When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten.” Tu b’shvat is considered the day to plant so that you may eat the fruit of the tree in 3 years. School children plant trees throughout the country today and if you wish to delve into some of the rich texture of the holiday, I will include links to a few sites below. From childhood, anytime there was a death in the family, we would send money to Israel ‘Keren Kayemet’, the forestry here in Israel, to have a tree planted in the memory of that loved one. I still have a tree certificate for my Grandmother’s tree, from before the state of Israel was recognized. As in the past, I take a step back and look and wonder; who is ‘this people’ who, in the midst of grief and trial by fire, step back and plant trees and give thanks for the land that God gave us!
Life continues and the sap in the trees rise and produce their fruit. Stumps that are left from trees that burned feel that sap and begin to sprout…life from what appeared dead. Everywhere we look we see God…His lessons and pictures of Him…and we put aside the pain and learn.
It is time for me to get ready to leave for a small Bible study that I go to in the neighborhood.
I may feel as if I am a burnt stump, but Spring will come and winter will pass. May The Lord draw us all closer and closer to Himself for His glory. May we KNOW HIM and finish the work that He gave us to do.
Loving blessings, from your sister
(I see that I lose my 'formatting' when I move my letter from 'WORD' to email. I'm sorry if this is distracting.)
Tu b'shvat 1
tu b'shvat 2
tu b'shvat 3
tu b'shvat 4
“Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.” ZECHARIAH 10:1
Dearest brothers and sisters, shalom…peace to you all in The Precious Name of Yeshua, The Savior, Messiah, Living Son of God and The ONLY Hope. May you be blessed and encouraged and may HE Alone be glorified.
I find myself without words.
I have waited for His nudge, and even as the nudge has come, I am here not knowing what to say, but trusting that He will lead me…that I will open my ‘mouth’ and He WILL fill it.
Over the past 50 years, I have often been aware of the fact that we have the privilege to be living in ‘Biblical times’, but not really grasping the enormity of what that means. Currently, part of my daily reading has me in First Chronicles, reading lists of names, I find myself wondering if they KNEW that they were part of such a great story. There are times when the seasons and the ages have gone dark; we see such times clearly in the gap after Malachai. We wonder about those who simply ‘lived’ during [the] some 430 years between Joseph (saving the people by entering Egypt) and Moses (saving the people by leaving, through the Exodus). We know about the dark ages and ‘enlightened’ ages. I ponder the fact that throughout scripture, from Genesis through Revelation, the story of the Jews continues. Only recently it suddenly occurred to me that the Jews are, perhaps, the main ‘sub story’ line, as GOD IS THE STORY. I just didn’t notice that before.
The Jews re-emerged center stage, in a way that couldn’t be ignored, when the concentration camps were opened after WW2 and the state of Israel was reborn into the modern world after 2,000 years. I was a child then. My parents kept close watch on the tiny country. We had small boxes and went door to door collecting ‘Pennies for Israel’. My Mother, who always seemed to be worried that Israel would be destroyed, taught my sister and I carefully ‘Do NOT ‘rock the boat’! Live and let live. Lay low. Get along with everyone and don’t draw attention to yourself.’ We had been born into a brand new world and I didn’t understand the fear that lay behind much of her guidance. There were still ‘restricted areas’ when I was growing up in NYC, but that didn’t mean much to me. There were ‘restricted’ (no Jews allowed) clubs and things like that. I thought that it was normal and I had enough to do and see without going where I wasn’t wanted. The restrictions seemed to disappear with time.
But Jews ARE front and center again. We continue walking through THE BOOK. How we NEED to be IN THAT BOOK, applying it, eating it, breathing it…for it is The map that will lead us, and the Promise that will hold us in Hope when all around us in chaos. There simply IS no other TRUTH.
I’m sure that most of you (but not all) have seen the painful progression of humiliating captive releases. God is being openly mocked…I cling to The Words that promise that He will not tolerate this forever. I admit that I have only briefly checked world media coverage, and it was so painful, and so distorted, (bold faced lies!) that I simply can not read it. The country (although, YES, remarkably resilient) is broken and bleeding. We have seen quite a creative variety of theater mockery displaying our broken captives on stages throughout Gaza. The first group were literally fattened for release and given ‘goodie bags’ and fake IDF uniforms, ironed and neat, as if they were at a fifth grade birthday party, reciting their scripts perfectly to the crowds who were trying to get selfies with the captives on display. Later they began releasing those who had been chained, beaten and starved…each set of captives in a different area of Gaza, on a different stage, with a different professional display behind them – expensive, slick pictures of defiant terrorists proclaiming what they were planning next. I can’t continue describing the horrific scenes. The whole country wept to see Yarden Bibas (the father of the two little red headed boys) released without his family. We wept again this weekend as a lone father greeted his three year old son, finding out that his wife had been murdered. Eli Sharabi was forced to speak during his release and said “I am so happy to return to my wife and daughters.” Only when he was released did he find out that they had all been murdered. The stories are just beginning to be told – too painful to hear and so hard to be told (by the captives forced to smile and wave for the cameras as they were released). Meanwhile, the largest world media is comparing the Palestinian prisoners that we are being forced to release in exchange, many in jail ‘for life’ for brutal murders, to our kidnapped captives, and we sit open-mouthed. Yes…we are collectively weeping.
And it is winter…dark and cold. How the seasons have always fascinated me! We learn about them in kindergarten but we have a lifetime to understand how many lessons are written in them! Oh, the beauty and the depth of the gifts that God has given us! Even though the weather appears to be going through changes all around the world, the seasons are as regular as a heartbeat. Spring WILL follow winter, even if it is not an average one, and summer WILL follow after. How FAITHFUL is our God, Who set this all in motion, to give us such examples of His ways! Look over the record of wars, famines, earthquakes, plagues…and there are times of soft, fragrant Spring again and again as Spring follows winter.
You know, even though we have the lessons in the seasons, we often do not KNOW what season we are in. Are we in a time of His blessing or are we in a time of God’s judgment? Over the years I have noticed that God puts these three together when He speaks of His judgment: Plague, the sword and famine/drought. I understand that famine and drought are awful! Many of us find it hard to fast for even a short while. I have watched our farms burn and our farmers die. This winter has been the driest in 100 years. The farmers went to the rabbis to ask for them to pray for rain. It is the time of the latter rains right now and it has been raining this week but as yet the country has 20%-50% (depending upon what part of the country) of our annual rainfall.
NONETHELESS…we are planting trees today, because it is tu b’shvat!
Tu b’shvat is a date; the 15th day of the month of Shvat on the Hebrew calendar, and it is known as the ‘birthday of the trees’. It is celebrated by planting trees, even new forests, and eating fruits and nuts. It is a joyous day of growing…THE SAP IS FLOWING! Israel is STILL known as the one country on earth reclaiming deserts with trees…a country getting greener (albeit…the war…). There are all SORTS of traditions and stories concerning tu b’shvat. Its origins appear to be agricultural, from the text in Leviticus 19:23 that states: “When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten.” Tu b’shvat is considered the day to plant so that you may eat the fruit of the tree in 3 years. School children plant trees throughout the country today and if you wish to delve into some of the rich texture of the holiday, I will include links to a few sites below. From childhood, anytime there was a death in the family, we would send money to Israel ‘Keren Kayemet’, the forestry here in Israel, to have a tree planted in the memory of that loved one. I still have a tree certificate for my Grandmother’s tree, from before the state of Israel was recognized. As in the past, I take a step back and look and wonder; who is ‘this people’ who, in the midst of grief and trial by fire, step back and plant trees and give thanks for the land that God gave us!
Life continues and the sap in the trees rise and produce their fruit. Stumps that are left from trees that burned feel that sap and begin to sprout…life from what appeared dead. Everywhere we look we see God…His lessons and pictures of Him…and we put aside the pain and learn.
It is time for me to get ready to leave for a small Bible study that I go to in the neighborhood.
I may feel as if I am a burnt stump, but Spring will come and winter will pass. May The Lord draw us all closer and closer to Himself for His glory. May we KNOW HIM and finish the work that He gave us to do.
Loving blessings, from your sister
(I see that I lose my 'formatting' when I move my letter from 'WORD' to email. I'm sorry if this is distracting.)
Tu b'shvat 1
tu b'shvat 2
tu b'shvat 3
tu b'shvat 4
January 26, 2025
“Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love the way you love, and do what you would do. Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to do and to endure…“ Hymn – words 1878 Edwin Hatch
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua,
May He be known and seen and loved and obeyed and proclaimed, for He is worthy…and may you be edified and blessed.
“Breathe on me breath of God…”, the old hymn, has been going around and around in my head for weeks now, as we appear to be a people with no breath.
Ezekiel 37 is a chapter familiar to us all: (7-10) “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Oh, that this would come to pass NOW, Lord! “How long, Lord!” cried so many before us, and we cry now. How long until we see YOU prevailing over all of the hearts of Your people and Your people walking in the promises that you have given through the lineage from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…even to now?
I know that I haven’t written, because, what could I say? We entered into two ‘cease fire’ agreements; one with Hizbollah in Lebanon and then with Hamas. Both deals were brokered or hammered out, by other countries and leaders, and we were under indescribable pressure to sign them. In our own country, the release of the captives and the defeat of Hamas and Hizbollah (etc.) have been our goals. Without the return of the captives, our soul would bleed to death; without the defeat of those sworn to destroy us…our bodies will bleed to death.
The battle within our own nation, and our ancient error of turning to other countries for help, has brought us to a position of weakness that we have seen over and over again throughout the scriptures.
As I write, the cease fire with Hizbollah may be falling apart. Today is the 60th day…the day when the terms of the cease fire were to come into effect; Hizbollah would be monitored and disarmed by the UN and the Lebanese army and positioned behind the Litani River. What happened instead is just what happened last time. The IDF has continually uncovered weapons stashes on our border in sight of the UN and Lebanese ‘peacekeepers’ and Hizbollah is constantly moving south. Today the IDF refused to leave our positions in Southern Lebanon, until we see real action being taken and that will guarantee that our citizens can again rebuild their destroyed homes in the north and live there safely without being bombed regularly. It is NOT a normal way to live…to have to run to bomb shelters constantly and have ‘just a few’ wounded or killed on a regular basis.
With Hamas it is quite a show! As of today, we have entered into a tight place. The cease fire with Hamas was scheduled to last 44-45 days during which we were to see the release of 33 captives, once a week, in drips and drabs; first civilian women, then women soldiers, the sick and injured and elderly…in exchange for large numbers of convicted terrorists, many serving life sentences for multiple murders. This is how Sinwar was released from his life sentence in exchange for Gilad Shalit. Last Sunday we rejoiced with the first three young women released … given ‘gift bags’(!!!) and ‘discharge for time served’ papers. In their gift bags were photos of them smiling during their ‘stay’. They were ‘fattened’ for the release, cleaned up and shown smiling and waving as they were instructed by their captors. The second group was released yesterday (Shabbat), but the deal was broken because one young civilian, Arbel Yehud, was NOT handed over nor was Shiri Bibas and her two small boys. They SHOULD have been released yesterday. Also, as part of the deal, we were supposed to receive a full list of how many of the 90 are still alive and what condition they are in. The list was not received.
“Breathe on me breath of God…”
Can you, for one minute, imagine the emotional whiplash that is being experienced here?
On one hand, we are weeping with joy for each one released. We are praying that this WON’T collapse before they are ALL released. We wait for each list of who IS to be released and then see that it is not happening. (can you imagine what is happening in the hearts of the families whose loved ones were promised and then not given?) On the other hand, we can not allow them to be breaking the agreement.
H... F... is a very vocal civilian spokesman for Israel with a lot of wisdom and heart.
When we first made Aliyah, we became good friends with the F... family. They (a religious family from America) made Aliyah at the same time as we did. They bought a piece of our furniture and E... helped them set up their home. All of their boys were young and we all had such excitement and hope; here we had come HOME to the land of the ancient promise! Then, in 2018, A.. F... – a son then in his 40s - was stabbed and killed by a terrorist in their supermarket, near where my younger daughter lives now. His murderer was caught and sentenced to life in prison. His murderer was released yesterday. A..’s brother H...., who is quite an eloquent, wise and outspoken defender of Israel, was asked by the media what he thought about ‘the deal’.
“’The fact that he [Jabarin] is getting out, and my brother A.. is gone — that’s a real punch in the stomach’”…He said he did not think opposing the hostage deal and the release of Palestinian prisoners ‘is the best use of our time right now. We’re focused, as a family, in getting our hostages home. The deal is a terrible deal, but it’s also a beautiful deal.’” [quoted from: Jewish News]
The situations, along with the emotions involved, are incredibly complicated. Life in the streets and the stores continue, but with a heavy cloak. We rejoice at every opportunity that we can take to rejoice, and the release of the captives ................. is exactly that. We try to support one another and to remind one another that God IS INDEED in control, no matter what we see and hear.
Many people are returning to traditional Judaism and are seeking God through rabbinical guidance. I pray more and more for the many seeds that have been planted in the lives of my people over the past 70 or so years, revealing Yeshua as our One True Messiah. There are testimonies from back to the 1940s (and earlier) of Bibles given out and Light shared and I am trusting that these will yet bear fruit in ways that ONLY GOD will get the glory!
I’m sharing this photo below of Liri and her mother for a purpose. (photo not included) I have been struck more and more by the fact that ‘I’m not at the end yet…I’m still somewhere along the path and I don’t yet see the end.’ We surely see through a glass darkly. As you and I look at our lives 15 years ago, would we have thought that today would look like this? Well, 3 days ago, I saw (and posted on Instagram) a clip of L...s Mom at a demonstration for the release of the captives. Her face struck me so deeply as the personification of grief. Her face had literally collapsed in pain. When her husband put his arm around her, she sank into tears, and I wept. Two days later, the picture of her and her daughter was taken! She is still along the path…but both days were ‘along the way’.
So it is for ALL of us. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” is repeated in Mat. 10:22, Mat. 24:13 and Mark 13:13. We have not yet endured to the end, but by God’s grace, one day we will know that we are there, and may we each hear our Lord say to us “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, … Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Mat. 25:21)
Thank you each for all of your prayers for HIS WILL – for HIS NAME TO BE GLORIFIED and for HIS KINGDOM TO COME. Loving blessings, from a sister here.
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua,
May He be known and seen and loved and obeyed and proclaimed, for He is worthy…and may you be edified and blessed.
“Breathe on me breath of God…”, the old hymn, has been going around and around in my head for weeks now, as we appear to be a people with no breath.
Ezekiel 37 is a chapter familiar to us all: (7-10) “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Oh, that this would come to pass NOW, Lord! “How long, Lord!” cried so many before us, and we cry now. How long until we see YOU prevailing over all of the hearts of Your people and Your people walking in the promises that you have given through the lineage from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…even to now?
I know that I haven’t written, because, what could I say? We entered into two ‘cease fire’ agreements; one with Hizbollah in Lebanon and then with Hamas. Both deals were brokered or hammered out, by other countries and leaders, and we were under indescribable pressure to sign them. In our own country, the release of the captives and the defeat of Hamas and Hizbollah (etc.) have been our goals. Without the return of the captives, our soul would bleed to death; without the defeat of those sworn to destroy us…our bodies will bleed to death.
The battle within our own nation, and our ancient error of turning to other countries for help, has brought us to a position of weakness that we have seen over and over again throughout the scriptures.
As I write, the cease fire with Hizbollah may be falling apart. Today is the 60th day…the day when the terms of the cease fire were to come into effect; Hizbollah would be monitored and disarmed by the UN and the Lebanese army and positioned behind the Litani River. What happened instead is just what happened last time. The IDF has continually uncovered weapons stashes on our border in sight of the UN and Lebanese ‘peacekeepers’ and Hizbollah is constantly moving south. Today the IDF refused to leave our positions in Southern Lebanon, until we see real action being taken and that will guarantee that our citizens can again rebuild their destroyed homes in the north and live there safely without being bombed regularly. It is NOT a normal way to live…to have to run to bomb shelters constantly and have ‘just a few’ wounded or killed on a regular basis.
With Hamas it is quite a show! As of today, we have entered into a tight place. The cease fire with Hamas was scheduled to last 44-45 days during which we were to see the release of 33 captives, once a week, in drips and drabs; first civilian women, then women soldiers, the sick and injured and elderly…in exchange for large numbers of convicted terrorists, many serving life sentences for multiple murders. This is how Sinwar was released from his life sentence in exchange for Gilad Shalit. Last Sunday we rejoiced with the first three young women released … given ‘gift bags’(!!!) and ‘discharge for time served’ papers. In their gift bags were photos of them smiling during their ‘stay’. They were ‘fattened’ for the release, cleaned up and shown smiling and waving as they were instructed by their captors. The second group was released yesterday (Shabbat), but the deal was broken because one young civilian, Arbel Yehud, was NOT handed over nor was Shiri Bibas and her two small boys. They SHOULD have been released yesterday. Also, as part of the deal, we were supposed to receive a full list of how many of the 90 are still alive and what condition they are in. The list was not received.
“Breathe on me breath of God…”
Can you, for one minute, imagine the emotional whiplash that is being experienced here?
On one hand, we are weeping with joy for each one released. We are praying that this WON’T collapse before they are ALL released. We wait for each list of who IS to be released and then see that it is not happening. (can you imagine what is happening in the hearts of the families whose loved ones were promised and then not given?) On the other hand, we can not allow them to be breaking the agreement.
H... F... is a very vocal civilian spokesman for Israel with a lot of wisdom and heart.
When we first made Aliyah, we became good friends with the F... family. They (a religious family from America) made Aliyah at the same time as we did. They bought a piece of our furniture and E... helped them set up their home. All of their boys were young and we all had such excitement and hope; here we had come HOME to the land of the ancient promise! Then, in 2018, A.. F... – a son then in his 40s - was stabbed and killed by a terrorist in their supermarket, near where my younger daughter lives now. His murderer was caught and sentenced to life in prison. His murderer was released yesterday. A..’s brother H...., who is quite an eloquent, wise and outspoken defender of Israel, was asked by the media what he thought about ‘the deal’.
“’The fact that he [Jabarin] is getting out, and my brother A.. is gone — that’s a real punch in the stomach’”…He said he did not think opposing the hostage deal and the release of Palestinian prisoners ‘is the best use of our time right now. We’re focused, as a family, in getting our hostages home. The deal is a terrible deal, but it’s also a beautiful deal.’” [quoted from: Jewish News]
The situations, along with the emotions involved, are incredibly complicated. Life in the streets and the stores continue, but with a heavy cloak. We rejoice at every opportunity that we can take to rejoice, and the release of the captives ................. is exactly that. We try to support one another and to remind one another that God IS INDEED in control, no matter what we see and hear.
Many people are returning to traditional Judaism and are seeking God through rabbinical guidance. I pray more and more for the many seeds that have been planted in the lives of my people over the past 70 or so years, revealing Yeshua as our One True Messiah. There are testimonies from back to the 1940s (and earlier) of Bibles given out and Light shared and I am trusting that these will yet bear fruit in ways that ONLY GOD will get the glory!
I’m sharing this photo below of Liri and her mother for a purpose. (photo not included) I have been struck more and more by the fact that ‘I’m not at the end yet…I’m still somewhere along the path and I don’t yet see the end.’ We surely see through a glass darkly. As you and I look at our lives 15 years ago, would we have thought that today would look like this? Well, 3 days ago, I saw (and posted on Instagram) a clip of L...s Mom at a demonstration for the release of the captives. Her face struck me so deeply as the personification of grief. Her face had literally collapsed in pain. When her husband put his arm around her, she sank into tears, and I wept. Two days later, the picture of her and her daughter was taken! She is still along the path…but both days were ‘along the way’.
So it is for ALL of us. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” is repeated in Mat. 10:22, Mat. 24:13 and Mark 13:13. We have not yet endured to the end, but by God’s grace, one day we will know that we are there, and may we each hear our Lord say to us “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, … Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Mat. 25:21)
Thank you each for all of your prayers for HIS WILL – for HIS NAME TO BE GLORIFIED and for HIS KINGDOM TO COME. Loving blessings, from a sister here.
January 9, 2025
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” PSALM 36:9
“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
1 KINGS 19:11-13
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Shalom dear brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ, LORD, MESSIAH, in Whose Light we see Light. May HE be known, magnified, lifted up and glorified. May you be encouraged and blessed.
The season of Lights…Christmas and Chanuka, have passed without the return of the captives. The calendar page turned and the year changed, still filled with hopes as we walk on, growing older, hopefully growing closer and closer to Him…to being conformed to His Image…the purpose for which He called us…to reflect Him into this world heaving in agony.
I have to remind myself as I sit down to write: What is my purpose in writing this letter? What is it, exactly, that The Lord intended for me to do? And I call to remembrance His charge to me 30 years ago; ‘What you see, write. What you hear, share’.
I mentioned in my last letter that Sarah and I were reading a book One Day In October – Forty Heroes, Forty Stories. I am continuing to read it as I can not read more than one testimony a day. ‘What I see, that write.’ That book is what I see. The book records just some of the EXTRAORDINARY deeds that took place on the 7th of October, 2023…and that is what I am seeing all around me still. It is like trying to explain a science fiction story…you almost have to invent another language. I don’t know all of you who have been reading this letter for the past 30 years, but I do know that your involvement with Israel and the Jewish people is quite varied. Some of you have a great prayer burden and enter your closets and pray the Heart of God before His throne, but may not even know a single Jewish person or read the news about Israel from a dependable source. Others of you read the same news that I read as it is happening and know our history and even our traditions better than I do. Some of you hear the ‘red alert’ (air raid sirens) and pray at the moment that we are seeking shelter. I don’t know what it ‘looks like’ from where you are.
Here, we deeply feel the separation from the rest of the world. The condemnation and isolation are palpable. We DO know that many people around the world stand with us…especially many Christians…but it still FEELS ‘alone and isolated’. The amount of hatred spewed towards us as we defend our very lives is shocking. This week, Israel needed to rescue an Israeli reserve soldier who was vacationing in Brazil because anti-Israeli groups have scoured social media and identified soldiers coming into their countries with plans to prosecute them for WAR CRIMES (!).
We are dealing (or trying to) with mass grief as the reality that so many families are facing. As the shock wears off and a new ‘daily life’ appears through the fog, rent and bleeding, many simply ‘can’t’. I was looking at a photo of a very brave new widow left with 9 small children, hugging her husband’s uniform. We all hold our breath as the new orphans walk in our midst and they are too young for us to know how they are doing having seen their families butchered before their young eyes. How are the old Holocaust survivors coping with the loss of children and grandchildren…and the parents who receive ‘the knock on the door’. Then we have the brave reservists who have put their families, studies, jobs on hold as they have been fighting for a year and 3 months. So many families are breaking under the financial and emotional stress…and still the world tells us that it’s us and that we should ‘just stop’. Just stop…REALLY? We have 98 captives still not home…Hamas and Hizbolla both are poised to rebuild and continue…another war…another attack.
Suddenly, we haven’t had sirens in 3 days. For several weeks before that we were having a whole new pattern of attacks. The Houthis were sending supersonic missiles every other day, sending large chunks of the country into shelters (including Jerusalem area, Tel Aviv area, as well as Ben Gurion Airport. In between, there were rockets again, being shot from Gaza at the southern communities, 6-10 a day. How can that be after we have fought and fought and fought, that they still have the power to shoot rockets at us? But now we have 3 days of silence from those 2 fronts. The attacks in Judea and Samaria have picked up…but it is all so intricate.
Syria fell dramatically, nearly overnight changing the appearance of the battlefield. Two ‘new’ ‘old’ enemies raise their heads suddenly; Turkey and Egypt! Did you know that Turkey is currently slaughtering the Kurds in Northern Syria? No one seems to care.
So that’s my ‘news update from my vantage point’. I suspect that it’s ‘the earthquake’, ‘the fire’ and ‘the great strong wind’ that passed by Elijah BEFORE The Lord spoke to the point of the matter in His ‘still small voice’.
It is that ‘still small voice’ that will lead us into effective prayer, and it is EFFECTIVE prayer that I long to pray and that I PRAY to pray!
So, what I ‘see’ is the heaviness of grief, ‘dancing’ among simple people turned into great heroes. Chanuka came and there was an anticipation that there would be another great miracle during this time. So many prayers were offered up for The Light to Light the way to the captives. It wasn’t to be that way. During Chanuka, one night some 80,000 gathered for a concert and in the middle of it there was a red alert. Air raid! There was no place for 80,000 people to take cover…so…a song was raised by all (that is currently the most popular song) To loosely translate: God, blessed be He, He always loves me so. And I’ll always be just fine. God, blessed be he. He always loves me so. I will always be nothing but great. And I’ll be better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, I will always be nothing but great. Now, just reading the words or hearing them you might think ‘HUH! Pretty proud people! Positive confession! It will just always be better and greater because God loves me so much. NOPE…this misses it! It’s really an encouraging song in the midst of the war to look to GOD ALONE and that WITH HIM, it really is all ok…BECAUSE of Him. The children sing this song a lot and, on that night, (I KNOW that many of you have seen the video), instead of stampeding to the shelters, they stood and raised this song to God…and it was touching. It reminded me of Psalm 140:7 when David prayed “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.”
Although we did adapt our lives to the culture that we live in, (no Christmas or New Year celebrations) (NOT altering our heart attitudes, God forbid!) we always looked forward to the couple of cards that we would receive. I forgot to tell you that, due to the war and our standing in the world, I have not received any mail in over a year other than local bank statements. If any of you sent a card, it was not received. During the intifada I remember speaking to the head of a ministry who told me that their mail was not arriving and they hired a private investigator to check it through (most of their mail was to and from Canada). They found that (in that particular case) mail to and from Israel was being thrown out. I have no proof that that is what is happening currently, but I just want you to know that it is pointless to send any mail. Thank you if you did, but please understand that we are not receiving any.
I am also having more and more trouble sending out these emails (which is why I only write ‘another update’ on top, but, none the less, it is getting rejected more and more.
There goes my alarm telling me that I must get ready for the bus to the eye doctor. I apologize for the heaviness of this letter, but…yes…the life that is around me is heavy…however HIS burden IS LIGHT…and that is how I will walk. May you, as well, be walking this year closely yoked with Him Who DOES love us and lead us through it all.
LOVING LOVING BLESSINGS! Your sister here.
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” PSALM 36:9
“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
1 KINGS 19:11-13
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shalom dear brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ, LORD, MESSIAH, in Whose Light we see Light. May HE be known, magnified, lifted up and glorified. May you be encouraged and blessed.
The season of Lights…Christmas and Chanuka, have passed without the return of the captives. The calendar page turned and the year changed, still filled with hopes as we walk on, growing older, hopefully growing closer and closer to Him…to being conformed to His Image…the purpose for which He called us…to reflect Him into this world heaving in agony.
I have to remind myself as I sit down to write: What is my purpose in writing this letter? What is it, exactly, that The Lord intended for me to do? And I call to remembrance His charge to me 30 years ago; ‘What you see, write. What you hear, share’.
I mentioned in my last letter that Sarah and I were reading a book One Day In October – Forty Heroes, Forty Stories. I am continuing to read it as I can not read more than one testimony a day. ‘What I see, that write.’ That book is what I see. The book records just some of the EXTRAORDINARY deeds that took place on the 7th of October, 2023…and that is what I am seeing all around me still. It is like trying to explain a science fiction story…you almost have to invent another language. I don’t know all of you who have been reading this letter for the past 30 years, but I do know that your involvement with Israel and the Jewish people is quite varied. Some of you have a great prayer burden and enter your closets and pray the Heart of God before His throne, but may not even know a single Jewish person or read the news about Israel from a dependable source. Others of you read the same news that I read as it is happening and know our history and even our traditions better than I do. Some of you hear the ‘red alert’ (air raid sirens) and pray at the moment that we are seeking shelter. I don’t know what it ‘looks like’ from where you are.
Here, we deeply feel the separation from the rest of the world. The condemnation and isolation are palpable. We DO know that many people around the world stand with us…especially many Christians…but it still FEELS ‘alone and isolated’. The amount of hatred spewed towards us as we defend our very lives is shocking. This week, Israel needed to rescue an Israeli reserve soldier who was vacationing in Brazil because anti-Israeli groups have scoured social media and identified soldiers coming into their countries with plans to prosecute them for WAR CRIMES (!).
We are dealing (or trying to) with mass grief as the reality that so many families are facing. As the shock wears off and a new ‘daily life’ appears through the fog, rent and bleeding, many simply ‘can’t’. I was looking at a photo of a very brave new widow left with 9 small children, hugging her husband’s uniform. We all hold our breath as the new orphans walk in our midst and they are too young for us to know how they are doing having seen their families butchered before their young eyes. How are the old Holocaust survivors coping with the loss of children and grandchildren…and the parents who receive ‘the knock on the door’. Then we have the brave reservists who have put their families, studies, jobs on hold as they have been fighting for a year and 3 months. So many families are breaking under the financial and emotional stress…and still the world tells us that it’s us and that we should ‘just stop’. Just stop…REALLY? We have 98 captives still not home…Hamas and Hizbolla both are poised to rebuild and continue…another war…another attack.
Suddenly, we haven’t had sirens in 3 days. For several weeks before that we were having a whole new pattern of attacks. The Houthis were sending supersonic missiles every other day, sending large chunks of the country into shelters (including Jerusalem area, Tel Aviv area, as well as Ben Gurion Airport. In between, there were rockets again, being shot from Gaza at the southern communities, 6-10 a day. How can that be after we have fought and fought and fought, that they still have the power to shoot rockets at us? But now we have 3 days of silence from those 2 fronts. The attacks in Judea and Samaria have picked up…but it is all so intricate.
Syria fell dramatically, nearly overnight changing the appearance of the battlefield. Two ‘new’ ‘old’ enemies raise their heads suddenly; Turkey and Egypt! Did you know that Turkey is currently slaughtering the Kurds in Northern Syria? No one seems to care.
So that’s my ‘news update from my vantage point’. I suspect that it’s ‘the earthquake’, ‘the fire’ and ‘the great strong wind’ that passed by Elijah BEFORE The Lord spoke to the point of the matter in His ‘still small voice’.
It is that ‘still small voice’ that will lead us into effective prayer, and it is EFFECTIVE prayer that I long to pray and that I PRAY to pray!
So, what I ‘see’ is the heaviness of grief, ‘dancing’ among simple people turned into great heroes. Chanuka came and there was an anticipation that there would be another great miracle during this time. So many prayers were offered up for The Light to Light the way to the captives. It wasn’t to be that way. During Chanuka, one night some 80,000 gathered for a concert and in the middle of it there was a red alert. Air raid! There was no place for 80,000 people to take cover…so…a song was raised by all (that is currently the most popular song) To loosely translate: God, blessed be He, He always loves me so. And I’ll always be just fine. God, blessed be he. He always loves me so. I will always be nothing but great. And I’ll be better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, And better than great, I will always be nothing but great. Now, just reading the words or hearing them you might think ‘HUH! Pretty proud people! Positive confession! It will just always be better and greater because God loves me so much. NOPE…this misses it! It’s really an encouraging song in the midst of the war to look to GOD ALONE and that WITH HIM, it really is all ok…BECAUSE of Him. The children sing this song a lot and, on that night, (I KNOW that many of you have seen the video), instead of stampeding to the shelters, they stood and raised this song to God…and it was touching. It reminded me of Psalm 140:7 when David prayed “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.”
Although we did adapt our lives to the culture that we live in, (no Christmas or New Year celebrations) (NOT altering our heart attitudes, God forbid!) we always looked forward to the couple of cards that we would receive. I forgot to tell you that, due to the war and our standing in the world, I have not received any mail in over a year other than local bank statements. If any of you sent a card, it was not received. During the intifada I remember speaking to the head of a ministry who told me that their mail was not arriving and they hired a private investigator to check it through (most of their mail was to and from Canada). They found that (in that particular case) mail to and from Israel was being thrown out. I have no proof that that is what is happening currently, but I just want you to know that it is pointless to send any mail. Thank you if you did, but please understand that we are not receiving any.
I am also having more and more trouble sending out these emails (which is why I only write ‘another update’ on top, but, none the less, it is getting rejected more and more.
There goes my alarm telling me that I must get ready for the bus to the eye doctor. I apologize for the heaviness of this letter, but…yes…the life that is around me is heavy…however HIS burden IS LIGHT…and that is how I will walk. May you, as well, be walking this year closely yoked with Him Who DOES love us and lead us through it all.
LOVING LOVING BLESSINGS! Your sister here.
December 17, 2024
“Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God. “Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God. Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel!” Hosea 1:8-11
Greetings sisters and brothers, in The Name above all names. May HE ALONE receive glory and honor and praise and be worshipped for Who He IS. May you be blessed and draw ever nearer to Him. May you and I bring Him glory and radiate His Light, being nothing other than a signpost to Yeshua, Jesus The Lord! The Christ, The Messiah of God.
I realized today, as I listened to planes overhead in the midst of the drama being played out here in the Middle East, that you, in other nations, are currently preparing to celebrate the birth of the incarnation of The Lord! In many ways, that is just like today. They were in the midst of the hugest of breakthroughs in what we call ‘time’ and they did not ‘know’. They did not ‘know’ What or Who to expect, and they all had their own ideas. How many MISSED HIM! Oh, to grasp that! It could have been me! Then others wondered…and others…few others…’KNEW’! Peter said to Him: ‘YOU Are The Lord…to whom else would we go?’ What a GIFT, that revelation!
Dare I wonder if we stand at such a time in history today?
Does the verse that I put at the top of this letter seem cryptic? It is to me. It is so indicative to me of where we are today. His ways and His thoughts are SO MUCH HIGHER than ours that so many (in my opinion) beat the wind trying to explain ‘what will happen’ and ‘what IS happening’ and ‘where we are on the prophetic clock’. I have come to the conclusion that this is a waste of time and that the only important thing for each of us individually is to really and honestly KNOW HIM AS HE IS and literally BEG Him, in His mercy, to search our hearts in His revealing Light and root out all presumptuous sin, all hidden sin, all of the things within us that we don’t view as HE views…for I believe that ‘the time is NOW’ and that we don’t HAVE time to indulge our soft places, where we still feel sorry for our own flesh.
Look at those words above: “…, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God…., ‘You are sons of the living God. Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together,” Now THAT makes no sense; not to our human understanding. But God is NOT contradicting Himself! As I read these verses this morning, I understood that HE KNOWS AND IS IN CONTROL OF ALL THAT IS HAPPENING AND WILL HAPPEN…and I can only bow before Him and ask for mercy to be found an obedient servant unto death. “And they overcame him (the enemy) by The Blood of The Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and loving not their lives unto the death.” Rev. 12:11
Well…I CERTAINLY did not expect to begin this letter this way!
Perhaps some of you have stopped reading already.
The speed with which world shaking events are running through here, is only accelerating. It is hard to catch your breath really. Israel’s frenzied reality: When destroying an enemy navy isn’t the top news story I wish that I could REMEMBER half of them as one huge event topples the next. Surely the sudden and dramatic fall of the Assad kingdom in Syria was like a boulder rolling down a steep mountain. Assad was a dictator and a butcher who killed hundreds and thousands of his own people and the opening of the prisons and mass graves has been very dramatic. His family ruled for more than 50 years. How wonderful if we could just all sigh a sigh of relief. Syria was the ‘railway’ for weapons coming from Iran and funneled to both Hizbolla and Hamas. In this new equation, Iran and Russia ‘lose’ and have pulled their people out of Syria, but Turkey, Isis, the Moslem Brotherhood, are happy and are trying to move in. Turkey is speaking about reestablishing the Ottoman Empire. The talk coming from the rebel leaders SOUNDS wonderfully conciliatory. They say that they want only peace and stability, but the head of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al Jolani, has a lifelong jihadist history, very involved and deep, both with Al Qaeda and with Isis. The intent to include Jerusalem (and all of Israel) in a ‘one Levant’ (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel) has been stated openly, but not as an ‘immediate goal’. Because Israel has a disputed border with Syria in the Golan, which has been guarded by UN peacekeepers since 1974, Israel rushed to take this area (the Syrian Golan) as the peacekeepers left. We also immediately bombed a great deal of Assad's massive weapon cache (destroying both their navy and air force, as well as chemical weapon stockpiles and chemical laboratories.) lest these weapons fall into malevolent hands. We have not met with resistance. A meeting of 6 Druze villages on the Syrian side of the Golan resulted in their request by these villages to be annexed to Israel rather than be part of the new Syria! They do not believe the statements that it will be a ‘free Syria’ for all religions. Today, the Turks attacked the Kurds in Northern Syria. It is a spaghetti mess!
In the midst of this, our northern residents, who have been evacuated for more than a year, have begun to return to their destroyed villages and towns. Their resilience is inspiring as reporters accompany them to their burned out homes, with restrained tears, they look up and resolutely proclaim that they will rebuild and that they will live again in the land that God gave to them. They say that they will grow fruit and flowers where the land has been saturated with blood and pain…it will bring forth life.
One of the kibbutzim that was totally destroyed in the Gaza area is also being rebuilt, completely by Israeli volunteers who have come to build. It is amazing to watch. It is, yes, inspiring.
But all of it awaits The Breath of The Spirit!
All of it awaits HIS Life and Light!
“And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” (Ezekiel 37)
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says The Lord of Hosts.” (Zechariah 4)
Only God CAN.
And God WILL…because He promised!
I had the most wonderful 10 days with our older daughter ........! Thank you so much for praying! This is the second time that she came in the midst of the war and one of the things that we did was to buy a book Since October 7, 170 new books on the war published. We decided on One Day In October – forty heroes, forty stories, and we read it outloud. (we haven’t finished but we each have a copy). Even being here and even being together there are just no words to communicate to one another how we are all walking through this. Reading the book together helped. There have been 170 new books published here since 7th October concerning what we are still living through. It’s not over yet…we are in the midst; perhaps even the beginning. We do not know.
We spent the weekend with our younger daughter, ...... and family, in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion). How can I give thanks for all of His goodness to me? How can any of us, but to say ‘Here I am Abba’ and to mean it. Fully. ‘Hinneni’ (Hebrew)
So please do ask questions. What would you like to know about that I might be able to help with? I walk the streets and I smile and greet each one. It is what I can do andso I do it. ‘Shalom! Mah nishma?’ (Hello. How are you?) and so I talk to strangers or atleast try to warm some grieving hearts. I passed some workmen on the street and watched a woman run out of her house with a tray and cups of thick Turkish coffee to give to them; oh the delight! The most popular song at the moment appears to be one that says I might mess up, but God always loves me and it will be better and better. Listen to it. God always loves me - songThis has a sort of Hebrew lesson for about 2 minutes explaining the words, but please get a flavor of these people who are ‘Not My people’…and yet…’the sons of The Living God’.
Thank you for taking the time to read but mostly to draw near to Him and to pray! God bless and keep you and encourage each of you for His glory.
Your sister here.
“Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God. “Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God. Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel!” Hosea 1:8-11
Greetings sisters and brothers, in The Name above all names. May HE ALONE receive glory and honor and praise and be worshipped for Who He IS. May you be blessed and draw ever nearer to Him. May you and I bring Him glory and radiate His Light, being nothing other than a signpost to Yeshua, Jesus The Lord! The Christ, The Messiah of God.
I realized today, as I listened to planes overhead in the midst of the drama being played out here in the Middle East, that you, in other nations, are currently preparing to celebrate the birth of the incarnation of The Lord! In many ways, that is just like today. They were in the midst of the hugest of breakthroughs in what we call ‘time’ and they did not ‘know’. They did not ‘know’ What or Who to expect, and they all had their own ideas. How many MISSED HIM! Oh, to grasp that! It could have been me! Then others wondered…and others…few others…’KNEW’! Peter said to Him: ‘YOU Are The Lord…to whom else would we go?’ What a GIFT, that revelation!
Dare I wonder if we stand at such a time in history today?
Does the verse that I put at the top of this letter seem cryptic? It is to me. It is so indicative to me of where we are today. His ways and His thoughts are SO MUCH HIGHER than ours that so many (in my opinion) beat the wind trying to explain ‘what will happen’ and ‘what IS happening’ and ‘where we are on the prophetic clock’. I have come to the conclusion that this is a waste of time and that the only important thing for each of us individually is to really and honestly KNOW HIM AS HE IS and literally BEG Him, in His mercy, to search our hearts in His revealing Light and root out all presumptuous sin, all hidden sin, all of the things within us that we don’t view as HE views…for I believe that ‘the time is NOW’ and that we don’t HAVE time to indulge our soft places, where we still feel sorry for our own flesh.
Look at those words above: “…, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God…., ‘You are sons of the living God. Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together,” Now THAT makes no sense; not to our human understanding. But God is NOT contradicting Himself! As I read these verses this morning, I understood that HE KNOWS AND IS IN CONTROL OF ALL THAT IS HAPPENING AND WILL HAPPEN…and I can only bow before Him and ask for mercy to be found an obedient servant unto death. “And they overcame him (the enemy) by The Blood of The Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and loving not their lives unto the death.” Rev. 12:11
Well…I CERTAINLY did not expect to begin this letter this way!
Perhaps some of you have stopped reading already.
The speed with which world shaking events are running through here, is only accelerating. It is hard to catch your breath really. Israel’s frenzied reality: When destroying an enemy navy isn’t the top news story I wish that I could REMEMBER half of them as one huge event topples the next. Surely the sudden and dramatic fall of the Assad kingdom in Syria was like a boulder rolling down a steep mountain. Assad was a dictator and a butcher who killed hundreds and thousands of his own people and the opening of the prisons and mass graves has been very dramatic. His family ruled for more than 50 years. How wonderful if we could just all sigh a sigh of relief. Syria was the ‘railway’ for weapons coming from Iran and funneled to both Hizbolla and Hamas. In this new equation, Iran and Russia ‘lose’ and have pulled their people out of Syria, but Turkey, Isis, the Moslem Brotherhood, are happy and are trying to move in. Turkey is speaking about reestablishing the Ottoman Empire. The talk coming from the rebel leaders SOUNDS wonderfully conciliatory. They say that they want only peace and stability, but the head of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al Jolani, has a lifelong jihadist history, very involved and deep, both with Al Qaeda and with Isis. The intent to include Jerusalem (and all of Israel) in a ‘one Levant’ (Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel) has been stated openly, but not as an ‘immediate goal’. Because Israel has a disputed border with Syria in the Golan, which has been guarded by UN peacekeepers since 1974, Israel rushed to take this area (the Syrian Golan) as the peacekeepers left. We also immediately bombed a great deal of Assad's massive weapon cache (destroying both their navy and air force, as well as chemical weapon stockpiles and chemical laboratories.) lest these weapons fall into malevolent hands. We have not met with resistance. A meeting of 6 Druze villages on the Syrian side of the Golan resulted in their request by these villages to be annexed to Israel rather than be part of the new Syria! They do not believe the statements that it will be a ‘free Syria’ for all religions. Today, the Turks attacked the Kurds in Northern Syria. It is a spaghetti mess!
In the midst of this, our northern residents, who have been evacuated for more than a year, have begun to return to their destroyed villages and towns. Their resilience is inspiring as reporters accompany them to their burned out homes, with restrained tears, they look up and resolutely proclaim that they will rebuild and that they will live again in the land that God gave to them. They say that they will grow fruit and flowers where the land has been saturated with blood and pain…it will bring forth life.
One of the kibbutzim that was totally destroyed in the Gaza area is also being rebuilt, completely by Israeli volunteers who have come to build. It is amazing to watch. It is, yes, inspiring.
But all of it awaits The Breath of The Spirit!
All of it awaits HIS Life and Light!
“And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” (Ezekiel 37)
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says The Lord of Hosts.” (Zechariah 4)
Only God CAN.
And God WILL…because He promised!
I had the most wonderful 10 days with our older daughter ........! Thank you so much for praying! This is the second time that she came in the midst of the war and one of the things that we did was to buy a book Since October 7, 170 new books on the war published. We decided on One Day In October – forty heroes, forty stories, and we read it outloud. (we haven’t finished but we each have a copy). Even being here and even being together there are just no words to communicate to one another how we are all walking through this. Reading the book together helped. There have been 170 new books published here since 7th October concerning what we are still living through. It’s not over yet…we are in the midst; perhaps even the beginning. We do not know.
We spent the weekend with our younger daughter, ...... and family, in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion). How can I give thanks for all of His goodness to me? How can any of us, but to say ‘Here I am Abba’ and to mean it. Fully. ‘Hinneni’ (Hebrew)
So please do ask questions. What would you like to know about that I might be able to help with? I walk the streets and I smile and greet each one. It is what I can do andso I do it. ‘Shalom! Mah nishma?’ (Hello. How are you?) and so I talk to strangers or atleast try to warm some grieving hearts. I passed some workmen on the street and watched a woman run out of her house with a tray and cups of thick Turkish coffee to give to them; oh the delight! The most popular song at the moment appears to be one that says I might mess up, but God always loves me and it will be better and better. Listen to it. God always loves me - songThis has a sort of Hebrew lesson for about 2 minutes explaining the words, but please get a flavor of these people who are ‘Not My people’…and yet…’the sons of The Living God’.
Thank you for taking the time to read but mostly to draw near to Him and to pray! God bless and keep you and encourage each of you for His glory.
Your sister here.
December 4, 2024
“And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder” 2 Samuel 23:9-10
Shalom dear brothers and sisters,
May you be blessed and encouraged and may THE LORD be glorified!
This will be short; it is mostly observations that I have forgotten to share but were brought to my attention this week.
I had the opportunity to go to the shuk on Monday. I do miss my frequent trips to the shuk. I was blessed to live close by for so many years, and most of my shopping was done in the colorful, very ‘real’, open air market. I absorbed much understanding there, amongst the wash of cultures and traditions mixed up into the ‘soup’ of the Mahane Yehuda shuk, with its potpourri of stalls hawked by Jewish and Arab merchants. I miss it.
It was good to be able to go on Monday, and I immediately remembered that I have FORGOTTEN to tell you about the ‘bumper stickers’. I don’t know how else to describe them. I think that it is unique…and it is poignant. For a year, the walls and lampposts have been covered with them…long ‘stickers’ bearing the picture and information about a soldier who fell…walls covered with their pictures -many hundreds of these stickers- and dates and cries of loved ones…like strange, very personal tomb stones…but not so cold as stone…warm and dripping with tears. I ‘forgot’ to tell you because it is so hard to describe them.
But there was something else among them at the shuk on Monday.
With time being given off to many of the reserve soldiers since the cease fire in the North went into effect, the shuk was loaded with soldiers…and also young amputees. It was a very strange emotional electricity in the air. Perhaps you have seen old movies about WW2…Perhaps the old Humphry Bogart classic ‘Casablanca’. The emotions were well captured in some of those old movies.
But here I was face to face with it, and it brought tears.
The shuk has small café’s now, and there, in the very midst of the shuk were about 20 soldiers singing at the top of their lungs to the victory of Israel. Many others spontaneously joined in. Newly released from the hospital amputees joined in as well on shaky ‘new legs’. I felt as if I were standing in the midst of a ‘secret garden’ lost in time and of a proportion that was new to me.
I am again reading in Ezekiel, the dimensions given for the building of the Temple…the pattern…surely a heavenly pattern… and it is alien to my nature. It is walking in an unfamiliar ‘air’.
We can’t escape the fact that we are living in Biblical days. I just read again about Absalom, the son of David, rising up against him. We think of David…the sweet Psalmist of Israel… a man after God’s Own Heart. What heartache he lived through and what battles he fought and how The Lord insured his survival for as long as He ordained. But, oh my, the trials…the hatred…the mockery…the betrayals!
Today, while I was reading about his ‘mighty men’, the scripture above grabbed me and I thought how WE MUST NOW be waring until the sword cleaves to our hands and we can not let go…IN PRAYER…the sword…His Word…may it STICK to us even when we grow weary and my be help, in our little ways, to bring about a great victory in the kingdom of God.
Surely it is NOT by might, nor by power…but by HIS SPIRIT alone. The sudden shock of the attacks in Syria (I assume that you know about it?) by the rebel forces is a HUGE EVENT here in the Middle East! Syria lies between Iran/Iraq and Lebanon and has been a major weapons highway for Hizbollah. Suddenly, the rebels within Syria have risen up to overthrow the Assad regime. You are looking at Suni Muslims vs Shiite Muslims. The rebels include Al Kaieda, Isis, and the like. Standing with Assad in Syria to support him are Russia and Iran. It is funny to hear them accusing Israel of causing this uprising. I’m not sure where Turkey stands…but it is involved: Same with China. Here both Russia and Iran are fighting their own wars and rushing to prop up Hizbollah and Hamas. The rebels in Syria took Aleppo and had Holms surrounded last I heard. There are films of them swarming over Syrian fighter jets and weapons and the Presidential palace. It is a BELEGAN…a soupy confusion like spaghetti thrown at a wall. ONLY GOD! Man plans all sorts of things, but GOD suddenly overturns the money changers tables and the picture changes dramatically.
Brothers and sisters, we are living in SERIOUS times. May we be focused on what He is focused on ALONE. I know that I’m taking Job 24:1 out of context, but it bears hearing: “Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?” May we be so deeply humbled that we are no longer entrenched in THIS world but may we SEE HIS DAYS. I DON’T mean ‘may we have all understanding’… (which often feeds our pride) but may we SEE…and FOLLOW THE LAMB. May our hands (though weary) cleave to His sword.
I hope that this wasn’t too ‘emotional’ a note, but what a time we live in.
Our daughter ..... is scheduled to arrive tomorrow night for 10 days! Thank you if you would pray for Him to be glorified. I AM emotional. I haven’t seen ....... since early Feb. and I love her so much. May these emotions be expressed quietly and may the time be rich for her as well. Thank you for praying for her safety and blessing. And E.....s. And all of the family. God be with you all for His glory. Lovingly, your sister here
(attachment touched me)
The Himmelfarb School's chilling list
“And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder” 2 Samuel 23:9-10
Shalom dear brothers and sisters,
May you be blessed and encouraged and may THE LORD be glorified!
This will be short; it is mostly observations that I have forgotten to share but were brought to my attention this week.
I had the opportunity to go to the shuk on Monday. I do miss my frequent trips to the shuk. I was blessed to live close by for so many years, and most of my shopping was done in the colorful, very ‘real’, open air market. I absorbed much understanding there, amongst the wash of cultures and traditions mixed up into the ‘soup’ of the Mahane Yehuda shuk, with its potpourri of stalls hawked by Jewish and Arab merchants. I miss it.
It was good to be able to go on Monday, and I immediately remembered that I have FORGOTTEN to tell you about the ‘bumper stickers’. I don’t know how else to describe them. I think that it is unique…and it is poignant. For a year, the walls and lampposts have been covered with them…long ‘stickers’ bearing the picture and information about a soldier who fell…walls covered with their pictures -many hundreds of these stickers- and dates and cries of loved ones…like strange, very personal tomb stones…but not so cold as stone…warm and dripping with tears. I ‘forgot’ to tell you because it is so hard to describe them.
But there was something else among them at the shuk on Monday.
With time being given off to many of the reserve soldiers since the cease fire in the North went into effect, the shuk was loaded with soldiers…and also young amputees. It was a very strange emotional electricity in the air. Perhaps you have seen old movies about WW2…Perhaps the old Humphry Bogart classic ‘Casablanca’. The emotions were well captured in some of those old movies.
But here I was face to face with it, and it brought tears.
The shuk has small café’s now, and there, in the very midst of the shuk were about 20 soldiers singing at the top of their lungs to the victory of Israel. Many others spontaneously joined in. Newly released from the hospital amputees joined in as well on shaky ‘new legs’. I felt as if I were standing in the midst of a ‘secret garden’ lost in time and of a proportion that was new to me.
I am again reading in Ezekiel, the dimensions given for the building of the Temple…the pattern…surely a heavenly pattern… and it is alien to my nature. It is walking in an unfamiliar ‘air’.
We can’t escape the fact that we are living in Biblical days. I just read again about Absalom, the son of David, rising up against him. We think of David…the sweet Psalmist of Israel… a man after God’s Own Heart. What heartache he lived through and what battles he fought and how The Lord insured his survival for as long as He ordained. But, oh my, the trials…the hatred…the mockery…the betrayals!
Today, while I was reading about his ‘mighty men’, the scripture above grabbed me and I thought how WE MUST NOW be waring until the sword cleaves to our hands and we can not let go…IN PRAYER…the sword…His Word…may it STICK to us even when we grow weary and my be help, in our little ways, to bring about a great victory in the kingdom of God.
Surely it is NOT by might, nor by power…but by HIS SPIRIT alone. The sudden shock of the attacks in Syria (I assume that you know about it?) by the rebel forces is a HUGE EVENT here in the Middle East! Syria lies between Iran/Iraq and Lebanon and has been a major weapons highway for Hizbollah. Suddenly, the rebels within Syria have risen up to overthrow the Assad regime. You are looking at Suni Muslims vs Shiite Muslims. The rebels include Al Kaieda, Isis, and the like. Standing with Assad in Syria to support him are Russia and Iran. It is funny to hear them accusing Israel of causing this uprising. I’m not sure where Turkey stands…but it is involved: Same with China. Here both Russia and Iran are fighting their own wars and rushing to prop up Hizbollah and Hamas. The rebels in Syria took Aleppo and had Holms surrounded last I heard. There are films of them swarming over Syrian fighter jets and weapons and the Presidential palace. It is a BELEGAN…a soupy confusion like spaghetti thrown at a wall. ONLY GOD! Man plans all sorts of things, but GOD suddenly overturns the money changers tables and the picture changes dramatically.
Brothers and sisters, we are living in SERIOUS times. May we be focused on what He is focused on ALONE. I know that I’m taking Job 24:1 out of context, but it bears hearing: “Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?” May we be so deeply humbled that we are no longer entrenched in THIS world but may we SEE HIS DAYS. I DON’T mean ‘may we have all understanding’… (which often feeds our pride) but may we SEE…and FOLLOW THE LAMB. May our hands (though weary) cleave to His sword.
I hope that this wasn’t too ‘emotional’ a note, but what a time we live in.
Our daughter ..... is scheduled to arrive tomorrow night for 10 days! Thank you if you would pray for Him to be glorified. I AM emotional. I haven’t seen ....... since early Feb. and I love her so much. May these emotions be expressed quietly and may the time be rich for her as well. Thank you for praying for her safety and blessing. And E.....s. And all of the family. God be with you all for His glory. Lovingly, your sister here
(attachment touched me)
The Himmelfarb School's chilling list
November 27, 2024
“The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;” JEREMIAH 51:19-21
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua. HE is worthy of ALL praise! Thursday is American Thanksgiving, and how we need to be giving thanks for the miracle of life, for the Light and Truth that He has given so freely in His Son Yeshua to whosoever will. How thankful we are for His Word, and for His body. May He be glorified through this letter and may you be blessed.
The verses printed at the top are hard ones. We long to be peaceful. We know that Peace is something He gives and loves and has for us. Yet He has also calls for times of war, and we know that Scripture says; “The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.” Exodus 15:13
This morning, at 4:00am, we entered into, potentially, a 60 day ceasefire in the north, after nearly 14 months of bloody, painful war.
The war in the North has been between Israel and Hezbollah…it was NOT between Israel and Lebanon.
This ceasefire was NOT negotiated between Israel and Hezbollah, but between the United States, France and Lebanon…and believe me, it is fuzzy. Its foundation is based on the 20 year old failed UN resolution 1701 which was intended to force Hezbollah (a foreign – non Lebanese – terrorist proxy army of Iran) to go no further south in Lebanon than the Litani River – approximately 5 km from the border between Israel and Lebanon. Besides our war of Independence in 1948, Israel has fought two major wars with Hezbollah. Each one has ended in a FORCED (by powerful countries) ceasefire which established a ‘peace keeping mechanism’ that never worked.
Each time we are forced into a ceasefire before defeating the enemy, they simply rebuild their stocks via Iran through Syria, Iraq, Turkey and other places. That means that we will be forced to fight the same painful war again sometime in the future.
However…HOPEFULLY there is a plan that we don’t know about. We are all hoping that this is the case.
This ceasefire does NOT mark the end of the war for Israel. We have been fighting on 7 fronts. We are still in Gaza (another rocket fired from Gaza this morning at our south) where 101 captives are still being held. We are fighting Iraq, Yemen (remember the Houthis?), Syria, Isis in Judea and Samaria, Iran…who is orchestrating everything, and now the diaspora…world wide attacks.
Whenever I am asked a question about Israel, I am reminded what an incredibly complex situation it is and how difficult it is to grasp, if any of us really can…because GOD REALLY IS INVOLVED: And no matter how well we know Him, His ways ARE higher than ours, and His thoughts are so far above ours – may it humble us!
It is hard for people to understand that there is a huge difference between those who identify as Israeli Arabs and those who identify as Palestinian…and all of the OTHER Arab groups. Israeli Arabs are full rights Israeli citizens. Period. Palestinians are NOT Israeli citizens. Most of them had been offered citizenship but refused. They are NOT Israeli citizens. When people tell me that the Palestinians are being discriminated against because they are not allowed to vote, it is difficult to get across that they can’t vote because they are NOT ISRAELI…just like you wouldn’t be able to vote in our elections. It is equally difficult to explain how Hezbollah can rule Lebanon and yet not be Lebanese; they are an invader. The best comparison that I can come up with is to compare it to cancer, which grows in someone’s body but is not a part of their body…it has invaded that body to do it harm.
So…how are Israelis doing? What are people saying?
I can try to interpret what I see around me.
We have lost so many people.
We have paid a price to win this war which means ‘destroy Amalek’…to completely wipe out Hamas, Hezbollah, to have them disarmed and surrender and to return all of our hostages and the displaced residents of the north and the south. These were our goals.
We apparently faced a serious arms embargo if we did not sign this ceasefire. Yes, we were basically blackmailed.
The people whom I am hearing on the streets and in the shops and around me are quietly (tiredly) disappointed, albeit relieved to have the sirens stop and hopefully see some of our soldiers come home. Our history is replete with wars that we are allowed to ‘ALMOST win’…and that word ‘ALMOST’ means that the enemy is not fully defeated and that we will be forced to fight again.
Generally, the population (who hates war by the way. I have never lived among a population who hates war as much as this one!) was prepared to fight until we won. So many have given their all…so many graves…so many widows and orphans…so many amputees…so much grief…lives given heroically for the country and for the people…for me. It is extremely painful.
The goal of the enemy is not PEACE. Their goal remains the destruction of Israel, the annihilation of the Jewish people…this is a time for our enemies to re-arm.
The feeling is one of disappointment…that once again we have paid a horrific price but we have not finished the job.
We have a history of this.
Our enemies are rejoicing in the streets, shouting their victory. They are not victors, but they are used to lies. Tonight, the families of the captives are in the streets pushing for release of the captives at ‘any cost’. We KNOW what that means; much of this war was a result of the Gilad Shalit deal when 1,027 security prisoners (including Sinwar!) were released in the exchange. May The Lord have mercy upon us! May wisdom be given to our leaders from God above!
On the news tonight I listened to a thought provoking round table discussion between residents of our northern communities who have been evacuated for this past year. They shared their thoughts about returning home. Only one is planning to return now…the rest had the ‘wait and see’ attitude. Several had no more homes to go back to but were already planning how to rebuild. They spoke about their dismay concerning ‘who’ is responsible for guarding the border. For the past 20 years, the UN had ‘peacekeepers’ there who simply turned a blind eye. Many Hezbollah outposts, weapons stocks and manufacturing shops were found just meters away from UN watchtowers! Before the UN ‘watchers’, there was France. France was TOTALLY unable to even protect the Christian Lebanese who were then defending the south of Lebanon against Hezbollah take over. You might remember the South Lebanese Christian army who found refuge in Israel when Hezbollah overran them under the noses of the French ‘peacekeepers.
So…according to THIS ‘ceasefire’… the French and the Lebanese army (who were not able to do anything to prevent this current disaster) are in control of keeping Hezbollah away from the border.
Tonight, Hamas also called for negotiations.
It is VERY tense here.
And…there sits Iran.
BUT, ABOVE IRAN…and above us as well (thank You Lord!) SITS GOD!
In Him is our hope!
In Him is our life!
After all…this really IS all about HIM!
ON A WONDERFUL NOTE: Our oldest daughter is scheduled to arrive next Thursday night (5 Dec.) for a 10 day visit. I am so very excited! God has been so good to us. Again, I thank you with all of my heart for your prayers, your patience, your kindness, and for your standing. Having done all, may we abide…and abiding, may we stand.
God bless you and keep you. Thanksgiving blessings to those of you who are blessed to have this wonderful holiday.
Lovingly, your sister here.
“The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider;” JEREMIAH 51:19-21
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua. HE is worthy of ALL praise! Thursday is American Thanksgiving, and how we need to be giving thanks for the miracle of life, for the Light and Truth that He has given so freely in His Son Yeshua to whosoever will. How thankful we are for His Word, and for His body. May He be glorified through this letter and may you be blessed.
The verses printed at the top are hard ones. We long to be peaceful. We know that Peace is something He gives and loves and has for us. Yet He has also calls for times of war, and we know that Scripture says; “The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name.” Exodus 15:13
This morning, at 4:00am, we entered into, potentially, a 60 day ceasefire in the north, after nearly 14 months of bloody, painful war.
The war in the North has been between Israel and Hezbollah…it was NOT between Israel and Lebanon.
This ceasefire was NOT negotiated between Israel and Hezbollah, but between the United States, France and Lebanon…and believe me, it is fuzzy. Its foundation is based on the 20 year old failed UN resolution 1701 which was intended to force Hezbollah (a foreign – non Lebanese – terrorist proxy army of Iran) to go no further south in Lebanon than the Litani River – approximately 5 km from the border between Israel and Lebanon. Besides our war of Independence in 1948, Israel has fought two major wars with Hezbollah. Each one has ended in a FORCED (by powerful countries) ceasefire which established a ‘peace keeping mechanism’ that never worked.
Each time we are forced into a ceasefire before defeating the enemy, they simply rebuild their stocks via Iran through Syria, Iraq, Turkey and other places. That means that we will be forced to fight the same painful war again sometime in the future.
However…HOPEFULLY there is a plan that we don’t know about. We are all hoping that this is the case.
This ceasefire does NOT mark the end of the war for Israel. We have been fighting on 7 fronts. We are still in Gaza (another rocket fired from Gaza this morning at our south) where 101 captives are still being held. We are fighting Iraq, Yemen (remember the Houthis?), Syria, Isis in Judea and Samaria, Iran…who is orchestrating everything, and now the diaspora…world wide attacks.
Whenever I am asked a question about Israel, I am reminded what an incredibly complex situation it is and how difficult it is to grasp, if any of us really can…because GOD REALLY IS INVOLVED: And no matter how well we know Him, His ways ARE higher than ours, and His thoughts are so far above ours – may it humble us!
It is hard for people to understand that there is a huge difference between those who identify as Israeli Arabs and those who identify as Palestinian…and all of the OTHER Arab groups. Israeli Arabs are full rights Israeli citizens. Period. Palestinians are NOT Israeli citizens. Most of them had been offered citizenship but refused. They are NOT Israeli citizens. When people tell me that the Palestinians are being discriminated against because they are not allowed to vote, it is difficult to get across that they can’t vote because they are NOT ISRAELI…just like you wouldn’t be able to vote in our elections. It is equally difficult to explain how Hezbollah can rule Lebanon and yet not be Lebanese; they are an invader. The best comparison that I can come up with is to compare it to cancer, which grows in someone’s body but is not a part of their body…it has invaded that body to do it harm.
So…how are Israelis doing? What are people saying?
I can try to interpret what I see around me.
We have lost so many people.
We have paid a price to win this war which means ‘destroy Amalek’…to completely wipe out Hamas, Hezbollah, to have them disarmed and surrender and to return all of our hostages and the displaced residents of the north and the south. These were our goals.
We apparently faced a serious arms embargo if we did not sign this ceasefire. Yes, we were basically blackmailed.
The people whom I am hearing on the streets and in the shops and around me are quietly (tiredly) disappointed, albeit relieved to have the sirens stop and hopefully see some of our soldiers come home. Our history is replete with wars that we are allowed to ‘ALMOST win’…and that word ‘ALMOST’ means that the enemy is not fully defeated and that we will be forced to fight again.
Generally, the population (who hates war by the way. I have never lived among a population who hates war as much as this one!) was prepared to fight until we won. So many have given their all…so many graves…so many widows and orphans…so many amputees…so much grief…lives given heroically for the country and for the people…for me. It is extremely painful.
The goal of the enemy is not PEACE. Their goal remains the destruction of Israel, the annihilation of the Jewish people…this is a time for our enemies to re-arm.
The feeling is one of disappointment…that once again we have paid a horrific price but we have not finished the job.
We have a history of this.
Our enemies are rejoicing in the streets, shouting their victory. They are not victors, but they are used to lies. Tonight, the families of the captives are in the streets pushing for release of the captives at ‘any cost’. We KNOW what that means; much of this war was a result of the Gilad Shalit deal when 1,027 security prisoners (including Sinwar!) were released in the exchange. May The Lord have mercy upon us! May wisdom be given to our leaders from God above!
On the news tonight I listened to a thought provoking round table discussion between residents of our northern communities who have been evacuated for this past year. They shared their thoughts about returning home. Only one is planning to return now…the rest had the ‘wait and see’ attitude. Several had no more homes to go back to but were already planning how to rebuild. They spoke about their dismay concerning ‘who’ is responsible for guarding the border. For the past 20 years, the UN had ‘peacekeepers’ there who simply turned a blind eye. Many Hezbollah outposts, weapons stocks and manufacturing shops were found just meters away from UN watchtowers! Before the UN ‘watchers’, there was France. France was TOTALLY unable to even protect the Christian Lebanese who were then defending the south of Lebanon against Hezbollah take over. You might remember the South Lebanese Christian army who found refuge in Israel when Hezbollah overran them under the noses of the French ‘peacekeepers.
So…according to THIS ‘ceasefire’… the French and the Lebanese army (who were not able to do anything to prevent this current disaster) are in control of keeping Hezbollah away from the border.
Tonight, Hamas also called for negotiations.
It is VERY tense here.
And…there sits Iran.
BUT, ABOVE IRAN…and above us as well (thank You Lord!) SITS GOD!
In Him is our hope!
In Him is our life!
After all…this really IS all about HIM!
ON A WONDERFUL NOTE: Our oldest daughter is scheduled to arrive next Thursday night (5 Dec.) for a 10 day visit. I am so very excited! God has been so good to us. Again, I thank you with all of my heart for your prayers, your patience, your kindness, and for your standing. Having done all, may we abide…and abiding, may we stand.
God bless you and keep you. Thanksgiving blessings to those of you who are blessed to have this wonderful holiday.
Lovingly, your sister here.
November 17, 2024
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.” PSALM 84:5-7
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua,
May HE be glorified and blessed and may you be encouraged in all that is HIM and for His glory.
As the entire world shakes so violently, highs and lows, encouragement and discouragement, it seems that we really need to FOCUS to stay in the middle of the path.
It’s a great challenge to keep our eyes on Him and His purposes when we are surrounded by so much emotion and drama and life changing events.
I am always challenged by two sections of scripture that I, again, read this week, in Matthew. Chapter 24:3 and 4 “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” The second, also so well known, in Matthew 25;1-13 (I will write the whole thing here for your convenience) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These two sections riveted my attention, just like our ‘red alert sirens’, because, living in such dramatic and shaking times, I know that I can forget just how SMALL I am, and how little I really know and get caught up in all of the emotions and analysis’ and take my eyes off of HIM. It really does not take much. May God have continued mercy on us all, that we may remain focused on the narrow path before us.
I had to go to Jerusalem last week and was too tired to take the bus back, so a taxi it was. When I got in the taxi, I thought that I recognized the driver and it did turn out that we had spoken before. I saw his name plate and was struck by the beauty of his name ‘-------. Y...... means ‘God will redeem’ and N..... means ‘Flame of God’. I commented on his name and he told me that his father had decided that every name in the family should end with ‘God’ (El. Yigal is ‘אל’ in Hebrew but written 'al' in English) because all of his family had to know that God Himself was EVERYTHING. This led to a wonderful discussion about where we are today, and we certainly agreed. ‘Unless we turn completely back to God, with the FEAR of God and obey Him, we can only cry for mercy, because we have sinned and either He will save us or we are dead, period.’ This was not a religious man whom I was talking to. He wasn’t wearing a kippa on his head, but there was surely the fear of God in his heart. As we spoke at length, he suddenly said ‘How much we need Messiah to come!’ I immediately FELT the ‘tug’ of The Holy Spirit, so I answered; ‘I believe that He HAS come and we did not know Him…and that He needs to come AGAIN’. To my great shock he answered ‘Yes! We did not know Him and He must come again.’ I almost fell off my seat. I thought ‘Maybe he didn’t understand my Hebrew…? Maybe I heard wrong? He told me that he fought in the Yom Kippur War and after the war he traveled. He ended up in NYC, met and married his wife, and they opened a successful chain of Pizzerias. Eventually, his wife divorced him and he came back to Israel. Our discussion was very real, and I will make sure that I ride with him again. People are hungry and people are desperate. All around me people KNOW that only God can save us! There simply IS no other way.
There is a huge crisis among the families of our soldiers, as well as those of the captives and those killed and injured during attacks. This is a cry for prayer. I think that you understand by now, that this has become so much bigger than I can explain. Again, I ask you to imagine that this war was on your home territory; you HEAR the bombs… it is YOUR son, husband, brother, boyfriend who is fighting four YOUR home…fighting a real war. It IS hard to imagine, I know. So many families have now been juggling this situation for over a year. It is taking its toll on the strongest of marriages. Young mothers are at home with somewhere between 1-10 children (yes, we have big families), often trying to hold down a job as well, while her husband’s life is in danger, moment by moment. When he comes home, he is home in body…often tense, unable to sleep, still hearing the noise of the battle…and his children and wife are there needing him…it is a major crisis. Remember when David sinned with Bathsheba and David tried to cover his sin by calling for Uriah to come and go down to his house? 2 Samuel 11:9-12 records it this way: “But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Wives are breaking down and children are showing signs of great stress. Family businesses have collapsed. Families are collapsing.
Israelis are known for being resilient, and this is true. It is a gift from God and it defies me to describe this rare trait. There is a website that makes me cry. A program has been started in the south for the newly orphaned children and those who have been traumatized by seeing family members tortured and hacked to death. I was watching as they sang songs that they made up ‘I know that I am safe because my Grandmother will be there waiting for me and she thinks about me all day.’ Another sang ‘I pray for the soldiers and I want my Daddy to come home safe’ while another sang ‘I know that God Who created the heavens and the earth is watching over me.’ I saw the pictures that they were drawing and the way that they were hugging one another and I wished that there was a way that I could share it with my non-Hebrew speaking friends. People are doing all that they can do to encourage one another and to help one another to survive, but this is huge, brothers and sisters, and I ask for you to pray.
A friend told me about her family gathering for the rosh h’shana dinner. For the first time the whole family would be there, as the three boys had come home from war. They are all believers. One son (who has two little boys) had been home for 4 hours and he got a call from his commander that they needed him back immediately for a special operation. His wife broke down, hysterical. He told his commander that he couldn’t come…his family was breaking. His commander said that out of the 6 men under him, 4 had said the same thing…only two came. This is a family of strong believers that I am describing. Brothers and sisters…please pray.
Another believer’s Grandson was fighting on the Lebanon border and he couldn’t figure out why he was so hot. It turned out that he had double pneumonia with a fever of 40c (104f). He caught a ride home to Jerusalem and his Mother was so happy to be able to nurse him back to health. Throughout his recovery, his mind and heart were with his troops in Lebanon. Brothers and sisters…please pray.
At the same time, there are many turning back to The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Bible studies and prayers flourish in Gaza and on the Lebanese border. Many of the believers testify that they have greater freedom than ever to share about Yeshua and people are listening. May fruit be born unto the kingdom! Brothers and sisters…please pray.
I just called a sister in Haifa where there were direct hits from a fresh barrage of rockets. One destroyed and synagogue and miraculously no one was killed, although 5 injuries are being reported now…again, HIS HAND…HIS MERCY.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING.
May The Lord direct your steps and mine into His will, and grace, and peace for His glory! Lovingly, your sister here.
I thought that this article from ynet this morning
was a good window that you might want to read
Hitler's book in the living room: IDF commandos operating in Lebanon's deepest parts
Ynet reporter joins elite Duvdevan soldiers spearheading the fight against Hezbollah after serving in the West Bank and Gaza; 'We can’t underestimate this enemy' Elisha Ben Kimon"The darkness is our ally," says Lt. Col. A., commander of the IDF Commando Brigade’s Duvdevan unit. He sits on a couch in the middle of a children’s room inside a luxurious Lebanese estate in a village overlooking Israel's northern communities.
Around him, his soldiers are fully equipped, carrying ammunition, weapons and specialized gear. The windows are covered and a thick fabric carpet blocks any light entering the room. "Even the smallest flicker is an immediate threat of anti-tank fire into the compound," explains one of the soldiers.
On the table in the center of the room stands a small projector displaying maps and operational plans on the wall. Conversations are held in hushed tones and the cold is barely noticeable due to the crowded space.
The tension and alertness are palpable among the soldiers, who clearly understand where they are. Lt. Col. A. tells me, "These are Duvdevan soldiers. You're at the deepest point the IDF has set foot in Lebanon. We'll launch the attack from here."
I'm living a double life'
An hour earlier, we were still at the assembly point, which military censorship restrictions prevent me from specifying. In the convoy of Hummers, we used to enter, we met reservists, some of whom have been serving for over 250 days.
They’ve fought in all of the IDF’s active fronts. "I was in Gaza, fought with the unit in the West Bank and now we've come here," says a 40-year-old soldier, a married father of two young children who lives in Jaffa and works as an investment manager.
"My wife’s trying to keep the business afloat. It’s tough, but there’s no choice," he says. When I asked how he copes with so many reserve days in a year, he answered, "It’s not simple. I’m basically living a double life. These hands hold a weapon one moment, shaking as they fire in all directions and the next moment, they’re bathing my baby in the tub. It’s really hard to explain."
We boarded the Hummers and began our advance. But before that, let’s delve into Duvdevan’s role in the war. Considered one of the IDF's elite units, Duvdevan is part of the Commando Brigade and specializes in counterterrorism, operating in urban and densely populated areas using undercover tactics.
For years, the unit has proven itself critical, primarily operating in the West Bank. The soldiers carry out special missions, mastering unique techniques such as rapid movement between tightly packed buildings and operations under high-pressure conditions.
On October 7, 2023, the unit operated in the kibbutzim of Kfar Aza and Be'eri before spreading out to other communities on the Gaza border, where they engaged in battles against dozens of terrorists and rescued numerous residents from their homes. The unit then resumed intense operations in their familiar territory — the West Bank.
Alongside soldiers from Reserve Unit 6217, they conducted dozens of targeted missions, including eliminating terrorists face-to-face, uncovering and destroying bomb-making factories and an operational command center in the Jordan Valley and cornering terrorists holed up in buildings.
The unit eliminated the terror military leader of the village of Tubas and his predecessor in the months prior. They also thwarted numerous attacks including intercepting suspects en route to central Israel. They were responsible for neutralizing a terrorist carrying explosives and weapons as he moved from Jenin set to kill Israelis.
After their operations in the West Bank, the unit moved to Gaza, where they conducted missions at AL-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, carried out strikes in Khan Younis and Al-Shati camps, and arrived here a few days ago.
'We found a copy of Mein Kampf'
Duvdevan soldiers are now working to clear the area. They operate under the Commando Brigade, deployed across the region and functioning under the 91st Division, commanded by Brig. Gen. Shai Kalper.
The late-night drive into the area is conducted without lights. The unit's highly skilled drivers drive at high speeds in close convoy formation to minimize exposure to gunfire. Despite the fog and challenging terrain, they maintain minimal spacing — a true art.
We arrived at the house where the unit commander was based. Here, the houses are mansions — multi-story buildings used by Hezbollah terrorists for planting explosives, hiding rockets and storing equipment, all ready for combat. Some locations also include underground infrastructure.
As we left the house, we met two soldiers from Jerusalem, who wanted to share what they’d found in some of the buildings. "At first, we found only pictures of [Hassan] Nasrallah, which is expected. But later, we also found photos of [Ali] Khamenei and other Iranian officers.”
“It’s clear evidence of the connection," they said. "In one of the living rooms, we even found a copy of Mein Kampf, Hitler’s book. Parts were underlined and highlighted inside as if someone had studied it line by line. This is Nazism in its rawest and most blatant form," they added.
On the way to the second target, we spoke with H., the unit's deputy commander, who explained the unique challenges the soldiers face. "There’s no doubt the terrain and type of operations are different from what we’re used to in the West Bank," he said.
"In the West Bank, the buildings are densely packed and you move through alleys and fight accordingly. Most of the area is flat. The terrain in Gaza is similar. But here in Lebanon, it’s very mountainous and the distance between houses is greater,” he explained.
'We can’t underestimate this enemy'
“You need to move during the day and night while utilizing different methods from those we’re accustomed to. But the unit's soldiers are adept at this. At the end of the day, a soldier is a soldier.”
He added, "We can’t underestimate this enemy called Hezbollah. They adapt to us in real-time. They don’t attack immediately upon encountering us. They observe, gather fragments of information and then launch their assault. This happens during combat, but we adapt as well — and faster."
We reached the second building in the middle of the night. While I can’t detail the unit's special camouflage capabilities, it’s evident how difficult it is to determine if soldiers are inside. "This is part of our skillset — to integrate ourselves seamlessly into the surroundings," the unit commander explained at the building’s entrance.
"I also work with tanks here, which isn’t something I have in the West Bank, but you adjust to it quickly. Ultimately, our mission is to clear the village and the extensive firepower capabilities I have here help me achieve that,” he added.
Now, we’re boarding the Hummers for the journey back to Israel. The soldiers staying behind will continue their mission of clearing the area. Everyone speaks in terms of existential warfare and history, understanding they’re part of a significant moment for the country.
Yet, they have one simple request: "Let us do our job so the residents of the north can return to their homes as safely as possible."
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.” PSALM 84:5-7
Greetings brothers and sisters in Yeshua,
May HE be glorified and blessed and may you be encouraged in all that is HIM and for His glory.
As the entire world shakes so violently, highs and lows, encouragement and discouragement, it seems that we really need to FOCUS to stay in the middle of the path.
It’s a great challenge to keep our eyes on Him and His purposes when we are surrounded by so much emotion and drama and life changing events.
I am always challenged by two sections of scripture that I, again, read this week, in Matthew. Chapter 24:3 and 4 “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.” The second, also so well known, in Matthew 25;1-13 (I will write the whole thing here for your convenience) “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”
These two sections riveted my attention, just like our ‘red alert sirens’, because, living in such dramatic and shaking times, I know that I can forget just how SMALL I am, and how little I really know and get caught up in all of the emotions and analysis’ and take my eyes off of HIM. It really does not take much. May God have continued mercy on us all, that we may remain focused on the narrow path before us.
I had to go to Jerusalem last week and was too tired to take the bus back, so a taxi it was. When I got in the taxi, I thought that I recognized the driver and it did turn out that we had spoken before. I saw his name plate and was struck by the beauty of his name ‘-------. Y...... means ‘God will redeem’ and N..... means ‘Flame of God’. I commented on his name and he told me that his father had decided that every name in the family should end with ‘God’ (El. Yigal is ‘אל’ in Hebrew but written 'al' in English) because all of his family had to know that God Himself was EVERYTHING. This led to a wonderful discussion about where we are today, and we certainly agreed. ‘Unless we turn completely back to God, with the FEAR of God and obey Him, we can only cry for mercy, because we have sinned and either He will save us or we are dead, period.’ This was not a religious man whom I was talking to. He wasn’t wearing a kippa on his head, but there was surely the fear of God in his heart. As we spoke at length, he suddenly said ‘How much we need Messiah to come!’ I immediately FELT the ‘tug’ of The Holy Spirit, so I answered; ‘I believe that He HAS come and we did not know Him…and that He needs to come AGAIN’. To my great shock he answered ‘Yes! We did not know Him and He must come again.’ I almost fell off my seat. I thought ‘Maybe he didn’t understand my Hebrew…? Maybe I heard wrong? He told me that he fought in the Yom Kippur War and after the war he traveled. He ended up in NYC, met and married his wife, and they opened a successful chain of Pizzerias. Eventually, his wife divorced him and he came back to Israel. Our discussion was very real, and I will make sure that I ride with him again. People are hungry and people are desperate. All around me people KNOW that only God can save us! There simply IS no other way.
There is a huge crisis among the families of our soldiers, as well as those of the captives and those killed and injured during attacks. This is a cry for prayer. I think that you understand by now, that this has become so much bigger than I can explain. Again, I ask you to imagine that this war was on your home territory; you HEAR the bombs… it is YOUR son, husband, brother, boyfriend who is fighting four YOUR home…fighting a real war. It IS hard to imagine, I know. So many families have now been juggling this situation for over a year. It is taking its toll on the strongest of marriages. Young mothers are at home with somewhere between 1-10 children (yes, we have big families), often trying to hold down a job as well, while her husband’s life is in danger, moment by moment. When he comes home, he is home in body…often tense, unable to sleep, still hearing the noise of the battle…and his children and wife are there needing him…it is a major crisis. Remember when David sinned with Bathsheba and David tried to cover his sin by calling for Uriah to come and go down to his house? 2 Samuel 11:9-12 records it this way: “But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Wives are breaking down and children are showing signs of great stress. Family businesses have collapsed. Families are collapsing.
Israelis are known for being resilient, and this is true. It is a gift from God and it defies me to describe this rare trait. There is a website that makes me cry. A program has been started in the south for the newly orphaned children and those who have been traumatized by seeing family members tortured and hacked to death. I was watching as they sang songs that they made up ‘I know that I am safe because my Grandmother will be there waiting for me and she thinks about me all day.’ Another sang ‘I pray for the soldiers and I want my Daddy to come home safe’ while another sang ‘I know that God Who created the heavens and the earth is watching over me.’ I saw the pictures that they were drawing and the way that they were hugging one another and I wished that there was a way that I could share it with my non-Hebrew speaking friends. People are doing all that they can do to encourage one another and to help one another to survive, but this is huge, brothers and sisters, and I ask for you to pray.
A friend told me about her family gathering for the rosh h’shana dinner. For the first time the whole family would be there, as the three boys had come home from war. They are all believers. One son (who has two little boys) had been home for 4 hours and he got a call from his commander that they needed him back immediately for a special operation. His wife broke down, hysterical. He told his commander that he couldn’t come…his family was breaking. His commander said that out of the 6 men under him, 4 had said the same thing…only two came. This is a family of strong believers that I am describing. Brothers and sisters…please pray.
Another believer’s Grandson was fighting on the Lebanon border and he couldn’t figure out why he was so hot. It turned out that he had double pneumonia with a fever of 40c (104f). He caught a ride home to Jerusalem and his Mother was so happy to be able to nurse him back to health. Throughout his recovery, his mind and heart were with his troops in Lebanon. Brothers and sisters…please pray.
At the same time, there are many turning back to The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Bible studies and prayers flourish in Gaza and on the Lebanese border. Many of the believers testify that they have greater freedom than ever to share about Yeshua and people are listening. May fruit be born unto the kingdom! Brothers and sisters…please pray.
I just called a sister in Haifa where there were direct hits from a fresh barrage of rockets. One destroyed and synagogue and miraculously no one was killed, although 5 injuries are being reported now…again, HIS HAND…HIS MERCY.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING.
May The Lord direct your steps and mine into His will, and grace, and peace for His glory! Lovingly, your sister here.
I thought that this article from ynet this morning
was a good window that you might want to read
Hitler's book in the living room: IDF commandos operating in Lebanon's deepest parts
Ynet reporter joins elite Duvdevan soldiers spearheading the fight against Hezbollah after serving in the West Bank and Gaza; 'We can’t underestimate this enemy' Elisha Ben Kimon"The darkness is our ally," says Lt. Col. A., commander of the IDF Commando Brigade’s Duvdevan unit. He sits on a couch in the middle of a children’s room inside a luxurious Lebanese estate in a village overlooking Israel's northern communities.
Around him, his soldiers are fully equipped, carrying ammunition, weapons and specialized gear. The windows are covered and a thick fabric carpet blocks any light entering the room. "Even the smallest flicker is an immediate threat of anti-tank fire into the compound," explains one of the soldiers.
On the table in the center of the room stands a small projector displaying maps and operational plans on the wall. Conversations are held in hushed tones and the cold is barely noticeable due to the crowded space.
The tension and alertness are palpable among the soldiers, who clearly understand where they are. Lt. Col. A. tells me, "These are Duvdevan soldiers. You're at the deepest point the IDF has set foot in Lebanon. We'll launch the attack from here."
I'm living a double life'
An hour earlier, we were still at the assembly point, which military censorship restrictions prevent me from specifying. In the convoy of Hummers, we used to enter, we met reservists, some of whom have been serving for over 250 days.
They’ve fought in all of the IDF’s active fronts. "I was in Gaza, fought with the unit in the West Bank and now we've come here," says a 40-year-old soldier, a married father of two young children who lives in Jaffa and works as an investment manager.
"My wife’s trying to keep the business afloat. It’s tough, but there’s no choice," he says. When I asked how he copes with so many reserve days in a year, he answered, "It’s not simple. I’m basically living a double life. These hands hold a weapon one moment, shaking as they fire in all directions and the next moment, they’re bathing my baby in the tub. It’s really hard to explain."
We boarded the Hummers and began our advance. But before that, let’s delve into Duvdevan’s role in the war. Considered one of the IDF's elite units, Duvdevan is part of the Commando Brigade and specializes in counterterrorism, operating in urban and densely populated areas using undercover tactics.
For years, the unit has proven itself critical, primarily operating in the West Bank. The soldiers carry out special missions, mastering unique techniques such as rapid movement between tightly packed buildings and operations under high-pressure conditions.
On October 7, 2023, the unit operated in the kibbutzim of Kfar Aza and Be'eri before spreading out to other communities on the Gaza border, where they engaged in battles against dozens of terrorists and rescued numerous residents from their homes. The unit then resumed intense operations in their familiar territory — the West Bank.
Alongside soldiers from Reserve Unit 6217, they conducted dozens of targeted missions, including eliminating terrorists face-to-face, uncovering and destroying bomb-making factories and an operational command center in the Jordan Valley and cornering terrorists holed up in buildings.
The unit eliminated the terror military leader of the village of Tubas and his predecessor in the months prior. They also thwarted numerous attacks including intercepting suspects en route to central Israel. They were responsible for neutralizing a terrorist carrying explosives and weapons as he moved from Jenin set to kill Israelis.
After their operations in the West Bank, the unit moved to Gaza, where they conducted missions at AL-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, carried out strikes in Khan Younis and Al-Shati camps, and arrived here a few days ago.
'We found a copy of Mein Kampf'
Duvdevan soldiers are now working to clear the area. They operate under the Commando Brigade, deployed across the region and functioning under the 91st Division, commanded by Brig. Gen. Shai Kalper.
The late-night drive into the area is conducted without lights. The unit's highly skilled drivers drive at high speeds in close convoy formation to minimize exposure to gunfire. Despite the fog and challenging terrain, they maintain minimal spacing — a true art.
We arrived at the house where the unit commander was based. Here, the houses are mansions — multi-story buildings used by Hezbollah terrorists for planting explosives, hiding rockets and storing equipment, all ready for combat. Some locations also include underground infrastructure.
As we left the house, we met two soldiers from Jerusalem, who wanted to share what they’d found in some of the buildings. "At first, we found only pictures of [Hassan] Nasrallah, which is expected. But later, we also found photos of [Ali] Khamenei and other Iranian officers.”
“It’s clear evidence of the connection," they said. "In one of the living rooms, we even found a copy of Mein Kampf, Hitler’s book. Parts were underlined and highlighted inside as if someone had studied it line by line. This is Nazism in its rawest and most blatant form," they added.
On the way to the second target, we spoke with H., the unit's deputy commander, who explained the unique challenges the soldiers face. "There’s no doubt the terrain and type of operations are different from what we’re used to in the West Bank," he said.
"In the West Bank, the buildings are densely packed and you move through alleys and fight accordingly. Most of the area is flat. The terrain in Gaza is similar. But here in Lebanon, it’s very mountainous and the distance between houses is greater,” he explained.
'We can’t underestimate this enemy'
“You need to move during the day and night while utilizing different methods from those we’re accustomed to. But the unit's soldiers are adept at this. At the end of the day, a soldier is a soldier.”
He added, "We can’t underestimate this enemy called Hezbollah. They adapt to us in real-time. They don’t attack immediately upon encountering us. They observe, gather fragments of information and then launch their assault. This happens during combat, but we adapt as well — and faster."
We reached the second building in the middle of the night. While I can’t detail the unit's special camouflage capabilities, it’s evident how difficult it is to determine if soldiers are inside. "This is part of our skillset — to integrate ourselves seamlessly into the surroundings," the unit commander explained at the building’s entrance.
"I also work with tanks here, which isn’t something I have in the West Bank, but you adjust to it quickly. Ultimately, our mission is to clear the village and the extensive firepower capabilities I have here help me achieve that,” he added.
Now, we’re boarding the Hummers for the journey back to Israel. The soldiers staying behind will continue their mission of clearing the area. Everyone speaks in terms of existential warfare and history, understanding they’re part of a significant moment for the country.
Yet, they have one simple request: "Let us do our job so the residents of the north can return to their homes as safely as possible."
October 24, 2024
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is THE great God, And THE great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.” PSALM 95:1-5
THIS is our God! May The Lord glorify His Name, and may you be blessed and encouraged unto Him.
Simchat Torah; such a unique day of lifting up the Word of God (physically lifting the Torah scrolls) and dancing and singing around the them, in the streets and synagogues, while giving thanks for His Word. It falls on the eighth day of Sukkot (we are commanded to sit in the sukka for 7 days and then to sanctify the 8th day as a day of no work). It is a joyful day signifying the finishing of the cycle of reading through the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) for the year and the beginning again with Genesis 1:1. It is a time of singular joy.
Bombs continue throughout the day in our north.
But…how would we do it THIS year (so many discussions)? One year ago today at 6:29am the pit of hell opened up.
A year ago today, on the last Shabbat of the fall feasts, on Simchat Torah – the day to REJOICE in Torah – I saw that it was a beautiful clear and cool morning, much like today; exactly a year later on the Hebrew calendar. I went to take my dog, Gila, out for her morning walk at about 6:15. After a short walk, I had just reached the top of a small hill next to a public shelter in the park by my house. I turned around to look at the panoramic view before me of the sunrise sky and I distinctly heard ‘it’; “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”. I recognized the sound of bombs and I stood stone still gazing toward the rising smoke unmistakably in the west. A young woman appeared and our eyes met. We both breathed in and without a spoken word, we both knew. I hurried Gila home. It was just 6:30.
I listened to the constant bombs while I waited for the inevitable reports to begin, never anticipating how horrible they could be…defying description.
I listened to our Prime Minister’s speech later that morning, calling the citizens of Israel to be strong and carefully obey all of the home front commands orders. He told us that this was not going to be an ‘operation’, but that it was war, and that it would be a long, costly and painful one. He said that we were entering our second war of Independence. He stated that we had no other choice but to win or, and that, with God’s help we would, for this was a war for our existence. He said that we were, again, in a war (the eternal war) against Amalek.
There was immediate angry backlash throughout the world at the mention of ‘Amalek’. It is interesting how suddenly the world cared about what The Word of God said. They said that by quoting the Biblical command to destroy Amalek, Prime Minister Netanyahu was calling for genocide.
Is our God a ‘genocidal’ God?
Or is He GOD?
What is the nature of God? And what is the nature of Allah…for they are NOT the same.
This is a very serious question! We all have to ask ourselves and search our hearts because of the times that we are living in…we MUST know what is in our hearts, because IF HE IS GOD, then much of our modern kind and gentle humanistic interpretation of ‘how things should be’, either HAS to submit to HIS way, or…we must reject what HE has said in His Word…and that is terrifying! I have shivered to hear people say ‘Well if God is like THAT, I don’t want any part of Him!’ IF WE KNOW GOD, THEN WE CAN TRUST HIM TO BE THE JUST, RIGHTEOUS AND TRUE JUDGE, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS ‘HARSH’ IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT THOUGHT. We fall into the danger of JUDGING GOD, and believing that we are kinder, more just and loving than HE is…and THAT, sisters and brothers, is deadly! God forbid that any of us should fall into that trap! I am scared for us! May we KNOW GOD AS GOD and HONOR HIM AS GOD!
Two days ago, I was reading 1 Samuel 15. This is a terrifying chapter to me. King Saul had already disobeyed God once by not waiting for Samuel to properly sanctify the sacrifice before the armies of Israel went out (1 Samuel 13), and now he disobeyed again. GOD had specifically told him to completely destroy Amalek (as was commanded in Deuteronomy 25:17-19). You know the awful story; the story of Saul fearing the people more than fearing God for the SECOND time and God’s judgment came upon him through Samuel including that chilling warning to us all in 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
We live in times that none of us can understand.
We have not walked this way before. When the children of Israel followed Moses out of Egypt, some were at the head of the column near to Moses, and they saw the sea before them. Some were in the middle of the column and they saw one another and heard one another. Some were in the back of the column and saw the soldiers pursuing them. We, now, have an account of the full picture of the Exodus; what was before, in the middle and behind, but ALSO what was happening in the heavenlies and what the PURPOSES for all of this was. We see their whole picture! So as then…yes, it is the same now: WE WILL EITHER TRUST AND OBEY GOD OR WE WILL GRUMBLE AND COMPLAIN AGAINST HIM. For we do not yet have the whole picture.
None of us know how this will turn out. But we can KNOW The Lord of hosts, Who leads His armies. A soldier needs, by design, to obey. An army can not function at all if the orders are disobeyed or questioned. In this crazy world in which I live I see that the soldiers KNOW their ‘mefeked’ (commander) and they understand that he has information that they don’t and they trust him and follow him no matter what.
As I write, my neighborhood is filled with the sound of … well…it isn’t a concert as much as it is perhaps a worship time. Most of the songs that I hear are scriptures and prayers. The air is filled with the sound and the supplications to heaven. And the shofar is being blown. We did not know HOW this Simchat Torah would be celebrated, but HE did it…HE blended the rejoicing and the grief into something new…and much clearer.
It has been a busy week for me and I see that I must sleep now. I have been blessed by His children coming to me or inviting me to them. I simply have no more words to share with you – as I have been writing it has turned into a fountain of tears and an overwhelming sense of His HUGENESS. We are really so small and it is given to us to become swallowed up in His Love. May none of us…none of our children nor our Grandchildren, nor any of our root or seed…our inheritance, miss His way through all of this! May our generations know Him – Oh God! To YOU be the glory! May YOU be known!
God bless you and your families. Thank you for praying.
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is THE great God, And THE great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.” PSALM 95:1-5
THIS is our God! May The Lord glorify His Name, and may you be blessed and encouraged unto Him.
Simchat Torah; such a unique day of lifting up the Word of God (physically lifting the Torah scrolls) and dancing and singing around the them, in the streets and synagogues, while giving thanks for His Word. It falls on the eighth day of Sukkot (we are commanded to sit in the sukka for 7 days and then to sanctify the 8th day as a day of no work). It is a joyful day signifying the finishing of the cycle of reading through the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) for the year and the beginning again with Genesis 1:1. It is a time of singular joy.
Bombs continue throughout the day in our north.
But…how would we do it THIS year (so many discussions)? One year ago today at 6:29am the pit of hell opened up.
A year ago today, on the last Shabbat of the fall feasts, on Simchat Torah – the day to REJOICE in Torah – I saw that it was a beautiful clear and cool morning, much like today; exactly a year later on the Hebrew calendar. I went to take my dog, Gila, out for her morning walk at about 6:15. After a short walk, I had just reached the top of a small hill next to a public shelter in the park by my house. I turned around to look at the panoramic view before me of the sunrise sky and I distinctly heard ‘it’; “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”. I recognized the sound of bombs and I stood stone still gazing toward the rising smoke unmistakably in the west. A young woman appeared and our eyes met. We both breathed in and without a spoken word, we both knew. I hurried Gila home. It was just 6:30.
I listened to the constant bombs while I waited for the inevitable reports to begin, never anticipating how horrible they could be…defying description.
I listened to our Prime Minister’s speech later that morning, calling the citizens of Israel to be strong and carefully obey all of the home front commands orders. He told us that this was not going to be an ‘operation’, but that it was war, and that it would be a long, costly and painful one. He said that we were entering our second war of Independence. He stated that we had no other choice but to win or, and that, with God’s help we would, for this was a war for our existence. He said that we were, again, in a war (the eternal war) against Amalek.
There was immediate angry backlash throughout the world at the mention of ‘Amalek’. It is interesting how suddenly the world cared about what The Word of God said. They said that by quoting the Biblical command to destroy Amalek, Prime Minister Netanyahu was calling for genocide.
Is our God a ‘genocidal’ God?
Or is He GOD?
What is the nature of God? And what is the nature of Allah…for they are NOT the same.
This is a very serious question! We all have to ask ourselves and search our hearts because of the times that we are living in…we MUST know what is in our hearts, because IF HE IS GOD, then much of our modern kind and gentle humanistic interpretation of ‘how things should be’, either HAS to submit to HIS way, or…we must reject what HE has said in His Word…and that is terrifying! I have shivered to hear people say ‘Well if God is like THAT, I don’t want any part of Him!’ IF WE KNOW GOD, THEN WE CAN TRUST HIM TO BE THE JUST, RIGHTEOUS AND TRUE JUDGE, EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS ‘HARSH’ IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT THOUGHT. We fall into the danger of JUDGING GOD, and believing that we are kinder, more just and loving than HE is…and THAT, sisters and brothers, is deadly! God forbid that any of us should fall into that trap! I am scared for us! May we KNOW GOD AS GOD and HONOR HIM AS GOD!
Two days ago, I was reading 1 Samuel 15. This is a terrifying chapter to me. King Saul had already disobeyed God once by not waiting for Samuel to properly sanctify the sacrifice before the armies of Israel went out (1 Samuel 13), and now he disobeyed again. GOD had specifically told him to completely destroy Amalek (as was commanded in Deuteronomy 25:17-19). You know the awful story; the story of Saul fearing the people more than fearing God for the SECOND time and God’s judgment came upon him through Samuel including that chilling warning to us all in 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”
We live in times that none of us can understand.
We have not walked this way before. When the children of Israel followed Moses out of Egypt, some were at the head of the column near to Moses, and they saw the sea before them. Some were in the middle of the column and they saw one another and heard one another. Some were in the back of the column and saw the soldiers pursuing them. We, now, have an account of the full picture of the Exodus; what was before, in the middle and behind, but ALSO what was happening in the heavenlies and what the PURPOSES for all of this was. We see their whole picture! So as then…yes, it is the same now: WE WILL EITHER TRUST AND OBEY GOD OR WE WILL GRUMBLE AND COMPLAIN AGAINST HIM. For we do not yet have the whole picture.
None of us know how this will turn out. But we can KNOW The Lord of hosts, Who leads His armies. A soldier needs, by design, to obey. An army can not function at all if the orders are disobeyed or questioned. In this crazy world in which I live I see that the soldiers KNOW their ‘mefeked’ (commander) and they understand that he has information that they don’t and they trust him and follow him no matter what.
As I write, my neighborhood is filled with the sound of … well…it isn’t a concert as much as it is perhaps a worship time. Most of the songs that I hear are scriptures and prayers. The air is filled with the sound and the supplications to heaven. And the shofar is being blown. We did not know HOW this Simchat Torah would be celebrated, but HE did it…HE blended the rejoicing and the grief into something new…and much clearer.
It has been a busy week for me and I see that I must sleep now. I have been blessed by His children coming to me or inviting me to them. I simply have no more words to share with you – as I have been writing it has turned into a fountain of tears and an overwhelming sense of His HUGENESS. We are really so small and it is given to us to become swallowed up in His Love. May none of us…none of our children nor our Grandchildren, nor any of our root or seed…our inheritance, miss His way through all of this! May our generations know Him – Oh God! To YOU be the glory! May YOU be known!
God bless you and your families. Thank you for praying.
October 18, 2024
Shabat Shalom and holiday blessings.
As I was praying about the possibility of sharing what was on my heart, I received an email from O... (my Pastor) and he shared what I wanted to share, except far better than I could. I know that many of you get his letter, but I am sending this (with a few of my additions) for those who don’t.
We are truly living in ‘time and time and a half’!
Here is what my Pastor wrote (and I will add something at the bottom):
Providential workings of God in time of war.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the nations say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115:1-3
Sinwar
Without specific intelligence and as it would seem randomly, Israeli forces, on routine activity, killed Yahya Sinwar, one of the most evil masterminds among Israel’s enemies in history. The soldiers involved were not elite commandos but regular soldiers in the middle of squad commanders course (A relatively early stage in their army service) on a routine mission in the area.
Sinwar’s death may prove to be a turning point in the war. It will not necessarily end the conflict, but it may be a decisive moment in it.
The fact that his death happened seemingly at random, by regular troops who were not working with any specific intelligence of his precise whereabouts, makes it possible to see the providence of God more clearly and give the glory to God!
His accidental death reminds us of another turning point due to the chance killing of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, the most successful Arab commander of the Arab paramilitary groups fighting the Jews at the time. His death on April 8, 1948, was a major turning point in Israel’s War of Independence.
Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini
One of the main issues in the first half of the War of Independence was the need to supply Jerusalem and remote settlements (such as Kfar Etzion near Hebron) with food, ammunition, gasoline, and other vital provisions.)
Under Husseini’s command, the Arab paramilitary forces were able to successfully choke the road and prevent supplies from reaching the city. They were able to inflict heavy casualties and significant loss of supplies. So successful were they that Jerusalem’s survival as the capital of the Jewish State became a question.
To try to break through, it was decided to launch a massive attack on the Qastel, an Arab village that controlled the approach to Jerusalem. The fighting lasted several days, in which control of the village changed hands several times.
Husseini, who was away when the attack on the Qastel began, rushed back and took charge. On the 8th of October, he went to the Qastel to find out why the Arab counterattacks to retake it failed.
As the story goes, Husseini, along with two fighters, lost their way in the dark and came up to a Jewish position. The soldiers in the position greeted them in Arabic, and Husseini, who thought they were English mercenaries fighting on the Arab side, said, “Hello, boys.” The soldiers understood the three men were Arab soldiers and fired, killing Husseini. Only the following day, it was discovered that they killed Husseini.
On the next day, the Arabs abandoned the Qastel for Husseini’s funeral, and the Jewish forces took it over permanently.
Thus, “with one burst of a machine gun, Jerusalem was saved,” writes Yigal Mosko.
Turning points in war as acts of providence in answer to prayer
In December 1944, General Patton’s third army was stalled in Lorraine. Steady rains had turned the ground to mush, making it impossible to advance and launch an attack on the Germans.
General Patton called in his chief chaplain and asked, “Do you have a good prayer for the weather? We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.”
The chaplain could not find a suitable prayer, so he wrote one himself.
“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.”
Patton ordered 250,000 prayer cards to be printed and distributed to every soldier in the Third Army!
The chaplain was surprised by the number. Patton sat him down and asked, “Chaplain, how much praying is being done in the Third Army?” The chaplain admitted that he thought very few of the soldiers prayed.
To this, Patton responded: “Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us,” said Patton. “We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats...This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too.”
In response to Patton, the chaplain issued the following directive in Patton’s name.
“Pray when driving. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle…Pray for victory. Pray for our Army, and Pray for Peace.”
The last prayer cards were distributed on December 14. Two days later, Hitler launched a massive attack that would later be called the Battle of the Bulge. On December 23, the weather changed, and the sky cleared, turning the tide in the Allies' favor.
“Air controllers at Allied air bases announced “visibility unlimited.” A massive armada could finally take to the air. Here was the Allies’ chance to halt Hitler’s forces and destroy their supply lines. The Germans never recovered from ensuing devastation and, by the end of January 1945, the battle would end in what Winston Churchill described as an “ever-famous American victory.”
Stand before the Lord, believe, trust, and pray!
We have been tremendously encouraged by the turn of events in the last 24 hours to continue to stand before the Lord and pray for His will to be done. For His promises to be fulfilled, for His providential intervention on the battlefield and in the world. We must hold steady in faith and press on in prayer on these lines. It is of utmost importance to see the LORD and believe when we cannot see clearly where things are going. It is of utmost importance to pray His Word and promises (promises are His stated will!) When we are in the dark about events or face uncertain times, such as those we live in.
(This is me writing now)
You might recall that I live in M... Z... which is ‘the Kastel’…or QUASTL! I moved here on the first of June. Two weeks earlier, our fellowship took a tour of the Kastel memorial on Yom h’atzmoot (our Independence Day). There, I learned the story of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini and my heart pounded. I can not explain how deeply it affected me. I told The Lord what a great privileged it was to have visited such a place where His Hand so powerfully moved. Within days the door opened up for me to move here…just up the road from where this all happened, and I pulsed with a desire to understand His purpose for me being here.
As I rehearsed this before The Lord this morning, He also reminded me of 1 Kings 22:34, where Ahab went into battle disguised…and yet the plan of The Lord prevailed, and he was mortally wounded by a ‘stray arrow’! How surely our times are IN The Lord’s Hands…each of us! We may not ‘understand’…BUT…we can and must TRUST Him!
Shabbat is beginning and I will close my computer now, but my Pastor's letter almost made me laugh because I thought ‘Well…I DO have time before Shabbat to ‘copy paste send’. HOW GOOD OUR GOD IS!
NONE THE LESS…we must continue walking circumspectly…encouraged, but circumspectly. It is not over yet, this season.
Loving blessings from M... Zi... ("Stronghold of Zion”)
Shabat Shalom and holiday blessings.
As I was praying about the possibility of sharing what was on my heart, I received an email from O... (my Pastor) and he shared what I wanted to share, except far better than I could. I know that many of you get his letter, but I am sending this (with a few of my additions) for those who don’t.
We are truly living in ‘time and time and a half’!
Here is what my Pastor wrote (and I will add something at the bottom):
Providential workings of God in time of war.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the nations say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Psalm 115:1-3
Sinwar
Without specific intelligence and as it would seem randomly, Israeli forces, on routine activity, killed Yahya Sinwar, one of the most evil masterminds among Israel’s enemies in history. The soldiers involved were not elite commandos but regular soldiers in the middle of squad commanders course (A relatively early stage in their army service) on a routine mission in the area.
Sinwar’s death may prove to be a turning point in the war. It will not necessarily end the conflict, but it may be a decisive moment in it.
The fact that his death happened seemingly at random, by regular troops who were not working with any specific intelligence of his precise whereabouts, makes it possible to see the providence of God more clearly and give the glory to God!
His accidental death reminds us of another turning point due to the chance killing of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini, the most successful Arab commander of the Arab paramilitary groups fighting the Jews at the time. His death on April 8, 1948, was a major turning point in Israel’s War of Independence.
Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini
One of the main issues in the first half of the War of Independence was the need to supply Jerusalem and remote settlements (such as Kfar Etzion near Hebron) with food, ammunition, gasoline, and other vital provisions.)
Under Husseini’s command, the Arab paramilitary forces were able to successfully choke the road and prevent supplies from reaching the city. They were able to inflict heavy casualties and significant loss of supplies. So successful were they that Jerusalem’s survival as the capital of the Jewish State became a question.
To try to break through, it was decided to launch a massive attack on the Qastel, an Arab village that controlled the approach to Jerusalem. The fighting lasted several days, in which control of the village changed hands several times.
Husseini, who was away when the attack on the Qastel began, rushed back and took charge. On the 8th of October, he went to the Qastel to find out why the Arab counterattacks to retake it failed.
As the story goes, Husseini, along with two fighters, lost their way in the dark and came up to a Jewish position. The soldiers in the position greeted them in Arabic, and Husseini, who thought they were English mercenaries fighting on the Arab side, said, “Hello, boys.” The soldiers understood the three men were Arab soldiers and fired, killing Husseini. Only the following day, it was discovered that they killed Husseini.
On the next day, the Arabs abandoned the Qastel for Husseini’s funeral, and the Jewish forces took it over permanently.
Thus, “with one burst of a machine gun, Jerusalem was saved,” writes Yigal Mosko.
Turning points in war as acts of providence in answer to prayer
In December 1944, General Patton’s third army was stalled in Lorraine. Steady rains had turned the ground to mush, making it impossible to advance and launch an attack on the Germans.
General Patton called in his chief chaplain and asked, “Do you have a good prayer for the weather? We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.”
The chaplain could not find a suitable prayer, so he wrote one himself.
“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.”
Patton ordered 250,000 prayer cards to be printed and distributed to every soldier in the Third Army!
The chaplain was surprised by the number. Patton sat him down and asked, “Chaplain, how much praying is being done in the Third Army?” The chaplain admitted that he thought very few of the soldiers prayed.
To this, Patton responded: “Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us,” said Patton. “We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats...This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too.”
In response to Patton, the chaplain issued the following directive in Patton’s name.
“Pray when driving. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle…Pray for victory. Pray for our Army, and Pray for Peace.”
The last prayer cards were distributed on December 14. Two days later, Hitler launched a massive attack that would later be called the Battle of the Bulge. On December 23, the weather changed, and the sky cleared, turning the tide in the Allies' favor.
“Air controllers at Allied air bases announced “visibility unlimited.” A massive armada could finally take to the air. Here was the Allies’ chance to halt Hitler’s forces and destroy their supply lines. The Germans never recovered from ensuing devastation and, by the end of January 1945, the battle would end in what Winston Churchill described as an “ever-famous American victory.”
Stand before the Lord, believe, trust, and pray!
We have been tremendously encouraged by the turn of events in the last 24 hours to continue to stand before the Lord and pray for His will to be done. For His promises to be fulfilled, for His providential intervention on the battlefield and in the world. We must hold steady in faith and press on in prayer on these lines. It is of utmost importance to see the LORD and believe when we cannot see clearly where things are going. It is of utmost importance to pray His Word and promises (promises are His stated will!) When we are in the dark about events or face uncertain times, such as those we live in.
(This is me writing now)
You might recall that I live in M... Z... which is ‘the Kastel’…or QUASTL! I moved here on the first of June. Two weeks earlier, our fellowship took a tour of the Kastel memorial on Yom h’atzmoot (our Independence Day). There, I learned the story of Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini and my heart pounded. I can not explain how deeply it affected me. I told The Lord what a great privileged it was to have visited such a place where His Hand so powerfully moved. Within days the door opened up for me to move here…just up the road from where this all happened, and I pulsed with a desire to understand His purpose for me being here.
As I rehearsed this before The Lord this morning, He also reminded me of 1 Kings 22:34, where Ahab went into battle disguised…and yet the plan of The Lord prevailed, and he was mortally wounded by a ‘stray arrow’! How surely our times are IN The Lord’s Hands…each of us! We may not ‘understand’…BUT…we can and must TRUST Him!
Shabbat is beginning and I will close my computer now, but my Pastor's letter almost made me laugh because I thought ‘Well…I DO have time before Shabbat to ‘copy paste send’. HOW GOOD OUR GOD IS!
NONE THE LESS…we must continue walking circumspectly…encouraged, but circumspectly. It is not over yet, this season.
Loving blessings from M... Zi... ("Stronghold of Zion”)
October 15, 2024
“Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’” LEVITICUS 23:39-43
Greetings so soon again, brothers and sisters in Yeshua. May HE be glorified and blessed and seen. May you be encouraged and edified.
What a blessing I received this year when my son in law came and built me a sukka! (the little booths that we build for the feast of tabernacles or sukkot)
I have not had one since E... left, and those of you who have read my letters for awhile know how much I love the holiday of sukkot.
I flashed back to somewhere around the year 2,000, when sukkot fell during the height of the second intifada and during that sukkot week there was heavy fighting in Jenin, or perhaps it was Beit Lechem. We were still living in the apartment on Bialik street in Beit h’Kerem, and we would build our sukka under the (rather low) clothes line in the ally beside the apartment. .........I would hang material on the clothesline and cover the line itself with branches and palms. We put a woven rug on the ground and transformed our clothesline into a comfortable sukka. That particular sukkot, one night while we were sitting outside, the fighting began to really rage quite close to us, and I recall an alarming amount of both bombs and gunfire. I remember so clearly, the moment that I looked up through the branches at the huge sky above us and was overcome with the understanding of what this meant! HE, The Creator of the universe, really IS our covering and our dwelling place! We live in this temporary hut made of frail components at His bidding, but we are TRULY in HIS care. He blows on us and we are gone, but if He wills that we stay, we could not be in a safer place. It was ironic to be sitting outside while a violent battle raged nearby, but we were obeying His bidding, and in obeying, He shared with us some of His secrets.
And so, this year, my sukka is very small, but again I marvel that as we are living in the most violent time and area that certainly my life has known, He calls us to trust Him…not to run and hide inside, but to come and sukka, or tabernacle WITH Him and He WILL show us wonderous things!
Most Christians are familiar with the verses in Zechariah 14:16-19 concerning the nations coming up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. Leviticus 23:33-43 is, for me, the most succinct command and explanation concerning the feast. Numbers 29:12, Deuteronomy 16 and 32 have more explanation. Notes are made in scripture of those who kept the feast to varying degrees are recorded in 2 Chronicles 8, Ezra 3:4, Nehemiah 8:13, and John 7:2. Sukkot is illuded to in many other places in the scriptures as well…where feasts were kept for 7 days with rejoicing, and this feast, as have all of the commanded feasts, have been kept since the days of Moses with inconsistence obedience, meaning sometimes passionately and sometimes halfheartedly. I still have to look and shake my head: a people commanded to stop everything and sit in a flimsy hut and REJOICE for a week before our God…no matter what is happening around us!
This, too, is a ‘weapon’ of His: Obedience.
Truly the weapons that The Lord has in His arsenal are not like man’s.
We are waiting for our country to respond to the Iranian attack last week, during which 181 ballistic missiles were launched at us the night before erev rosh h’shana. We pray constantly for our leaders to be looking to God and hear His plan. In Jeremiah, chapters 49-51 I have found rich food for prayer! Jeremiah 50:25 “Because you have contended against the Lord. The Lord has opened His armory, And has brought out the weapons of His indignation;” I saw a shocking clip the other day, posted by an Iranian. It was a speech being given by the son of the sitting ayatollah Khomeini, and he said with great distain and authority, that he couldn’t care less if all of Persia burned because patriotism and love of the land and country is paganism and idolatry. He said that the ONLY thing that matters is that allah rule and reign over the entire earth.
That spoke to me about the difference between our God’s. Elohim created all of this beauty – this life giving earth – out of a Father’s love for His children. Truly we can make it into idolatry and paganism, but in His balance, it is His beautiful gift to us and He also loves His earth. So what are we looking at?
THIS is the war that we are in; ELOHIM, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB, THE CREATOR AND MERCIFUL, LOVING, SOVEREIGN, WHO SENT HIS SON YESHUA TO REDEEM WHAT HAD BEEN LOST…it is His war against allah…(ba’al?) – the ancient battle in our days. Remember how ba’al demanded child sacrifice and the passing of the children through the fire?
May we be found IN HIM in the position that we can hear Him and be used for His glory. In Jeremiah 51:20 He calls Israel “My battle-ax” and in 51:7 He says that the nations have become DERANGED. It is our job to stay steady during these days. May none of these things move us…may we only be moved by God!
Usually during the fall feasts the streets are filled with Christian tourists who come for one or more of the many conferences and prayer gatherings. What JOY and how we are strengthened by the remnant who have YET made it through the obstacles even now this year, even overcoming their own fears and warnings of others! It is inspiring and encouraging. But just like those of us who live here, those who come must know that it is The Lord Who led them, and they must stay in His will…and those many who so WANT to be here right now but were unable also must know that they are in His will and equally as supportive with their prayers and love! No one’s calling is above another’s if we are in His will.
I know that my letters lately have been both inadequate and poorly written and I thank you for your grace. May there be something in them to encourage you and to glorify The Lord. May we all enter into this time ready to do whatever He tells us. I must sleep now.
Loving blessings from me.
“Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’” LEVITICUS 23:39-43
Greetings so soon again, brothers and sisters in Yeshua. May HE be glorified and blessed and seen. May you be encouraged and edified.
What a blessing I received this year when my son in law came and built me a sukka! (the little booths that we build for the feast of tabernacles or sukkot)
I have not had one since E... left, and those of you who have read my letters for awhile know how much I love the holiday of sukkot.
I flashed back to somewhere around the year 2,000, when sukkot fell during the height of the second intifada and during that sukkot week there was heavy fighting in Jenin, or perhaps it was Beit Lechem. We were still living in the apartment on Bialik street in Beit h’Kerem, and we would build our sukka under the (rather low) clothes line in the ally beside the apartment. .........I would hang material on the clothesline and cover the line itself with branches and palms. We put a woven rug on the ground and transformed our clothesline into a comfortable sukka. That particular sukkot, one night while we were sitting outside, the fighting began to really rage quite close to us, and I recall an alarming amount of both bombs and gunfire. I remember so clearly, the moment that I looked up through the branches at the huge sky above us and was overcome with the understanding of what this meant! HE, The Creator of the universe, really IS our covering and our dwelling place! We live in this temporary hut made of frail components at His bidding, but we are TRULY in HIS care. He blows on us and we are gone, but if He wills that we stay, we could not be in a safer place. It was ironic to be sitting outside while a violent battle raged nearby, but we were obeying His bidding, and in obeying, He shared with us some of His secrets.
And so, this year, my sukka is very small, but again I marvel that as we are living in the most violent time and area that certainly my life has known, He calls us to trust Him…not to run and hide inside, but to come and sukka, or tabernacle WITH Him and He WILL show us wonderous things!
Most Christians are familiar with the verses in Zechariah 14:16-19 concerning the nations coming up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. Leviticus 23:33-43 is, for me, the most succinct command and explanation concerning the feast. Numbers 29:12, Deuteronomy 16 and 32 have more explanation. Notes are made in scripture of those who kept the feast to varying degrees are recorded in 2 Chronicles 8, Ezra 3:4, Nehemiah 8:13, and John 7:2. Sukkot is illuded to in many other places in the scriptures as well…where feasts were kept for 7 days with rejoicing, and this feast, as have all of the commanded feasts, have been kept since the days of Moses with inconsistence obedience, meaning sometimes passionately and sometimes halfheartedly. I still have to look and shake my head: a people commanded to stop everything and sit in a flimsy hut and REJOICE for a week before our God…no matter what is happening around us!
This, too, is a ‘weapon’ of His: Obedience.
Truly the weapons that The Lord has in His arsenal are not like man’s.
We are waiting for our country to respond to the Iranian attack last week, during which 181 ballistic missiles were launched at us the night before erev rosh h’shana. We pray constantly for our leaders to be looking to God and hear His plan. In Jeremiah, chapters 49-51 I have found rich food for prayer! Jeremiah 50:25 “Because you have contended against the Lord. The Lord has opened His armory, And has brought out the weapons of His indignation;” I saw a shocking clip the other day, posted by an Iranian. It was a speech being given by the son of the sitting ayatollah Khomeini, and he said with great distain and authority, that he couldn’t care less if all of Persia burned because patriotism and love of the land and country is paganism and idolatry. He said that the ONLY thing that matters is that allah rule and reign over the entire earth.
That spoke to me about the difference between our God’s. Elohim created all of this beauty – this life giving earth – out of a Father’s love for His children. Truly we can make it into idolatry and paganism, but in His balance, it is His beautiful gift to us and He also loves His earth. So what are we looking at?
THIS is the war that we are in; ELOHIM, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB, THE CREATOR AND MERCIFUL, LOVING, SOVEREIGN, WHO SENT HIS SON YESHUA TO REDEEM WHAT HAD BEEN LOST…it is His war against allah…(ba’al?) – the ancient battle in our days. Remember how ba’al demanded child sacrifice and the passing of the children through the fire?
May we be found IN HIM in the position that we can hear Him and be used for His glory. In Jeremiah 51:20 He calls Israel “My battle-ax” and in 51:7 He says that the nations have become DERANGED. It is our job to stay steady during these days. May none of these things move us…may we only be moved by God!
Usually during the fall feasts the streets are filled with Christian tourists who come for one or more of the many conferences and prayer gatherings. What JOY and how we are strengthened by the remnant who have YET made it through the obstacles even now this year, even overcoming their own fears and warnings of others! It is inspiring and encouraging. But just like those of us who live here, those who come must know that it is The Lord Who led them, and they must stay in His will…and those many who so WANT to be here right now but were unable also must know that they are in His will and equally as supportive with their prayers and love! No one’s calling is above another’s if we are in His will.
I know that my letters lately have been both inadequate and poorly written and I thank you for your grace. May there be something in them to encourage you and to glorify The Lord. May we all enter into this time ready to do whatever He tells us. I must sleep now.
Loving blessings from me.
October 10, 2024
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” … And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” … Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel…. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:3, 6, 10, 12
Brothers and sisters, Shalom! May His Peace and His holy Presence overtake you and me today for His glory, for He IS LORD! May He be revealed and worshipped and glorified!
I DO apologize for writing so soon. I may also write again on Shabbat…which is Yom Kippur; The highest of holy days on the Hebrew calendar, the day of atonement, when everything comes to a halt and the nation fasts and stands before The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for HIS judgment…the closing of the book of life, which Judaism says, has been opened for the past month. Tomorrow night, as the fast begins, will mark the end of the month, and the intense ten last days, of seeking forgiveness and the standing of preparing for God’s judgment; who will be written for life and who will not. It IS an ‘awesome’ time, during this war and as we await Israel’s response to Iran’s attack last week, many are truly open and seeking God. May we be standing with the fear of God. We know that the war will not stop for Yom Kippur…as it didn’t on that painful Yom Kippur in 1973 when the Yom Kippur war started.
In 1996, our older daughter and I went to the local synagogue in Beit h’Kerem, Jerusalem on Yom Kippur. There was a significant security presence, and we were to find out that our then Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was praying at this synagogue. As it is done in just about all traditional synagogues, men and women pray separately, so S.... and I went up to the upper floor women’s section and the men were praying below us. To my amazement, there was our Prime Minister praying passionately just below me, and I had the privilege to pray for his prayers to be heard for several hours. Late that night, after Yom Kippur had ended, the historic and charged event of the opening of The Hasmonean Tunnel (many of you have taken the tunnel tour under the old city) occurred, and I realized that the Prime Minister had been praying about this decision. The Hasmonean tunnel, which has existed for roughly 2,500 years, was rediscovered about 150 years ago and was and re-excavated in 1987. It was not open for fear of upsetting the Arab population and world sensitivities.
But why am I writing now?
Approximately 10 years ago, The Lord had pressed upon me a sentence: “Learn My ways in judgment”. I began to write down every reference that I found in my daily readings that taught me His ways in judgment and His directions to His children in times of judgment. This was NOT a ‘popular thing’ to be speaking about and I was mostly quiet, but my heart was agonized. I could not write down all of the scriptures about judgement because, to my shock, from Genesis through Revelation nearly every page of Scripture speaks about His judgment. The joyful chorus that we used to sing, ‘Every promise in The Book is mine’, took on a new meaning to me, for I saw that judgment IS PROMISED when we look away, walk away, take lightly His Holy Word…HE promises judgment…not JUST in the Tanach, but also in the new covenant. “Be not deceived…” 1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 6:7, 2 Thes. 2 – Oh SO many scriptures exercised me in the fear of God!
Then came the plague…and then the sword…and seeing our farms burning I understood that truly famine lay at the door after whatever lies yet ahead.
HOWEVER…TODAY!
I woke up at about 3:30 this morning. Again, the planes were loud and heavily laden. It was reported that there had been a ‘strange earthquake’ on Saturday night under the Iranian desert that was not frequented by earthquakes and that there were no aftershocks and no other signs of earthquake except for the seismic activity, and it was considered to be an underground nuclear test. What will our response be? I feel as if our Prime Minister is on the top of a tall building and half of the world is yelling ‘JUMP’ and the other half is yelling ‘DON’T JUMP’.
At 3:30 this morning I turned to The Scriptures, and as I read, part of my daily reading was Jeremiah 49. These chapters in Jeremiah are long and tedious concerning the judgment of Edom, Ammon, Damascus, Philistina and Elam. I often read ½ a chapter at a time…but today I DEVOURED both chapters 49 and 50 with a pounding heart and often shouting ‘Halleluyah!’. Over the years I had written things in the margins and one of the things that I had written was a question; ‘Lord, WHEN is this, what days, what times?’ Today as I read, I thought ‘TODAY!!’ I can not write out all of the verses that shocked me. He is speaking of overthrowing Israel’s enemies after Israel’s judgment. I would be interested to hear from any of you who feel led to read these chapters in the light of the current war as Israel is in the days of repentance and fights for her very existence against those sharpening their teeth ready for the kill. I ENCOURAGE you to read and drink and rejoice in God’s goodness, and pray that this is ‘NOW’ and pray for the deep repentance of our people and THE REVELATION OF YESHUA! Is it not time for Him to pull off the veil?
One of the ugliest battles going on inside this nation has been between secular and religious. The city of Tel Aviv (our city that almost deifies secularism) has forbidden the traditional separated public prayer service on Yom Kippur. Last year, the prayer service was attacked by people on (of all things) motorcycles. This year it went to the supreme court and the (very liberal) supreme court overthrew the Tel Aviv law. (Interestingly, Tel Aviv allows separated public Moslem prayer for men and women). It is such a grievous hatred. The response to the supreme court ruling, I felt was noble and gracious as the religious said that they would forgo the public service so as not to instigate hatred. Please pray for internal unity and healing and true repentance.
God bless you as you join us in prayer for HIS purposes, or if you don’t, may we all be found in the center of His will…and may whatever happen as we respond to the Iranian attack…may it be for the glory and revelation of His Name.
Loving blessings, your sister
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” … And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” … Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel…. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:3, 6, 10, 12
Brothers and sisters, Shalom! May His Peace and His holy Presence overtake you and me today for His glory, for He IS LORD! May He be revealed and worshipped and glorified!
I DO apologize for writing so soon. I may also write again on Shabbat…which is Yom Kippur; The highest of holy days on the Hebrew calendar, the day of atonement, when everything comes to a halt and the nation fasts and stands before The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for HIS judgment…the closing of the book of life, which Judaism says, has been opened for the past month. Tomorrow night, as the fast begins, will mark the end of the month, and the intense ten last days, of seeking forgiveness and the standing of preparing for God’s judgment; who will be written for life and who will not. It IS an ‘awesome’ time, during this war and as we await Israel’s response to Iran’s attack last week, many are truly open and seeking God. May we be standing with the fear of God. We know that the war will not stop for Yom Kippur…as it didn’t on that painful Yom Kippur in 1973 when the Yom Kippur war started.
In 1996, our older daughter and I went to the local synagogue in Beit h’Kerem, Jerusalem on Yom Kippur. There was a significant security presence, and we were to find out that our then Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was praying at this synagogue. As it is done in just about all traditional synagogues, men and women pray separately, so S.... and I went up to the upper floor women’s section and the men were praying below us. To my amazement, there was our Prime Minister praying passionately just below me, and I had the privilege to pray for his prayers to be heard for several hours. Late that night, after Yom Kippur had ended, the historic and charged event of the opening of The Hasmonean Tunnel (many of you have taken the tunnel tour under the old city) occurred, and I realized that the Prime Minister had been praying about this decision. The Hasmonean tunnel, which has existed for roughly 2,500 years, was rediscovered about 150 years ago and was and re-excavated in 1987. It was not open for fear of upsetting the Arab population and world sensitivities.
But why am I writing now?
Approximately 10 years ago, The Lord had pressed upon me a sentence: “Learn My ways in judgment”. I began to write down every reference that I found in my daily readings that taught me His ways in judgment and His directions to His children in times of judgment. This was NOT a ‘popular thing’ to be speaking about and I was mostly quiet, but my heart was agonized. I could not write down all of the scriptures about judgement because, to my shock, from Genesis through Revelation nearly every page of Scripture speaks about His judgment. The joyful chorus that we used to sing, ‘Every promise in The Book is mine’, took on a new meaning to me, for I saw that judgment IS PROMISED when we look away, walk away, take lightly His Holy Word…HE promises judgment…not JUST in the Tanach, but also in the new covenant. “Be not deceived…” 1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 6:7, 2 Thes. 2 – Oh SO many scriptures exercised me in the fear of God!
Then came the plague…and then the sword…and seeing our farms burning I understood that truly famine lay at the door after whatever lies yet ahead.
HOWEVER…TODAY!
I woke up at about 3:30 this morning. Again, the planes were loud and heavily laden. It was reported that there had been a ‘strange earthquake’ on Saturday night under the Iranian desert that was not frequented by earthquakes and that there were no aftershocks and no other signs of earthquake except for the seismic activity, and it was considered to be an underground nuclear test. What will our response be? I feel as if our Prime Minister is on the top of a tall building and half of the world is yelling ‘JUMP’ and the other half is yelling ‘DON’T JUMP’.
At 3:30 this morning I turned to The Scriptures, and as I read, part of my daily reading was Jeremiah 49. These chapters in Jeremiah are long and tedious concerning the judgment of Edom, Ammon, Damascus, Philistina and Elam. I often read ½ a chapter at a time…but today I DEVOURED both chapters 49 and 50 with a pounding heart and often shouting ‘Halleluyah!’. Over the years I had written things in the margins and one of the things that I had written was a question; ‘Lord, WHEN is this, what days, what times?’ Today as I read, I thought ‘TODAY!!’ I can not write out all of the verses that shocked me. He is speaking of overthrowing Israel’s enemies after Israel’s judgment. I would be interested to hear from any of you who feel led to read these chapters in the light of the current war as Israel is in the days of repentance and fights for her very existence against those sharpening their teeth ready for the kill. I ENCOURAGE you to read and drink and rejoice in God’s goodness, and pray that this is ‘NOW’ and pray for the deep repentance of our people and THE REVELATION OF YESHUA! Is it not time for Him to pull off the veil?
One of the ugliest battles going on inside this nation has been between secular and religious. The city of Tel Aviv (our city that almost deifies secularism) has forbidden the traditional separated public prayer service on Yom Kippur. Last year, the prayer service was attacked by people on (of all things) motorcycles. This year it went to the supreme court and the (very liberal) supreme court overthrew the Tel Aviv law. (Interestingly, Tel Aviv allows separated public Moslem prayer for men and women). It is such a grievous hatred. The response to the supreme court ruling, I felt was noble and gracious as the religious said that they would forgo the public service so as not to instigate hatred. Please pray for internal unity and healing and true repentance.
God bless you as you join us in prayer for HIS purposes, or if you don’t, may we all be found in the center of His will…and may whatever happen as we respond to the Iranian attack…may it be for the glory and revelation of His Name.
Loving blessings, your sister
October 8, 2024
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7-15
PSALM 79
Greetings to you all brothers and sisters. May The Lord be glorified and may His Name be lifted up. May He be (as the old hymn says) ‘nothing else to [us] except Whom He IS. May you be encouraged and blessed.
(Written on Sunday 6 October) I am home and I thank you for your prayers. I did not realize that my explanation about where I was going was so weak until I came home this morning and found 28 whatsapps and a lot of greetings on email as well. Thank you all for your loving blessings, prayers and kindness.
My daughter and her family (who live in what the west calls ‘the settlements’ in Judea) observe somewhat of a traditional religious Jewish lifestyle, so on a high holyday and shabbat (and this one was 4 days because Shabbat followed immediately the holiday) they do not turn electricity on or off, do not write or look at screens and do not drive, and ofcourse I honor that, being in their home. Because of the war, we did check periodically for any war updates, however they do not have internet, and to pick up a signal was a challenge, so there was no checking of messages.
Rosh h’shana in the Tanach (Old Testament) is Yom Teruah – the day of the sounding of the shofar. How beautiful to hear them being blown over the mountains of Judea.
(I am writing again on Tuesday 8 October)
What can I say. The words have all been said…the rivers of tears are not dry.
It was NOT a ‘memorial’, this strange day yesterday marking one year since ‘The’ 7th of October…it was a ‘weeping pause’…a moment ‘above the trenches’ although rockets rained down upon us…even upon the funerals that were taking place for yet another fallen soldier and a beautiful 19 year old policewoman killed in a terror attack in the Be’er Sheva central bus station yesterday morning…or was it the night before? It is hard even to remember as I try to write, when things happened and what has happened. It is happening so quickly and so intensely that it is a blurr. Tuesday (what time?) there was suddenly a report of a horrendous terror attack at a train stop in Tel Aviv /Jaffa. Two Palestinians from Hevron opened fire on a group of civilians waiting for the train and killed 7 (one young mother of a 9 month old baby who was in the carriage by her side…a bystander was able to snatch up the baby as the young mother fell dead) – the terrorists were shot by another bystander who was a survivor from the nova ‘festival’; trauma upon trauma. While this was going on the sirens began to shout out all over Israel at the same time, as Iran sent some 180 ballistic missiles upon us. I heard that there was another shooting attack, coordinated with the one in Jaffa, in Holon, but heard no more about it.
From Eilat to Kiryat Shmona, everyone was in whatever we shelter in. The deafening booms and sirens went on for 3 hours…the ghastly sirens and the booms. I was alone with my dog under the blanket in my bedroom, shutters, windows, shades and curtains closed, not that that would be much protection, but I had deep peace. The Truth of Psalm 140:7 “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.” was more real than the bombs…and that is so comforting! When the barrage was over and we came out, we found that indeed a mighty mercy had occurred for us. Get this: ZERO Israelis killed! There was ONE death in the Palestinian area, in Jericho a man from Gaza had a huge missile fall directly on him (there were street cameras). Also, we heard, there were 8 Iranians killed in Iran as a rocket backfired.
The next night we were all sitting around tables obeying the command to blow the shofar and give thanks and rejoice. Is this not surreal…bizarre??
SO many people here had empty seats at their tables, where loved ones should have been but had been killed, or were away fighting, or is still being held captive. There is such a mingling of joy and tears, bitter and sweet, honey and apple to mix with the gravel in one’s mouth.
The war in the North is really raging now and has been increasing daily since our ground operations began. The rockets there are falling hourly mixed with alarms in the center, south, west, east, as the Houthis send various powerful ‘messages’ from Yemen, Hizbollah from the north in Lebanon and Syria, Iraq from the East, Hamas continues to bomb and make noise as they did in Otef Aza (the area along the Gaza border) causing those grieving at Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Re’im and other sites together to take shelter time and time again. My dear friends who live in Haifa had a huge (the weapons are increasing in size, frequency, range and strength) missile fall on their street and although they live on the 12th floor, a thick glass wind protector on their merepesset (balcony) shattered. They are in a newer building so they have a ‘mamad’ (a protected room) but this time they said that the noise was deafening.
It was heartening to see the international boldness yesterday and mostly Christian supporters joined by Jews still in the dispersion – how people (many of you I know) turned out in such an encouraging display of support of Israel! Yes, we are thankful, and we know that it takes some bravery to step out in the midst of such virulent opposition. Thank you, to those of you who joined! Forgive us please if we don’t ‘appear encouraged’, it is just that this was just a ‘necessary weeping pause’ for us, and we are simply in that bubble.
We have not walked this way before. Nor have you.
It was such a special 4 days, being with my daughter and family in Bat Ayin. Each night I slept with a different Granddaughter in the bed that my children so graciously vacated for me. My son in law told me some of the history of the land that they live on. He told me that the land purchase deeds for Bat Ayin date back for more than 100 years, yet it has been considered ‘disputed territory’. Now that we get to see, clearly and out in the open, what was only being spoken in hiding, we understand that there will no longer be a case for ‘disputed territory’, as the Palestinians and their supporters have made clear that there was NEVER an opportunity for a ‘Two State Solution’. From the beginning, it has been one state. As d’Ayatollah said the other day; ‘It will be one fair state with equal opportunities for Jews and Christians under Palestinian rule…’
I am so thankful that GOD THE LORD, THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IS SOVEREIGN and HIS plan is what WILL prevail! HE set the boundaries and HE owns the deed for the land of Israel. It was HIS idea and HE is fully able to overthrow the plans of man in a hair breath…but He is concerned also, about the hearts of man and disciplining those He calls His own. How amazing that we are such a small part, a speck of dust in His huge design!
Our daughter’s house is the last one before the ‘security fence’. The Palestinian (NOT Israeli Arabs) towns across the wadi (valley) from them look more like cities. The deep wadi lying between ‘them and us’ is a geological wonder. It looks as if the earth tipped on its side and was rent down the middle. It is rural and peaceful. Our daughter has no ‘safe room’ and really no ‘plan’. When the sirens went off, they sat on the lower bunk in the children’s room. There is a small cave behind the house, but she was afraid that the earth and stones are loose there and when the bombs go off, everything shakes. She opted for the lower bunk.
My neighbor Yael, who still brings me delicious Kurdish meals, also has no shelter. She wisely says what we know: He IS our Rock and Shelter.
I had so much to share with you…but this is all that is coming out. THE LORD, HE IS SUFFICIENT. I bear witness to this. May you have a meaningful year. May we all use every moment to draw nearer to our Source in Whom is Life Eternal… to KNOW Yeshua! He has been so merciful to us! May His mercy squeeze out of us glory to His Name.
I share with you below an interview that you may have watched (my Pastor sent it out too and I know that many of you get his letter). There are a few of you who can not open links. I have found out that it is because of your devices, so if it does not open for you, you can google: Douglas Murray: A Time of War – the free press interview with Bari Weiss. Highly recommended for straight clarity!
May The Lord’s blessing be upon you as you seek how to stand in these days…and THANK YOU for praying God’s Heart for Israel…which means the salvation of His people, finally (and to be saved, we have to be alive).
Lovingly, your sister here.
the free press bari weiss - douglas murray interview
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7-15
PSALM 79
Greetings to you all brothers and sisters. May The Lord be glorified and may His Name be lifted up. May He be (as the old hymn says) ‘nothing else to [us] except Whom He IS. May you be encouraged and blessed.
(Written on Sunday 6 October) I am home and I thank you for your prayers. I did not realize that my explanation about where I was going was so weak until I came home this morning and found 28 whatsapps and a lot of greetings on email as well. Thank you all for your loving blessings, prayers and kindness.
My daughter and her family (who live in what the west calls ‘the settlements’ in Judea) observe somewhat of a traditional religious Jewish lifestyle, so on a high holyday and shabbat (and this one was 4 days because Shabbat followed immediately the holiday) they do not turn electricity on or off, do not write or look at screens and do not drive, and ofcourse I honor that, being in their home. Because of the war, we did check periodically for any war updates, however they do not have internet, and to pick up a signal was a challenge, so there was no checking of messages.
Rosh h’shana in the Tanach (Old Testament) is Yom Teruah – the day of the sounding of the shofar. How beautiful to hear them being blown over the mountains of Judea.
(I am writing again on Tuesday 8 October)
What can I say. The words have all been said…the rivers of tears are not dry.
It was NOT a ‘memorial’, this strange day yesterday marking one year since ‘The’ 7th of October…it was a ‘weeping pause’…a moment ‘above the trenches’ although rockets rained down upon us…even upon the funerals that were taking place for yet another fallen soldier and a beautiful 19 year old policewoman killed in a terror attack in the Be’er Sheva central bus station yesterday morning…or was it the night before? It is hard even to remember as I try to write, when things happened and what has happened. It is happening so quickly and so intensely that it is a blurr. Tuesday (what time?) there was suddenly a report of a horrendous terror attack at a train stop in Tel Aviv /Jaffa. Two Palestinians from Hevron opened fire on a group of civilians waiting for the train and killed 7 (one young mother of a 9 month old baby who was in the carriage by her side…a bystander was able to snatch up the baby as the young mother fell dead) – the terrorists were shot by another bystander who was a survivor from the nova ‘festival’; trauma upon trauma. While this was going on the sirens began to shout out all over Israel at the same time, as Iran sent some 180 ballistic missiles upon us. I heard that there was another shooting attack, coordinated with the one in Jaffa, in Holon, but heard no more about it.
From Eilat to Kiryat Shmona, everyone was in whatever we shelter in. The deafening booms and sirens went on for 3 hours…the ghastly sirens and the booms. I was alone with my dog under the blanket in my bedroom, shutters, windows, shades and curtains closed, not that that would be much protection, but I had deep peace. The Truth of Psalm 140:7 “O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle.” was more real than the bombs…and that is so comforting! When the barrage was over and we came out, we found that indeed a mighty mercy had occurred for us. Get this: ZERO Israelis killed! There was ONE death in the Palestinian area, in Jericho a man from Gaza had a huge missile fall directly on him (there were street cameras). Also, we heard, there were 8 Iranians killed in Iran as a rocket backfired.
The next night we were all sitting around tables obeying the command to blow the shofar and give thanks and rejoice. Is this not surreal…bizarre??
SO many people here had empty seats at their tables, where loved ones should have been but had been killed, or were away fighting, or is still being held captive. There is such a mingling of joy and tears, bitter and sweet, honey and apple to mix with the gravel in one’s mouth.
The war in the North is really raging now and has been increasing daily since our ground operations began. The rockets there are falling hourly mixed with alarms in the center, south, west, east, as the Houthis send various powerful ‘messages’ from Yemen, Hizbollah from the north in Lebanon and Syria, Iraq from the East, Hamas continues to bomb and make noise as they did in Otef Aza (the area along the Gaza border) causing those grieving at Be’eri, Kfar Aza, Re’im and other sites together to take shelter time and time again. My dear friends who live in Haifa had a huge (the weapons are increasing in size, frequency, range and strength) missile fall on their street and although they live on the 12th floor, a thick glass wind protector on their merepesset (balcony) shattered. They are in a newer building so they have a ‘mamad’ (a protected room) but this time they said that the noise was deafening.
It was heartening to see the international boldness yesterday and mostly Christian supporters joined by Jews still in the dispersion – how people (many of you I know) turned out in such an encouraging display of support of Israel! Yes, we are thankful, and we know that it takes some bravery to step out in the midst of such virulent opposition. Thank you, to those of you who joined! Forgive us please if we don’t ‘appear encouraged’, it is just that this was just a ‘necessary weeping pause’ for us, and we are simply in that bubble.
We have not walked this way before. Nor have you.
It was such a special 4 days, being with my daughter and family in Bat Ayin. Each night I slept with a different Granddaughter in the bed that my children so graciously vacated for me. My son in law told me some of the history of the land that they live on. He told me that the land purchase deeds for Bat Ayin date back for more than 100 years, yet it has been considered ‘disputed territory’. Now that we get to see, clearly and out in the open, what was only being spoken in hiding, we understand that there will no longer be a case for ‘disputed territory’, as the Palestinians and their supporters have made clear that there was NEVER an opportunity for a ‘Two State Solution’. From the beginning, it has been one state. As d’Ayatollah said the other day; ‘It will be one fair state with equal opportunities for Jews and Christians under Palestinian rule…’
I am so thankful that GOD THE LORD, THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH IS SOVEREIGN and HIS plan is what WILL prevail! HE set the boundaries and HE owns the deed for the land of Israel. It was HIS idea and HE is fully able to overthrow the plans of man in a hair breath…but He is concerned also, about the hearts of man and disciplining those He calls His own. How amazing that we are such a small part, a speck of dust in His huge design!
Our daughter’s house is the last one before the ‘security fence’. The Palestinian (NOT Israeli Arabs) towns across the wadi (valley) from them look more like cities. The deep wadi lying between ‘them and us’ is a geological wonder. It looks as if the earth tipped on its side and was rent down the middle. It is rural and peaceful. Our daughter has no ‘safe room’ and really no ‘plan’. When the sirens went off, they sat on the lower bunk in the children’s room. There is a small cave behind the house, but she was afraid that the earth and stones are loose there and when the bombs go off, everything shakes. She opted for the lower bunk.
My neighbor Yael, who still brings me delicious Kurdish meals, also has no shelter. She wisely says what we know: He IS our Rock and Shelter.
I had so much to share with you…but this is all that is coming out. THE LORD, HE IS SUFFICIENT. I bear witness to this. May you have a meaningful year. May we all use every moment to draw nearer to our Source in Whom is Life Eternal… to KNOW Yeshua! He has been so merciful to us! May His mercy squeeze out of us glory to His Name.
I share with you below an interview that you may have watched (my Pastor sent it out too and I know that many of you get his letter). There are a few of you who can not open links. I have found out that it is because of your devices, so if it does not open for you, you can google: Douglas Murray: A Time of War – the free press interview with Bari Weiss. Highly recommended for straight clarity!
May The Lord’s blessing be upon you as you seek how to stand in these days…and THANK YOU for praying God’s Heart for Israel…which means the salvation of His people, finally (and to be saved, we have to be alive).
Lovingly, your sister here.
the free press bari weiss - douglas murray interview
September 30, 2024
“And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” REVELATION 16:9
“They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.” JEREMIAH 44:10
“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” PSALM 72:18,19
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You… And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” JOHN 17:1, 3
Loving greetings to each of you who occupy until He comes. May we KNOW HIM and adore Him and reflect Him and glorify Him. May we obey Him and love Him and be found in Him in His peace. May you be blessed and edified.
For most of my life I have written as a pen flowing from my heart…impromptu, ‘stream of thought’ (or consciousness). After I got saved, I looked to Him for what HE might want to say through me, trying to avoid my own opinions, asking Him to use my writing, my eyes, my ears and my heart, although I am not gifted at the ‘craft’. I don’t often re-read what I write as it does come from my heart and I leave it with Him when I am done, praying that it will accomplish His will. He has put me ‘here’ for a reason, and I know that part of that reason is to share from my vantage point, what you are not here to see.
However, the multidimensional scene before my eyes demands more of me than I have, and so I literally BEG Him to glorify His Name and put on my heart what is valuable to Him. HELP, LORD!
At the moment, I am baking for Rosh h’Shana; honey cake, apple cake, honey cookies…sweet treats to bring to E...s home for the 4 days of ‘Shabbat’ that I will spend with them beginning on Wednesday evening. Being a high holiday, it calls for Shabbat rest, and this year it runs right into Shabbat, so that is 12 meals that she will be preparing for the 6 of us. As I bake, the nonstop roar of planes over head continues unabated. I am overusing the word ‘surreal’, so let us switch to ‘bizarre’…because yes, it is!
This is a quote from an Iman (Muslim cleric) today concerning the events of the past two weeks: “IRANIAN IMAM - GENIES! Hojjat-ul-Islam Mustafa Karmi: “According to the history of the Zionist’s in conquering genies and demons, they perform many tasks in this way and the demons are their secret army."
Did you get that? It is this world that we live in and must remain quiet in heart.
The events of the past two weeks have been so powerful and surprising that they could easily grab our emotions and sway our thinking. It has been intense and emotional. We have to be careful and to remember the instructions that were given to us by our government: that it is the job of those of us on the ‘home front’ to keep calm and composed. In other words, ‘to keep a quiet heart’. That takes some determination in the light of all that we have seen. Beginning with the ‘beepers’, there have been non stop surprises that have changed the face of the war dramatically, and it would be easy to think that we can ‘relax a bit’…but we can’t. Hard days remain ahead. The captives are still captive and the bombs continue. The farms are still burning. Our reserves have again been called up as we begin to move into Southern Lebanon. These are our sons, husbands, fathers, brothers…and it is scary. Although many in the Middle East ARE rejoicing over the death of Nasrallah (in Lebanon, Syria and Iran), there are many many others who are NOT rejoicing but rather in a rage and even more determined than ever to destroy us. The NY Times today had a glowing obituary for Nasrallah calling him a great man. The NY Times is SO revered by MY SISTER, whom I pray for, and who, inspite of her extreme intelligence, has bought the lie.
It is tempting to NOT keep a quiet heart in the midst, but no temptation has taken us except that which is common to man and we must be quiet.
As I was listing to myself SOME of the events of the past while (the beepers, the walkie talkies, so much leadership wiped out on 7 fronts, Netanyahu’s dangerous trip to NY and his UN speech, the dramatic assassination of Nasralla (I know that I’m missing a bunch!), The Holy Spirit suddenly brought to mind the dramatic events in my personal life over the past 2 and a half years. E...’s fall and the month in intensive care, his death, breaking my arm two months later, the difficult case of covid, then my landlady telling me that I had to leave, moving to a new place and new area, my job of 25 years ending, E... moving much further away and G...’s close calls…YES LORD! HE HAD BEEN PREPARING ME ALL ALONG TO ‘WALK THROUGH’! I don’t know that I could have done it with a quiet heart had I not been prepared by Him for the season that He knew that we would be living in now. How faithful He is to prepare us! And you He also prepares, although we don’t often realize it at the time.
So I am baking honey cake and apple muffins and wondering how to greet people with a blessing for a sweet new year while their husbands are in the war and we so poignantly remember wishing one another a sweet year LAST year at this time, the beginning of 5784.
I wonder as I listen to the dialogue on the street…or amongst believers…or in the media. My heart rises with hope and sinks back into grief and I do not know what lies ahead. It is VERY, VERY BIG, what lies before us and none of us have walked this way before. As I am writing I just got a report that Iranian troops are moving through Syria toward Lebanon.
So we look at His Word and His Face.
HE IS BOTH Mercy and Judgment and that is beyond our greatest logic to understand, for we are created beings. We either emphasize one part of His character or another, but He Alone will let us know. Remember Ninevah in the days of Jonah? The Ninevites were able to repent unto a staying of His Hand of proclaimed judgment.
I look at the daily images of the Western Wall, hearing the many thousands calling out for mercy and forgiveness and definitely it seems to my eyes and ears that this year IS different and that the cry is real…but only GOD Who sees the heart and weighs our motives…only HE knows. I hear the shofar being blown. Oh Lord! Call us all to true repentance. Have mercy on our hard hearts! Let Your Name YET be glorified through Israel!
The 4 scriptures above were all part of my devotions this morning and for me they dovetailed, amplifying the fact that I do not KNOW which way this will go. Surely, if He has mercy on us, we will be as those whose dream (Psalm 126:1). The surprise, swiftness and audacity with which Israel carried out these past missions took us all by surprise; so it is with GOD!
I was at the checkout in the supermarket and the young Arab checker looked so scared. I asked her if she was ok and she said to me ‘Well, I’m alive right now.’ (the night before there had been sirens and booms) I took her hands and said ‘Life is such a gift and none of us have tomorrow. We all have ‘right now’. Don’t be afraid but live ‘right now’. Fear will rob you of ‘now’. She visibly relaxed and thanked me. Little things we can do for one another: We MUST do for one another.
Surely our way is known to Him Who cares. Which way will it be? He is no longer standing for lukewarmness and pride, for twisted paths and I KNOW that I don’t know my own heart, nor am I able to set a true fire on the altar of my heart nor take the veil off of my own eyes…but I can ASK, Him…BEG Him and hopefully prevail before Him both for my own deceptive heart and for the hearts of those who are still covered.
I probably won’t write again until after Rosh h’Shana and the year 5785 begins. The tradition is that the books of life are open in heaven on Rosh h’Shana and it is written who will live and who will not…and that they are sealed after the day of Atonement (Friday- Saturday 11th and 12th). How thankful we are for The Lamb’s Book of Life…may we never take His Blood lightly – our time here is really so short.
Loving blessings to each of you. May He be glorified in our lives as we stand in His will gazing upon Him Who was pierced for us. All glory and honor and blessing and praise to The Living LionLamb! Yeshua!
“And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” REVELATION 16:9
“They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.” JEREMIAH 44:10
“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” PSALM 72:18,19
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You… And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” JOHN 17:1, 3
Loving greetings to each of you who occupy until He comes. May we KNOW HIM and adore Him and reflect Him and glorify Him. May we obey Him and love Him and be found in Him in His peace. May you be blessed and edified.
For most of my life I have written as a pen flowing from my heart…impromptu, ‘stream of thought’ (or consciousness). After I got saved, I looked to Him for what HE might want to say through me, trying to avoid my own opinions, asking Him to use my writing, my eyes, my ears and my heart, although I am not gifted at the ‘craft’. I don’t often re-read what I write as it does come from my heart and I leave it with Him when I am done, praying that it will accomplish His will. He has put me ‘here’ for a reason, and I know that part of that reason is to share from my vantage point, what you are not here to see.
However, the multidimensional scene before my eyes demands more of me than I have, and so I literally BEG Him to glorify His Name and put on my heart what is valuable to Him. HELP, LORD!
At the moment, I am baking for Rosh h’Shana; honey cake, apple cake, honey cookies…sweet treats to bring to E...s home for the 4 days of ‘Shabbat’ that I will spend with them beginning on Wednesday evening. Being a high holiday, it calls for Shabbat rest, and this year it runs right into Shabbat, so that is 12 meals that she will be preparing for the 6 of us. As I bake, the nonstop roar of planes over head continues unabated. I am overusing the word ‘surreal’, so let us switch to ‘bizarre’…because yes, it is!
This is a quote from an Iman (Muslim cleric) today concerning the events of the past two weeks: “IRANIAN IMAM - GENIES! Hojjat-ul-Islam Mustafa Karmi: “According to the history of the Zionist’s in conquering genies and demons, they perform many tasks in this way and the demons are their secret army."
Did you get that? It is this world that we live in and must remain quiet in heart.
The events of the past two weeks have been so powerful and surprising that they could easily grab our emotions and sway our thinking. It has been intense and emotional. We have to be careful and to remember the instructions that were given to us by our government: that it is the job of those of us on the ‘home front’ to keep calm and composed. In other words, ‘to keep a quiet heart’. That takes some determination in the light of all that we have seen. Beginning with the ‘beepers’, there have been non stop surprises that have changed the face of the war dramatically, and it would be easy to think that we can ‘relax a bit’…but we can’t. Hard days remain ahead. The captives are still captive and the bombs continue. The farms are still burning. Our reserves have again been called up as we begin to move into Southern Lebanon. These are our sons, husbands, fathers, brothers…and it is scary. Although many in the Middle East ARE rejoicing over the death of Nasrallah (in Lebanon, Syria and Iran), there are many many others who are NOT rejoicing but rather in a rage and even more determined than ever to destroy us. The NY Times today had a glowing obituary for Nasrallah calling him a great man. The NY Times is SO revered by MY SISTER, whom I pray for, and who, inspite of her extreme intelligence, has bought the lie.
It is tempting to NOT keep a quiet heart in the midst, but no temptation has taken us except that which is common to man and we must be quiet.
As I was listing to myself SOME of the events of the past while (the beepers, the walkie talkies, so much leadership wiped out on 7 fronts, Netanyahu’s dangerous trip to NY and his UN speech, the dramatic assassination of Nasralla (I know that I’m missing a bunch!), The Holy Spirit suddenly brought to mind the dramatic events in my personal life over the past 2 and a half years. E...’s fall and the month in intensive care, his death, breaking my arm two months later, the difficult case of covid, then my landlady telling me that I had to leave, moving to a new place and new area, my job of 25 years ending, E... moving much further away and G...’s close calls…YES LORD! HE HAD BEEN PREPARING ME ALL ALONG TO ‘WALK THROUGH’! I don’t know that I could have done it with a quiet heart had I not been prepared by Him for the season that He knew that we would be living in now. How faithful He is to prepare us! And you He also prepares, although we don’t often realize it at the time.
So I am baking honey cake and apple muffins and wondering how to greet people with a blessing for a sweet new year while their husbands are in the war and we so poignantly remember wishing one another a sweet year LAST year at this time, the beginning of 5784.
I wonder as I listen to the dialogue on the street…or amongst believers…or in the media. My heart rises with hope and sinks back into grief and I do not know what lies ahead. It is VERY, VERY BIG, what lies before us and none of us have walked this way before. As I am writing I just got a report that Iranian troops are moving through Syria toward Lebanon.
So we look at His Word and His Face.
HE IS BOTH Mercy and Judgment and that is beyond our greatest logic to understand, for we are created beings. We either emphasize one part of His character or another, but He Alone will let us know. Remember Ninevah in the days of Jonah? The Ninevites were able to repent unto a staying of His Hand of proclaimed judgment.
I look at the daily images of the Western Wall, hearing the many thousands calling out for mercy and forgiveness and definitely it seems to my eyes and ears that this year IS different and that the cry is real…but only GOD Who sees the heart and weighs our motives…only HE knows. I hear the shofar being blown. Oh Lord! Call us all to true repentance. Have mercy on our hard hearts! Let Your Name YET be glorified through Israel!
The 4 scriptures above were all part of my devotions this morning and for me they dovetailed, amplifying the fact that I do not KNOW which way this will go. Surely, if He has mercy on us, we will be as those whose dream (Psalm 126:1). The surprise, swiftness and audacity with which Israel carried out these past missions took us all by surprise; so it is with GOD!
I was at the checkout in the supermarket and the young Arab checker looked so scared. I asked her if she was ok and she said to me ‘Well, I’m alive right now.’ (the night before there had been sirens and booms) I took her hands and said ‘Life is such a gift and none of us have tomorrow. We all have ‘right now’. Don’t be afraid but live ‘right now’. Fear will rob you of ‘now’. She visibly relaxed and thanked me. Little things we can do for one another: We MUST do for one another.
Surely our way is known to Him Who cares. Which way will it be? He is no longer standing for lukewarmness and pride, for twisted paths and I KNOW that I don’t know my own heart, nor am I able to set a true fire on the altar of my heart nor take the veil off of my own eyes…but I can ASK, Him…BEG Him and hopefully prevail before Him both for my own deceptive heart and for the hearts of those who are still covered.
I probably won’t write again until after Rosh h’Shana and the year 5785 begins. The tradition is that the books of life are open in heaven on Rosh h’Shana and it is written who will live and who will not…and that they are sealed after the day of Atonement (Friday- Saturday 11th and 12th). How thankful we are for The Lamb’s Book of Life…may we never take His Blood lightly – our time here is really so short.
Loving blessings to each of you. May He be glorified in our lives as we stand in His will gazing upon Him Who was pierced for us. All glory and honor and blessing and praise to The Living LionLamb! Yeshua!
September 24, 2024
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.” ECCLASTIES 3:1-8
This is a short addendum to yesterday’s letter. I understand that the link to the Entebbe video did not work. I hope that this one does…and…as the situation changes as rapidly as lava flowing from a volcano, I want to add a few things.
Such loud, nonstop rumbling of heavy laden planes all night! The constant growl of the loaded planes made sleep difficult. Someone asked me how I could tell that a plane was heavily laden, and my memory flashed back some 40 years to wonderful days of youth in remote Alaska. We lived in a fishing village…but not just ‘any’ fishing village. Naknek is in Bristol Bay, considered the salmon capital of the world (atleast so we were told). Commercial fishing is a world of its own… and like war in the Middle East…you kind of have to experience it to understand the intensity.
In the summer when the fish were running, E... would say to me ‘There goes a Beech 18 carrying a heavy load. Boy, that’s a full load of fish he has!’ and I would wonder, how in the world he could gather all of that information from the sound of a plane overhead. But I learned as he patiently taught me, and soon I too could tell if a plane was full or empty, although very rarely could I name the make of the plane the way he could.
However, these planes are not full of fish. This sound is not the sign of an abundant harvest and prosperity…but these planes are carrying very heavy warheads; signs of death, destruction and grief on one hand, and defense and a shield on the other.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says The Lord of hosts.” May His wisdom – The Commander of The host of heaven, guide us for His glory in such a time as this! May He lead, protect, and reveal Himself and glorify His Name.
Our National Defense Minister sent a message to our phones: “At the new stage in which we have entered the war – our success also depends on the proper conduct of the home front. These are days ahead of us when the public will have to show composure.” Another message received from our village council also informed us that although there are no updated Homefront command instructions, we need to be ready to go from 0 to 100 in a second.
I’m sorry for overloading your inbox, but I hope that now the link will work and that this update will be helpful as you pray.
Loving blessings!
raid on Entebbe documentary on 'forgotten history'
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.” ECCLASTIES 3:1-8
This is a short addendum to yesterday’s letter. I understand that the link to the Entebbe video did not work. I hope that this one does…and…as the situation changes as rapidly as lava flowing from a volcano, I want to add a few things.
Such loud, nonstop rumbling of heavy laden planes all night! The constant growl of the loaded planes made sleep difficult. Someone asked me how I could tell that a plane was heavily laden, and my memory flashed back some 40 years to wonderful days of youth in remote Alaska. We lived in a fishing village…but not just ‘any’ fishing village. Naknek is in Bristol Bay, considered the salmon capital of the world (atleast so we were told). Commercial fishing is a world of its own… and like war in the Middle East…you kind of have to experience it to understand the intensity.
In the summer when the fish were running, E... would say to me ‘There goes a Beech 18 carrying a heavy load. Boy, that’s a full load of fish he has!’ and I would wonder, how in the world he could gather all of that information from the sound of a plane overhead. But I learned as he patiently taught me, and soon I too could tell if a plane was full or empty, although very rarely could I name the make of the plane the way he could.
However, these planes are not full of fish. This sound is not the sign of an abundant harvest and prosperity…but these planes are carrying very heavy warheads; signs of death, destruction and grief on one hand, and defense and a shield on the other.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says The Lord of hosts.” May His wisdom – The Commander of The host of heaven, guide us for His glory in such a time as this! May He lead, protect, and reveal Himself and glorify His Name.
Our National Defense Minister sent a message to our phones: “At the new stage in which we have entered the war – our success also depends on the proper conduct of the home front. These are days ahead of us when the public will have to show composure.” Another message received from our village council also informed us that although there are no updated Homefront command instructions, we need to be ready to go from 0 to 100 in a second.
I’m sorry for overloading your inbox, but I hope that now the link will work and that this update will be helpful as you pray.
Loving blessings!
raid on Entebbe documentary on 'forgotten history'
September 22, 2024
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” HEBREWS 1:1-4
Oh how BLESSED we are, DEAREST brothers and sisters! To you, who are also fellow citizens of the kingdom of Light and Truth; a loving SHALOM! May you be encouraged and encouraged again (yes, twice over) to walk closer to Him and to look more deeply into the eyes of His Word (my constant prayer for myself as well)…and may HE ALONE BE BLESSED AND GLORIFIED!
I can not hear the bombs up north as easily as I heard them from the Gaza area, but the heavily laden planes have been flying overhead all day (now, four days later, I can say ‘steadily’), heading to the northern confrontation line. What a totally SURREAL time this is that we are living in! We are living IN the writing of Scripture.
I don’t imagine that there is one of you who has not heard about the “beeper bombs” which pin pointed Hizbolla operatives in Lebanon, Syria and Iran on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the atmosphere of a James Bond thriller, apparently our Mossad set up a sort of ‘covert company’ (maybe as long as 15 years ago!) in another country…perhaps Hungry, perhaps Bulgaria…this is still and unknown factor. Eight months ago, Hizbolla made a purchase order for beepers for all of their members so that they could communicate without being hacked by Israel. Apparently, the order was processed by ‘our hidden ones’ who equipped them some sort of explosive. Hizbolla has been firing warheads at us daily since 8 October. Over 8,500 missiles have ravaged our north, destroying the farmlands, burning the forests and homes, displacing some 80,000 residents. Many people have been killed and injured as well as the 12 Druze children, killed on a playground in Majdal Shams. I don’t have the strength right now to go into the history of Israel and Lebanon since Hizbolla took over Lebanon, but we have fought numerous wars:
At the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, a ceasefire between the different parties was reached and the UN Security Council issued Resolution 1701. The resolution stated the following:
“[The Security Council] calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements: the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon.”
Since 8th October, Israel has again and again approached all international bodies seeking their power to enforce this law, which has BASICALLY worked until now. We gave warning again and again…. We spoke with leaders from the United Nations, France, Europe: It has been 11 months.
The world has also been accusing Israel nonstop, of ‘slaughtering civilians’ (I lay my ‘comments’ concerning these accusations before The Lord, Who is the Only Righteous and Just Judge.)
The beeper bombs took Israel as much by surprise as it did Hizbolla. We stood dumbfounded as we watched video after video of Hizbolla members experiencing explosions while the people right beside them remained unharmed. Surely this was not something that anyone could hurl accusations at us for! We had literally pinpointed the perpetrators of the terror against us!
HA!
It does appear that the only possible thing that we could do without being criticized would be to lay down and die…and bury ourselves.
There are many precedents.
One stuck out to me. Surely you remember the rescue of the hostages from a plane hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda in 1976. I have enclosed an excellent link, but if you simply google ‘Entebbe documentary’, you will find a wide variety of quality information and a link to the old movie ‘Rescue from Entebbe’. The thing that I HADN’T known about that most daring event, was that there was rather widespread condemnation of Israel (“They Criticized the Entebbe Rescue, Too -- The Soviet and Chinese governments denounced what they called “the Zionist aggression.” United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim charged that Israel had committed a “serious violation of the sovereignty” of Uganda.”). The complaints went to the UN, and although it did not pass as a resolution, Israel was NOT as broadly ‘admired’ as we might have thought, but was condemned: Just as it is being now.
To me, it defies all reason, but we are not dealing with ‘reason’…we are dealing with the ancient spiritual battle that has again come to the forefront…and we are part of it, both here in Israel, and you as believers…and Jews in the diaspora.
For me, I find it a fearsome thing to be found in a small part of the continued writing of Scripture. I am cautioned at every turn of my heart to be ‘careful’ to be found in the center of God’s will. As I seek to prevail in prayer, I find the territory as black as ink and feel as if my spiritual feet are wading through thick molasses. It IS war.
I began this letter last Thursday and I am continuing it here on Sunday the 22nd. As you know, the internal political strife here in Israel has been loud grievous. There is an extremely vocal, organized group that despises the government and accuses it of all sorts of things. It is amazing to me that so many forget that they were very active way before this war began. The media, generally, serves as a platform for all sorts of accusations. Thankfully, the government has somehow succeeded in keeping their mouths shut through this move to the northern front, so as the media screams that ‘we hurt Hizbolla and now we are not going in while they are weaker’, we continued moving forward.
As of this moment, all preparations are in place for a ground war to begin. I just spoke to an ex patient of my bosses and she told me that her grandson has been moved from Gaza and is currently “in Lebanon”. Our northern hospitals have moved their patients into underground facilities, and, as is the way here, the civilian ‘work’ is to ‘keep calm and help one another.’ There are so many soldiers on the front, and the names of three believers who are dear to me personally, and who I would ask for prayer for are I...., father of two beautiful little boys, N.., father of a tiny baby boy, and D...., father of two precious young sons as well. Thank you for praying.
With the main shift to the north, we are still passionately seeking the freedom of our captives in Gaza and continuing the battle there as well as in Judea and Samaria (where our daughter lives). In the south, the Yemenite Houthis have continued their aggression, and we are experiencing attacks from Iraq and Syria as well.
Many more farms have burned. Cows and chickens have been killed and sanctions pile up against this people from every corner of the earth.
And we approach Rosh h’shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot once again!
We will blow the shofar on Rosh h’shana and eat apples and honey. (the night of 2 October) We will fast and pray on Yom Kippur (11-12 October), and again we will build flimsy booths of leafy branches and material and sit under the sky to remember that “IT IS NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS” (Zech. 4:6)(16-25 October) Oh please, Lord! By Your mercy may we see and remember and KNOW that it is ONLY by and through YOU! It is so easy to understand that He really IS our Provider and Protecter while we are sitting in the Sukka.
I plan to go to our daughter’s home in ........ for the four days of Rosh h’shana. It is 4 days this year because it includes Shabbat. Since my son in law won’t drive on a holiday or shabbat, I will not be home for those days.
I wanted to let you know that E... is still seeking The Lord, but has not yet had the veil removed from his heart. With his mind he believes…but his heart is not yet born again. Thank you for your prayers for him.
Another answer to prayer was that the zoom class that I told you about awhile ago, being led by a friend from New Zealand, has produced rather shocking fruit and has resulted in a major change in the church and the area!!! You might remember that the rural farm church was anti-Israel and that some men became curious to learn and see if indeed Israel had any meaning for today scripturally. My friend, who has been here for 40 years, simply took them on a basic Bible study beginning in Genesis…and The Holy Spirit did the rest! Praise God for His great mercy!
Thank you for taking the time to read, and to pray…for caring…for walking. Who would have thought that any of our lives would have looked like this, eh? May we all be found in the center of His will with our eyes on HIM (not on ourselves or others) for HIS GREAT GLORY! May we be found of Him at Peace. Loving blessings, your sister.
PS – REMINDER PLEASE: If you share this letter I have two requests:
PLEASE DO NOT SHARE IT WITH JEWISH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT YET KNOW HIM PERSONALLY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO REMOVE ALL EMAIL ADDRESSES, ESPECIALLY MINE! I REQUEST TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.
Thank you!
documentary raid on Entebbe
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” HEBREWS 1:1-4
Oh how BLESSED we are, DEAREST brothers and sisters! To you, who are also fellow citizens of the kingdom of Light and Truth; a loving SHALOM! May you be encouraged and encouraged again (yes, twice over) to walk closer to Him and to look more deeply into the eyes of His Word (my constant prayer for myself as well)…and may HE ALONE BE BLESSED AND GLORIFIED!
I can not hear the bombs up north as easily as I heard them from the Gaza area, but the heavily laden planes have been flying overhead all day (now, four days later, I can say ‘steadily’), heading to the northern confrontation line. What a totally SURREAL time this is that we are living in! We are living IN the writing of Scripture.
I don’t imagine that there is one of you who has not heard about the “beeper bombs” which pin pointed Hizbolla operatives in Lebanon, Syria and Iran on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the atmosphere of a James Bond thriller, apparently our Mossad set up a sort of ‘covert company’ (maybe as long as 15 years ago!) in another country…perhaps Hungry, perhaps Bulgaria…this is still and unknown factor. Eight months ago, Hizbolla made a purchase order for beepers for all of their members so that they could communicate without being hacked by Israel. Apparently, the order was processed by ‘our hidden ones’ who equipped them some sort of explosive. Hizbolla has been firing warheads at us daily since 8 October. Over 8,500 missiles have ravaged our north, destroying the farmlands, burning the forests and homes, displacing some 80,000 residents. Many people have been killed and injured as well as the 12 Druze children, killed on a playground in Majdal Shams. I don’t have the strength right now to go into the history of Israel and Lebanon since Hizbolla took over Lebanon, but we have fought numerous wars:
At the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, a ceasefire between the different parties was reached and the UN Security Council issued Resolution 1701. The resolution stated the following:
“[The Security Council] calls for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the following principles and elements: the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani river of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon.”
Since 8th October, Israel has again and again approached all international bodies seeking their power to enforce this law, which has BASICALLY worked until now. We gave warning again and again…. We spoke with leaders from the United Nations, France, Europe: It has been 11 months.
The world has also been accusing Israel nonstop, of ‘slaughtering civilians’ (I lay my ‘comments’ concerning these accusations before The Lord, Who is the Only Righteous and Just Judge.)
The beeper bombs took Israel as much by surprise as it did Hizbolla. We stood dumbfounded as we watched video after video of Hizbolla members experiencing explosions while the people right beside them remained unharmed. Surely this was not something that anyone could hurl accusations at us for! We had literally pinpointed the perpetrators of the terror against us!
HA!
It does appear that the only possible thing that we could do without being criticized would be to lay down and die…and bury ourselves.
There are many precedents.
One stuck out to me. Surely you remember the rescue of the hostages from a plane hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda in 1976. I have enclosed an excellent link, but if you simply google ‘Entebbe documentary’, you will find a wide variety of quality information and a link to the old movie ‘Rescue from Entebbe’. The thing that I HADN’T known about that most daring event, was that there was rather widespread condemnation of Israel (“They Criticized the Entebbe Rescue, Too -- The Soviet and Chinese governments denounced what they called “the Zionist aggression.” United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim charged that Israel had committed a “serious violation of the sovereignty” of Uganda.”). The complaints went to the UN, and although it did not pass as a resolution, Israel was NOT as broadly ‘admired’ as we might have thought, but was condemned: Just as it is being now.
To me, it defies all reason, but we are not dealing with ‘reason’…we are dealing with the ancient spiritual battle that has again come to the forefront…and we are part of it, both here in Israel, and you as believers…and Jews in the diaspora.
For me, I find it a fearsome thing to be found in a small part of the continued writing of Scripture. I am cautioned at every turn of my heart to be ‘careful’ to be found in the center of God’s will. As I seek to prevail in prayer, I find the territory as black as ink and feel as if my spiritual feet are wading through thick molasses. It IS war.
I began this letter last Thursday and I am continuing it here on Sunday the 22nd. As you know, the internal political strife here in Israel has been loud grievous. There is an extremely vocal, organized group that despises the government and accuses it of all sorts of things. It is amazing to me that so many forget that they were very active way before this war began. The media, generally, serves as a platform for all sorts of accusations. Thankfully, the government has somehow succeeded in keeping their mouths shut through this move to the northern front, so as the media screams that ‘we hurt Hizbolla and now we are not going in while they are weaker’, we continued moving forward.
As of this moment, all preparations are in place for a ground war to begin. I just spoke to an ex patient of my bosses and she told me that her grandson has been moved from Gaza and is currently “in Lebanon”. Our northern hospitals have moved their patients into underground facilities, and, as is the way here, the civilian ‘work’ is to ‘keep calm and help one another.’ There are so many soldiers on the front, and the names of three believers who are dear to me personally, and who I would ask for prayer for are I...., father of two beautiful little boys, N.., father of a tiny baby boy, and D...., father of two precious young sons as well. Thank you for praying.
With the main shift to the north, we are still passionately seeking the freedom of our captives in Gaza and continuing the battle there as well as in Judea and Samaria (where our daughter lives). In the south, the Yemenite Houthis have continued their aggression, and we are experiencing attacks from Iraq and Syria as well.
Many more farms have burned. Cows and chickens have been killed and sanctions pile up against this people from every corner of the earth.
And we approach Rosh h’shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot once again!
We will blow the shofar on Rosh h’shana and eat apples and honey. (the night of 2 October) We will fast and pray on Yom Kippur (11-12 October), and again we will build flimsy booths of leafy branches and material and sit under the sky to remember that “IT IS NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS” (Zech. 4:6)(16-25 October) Oh please, Lord! By Your mercy may we see and remember and KNOW that it is ONLY by and through YOU! It is so easy to understand that He really IS our Provider and Protecter while we are sitting in the Sukka.
I plan to go to our daughter’s home in ........ for the four days of Rosh h’shana. It is 4 days this year because it includes Shabbat. Since my son in law won’t drive on a holiday or shabbat, I will not be home for those days.
I wanted to let you know that E... is still seeking The Lord, but has not yet had the veil removed from his heart. With his mind he believes…but his heart is not yet born again. Thank you for your prayers for him.
Another answer to prayer was that the zoom class that I told you about awhile ago, being led by a friend from New Zealand, has produced rather shocking fruit and has resulted in a major change in the church and the area!!! You might remember that the rural farm church was anti-Israel and that some men became curious to learn and see if indeed Israel had any meaning for today scripturally. My friend, who has been here for 40 years, simply took them on a basic Bible study beginning in Genesis…and The Holy Spirit did the rest! Praise God for His great mercy!
Thank you for taking the time to read, and to pray…for caring…for walking. Who would have thought that any of our lives would have looked like this, eh? May we all be found in the center of His will with our eyes on HIM (not on ourselves or others) for HIS GREAT GLORY! May we be found of Him at Peace. Loving blessings, your sister.
PS – REMINDER PLEASE: If you share this letter I have two requests:
PLEASE DO NOT SHARE IT WITH JEWISH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT YET KNOW HIM PERSONALLY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO REMOVE ALL EMAIL ADDRESSES, ESPECIALLY MINE! I REQUEST TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS.
Thank you!
documentary raid on Entebbe
September 10, 2024
“Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.
SONG OF SOLOMON 1:7-8
“THE KING IS IN THE FIELD”
Shalom, dear family in Yeshua. PEACE be unto each of us in Him Who created us according to His wisdom and for His own purposes. May we fill His heart with joy especially in such dark times. May we bring Him glory, and may you be blessed and edified.
It is the month of Elul (the second day of the month)[I wrote this on the 5th of Sept,] on the Hebrew calendar…the last month of the year (according to some), and the month of repentance…awe and expectation…and of deep reflection. I don’t remember how I stumbled across it…I don’t remember what I was looking up at the time, but there it was: “The King is in the Field”! My heart jumped and I didn’t know why. I have never heard that expression before but I had a deep rumbling in my heart: ‘The King is in the Field’! and I pictured myself running outside to see The King in the field, relaxed and walking through…The Bread of Life in the field of wheat…inspecting His wheat…His children running along side.
I had to look this saying up!
The information that I found seemed to indicate that it is an old Hassidic saying, the implications being that it is a time - a season - when The King is approachable…relaxed…and anyone can come up to Him without an appointment. Once He is again seated on His throne, one must find a way to approach Him…but when He is in the field, even the children can run up to Him.
That is a very beautiful picture, but why did it excite me so very much? I (STILL) don’t know…but it has stirred my heart. I have read many commentaries online and I still don’t quite know why I, personally, feel such an anticipation…but I do!
Elul is the month in which we mark the approach to the fall feasts: Rosh h’Shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Rosh h’shana begins on the last day of Elul (this year it will begin on the 2nd of October), and although it is marked as our modern ‘New Year’, scripturally Passover should begin the new year. Yom Kippur (11-12 October this year) is the most solemn day of the year, the day of fasting, prayer and repentance…the day of Atonement. Then, beginning on the evening of the 16th of October this year, starts Sukkot…the week in booths…the feast of tabernacles. These three appointed holy days are commanded in Scripture…and…the month of Elul, which leads up to them, is a month of deep soul searching and repentance. Every morning before dawn, steams of people will be seen making their way to the Western Wall or to synagogue. The news tonight reported that many thousands were at the Wall this morning for ‘slichot’ (repentance) prayers, and that prayers for the captives, soldiers and families were added in.
Yesterday I was in Jerusalem for awhile and I called T..... She is about 80 years old and was one of my favorite patients while I was working for Dr. R...... She is an incredibly kind lady who arrived from Iraq with her family when she was a small child, and she has been asking me to call her when I was in Jerusalem so that we could have coffee together. She speaks no English, but I was able to share with her, finally, that I am a disciple of Yeshua…I could not share that while I was working. It was good to sit in the heart of Jerusalem and share. Alongside us sat a soldier who was also listening. May I know how and when to share for the glory of God – for true FRUIT unto the kingdom!
As I face this computer page, again I am painfully aware of what surreal times we are living through. We are living in a season that history books will write about…perhaps…if history books are still being written after all of this. None of us know how this time will change the future and what the future might look like.
I am always encouraged by the books of the Prophet Jeremiah (and I am reading there currently). He lived DURING one of the greatest judgments that ever faced Israel. He (almost) alone carried the true prophetic word, but the false prophets were popular and powerful and he was greatly persecuted. What grief he saw both in spirit and with his eyes, nevertheless, the promises left to us through his words encourage us (I doubt that it’s only me!) today: 31:2 “Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” 33:20-“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’” And 33:25, 26 ““Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’” Such a few verses out of so many…but this is where I am reading now, and how encouraging; particularly remembering that these Words were spoken to and through Jeremiah during the days of siege, ...they ate their children in the siege!! destruction and horrific judgment that saw NO hope…BUT GOD!
The season is changing and the days are getting shorter; the sun is going down earlier and coming up later, while the flocks of birds form their graceful ‘V’ shape and head to their next resting place. Other birds are arriving with their new songs, and the fall fruits; the pomegranates, grapes, apples, oranges are ripening instead of the peaches, watermelon and apricots of summer. As with the seasons, the neighbors, grieving or not, are preparing for the feasts ahead. Y... and I.. across the street from me (oh yes! She still brings me enough food to feed an army!) have just enlarged their ‘outside roof’ so that they can set even larger tables for family and friends during the holidays. It is not unusual for there to be 40-50 guests at a sit down holiday table. I see people buying expensive cuts of meat and fish in preparation, and the shop shelves are beginning to display gifts, for it is a time of giving of gifts. It is true that many items have disappeared from the food shelves and prices have climbed, but Israelis are austere people and know how to make do.
Lately, I have felt pressed to a new prayer along with the people and things on my heart that I bring before The Lord. I have begun to pray that The Lord will call to the hearts of young people to study agriculture and choose farming rather than high tech or political science, both of which seem so popular.
Throughout scripture, The Lord mentions these three things together: Plague, the sword and famine. I have taken note that we have seen plague and sword…and here, we have seen the destruction of farms through war. So many farms have been destroyed by fire. Many farmers were killed or went to war. Others saw their workers flee, and the destruction of farms by fire defies imagination. Both milk products and eggs (and poultry) have been affected as many animals were also killed in the fires. It is a crisis situation that we don’t hear much of in the midst of all of the other crises. We are thankful for the many volunteers who give their time and energy to work in the fields, but it isn’t enough. We need a new generation of farmers and it simply isn’t popular.
I still ask; ‘What is this time that we are living in?’ Having been saved so dramatically as I was, it is difficult for me to see E... (thank you for praying for him!) still with the blinders on the eyes of his heart! He believes in his head and is even talking to others about Yeshua being our Messiah (!) but his heart remains blind and the ‘born again’ experience of exchanging our stony hearts for His of Living Spiritual Flesh doesn’t seem to be something that he can grasp. He has been picking me up on Shabbat to bring me to Kehila, usually arriving about an hour and a half early so that we can talk. This week he surprised me by saying ‘Let’s go to the cemetery before Kehila, so we can visit your husband and my Dad’. In this huge cemetery it turns out that they are buried nearby one another. I was deeply thankful as it is very difficult for me to get there and I have been only about 4 times. It turns out that E...’s Dad was very well known and respected. He was a lawyer and a Zionist and he wrote a 700 plus page book called the “The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law”, a copy of which E... sent me and I hope to read. But oh to see his eyes open to his Messiah!
I have been reading a book by Wesley Duewel called ‘Mighty Prevailing Prayer’, and it has brought me up short and sent me into a narrow avenue of seeking Him more deeply. The word ‘PREVAIL’ has become a standard that shines out of reach…but I am reaching! I long to prevail in prayer for E..., and for Israel and for victory in areas of my life, and my family's lives that I have not seen. I understand that I am in a new season of life, both in my own ‘skin’ and in this world, but it is not time to slack off…rather to run the race to the end, not as one beating the air (to borrow from Paul) but to prevail and be found faithful in all that He has asked of me… which is not much when you come right down to it and look at what HE has done for us!
It is time to close for now. I will leave you with a challenge that I read while I was looking for the origins of ‘The King is in the field’. While I was searching, I found this challenging statement:
“Rebbe Nachman of Breslev wrote that it is best to turn all thoughts and philosophies into prayers. In that spirit, “God, please let me know how to transform the disadvantages and imperfections of my life into advantages and opportunities, and a gate through which I can pass to become closer to You.”
How blessed we are to still have time to serve Him. The day will come when the books are closed. May we be found faithful, loving Him with a burning heart and prevailing over all that stands in the way of His kingdom! Loving blessings, your sister here.
“Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.
SONG OF SOLOMON 1:7-8
“THE KING IS IN THE FIELD”
Shalom, dear family in Yeshua. PEACE be unto each of us in Him Who created us according to His wisdom and for His own purposes. May we fill His heart with joy especially in such dark times. May we bring Him glory, and may you be blessed and edified.
It is the month of Elul (the second day of the month)[I wrote this on the 5th of Sept,] on the Hebrew calendar…the last month of the year (according to some), and the month of repentance…awe and expectation…and of deep reflection. I don’t remember how I stumbled across it…I don’t remember what I was looking up at the time, but there it was: “The King is in the Field”! My heart jumped and I didn’t know why. I have never heard that expression before but I had a deep rumbling in my heart: ‘The King is in the Field’! and I pictured myself running outside to see The King in the field, relaxed and walking through…The Bread of Life in the field of wheat…inspecting His wheat…His children running along side.
I had to look this saying up!
The information that I found seemed to indicate that it is an old Hassidic saying, the implications being that it is a time - a season - when The King is approachable…relaxed…and anyone can come up to Him without an appointment. Once He is again seated on His throne, one must find a way to approach Him…but when He is in the field, even the children can run up to Him.
That is a very beautiful picture, but why did it excite me so very much? I (STILL) don’t know…but it has stirred my heart. I have read many commentaries online and I still don’t quite know why I, personally, feel such an anticipation…but I do!
Elul is the month in which we mark the approach to the fall feasts: Rosh h’Shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Rosh h’shana begins on the last day of Elul (this year it will begin on the 2nd of October), and although it is marked as our modern ‘New Year’, scripturally Passover should begin the new year. Yom Kippur (11-12 October this year) is the most solemn day of the year, the day of fasting, prayer and repentance…the day of Atonement. Then, beginning on the evening of the 16th of October this year, starts Sukkot…the week in booths…the feast of tabernacles. These three appointed holy days are commanded in Scripture…and…the month of Elul, which leads up to them, is a month of deep soul searching and repentance. Every morning before dawn, steams of people will be seen making their way to the Western Wall or to synagogue. The news tonight reported that many thousands were at the Wall this morning for ‘slichot’ (repentance) prayers, and that prayers for the captives, soldiers and families were added in.
Yesterday I was in Jerusalem for awhile and I called Tzvia. She is about 80 years old and was one of my favorite patients while I was working for Dr. Rothenberg. She is an incredibly kind lady who arrived from Iraq with her family when she was a small child, and she has been asking me to call her when I was in Jerusalem so that we could have coffee together. She speaks no English, but I was able to share with her, finally, that I am a disciple of Yeshua…I could not share that while I was working. It was good to sit in the heart of Jerusalem and share. Alongside us sat a soldier who was also listening. May I know how and when to share for the glory of God – for true FRUIT unto the kingdom!
As I face this computer page, again I am painfully aware of what surreal times we are living through. We are living in a season that history books will write about…perhaps…if history books are still being written after all of this. None of us know how this time will change the future and what the future might look like.
I am always encouraged by the books of the Prophet Jeremiah (and I am reading there currently). He lived DURING one of the greatest judgments that ever faced Israel. He (almost) alone carried the true prophetic word, but the false prophets were popular and powerful and he was greatly persecuted. What grief he saw both in spirit and with his eyes, nevertheless, the promises left to us through his words encourage us (I doubt that it’s only me!) today: 31:2 “Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” 33:20-“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’” And 33:25, 26 ““Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’” Such a few verses out of so many…but this is where I am reading now, and how encouraging; particularly remembering that these Words were spoken to and through Jeremiah during the days of siege, ...they ate their children in the siege!! destruction and horrific judgment that saw NO hope…BUT GOD!
The season is changing and the days are getting shorter; the sun is going down earlier and coming up later, while the flocks of birds form their graceful ‘V’ shape and head to their next resting place. Other birds are arriving with their new songs, and the fall fruits; the pomegranates, grapes, apples, oranges are ripening instead of the peaches, watermelon and apricots of summer. As with the seasons, the neighbors, grieving or not, are preparing for the feasts ahead. Yael and Ido across the street from me (oh yes! She still brings me enough food to feed an army!) have just enlarged their ‘outside roof’ so that they can set even larger tables for family and friends during the holidays. It is not unusual for there to be 40-50 guests at a sit down holiday table. I see people buying expensive cuts of meat and fish in preparation, and the shop shelves are beginning to display gifts, for it is a time of giving of gifts. It is true that many items have disappeared from the food shelves and prices have climbed, but Israelis are austere people and know how to make due.
Lately, I have felt pressed to a new prayer along with the people and things on my heart that I bring before The Lord. I have begun to pray that The Lord will call to the hearts of young people to study agriculture and choose farming rather than high tech or political science, both of which seem so popular.
Throughout scripture, The Lord mentions these three things together: Plague, the sword and famine. I have taken note that we have seen plague and sword…and here, we have seen the destruction of farms through war. So many farms have been destroyed by fire. Many farmers were killed or went to war. Others saw their workers flee, and the destruction of farms by fire defies imagination. Both milk products and eggs (and poultry) have been affected as many animals were also killed in the fires. It is a crisis situation that we don’t hear much of in the midst of all of the other crises. We are thankful for the many volunteers who give their time and energy to work in the fields, but it isn’t enough. We need a new generation of farmers and it simply isn’t popular.
I still ask; ‘What is this time that we are living in?’ Having been saved so dramatically as I was, it is difficult for me to see Elad (thank you for praying for him!) still with the blinders on the eyes of his heart! He believes in his head and is even talking to others about Yeshua being our Messiah (!) but his heart remains blind and the ‘born again’ experience of exchanging our stony hearts for His of Living Spiritual Flesh doesn’t seem to be something that he can grasp. He has been picking me up on Shabbat to bring me to Kehila, usually arriving about an hour and a half early so that we can talk. This week he surprised me by saying ‘Let’s go to the cemetery before Kehila, so we can visit your husband and my Dad’. In this huge cemetery it turns out that they are buried nearby one another. I was deeply thankful as it is very difficult for me to get there and I have been only about 4 times. It turns out that Elad’s Dad was very well known and respected. He was a lawyer and a Zionist and he wrote a 700 plus page book called the “The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law”, a copy of which Elad sent me and I hope to read. But oh to see his eyes open to his Messiah!
I have been reading a book by Wesley Duewel called ‘Mighty Prevailing Prayer’, and it has brought me up short and sent me into a narrow avenue of seeking Him more deeply. The word ‘PREVAIL’ has become a standard that shines out of reach…but I am reaching! I long to prevail in prayer for Elad, and for Israel and for victory in areas of my life, and my family's lives that I have not seen. I understand that I am in a new season of life, both in my own ‘skin’ and in this world, but it is not time to slack off…rather to run the race to the end, not as one beating the air (to borrow from Paul) but to prevail and be found faithful in all that He has asked of me… which is not much when you come right down to it and look at what HE has done for us!
It is time to close for now. I will leave you with a challenge that I read while I was looking for the origins of ‘The King is in the field’. While I was searching, I found this challenging statement:
“Rebbe Nachman of Breslev wrote that it is best to turn all thoughts and philosophies into prayers. In that spirit, “God, please let me know how to transform the disadvantages and imperfections of my life into advantages and opportunities, and a gate through which I can pass to become closer to You.”
How blessed we are to still have time to serve Him. The day will come when the books are closed. May we be found faithful, loving Him with a burning heart and prevailing over all that stands in the way of His kingdom! Loving blessings, your sister here.
“Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.
SONG OF SOLOMON 1:7-8
“THE KING IS IN THE FIELD”
Shalom, dear family in Yeshua. PEACE be unto each of us in Him Who created us according to His wisdom and for His own purposes. May we fill His heart with joy especially in such dark times. May we bring Him glory, and may you be blessed and edified.
It is the month of Elul (the second day of the month)[I wrote this on the 5th of Sept,] on the Hebrew calendar…the last month of the year (according to some), and the month of repentance…awe and expectation…and of deep reflection. I don’t remember how I stumbled across it…I don’t remember what I was looking up at the time, but there it was: “The King is in the Field”! My heart jumped and I didn’t know why. I have never heard that expression before but I had a deep rumbling in my heart: ‘The King is in the Field’! and I pictured myself running outside to see The King in the field, relaxed and walking through…The Bread of Life in the field of wheat…inspecting His wheat…His children running along side.
I had to look this saying up!
The information that I found seemed to indicate that it is an old Hassidic saying, the implications being that it is a time - a season - when The King is approachable…relaxed…and anyone can come up to Him without an appointment. Once He is again seated on His throne, one must find a way to approach Him…but when He is in the field, even the children can run up to Him.
That is a very beautiful picture, but why did it excite me so very much? I (STILL) don’t know…but it has stirred my heart. I have read many commentaries online and I still don’t quite know why I, personally, feel such an anticipation…but I do!
Elul is the month in which we mark the approach to the fall feasts: Rosh h’Shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Rosh h’shana begins on the last day of Elul (this year it will begin on the 2nd of October), and although it is marked as our modern ‘New Year’, scripturally Passover should begin the new year. Yom Kippur (11-12 October this year) is the most solemn day of the year, the day of fasting, prayer and repentance…the day of Atonement. Then, beginning on the evening of the 16th of October this year, starts Sukkot…the week in booths…the feast of tabernacles. These three appointed holy days are commanded in Scripture…and…the month of Elul, which leads up to them, is a month of deep soul searching and repentance. Every morning before dawn, steams of people will be seen making their way to the Western Wall or to synagogue. The news tonight reported that many thousands were at the Wall this morning for ‘slichot’ (repentance) prayers, and that prayers for the captives, soldiers and families were added in.
Yesterday I was in Jerusalem for awhile and I called T..... She is about 80 years old and was one of my favorite patients while I was working for Dr. R...... She is an incredibly kind lady who arrived from Iraq with her family when she was a small child, and she has been asking me to call her when I was in Jerusalem so that we could have coffee together. She speaks no English, but I was able to share with her, finally, that I am a disciple of Yeshua…I could not share that while I was working. It was good to sit in the heart of Jerusalem and share. Alongside us sat a soldier who was also listening. May I know how and when to share for the glory of God – for true FRUIT unto the kingdom!
As I face this computer page, again I am painfully aware of what surreal times we are living through. We are living in a season that history books will write about…perhaps…if history books are still being written after all of this. None of us know how this time will change the future and what the future might look like.
I am always encouraged by the books of the Prophet Jeremiah (and I am reading there currently). He lived DURING one of the greatest judgments that ever faced Israel. He (almost) alone carried the true prophetic word, but the false prophets were popular and powerful and he was greatly persecuted. What grief he saw both in spirit and with his eyes, nevertheless, the promises left to us through his words encourage us (I doubt that it’s only me!) today: 31:2 “Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” 33:20-“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’” And 33:25, 26 ““Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’” Such a few verses out of so many…but this is where I am reading now, and how encouraging; particularly remembering that these Words were spoken to and through Jeremiah during the days of siege, ...they ate their children in the siege!! destruction and horrific judgment that saw NO hope…BUT GOD!
The season is changing and the days are getting shorter; the sun is going down earlier and coming up later, while the flocks of birds form their graceful ‘V’ shape and head to their next resting place. Other birds are arriving with their new songs, and the fall fruits; the pomegranates, grapes, apples, oranges are ripening instead of the peaches, watermelon and apricots of summer. As with the seasons, the neighbors, grieving or not, are preparing for the feasts ahead. Y... and I.. across the street from me (oh yes! She still brings me enough food to feed an army!) have just enlarged their ‘outside roof’ so that they can set even larger tables for family and friends during the holidays. It is not unusual for there to be 40-50 guests at a sit down holiday table. I see people buying expensive cuts of meat and fish in preparation, and the shop shelves are beginning to display gifts, for it is a time of giving of gifts. It is true that many items have disappeared from the food shelves and prices have climbed, but Israelis are austere people and know how to make do.
Lately, I have felt pressed to a new prayer along with the people and things on my heart that I bring before The Lord. I have begun to pray that The Lord will call to the hearts of young people to study agriculture and choose farming rather than high tech or political science, both of which seem so popular.
Throughout scripture, The Lord mentions these three things together: Plague, the sword and famine. I have taken note that we have seen plague and sword…and here, we have seen the destruction of farms through war. So many farms have been destroyed by fire. Many farmers were killed or went to war. Others saw their workers flee, and the destruction of farms by fire defies imagination. Both milk products and eggs (and poultry) have been affected as many animals were also killed in the fires. It is a crisis situation that we don’t hear much of in the midst of all of the other crises. We are thankful for the many volunteers who give their time and energy to work in the fields, but it isn’t enough. We need a new generation of farmers and it simply isn’t popular.
I still ask; ‘What is this time that we are living in?’ Having been saved so dramatically as I was, it is difficult for me to see E... (thank you for praying for him!) still with the blinders on the eyes of his heart! He believes in his head and is even talking to others about Yeshua being our Messiah (!) but his heart remains blind and the ‘born again’ experience of exchanging our stony hearts for His of Living Spiritual Flesh doesn’t seem to be something that he can grasp. He has been picking me up on Shabbat to bring me to Kehila, usually arriving about an hour and a half early so that we can talk. This week he surprised me by saying ‘Let’s go to the cemetery before Kehila, so we can visit your husband and my Dad’. In this huge cemetery it turns out that they are buried nearby one another. I was deeply thankful as it is very difficult for me to get there and I have been only about 4 times. It turns out that E...’s Dad was very well known and respected. He was a lawyer and a Zionist and he wrote a 700 plus page book called the “The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law”, a copy of which E... sent me and I hope to read. But oh to see his eyes open to his Messiah!
I have been reading a book by Wesley Duewel called ‘Mighty Prevailing Prayer’, and it has brought me up short and sent me into a narrow avenue of seeking Him more deeply. The word ‘PREVAIL’ has become a standard that shines out of reach…but I am reaching! I long to prevail in prayer for E..., and for Israel and for victory in areas of my life, and my family's lives that I have not seen. I understand that I am in a new season of life, both in my own ‘skin’ and in this world, but it is not time to slack off…rather to run the race to the end, not as one beating the air (to borrow from Paul) but to prevail and be found faithful in all that He has asked of me… which is not much when you come right down to it and look at what HE has done for us!
It is time to close for now. I will leave you with a challenge that I read while I was looking for the origins of ‘The King is in the field’. While I was searching, I found this challenging statement:
“Rebbe Nachman of Breslev wrote that it is best to turn all thoughts and philosophies into prayers. In that spirit, “God, please let me know how to transform the disadvantages and imperfections of my life into advantages and opportunities, and a gate through which I can pass to become closer to You.”
How blessed we are to still have time to serve Him. The day will come when the books are closed. May we be found faithful, loving Him with a burning heart and prevailing over all that stands in the way of His kingdom! Loving blessings, your sister here.
“Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.
SONG OF SOLOMON 1:7-8
“THE KING IS IN THE FIELD”
Shalom, dear family in Yeshua. PEACE be unto each of us in Him Who created us according to His wisdom and for His own purposes. May we fill His heart with joy especially in such dark times. May we bring Him glory, and may you be blessed and edified.
It is the month of Elul (the second day of the month)[I wrote this on the 5th of Sept,] on the Hebrew calendar…the last month of the year (according to some), and the month of repentance…awe and expectation…and of deep reflection. I don’t remember how I stumbled across it…I don’t remember what I was looking up at the time, but there it was: “The King is in the Field”! My heart jumped and I didn’t know why. I have never heard that expression before but I had a deep rumbling in my heart: ‘The King is in the Field’! and I pictured myself running outside to see The King in the field, relaxed and walking through…The Bread of Life in the field of wheat…inspecting His wheat…His children running along side.
I had to look this saying up!
The information that I found seemed to indicate that it is an old Hassidic saying, the implications being that it is a time - a season - when The King is approachable…relaxed…and anyone can come up to Him without an appointment. Once He is again seated on His throne, one must find a way to approach Him…but when He is in the field, even the children can run up to Him.
That is a very beautiful picture, but why did it excite me so very much? I (STILL) don’t know…but it has stirred my heart. I have read many commentaries online and I still don’t quite know why I, personally, feel such an anticipation…but I do!
Elul is the month in which we mark the approach to the fall feasts: Rosh h’Shana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Rosh h’shana begins on the last day of Elul (this year it will begin on the 2nd of October), and although it is marked as our modern ‘New Year’, scripturally Passover should begin the new year. Yom Kippur (11-12 October this year) is the most solemn day of the year, the day of fasting, prayer and repentance…the day of Atonement. Then, beginning on the evening of the 16th of October this year, starts Sukkot…the week in booths…the feast of tabernacles. These three appointed holy days are commanded in Scripture…and…the month of Elul, which leads up to them, is a month of deep soul searching and repentance. Every morning before dawn, steams of people will be seen making their way to the Western Wall or to synagogue. The news tonight reported that many thousands were at the Wall this morning for ‘slichot’ (repentance) prayers, and that prayers for the captives, soldiers and families were added in.
Yesterday I was in Jerusalem for awhile and I called Tzvia. She is about 80 years old and was one of my favorite patients while I was working for Dr. Rothenberg. She is an incredibly kind lady who arrived from Iraq with her family when she was a small child, and she has been asking me to call her when I was in Jerusalem so that we could have coffee together. She speaks no English, but I was able to share with her, finally, that I am a disciple of Yeshua…I could not share that while I was working. It was good to sit in the heart of Jerusalem and share. Alongside us sat a soldier who was also listening. May I know how and when to share for the glory of God – for true FRUIT unto the kingdom!
As I face this computer page, again I am painfully aware of what surreal times we are living through. We are living in a season that history books will write about…perhaps…if history books are still being written after all of this. None of us know how this time will change the future and what the future might look like.
I am always encouraged by the books of the Prophet Jeremiah (and I am reading there currently). He lived DURING one of the greatest judgments that ever faced Israel. He (almost) alone carried the true prophetic word, but the false prophets were popular and powerful and he was greatly persecuted. What grief he saw both in spirit and with his eyes, nevertheless, the promises left to us through his words encourage us (I doubt that it’s only me!) today: 31:2 “Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” 33:20-“Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’” And 33:25, 26 ““Thus says the Lord: ‘If My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, then I will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’” Such a few verses out of so many…but this is where I am reading now, and how encouraging; particularly remembering that these Words were spoken to and through Jeremiah during the days of siege, ...they ate their children in the siege!! destruction and horrific judgment that saw NO hope…BUT GOD!
The season is changing and the days are getting shorter; the sun is going down earlier and coming up later, while the flocks of birds form their graceful ‘V’ shape and head to their next resting place. Other birds are arriving with their new songs, and the fall fruits; the pomegranates, grapes, apples, oranges are ripening instead of the peaches, watermelon and apricots of summer. As with the seasons, the neighbors, grieving or not, are preparing for the feasts ahead. Yael and Ido across the street from me (oh yes! She still brings me enough food to feed an army!) have just enlarged their ‘outside roof’ so that they can set even larger tables for family and friends during the holidays. It is not unusual for there to be 40-50 guests at a sit down holiday table. I see people buying expensive cuts of meat and fish in preparation, and the shop shelves are beginning to display gifts, for it is a time of giving of gifts. It is true that many items have disappeared from the food shelves and prices have climbed, but Israelis are austere people and know how to make due.
Lately, I have felt pressed to a new prayer along with the people and things on my heart that I bring before The Lord. I have begun to pray that The Lord will call to the hearts of young people to study agriculture and choose farming rather than high tech or political science, both of which seem so popular.
Throughout scripture, The Lord mentions these three things together: Plague, the sword and famine. I have taken note that we have seen plague and sword…and here, we have seen the destruction of farms through war. So many farms have been destroyed by fire. Many farmers were killed or went to war. Others saw their workers flee, and the destruction of farms by fire defies imagination. Both milk products and eggs (and poultry) have been affected as many animals were also killed in the fires. It is a crisis situation that we don’t hear much of in the midst of all of the other crises. We are thankful for the many volunteers who give their time and energy to work in the fields, but it isn’t enough. We need a new generation of farmers and it simply isn’t popular.
I still ask; ‘What is this time that we are living in?’ Having been saved so dramatically as I was, it is difficult for me to see Elad (thank you for praying for him!) still with the blinders on the eyes of his heart! He believes in his head and is even talking to others about Yeshua being our Messiah (!) but his heart remains blind and the ‘born again’ experience of exchanging our stony hearts for His of Living Spiritual Flesh doesn’t seem to be something that he can grasp. He has been picking me up on Shabbat to bring me to Kehila, usually arriving about an hour and a half early so that we can talk. This week he surprised me by saying ‘Let’s go to the cemetery before Kehila, so we can visit your husband and my Dad’. In this huge cemetery it turns out that they are buried nearby one another. I was deeply thankful as it is very difficult for me to get there and I have been only about 4 times. It turns out that Elad’s Dad was very well known and respected. He was a lawyer and a Zionist and he wrote a 700 plus page book called the “The Legal Foundation and Borders of Israel under International Law”, a copy of which Elad sent me and I hope to read. But oh to see his eyes open to his Messiah!
I have been reading a book by Wesley Duewel called ‘Mighty Prevailing Prayer’, and it has brought me up short and sent me into a narrow avenue of seeking Him more deeply. The word ‘PREVAIL’ has become a standard that shines out of reach…but I am reaching! I long to prevail in prayer for Elad, and for Israel and for victory in areas of my life, and my family's lives that I have not seen. I understand that I am in a new season of life, both in my own ‘skin’ and in this world, but it is not time to slack off…rather to run the race to the end, not as one beating the air (to borrow from Paul) but to prevail and be found faithful in all that He has asked of me… which is not much when you come right down to it and look at what HE has done for us!
It is time to close for now. I will leave you with a challenge that I read while I was looking for the origins of ‘The King is in the field’. While I was searching, I found this challenging statement:
“Rebbe Nachman of Breslev wrote that it is best to turn all thoughts and philosophies into prayers. In that spirit, “God, please let me know how to transform the disadvantages and imperfections of my life into advantages and opportunities, and a gate through which I can pass to become closer to You.”
How blessed we are to still have time to serve Him. The day will come when the books are closed. May we be found faithful, loving Him with a burning heart and prevailing over all that stands in the way of His kingdom! Loving blessings, your sister here.
September 2, 2024
“A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
PSALM 34 1-11
Shalom Brothers and Sisters in Yeshua. May HE be glorified, blessed, obeyed, loved, heard, seen! He WILL PREVAIL! May you be blessed and encouraged…and may we all be tenderhearted, in the fear of The Lord.
It’s a cloudy day, this 1st of September, the first day of the new school year. The first clouds of Autum always bring joy after the long, hot, cloudless skies of Summer. Friday night there were two terror attacks right near my daughter’s village; 2 people were killed at the gas station that they go to. M... (our 10 year old Granddaughter) had a friend tell her that their nearby village was infiltrated and “it was scary” ‘…but the soldiers came while they hid and the terrorist was killed.’ Last night we were told that more bodies of captives were found and this morning it was officially announced that 6 captives were very brutally murdered, apparently just 48-72 hours ago, and were identified. You have all heard about it by now. Shortly after that, 3 police were killed in a drive by shooting. One was the father of a young woman who was killed on 7 October.
Last week began with the celebration of the exciting rescue of a living captive…a Bedouin Moslem, father of 11. The whole country rejoiced. The joyful time was brief.
The agonizing funerals begin. Nearly everyone attends the funerals.
Deep grief and rage characterize the people…the rift down the center of the country deepens.
Last week began with the exciting rescue of a living captive…a Bedouin Moslem, father of 11. The country celebrated.
Who DOESN’T want a cease fire…? NOBODY wants this war that we didn’t begin. But a ceasefire; at what cost? Will the captives be returned? (we KNOW that 37 are dead). They are talking about some 20 or 30 at a time. How many hundreds of terrorists will be released for each captive? The conditions for a cease fire are that we withdraw completely from the entire Gaza strip and the strategic Philadelphi corridor. We said at the beginning of the war that Hamas MUST be defeated, no matter what the cost. If we stop now, Hamas will have won. This war is a CONTINUATION war…it has been going on since …well…not 1948 but since the days of Moses and Joshua. If we stop now…this war WILL be repeated.
Joshua 13:13 says “Nevertheless [after having been told by God to completely destroy them] the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.”
Disobedience ALWAYS has ramifications that are painful.
As I said, the country is divided. There are those who say that if we stop now, their loved ones – the soldiers – will have died in vain. There are families of captives, although suffering deep grief, who believe that we must continue to fight. Hamas sees the rift and rejoices openly over it. It is just so incredibly painful
[I am continuing to write on Monday 2 September]
Today there is a worker’s strike. Ben Gurion Airport is closed for the morning and the reports are that the airport is a mess. (as if the flights aren’t disrupted enough anyway). Many of the municipalities are not participating in the strike – including Jerusalem. Schools here will be open, as in much of the country…in Tel Aviv they won’t. Those who are opposed to the government policy to overthrow Hamas, have a vicious hatred for the government. Much of this is political, taking advantage of the raw emotions that have, in some cases, pushed people to the verge of insanity. It is very, very painful and the enemy is rejoicing. The Arab press is ecstatic! They claim ‘the enemy (us) is imploding against itself’.
“BUT GOD”! Oh yes! The favorite verse of many of us.
I don’t have to tell any of you, because I suspect that all of us have been raised by Him in the ‘BUT, GOD’ school. We have passed through floods and fires and would surely have perished, BUT GOD brought us THROUGH, whether He showed us the way or carried us, we know that we got ‘through’ because here we are. David got ‘through’…but so did Jeremiah! Daniel got ‘through’, as did Joseph. And best of all, Yeshua got THROUGH and not only showed us ‘the way’ but BECAME ‘The Way’, so in THIS we rest…but not all of us.
Still, my sisters and brothers after the flesh are agonizing and do not know the way THROUGH. They are looking ‘to man’ or for ‘man’s way’ or for the right incantation – perhaps seeking in the right direction, but without that settled peace that comes with the reassurance of KNOWING HIM WHO KNOWS. And I ache for them. I remember looking for ‘the way to peace’ in meditation and yoga and other substitutes for God. HE wasn’t there.
I was talking with E... after Kehila on Shabbat. He asked me ‘Why is Yeshua the ONLY way! What about the Muslims and Allah? Who are you to say that they haven’t found Him…They believe in One God.’ Out of my mouth came ‘Allah is NOT Elohim! Allah is Ba’al of old! Where Elohim is there is Life and Light. Where Allah goes there is desert and the demand for blood and death…the worship of death.’ When Yeshua said that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life in John 14:6, and that NO MAN may come to The Father but by Him…He was either telling THE TRUTH, or He was a mad man or a liar. It can not be part way.
Oh boy!
I’m late!
I either send this like it is or who knows when…SOOOO….
MAY THE GOD OF HOPE, FILL US ALL WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING THAT WE MAY ABOUND IN HOPE, BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…even as we press in to prevail in prayer for God’s answer in all of this grief and pain! His Answers…
Lovingly, your sister
“A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”
PSALM 34 1-11
Shalom Brothers and Sisters in Yeshua. May HE be glorified, blessed, obeyed, loved, heard, seen! He WILL PREVAIL! May you be blessed and encouraged…and may we all be tenderhearted, in the fear of The Lord.
It’s a cloudy day, this 1st of September, the first day of the new school year. The first clouds of Autum always bring joy after the long, hot, cloudless skies of Summer. Friday night there were two terror attacks right near my daughter’s village; 2 people were killed at the gas station that they go to. M... (our 10 year old Granddaughter) had a friend tell her that their nearby village was infiltrated and “it was scary” ‘…but the soldiers came while they hid and the terrorist was killed.’ Last night we were told that more bodies of captives were found and this morning it was officially announced that 6 captives were very brutally murdered, apparently just 48-72 hours ago, and were identified. You have all heard about it by now. Shortly after that, 3 police were killed in a drive by shooting. One was the father of a young woman who was killed on 7 October.
Last week began with the celebration of the exciting rescue of a living captive…a Bedouin Moslem, father of 11. The whole country rejoiced. The joyful time was brief.
The agonizing funerals begin. Nearly everyone attends the funerals.
Deep grief and rage characterize the people…the rift down the center of the country deepens.
Last week began with the exciting rescue of a living captive…a Bedouin Moslem, father of 11. The country celebrated.
Who DOESN’T want a cease fire…? NOBODY wants this war that we didn’t begin. But a ceasefire; at what cost? Will the captives be returned? (we KNOW that 37 are dead). They are talking about some 20 or 30 at a time. How many hundreds of terrorists will be released for each captive? The conditions for a cease fire are that we withdraw completely from the entire Gaza strip and the strategic Philadelphi corridor. We said at the beginning of the war that Hamas MUST be defeated, no matter what the cost. If we stop now, Hamas will have won. This war is a CONTINUATION war…it has been going on since …well…not 1948 but since the days of Moses and Joshua. If we stop now…this war WILL be repeated.
Joshua 13:13 says “Nevertheless [after having been told by God to completely destroy them] the children of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Maachathites, but the Geshurites and the Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.”
Disobedience ALWAYS has ramifications that are painful.
As I said, the country is divided. There are those who say that if we stop now, their loved ones – the soldiers – will have died in vain. There are families of captives, although suffering deep grief, who believe that we must continue to fight. Hamas sees the rift and rejoices openly over it. It is just so incredibly painful
[I am continuing to write on Monday 2 September]
Today there is a worker’s strike. Ben Gurion Airport is closed for the morning and the reports are that the airport is a mess. (as if the flights aren’t disrupted enough anyway). Many of the municipalities are not participating in the strike – including Jerusalem. Schools here will be open, as in much of the country…in Tel Aviv they won’t. Those who are opposed to the government policy to overthrow Hamas, have a vicious hatred for the government. Much of this is political, taking advantage of the raw emotions that have, in some cases, pushed people to the verge of insanity. It is very, very painful and the enemy is rejoicing. The Arab press is ecstatic! They claim ‘the enemy (us) is imploding against itself’.
“BUT GOD”! Oh yes! The favorite verse of many of us.
I don’t have to tell any of you, because I suspect that all of us have been raised by Him in the ‘BUT, GOD’ school. We have passed through floods and fires and would surely have perished, BUT GOD brought us THROUGH, whether He showed us the way or carried us, we know that we got ‘through’ because here we are. David got ‘through’…but so did Jeremiah! Daniel got ‘through’, as did Joseph. And best of all, Yeshua got THROUGH and not only showed us ‘the way’ but BECAME ‘The Way’, so in THIS we rest…but not all of us.
Still, my sisters and brothers after the flesh are agonizing and do not know the way THROUGH. They are looking ‘to man’ or for ‘man’s way’ or for the right incantation – perhaps seeking in the right direction, but without that settled peace that comes with the reassurance of KNOWING HIM WHO KNOWS. And I ache for them. I remember looking for ‘the way to peace’ in meditation and yoga and other substitutes for God. HE wasn’t there.
I was talking with E... after Kehila on Shabbat. He asked me ‘Why is Yeshua the ONLY way! What about the Muslims and Allah? Who are you to say that they haven’t found Him…They believe in One God.’ Out of my mouth came ‘Allah is NOT Elohim! Allah is Ba’al of old! Where Elohim is there is Life and Light. Where Allah goes there is desert and the demand for blood and death…the worship of death.’ When Yeshua said that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life in John 14:6, and that NO MAN may come to The Father but by Him…He was either telling THE TRUTH, or He was a mad man or a liar. It can not be part way.
Oh boy!
I’m late!
I either send this like it is or who knows when…SOOOO….
MAY THE GOD OF HOPE, FILL US ALL WITH ALL JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING THAT WE MAY ABOUND IN HOPE, BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…even as we press in to prevail in prayer for God’s answer in all of this grief and pain! His Answers…
Lovingly, your sister
August 25, 2024
Psalm 25 - A Psalm of David
“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!”
Greetings dear sisters and brothers in Yeshua, may HE be blessed and glorified and lifted above all, for He is worthy. May you be encouraged and blessed.
I woke up at 1:30 and couldn’t sleep anymore. There were lots of planes, but I also couldn’t seem to pray. ‘Why pray when you can worry’ … but it is prayer that moves mountains, changes hearts and rests minds in the will of God. It is prevailing prayer, ACCORDING TO HIS WILL that touches His Heart and brings Him glory. And therein lies the battle; to STAND IN PRAYER THAT PROCEEDS FROM HIS HEART AND IS ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. I didn’t last night. None the less, GOD!
I finally fell asleep around 4 or 4:30 and that is the time that 100 Israeli AirForce planes struck Hizbollah targets in Lebanon that were prepared to launch a massive attack (above 6,000 rockets, missiles and drones) at strategic targets in Israel, including our airport and Tel Aviv. The information is still being released. We are also bracing for the international response…which always takes us by surprise, although it shouldn’t by now…it hurts…and we don’t understand…EXCEPT through spiritual eyes, for it IS a spiritual battle the magnitude of which none of us who are alive today have ever witnessed before. We have NOT been this way before; it IS new territory.
But that – as huge and ongoing as it is – this is now Israel’s longest war (the Houthis announced that they are prepared to continue their war against us for 100 years (!) – as much as this resilient people continue to volunteer and step up to the need and as so many others fall to the acute effects of trauma and grief and constant intensity of indignity and pain and horrors beyond description…none of that is what kept me up last night.
We had a WONDERFUL service last night with a fresh anointing and His Presence blessed me so deeply…but it did not move E...! This was E...’s 11th week at our meetings and somehow he has chosen me to confide in. He has been coming to my house an hour or two before the meeting and then bringing me to the meetings, and although we talk and I have prayed for him…there appears to be no breakthrough yet. E... is 37 (handsome) and wants to start a family. His mother is Persian and his father was from Canada. They were orthodox Jews and last night a key seemed to surface. He told me that he had made a mental decision to stop believing in God and to become secular, living in Tel Aviv as he pleased…and now to ‘choose to believe again’ (and in Messiah) seemed too big a gulf to jump. He studied law and passed the bar but is working in high tech instead. He did not like law. The fact that he has fallen in love with a believer who won’t marry him because he is not, is a problem. He wants to stop coming to our fellowship and instead, study the Bible with me. I do NOT feel that this is God’s way, and I told him so. With this on my mind when I woke up to the sound of the planes preparing our pre-emptive attack on Hizbollah.
Our youngest daughter and 3 Granddaughters were with me for 3 days this week and I am also carrying a heavy burden for their salvation. Thank you to those who will pray.
Did these ‘dramas’ preempt my attention from what God is doing here in Israel? Absolutely not! The intensity of the living scriptures here (and that is what it is…the Living Scriptures are continuing to Live as we breathe each breath. It IS THE LORD!) I see Him in each minute. As I read the statements of a Doctor who came to volunteer in Gaza from the West (I have forgotten if he was the US or Canada) who claimed that he ‘ONLY SAW’ mutilated bodies of children and women ‘assassinated by sniper bullets obviously the IDF’ I thought of the accusations against Yeshua…’He broke the Sabbath…He is a blasphemer’ – the absurdity…the audacity…the lies of hell in The very FACE of TRUTH! As I was trying to explain THE SACRIFICE of Yeshua to E..., I found myself calling up the images of this past 7 October and I recalled to him that the inhuman brutality, and the worst of humanity, wickedness and filth and hatred that our souls can not fathom; these are the same lies, the abuse that was hurled at our Dearest Blessed Lord as they spit in His Face and mocked Him! How can this be? How can these lies and this…’spirit’ be perpetuated…UNLESS THE LORD, GOD ALMIGHTY, THE GOD THE CREATOR, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB ALLOWS IT. As He allowed Joseph to suffer false accusations in the dungeon, Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den, Job to be tested in such a manner…OH I WANT TO KNOW THIS GOD WHO SEES THINGS IN SUCH A WAY, SO DIFFERENT, SO MUCH HIGHER THAN I CAN IMAGINE! I do NOT want to be caught up in arguments about politics and vaccines and conspiracies, but I want to KNOW THIS GOD WHOSE FINGERPRINTS ARE SEEN IN THE MIDST OF UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERING WITH NO HUMAN ANSWER. I want to KNOW HIM…Who sent His Son to suffer and die in such a humiliating way for me…and you…and our children…and E....
Yes, I’m ‘emotional’. Please forgive me and do not be offended.
Most of the restrictions that were set in place this morning (the airport was closed for awhile, as were beaches and people told to stay near shelters) have now been lifted. It was announced that food stores are stocked and no one should panic. But the country is ragged and weary. Oh that we were weary and ragged unto God yet! Please Lord, Bring us there!
The hatred being spewed at us from around the world is taking a toll. Even worse is the division within. The hatred of some toward our Prime Minister Netanyahu has led to the ugliest demonstrations while they can neither put forward a candidate to lead nor suggest one solution for the problems. Thank you for your prayers! We KNOW those who stand with us…the believers who pray (oh, THANK YOU!) and speak up and support us. May we stand, for we have not walked this way before (I know that I keep repeating that, but I am repeating it to myself because I MUST remember that all of what I have acquired in my life up until now, may not apply one wit along the path before me.
I have been watching the birds flock. Huge flocks of birds overhead forming ‘Vs’ and circling, gathering their own…it stirs me to watch them. The clouds have also begun gathering and the fruit on the trees are shifting into autumn gear. It is still HOT, but the shift, subtle as it may be, is unmistakably there. The angle of the sun is different and although people laugh at me when I say ‘Stav b’avir’ (Autumn is in the air), others look and nod …saying ‘Yes it is and only God knows what is around the corner’.
“Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the Lord has spoken Give glory to the Lord your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death makes dense darkness But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.“ Jeremiah 13:15-17
It remains that NONE of us have walked this way before. What a blessing that we have HIS WORD AND HIS SPIRIT so we do not walk alone…AND…we have one another. Thank you for bearing with me. Thank you for listening with your hearts. Thank you for being of the humble ones and not of the proud.
May The Lord bless you and keep you and make His Face shine upon you…may we have His Holy Spirit, His Spirit of discernment and His Spirit of prayer.
May we be found faithful.
Lovingly, your sister here.
Psalm 25 - A Psalm of David
“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!”
Greetings dear sisters and brothers in Yeshua, may HE be blessed and glorified and lifted above all, for He is worthy. May you be encouraged and blessed.
I woke up at 1:30 and couldn’t sleep anymore. There were lots of planes, but I also couldn’t seem to pray. ‘Why pray when you can worry’ … but it is prayer that moves mountains, changes hearts and rests minds in the will of God. It is prevailing prayer, ACCORDING TO HIS WILL that touches His Heart and brings Him glory. And therein lies the battle; to STAND IN PRAYER THAT PROCEEDS FROM HIS HEART AND IS ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. I didn’t last night. None the less, GOD!
I finally fell asleep around 4 or 4:30 and that is the time that 100 Israeli AirForce planes struck Hizbollah targets in Lebanon that were prepared to launch a massive attack (above 6,000 rockets, missiles and drones) at strategic targets in Israel, including our airport and Tel Aviv. The information is still being released. We are also bracing for the international response…which always takes us by surprise, although it shouldn’t by now…it hurts…and we don’t understand…EXCEPT through spiritual eyes, for it IS a spiritual battle the magnitude of which none of us who are alive today have ever witnessed before. We have NOT been this way before; it IS new territory.
But that – as huge and ongoing as it is – this is now Israel’s longest war (the Houthis announced that they are prepared to continue their war against us for 100 years (!) – as much as this resilient people continue to volunteer and step up to the need and as so many others fall to the acute effects of trauma and grief and constant intensity of indignity and pain and horrors beyond description…none of that is what kept me up last night.
We had a WONDERFUL service last night with a fresh anointing and His Presence blessed me so deeply…but it did not move E...! This was E...’s 11th week at our meetings and somehow he has chosen me to confide in. He has been coming to my house an hour or two before the meeting and then bringing me to the meetings, and although we talk and I have prayed for him…there appears to be no breakthrough yet. E... is 37 (handsome) and wants to start a family. His mother is Persian and his father was from Canada. They were orthodox Jews and last night a key seemed to surface. He told me that he had made a mental decision to stop believing in God and to become secular, living in Tel Aviv as he pleased…and now to ‘choose to believe again’ (and in Messiah) seemed too big a gulf to jump. He studied law and passed the bar but is working in high tech instead. He did not like law. The fact that he has fallen in love with a believer who won’t marry him because he is not, is a problem. He wants to stop coming to our fellowship and instead, study the Bible with me. I do NOT feel that this is God’s way, and I told him so. With this on my mind when I woke up to the sound of the planes preparing our pre-emptive attack on Hizbollah.
Our youngest daughter and 3 Granddaughters were with me for 3 days this week and I am also carrying a heavy burden for their salvation. Thank you to those who will pray.
Did these ‘dramas’ preempt my attention from what God is doing here in Israel? Absolutely not! The intensity of the living scriptures here (and that is what it is…the Living Scriptures are continuing to Live as we breathe each breath. It IS THE LORD!) I see Him in each minute. As I read the statements of a Doctor who came to volunteer in Gaza from the West (I have forgotten if he was the US or Canada) who claimed that he ‘ONLY SAW’ mutilated bodies of children and women ‘assassinated by sniper bullets obviously the IDF’ I thought of the accusations against Yeshua…’He broke the Sabbath…He is a blasphemer’ – the absurdity…the audacity…the lies of hell in The very FACE of TRUTH! As I was trying to explain THE SACRIFICE of Yeshua to E..., I found myself calling up the images of this past 7 October and I recalled to him that the inhuman brutality, and the worst of humanity, wickedness and filth and hatred that our souls can not fathom; these are the same lies, the abuse that was hurled at our Dearest Blessed Lord as they spit in His Face and mocked Him! How can this be? How can these lies and this…’spirit’ be perpetuated…UNLESS THE LORD, GOD ALMIGHTY, THE GOD THE CREATOR, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB ALLOWS IT. As He allowed Joseph to suffer false accusations in the dungeon, Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den, Job to be tested in such a manner…OH I WANT TO KNOW THIS GOD WHO SEES THINGS IN SUCH A WAY, SO DIFFERENT, SO MUCH HIGHER THAN I CAN IMAGINE! I do NOT want to be caught up in arguments about politics and vaccines and conspiracies, but I want to KNOW THIS GOD WHOSE FINGERPRINTS ARE SEEN IN THE MIDST OF UNFATHOMABLE SUFFERING WITH NO HUMAN ANSWER. I want to KNOW HIM…Who sent His Son to suffer and die in such a humiliating way for me…and you…and our children…and E....
Yes, I’m ‘emotional’. Please forgive me and do not be offended.
Most of the restrictions that were set in place this morning (the airport was closed for awhile, as were beaches and people told to stay near shelters) have now been lifted. It was announced that food stores are stocked and no one should panic. But the country is ragged and weary. Oh that we were weary and ragged unto God yet! Please Lord, Bring us there!
The hatred being spewed at us from around the world is taking a toll. Even worse is the division within. The hatred of some toward our Prime Minister Netanyahu has led to the ugliest demonstrations while they can neither put forward a candidate to lead nor suggest one solution for the problems. Thank you for your prayers! We KNOW those who stand with us…the believers who pray (oh, THANK YOU!) and speak up and support us. May we stand, for we have not walked this way before (I know that I keep repeating that, but I am repeating it to myself because I MUST remember that all of what I have acquired in my life up until now, may not apply one wit along the path before me.
I have been watching the birds flock. Huge flocks of birds overhead forming ‘Vs’ and circling, gathering their own…it stirs me to watch them. The clouds have also begun gathering and the fruit on the trees are shifting into autumn gear. It is still HOT, but the shift, subtle as it may be, is unmistakably there. The angle of the sun is different and although people laugh at me when I say ‘Stav b’avir’ (Autumn is in the air), others look and nod …saying ‘Yes it is and only God knows what is around the corner’.
“Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the Lord has spoken Give glory to the Lord your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death makes dense darkness But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.“ Jeremiah 13:15-17
It remains that NONE of us have walked this way before. What a blessing that we have HIS WORD AND HIS SPIRIT so we do not walk alone…AND…we have one another. Thank you for bearing with me. Thank you for listening with your hearts. Thank you for being of the humble ones and not of the proud.
May The Lord bless you and keep you and make His Face shine upon you…may we have His Holy Spirit, His Spirit of discernment and His Spirit of prayer.
May we be found faithful.
Lovingly, your sister here.
August 12, 2024
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
May THE LORD be glorified. He is sovereign!
It is now tisha b'av. I received a phone call just now, from a friend, a good sister who is also a doctor. She told me that she is working tonight at the hospital until 10:pm, but then she wants to come and pick up Gila (my dog) and I, and bring us to her apartment (not far from here) in case the attack happens tonight. She has a shelter in her apartment and I do not. I am thankful for this provision. Thank you all for your prayers. In all of this, may The LORD truly be seen and glorified. Loving blessings, your sister.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
May THE LORD be glorified. He is sovereign!
It is now tisha b'av. I received a phone call just now, from a friend, a good sister who is also a doctor. She told me that she is working tonight at the hospital until 10:pm, but then she wants to come and pick up Gila (my dog) and I, and bring us to her apartment (not far from here) in case the attack happens tonight. She has a shelter in her apartment and I do not. I am thankful for this provision. Thank you all for your prayers. In all of this, may The LORD truly be seen and glorified. Loving blessings, your sister.
August 9, 2024
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” PSALM 83:1-4 (ENTIRE PSALM)
Greetings brothers and sisters who love and follow The Lamb.
May The Lord God Almighty be lifted up, seen, obeyed, loved, feared, known, worshiped and glorified…and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Our 10 year old Granddaughter just left, having spent the night with me. It was wonderful to have another warm person with me. She legitimately beat me in a game of chess and we drew, and talked, it was wonderful! We slept deeply, but none the less I dreamt that I was running around outside trying to close all of the shutters while the sirens were blaring, and then I found that I was locked out of the house. I had to laugh it off. Anxiety dreams seem to be common right now, even among believers as well as others. As we say here ‘It is what it is’, and I add ‘so let’s praise Him’. It would be a lie, however, to say that the tension of this waiting isn’t affecting us all, because it is. I saw a short interview with a Lebanese young man and he was saying word for word what we are saying here; this prepared waiting on edge is hard, even as we know Him and keep our eyes fixed on Him.
What I see around me is kindness, warmth and humor: We are IN this together and everyone says that to one another…looking into each face we know that we are ‘in this together no matter what’…so we are gentle with each other. I saw an offer from the government to elderly people living on their own to go to a group living situation temporarily so that we do not sit alone and feel more and more…alone. I thought that was so wise. Ofcourse I have my dog, so it is not for me, but it is a very good solution for many
The fast of Tisha b’Av begins on the night of Monday the 12th through the night of Tues the 13th. You probably remember that it commemorates the destruction of both the first and second temples, and just about every other disaster that has ever befallen the Jewish people; so as you can imagine, many are expecting the Iranian and allied attack to take place then. Traditionally, the sin of ‘hating your brother without cause’ is considered, in Rabbinic Judaism, to be reason for these judgments from God. The book of Lamentations is read, and yet Jeremiah is so clear about our many sins and the need for the REAL and HONEST and DEEP fear of GOD and repentance. Perhaps this year…at THIS time…NOW LORD, may the veil be taken off of our eyes.
I was reading Psalm 83 this morning. I know that it is well known to all of you who have prayed for Israel during our many wars. When we first made Aliyah, 30 years ago, we were all fitted for gas masks and instructed about what emergency supplies to have ready. At that time, I printed out a ‘spiritual emergency kit’ that included so many wonderful scriptures (including Psalm 83) which speak directly to times such as these. Surely, we have a history which is recorded in the Tenach (Old Testament) of crying out to God in times of great distress and seeing Him answer, and that is so reassuring. It is even reassuring when His answer was ‘judgment’ BECAUSE we have His sure record – His clear and True Word: ‘If you do this, I WILL do this.’ His character is steadfast; His ways are not a mystery and He does nothing impetuously. If we are taken by surprise, we do not KNOW HIM.
I find myself praying that He will adjust my vision to know HOW TO WALK IN THIS DAY. I have taken note of the prevalence in scripture…Gen.- Revelation, of WORSHIP at what would appear to be the WORST of times in the midst of His wrath. Horrible scenes are recorded and the next verse will say ‘BLESS THE LORD’ or ‘ASCRIBE PRAISE TO OUR GOD’. I was reading Deuteronomy, and chapter 32 records ‘The Song of Moses’ in which Moses prophesied a time of the downfall of the people of Israel. In the midst of this dismal vision, he says: “For I proclaim the Name of The Lord and ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock. His work is perfect. For all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He.” Yes Lord. I want to be found proclaiming Your glory even in the midst of terrible things…I pray for my eyes to be beholding You. This isn’t pie in the sky super spiritual religiosity…it is LIFE! It is my desire, and I believe His. I am not there yet…but the time is very very short. I look at the attributes that are offered to me in Him (below) and I say ‘Yes, Lord. It is worth it. Take me through.’
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
“ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:6-8
Many ask ‘How are you doing?’ I can’t answer that. I have not walked this way before…none of us have. None of us knows what lies ahead. Iran has been humiliated with the assassination of the ‘anything but moderate(!)’ murder orchestrating Haniya in his bedroom in Tehran. Middle Eastern culture does NOT ALLOW for humiliation. It MUST be answered. No amount of Western ‘nice diplomacy or bribery or threats’ will change that. It is an ancient cultural necessity. Defending one’s honor is more important than life itself, and considering the fact that Allah is a god of death, unless The Lord confounds the plans of retribution, it is just a matter of time. Israelis have a gift of resilience that, I believe is perhaps unmatched in other culture…but it is neither our resilience nor the death cult that wishes to obliterate us that will determine the outcome. Brothers and sisters…we are not in rehearsal. Behold our God! To behold Him will make whatever fire and floods that we must walk through, worth it.
May we be found faithful. May HE ALONE be glorified.
Shabbat shalom. Lovingly, your sister here.
“Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God! For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” PSALM 83:1-4 (ENTIRE PSALM)
Greetings brothers and sisters who love and follow The Lamb.
May The Lord God Almighty be lifted up, seen, obeyed, loved, feared, known, worshiped and glorified…and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Our 10 year old Granddaughter just left, having spent the night with me. It was wonderful to have another warm person with me. She legitimately beat me in a game of chess and we drew, and talked, it was wonderful! We slept deeply, but none the less I dreamt that I was running around outside trying to close all of the shutters while the sirens were blaring, and then I found that I was locked out of the house. I had to laugh it off. Anxiety dreams seem to be common right now, even among believers as well as others. As we say here ‘It is what it is’, and I add ‘so let’s praise Him’. It would be a lie, however, to say that the tension of this waiting isn’t affecting us all, because it is. I saw a short interview with a Lebanese young man and he was saying word for word what we are saying here; this prepared waiting on edge is hard, even as we know Him and keep our eyes fixed on Him.
What I see around me is kindness, warmth and humor: We are IN this together and everyone says that to one another…looking into each face we know that we are ‘in this together no matter what’…so we are gentle with each other. I saw an offer from the government to elderly people living on their own to go to a group living situation temporarily so that we do not sit alone and feel more and more…alone. I thought that was so wise. Ofcourse I have my dog, so it is not for me, but it is a very good solution for many
The fast of Tisha b’Av begins on the night of Monday the 12th through the night of Tues the 13th. You probably remember that it commemorates the destruction of both the first and second temples, and just about every other disaster that has ever befallen the Jewish people; so as you can imagine, many are expecting the Iranian and allied attack to take place then. Traditionally, the sin of ‘hating your brother without cause’ is considered, in Rabbinic Judaism, to be reason for these judgments from God. The book of Lamentations is read, and yet Jeremiah is so clear about our many sins and the need for the REAL and HONEST and DEEP fear of GOD and repentance. Perhaps this year…at THIS time…NOW LORD, may the veil be taken off of our eyes.
I was reading Psalm 83 this morning. I know that it is well known to all of you who have prayed for Israel during our many wars. When we first made Aliyah, 30 years ago, we were all fitted for gas masks and instructed about what emergency supplies to have ready. At that time, I printed out a ‘spiritual emergency kit’ that included so many wonderful scriptures (including Psalm 83) which speak directly to times such as these. Surely, we have a history which is recorded in the Tenach (Old Testament) of crying out to God in times of great distress and seeing Him answer, and that is so reassuring. It is even reassuring when His answer was ‘judgment’ BECAUSE we have His sure record – His clear and True Word: ‘If you do this, I WILL do this.’ His character is steadfast; His ways are not a mystery and He does nothing impetuously. If we are taken by surprise, we do not KNOW HIM.
I find myself praying that He will adjust my vision to know HOW TO WALK IN THIS DAY. I have taken note of the prevalence in scripture…Gen.- Revelation, of WORSHIP at what would appear to be the WORST of times in the midst of His wrath. Horrible scenes are recorded and the next verse will say ‘BLESS THE LORD’ or ‘ASCRIBE PRAISE TO OUR GOD’. I was reading Deuteronomy, and chapter 32 records ‘The Song of Moses’ in which Moses prophesied a time of the downfall of the people of Israel. In the midst of this dismal vision, he says: “For I proclaim the Name of The Lord and ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock. His work is perfect. For all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice. Righteous and upright is He.” Yes Lord. I want to be found proclaiming Your glory even in the midst of terrible things…I pray for my eyes to be beholding You. This isn’t pie in the sky super spiritual religiosity…it is LIFE! It is my desire, and I believe His. I am not there yet…but the time is very very short. I look at the attributes that are offered to me in Him (below) and I say ‘Yes, Lord. It is worth it. Take me through.’
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
“ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:6-8
Many ask ‘How are you doing?’ I can’t answer that. I have not walked this way before…none of us have. None of us knows what lies ahead. Iran has been humiliated with the assassination of the ‘anything but moderate(!)’ murder orchestrating Haniya in his bedroom in Tehran. Middle Eastern culture does NOT ALLOW for humiliation. It MUST be answered. No amount of Western ‘nice diplomacy or bribery or threats’ will change that. It is an ancient cultural necessity. Defending one’s honor is more important than life itself, and considering the fact that Allah is a god of death, unless The Lord confounds the plans of retribution, it is just a matter of time. Israelis have a gift of resilience that, I believe is perhaps unmatched in other culture…but it is neither our resilience nor the death cult that wishes to obliterate us that will determine the outcome. Brothers and sisters…we are not in rehearsal. Behold our God! To behold Him will make whatever fire and floods that we must walk through, worth it.
May we be found faithful. May HE ALONE be glorified.
Shabbat shalom. Lovingly, your sister here.
August 6, 2024 - A Word of Encouragement
PSALM 5 A Prayer for Guidance
To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David.
Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
תהילים ה׳
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
אֲמָרַ֖י הַאֲזִ֥ינָה ׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה בִּ֣ינָה הֲגִיגִֽי׃
הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀ לְק֬וֹל שַׁוְעִ֗י מַלְכִּ֥י וֵאלֹהָ֑י כִּֽי־אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ אֶתְפַּלָּֽל׃
יְֽהֹוָ֗ה בֹּ֭קֶר תִּשְׁמַ֣ע קוֹלִ֑י בֹּ֥קֶר אֶעֱרׇךְ־לְ֝ךָ֗ וַאֲצַפֶּֽה׃
כִּ֤י ׀ לֹ֤א אֵֽל־חָפֵ֘ץ רֶ֥שַׁע ׀ אָ֑תָּה לֹ֖א יְגֻרְךָ֣ רָֽע׃
לֹֽא־יִתְיַצְּב֣וּ ה֭וֹלְלִים לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינֶ֑יךָ שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃
תְּאַבֵּד֮ דֹּבְרֵ֢י כָ֫זָ֥ב אִישׁ־דָּמִ֥ים וּמִרְמָ֗ה יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב ׀ יְהֹוָֽה׃
וַאֲנִ֗י בְּרֹ֣ב חַ֭סְדְּךָ אָב֣וֹא בֵיתֶ֑ךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה אֶל־הֵֽיכַל־קׇ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ׃
יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ נְחֵ֬נִי בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ לְמַ֥עַן שׁוֹרְרָ֑י (הושר) [הַיְשַׁ֖ר] לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃
כִּ֤י אֵ֪ין בְּפִ֡יהוּ נְכוֹנָה֮ קִרְבָּ֢ם הַ֫וּ֥וֹת קֶֽבֶר־פָּת֥וּחַ גְּרֹנָ֑ם לְ֝שׁוֹנָ֗ם יַחֲלִיקֽוּן׃
הַ֥אֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים יִפְּלוּ֮ מִֽמֹּעֲצ֢וֹתֵ֫יהֶ֥ם בְּרֹ֣ב פִּ֭שְׁעֵיהֶם הַדִּיחֵ֑מוֹ כִּי־מָ֥רוּ בָֽךְ׃
וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ כׇל־ח֪וֹסֵי בָ֡ךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ וְתָסֵ֣ךְ עָלֵ֑ימוֹ וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ בְ֝ךָ֗ אֹהֲבֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
כִּֽי־אַתָּה֮ תְּבָרֵ֢ךְ צַ֫דִּ֥יק יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּ֝צִּנָּ֗ה רָצ֥וֹן תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃ {פ}
PSALM 5 A Prayer for Guidance
To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David.
Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
תהילים ה׳
לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶֽל־הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
אֲמָרַ֖י הַאֲזִ֥ינָה ׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה בִּ֣ינָה הֲגִיגִֽי׃
הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀ לְק֬וֹל שַׁוְעִ֗י מַלְכִּ֥י וֵאלֹהָ֑י כִּֽי־אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ אֶתְפַּלָּֽל׃
יְֽהֹוָ֗ה בֹּ֭קֶר תִּשְׁמַ֣ע קוֹלִ֑י בֹּ֥קֶר אֶעֱרׇךְ־לְ֝ךָ֗ וַאֲצַפֶּֽה׃
כִּ֤י ׀ לֹ֤א אֵֽל־חָפֵ֘ץ רֶ֥שַׁע ׀ אָ֑תָּה לֹ֖א יְגֻרְךָ֣ רָֽע׃
לֹֽא־יִתְיַצְּב֣וּ ה֭וֹלְלִים לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינֶ֑יךָ שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃
תְּאַבֵּד֮ דֹּבְרֵ֢י כָ֫זָ֥ב אִישׁ־דָּמִ֥ים וּמִרְמָ֗ה יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב ׀ יְהֹוָֽה׃
וַאֲנִ֗י בְּרֹ֣ב חַ֭סְדְּךָ אָב֣וֹא בֵיתֶ֑ךָ אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה אֶל־הֵֽיכַל־קׇ֝דְשְׁךָ֗ בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ׃
יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ נְחֵ֬נִי בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ לְמַ֥עַן שׁוֹרְרָ֑י (הושר) [הַיְשַׁ֖ר] לְפָנַ֣י דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃
כִּ֤י אֵ֪ין בְּפִ֡יהוּ נְכוֹנָה֮ קִרְבָּ֢ם הַ֫וּ֥וֹת קֶֽבֶר־פָּת֥וּחַ גְּרֹנָ֑ם לְ֝שׁוֹנָ֗ם יַחֲלִיקֽוּן׃
הַ֥אֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀ אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים יִפְּלוּ֮ מִֽמֹּעֲצ֢וֹתֵ֫יהֶ֥ם בְּרֹ֣ב פִּ֭שְׁעֵיהֶם הַדִּיחֵ֑מוֹ כִּי־מָ֥רוּ בָֽךְ׃
וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ כׇל־ח֪וֹסֵי בָ֡ךְ לְעוֹלָ֣ם יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ וְתָסֵ֣ךְ עָלֵ֑ימוֹ וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ בְ֝ךָ֗ אֹהֲבֵ֥י שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
כִּֽי־אַתָּה֮ תְּבָרֵ֢ךְ צַ֫דִּ֥יק יְהֹוָ֑ה כַּ֝צִּנָּ֗ה רָצ֥וֹן תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃ {פ}
August 3, 2024
“And they overcame him by the Blood of The Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11
Greetings DEAR brothers and sisters who also trust in Him and have laid all on the altar for His glory. May The Lord Alone be glorified and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Shabbat has just ended here and our new week has begun…as we wait for the promised Iranian response, eyes on HIM. I will not lie…it is NOT a piece of cake…there IS some tension, but there is no panic and speaking not only for myself, there is no fear; it is more like a firm resolve. The people whom I hear are looking to God: the believers, ofcourse, and our brothers and sisters who don’t yet know Yeshua, are looking to Abba Father. (Please watch the short, stirring youtube below)
Our home front command (pikud h’oref) has updated our directions. For two days all of the water was sold out in the shops that I was in, but they kept restocking and there is no shortage. Although the stores have been full of sober looking people, with gentle greetings one to another, the streets that I have seen have been fairly empty. People seem to be stocking up and staying close to home. In general, no one is talking much about what lies before us…what can you really say except to give your opinion. People are blessing one another, wishing each other well, safety and peace in their hearts. My neighbor Y... continues to bring me meals, what a blessing! It is ‘standing silently’. We are all in this together. A young woman who works in the hardware store wished me well and I saw concern in her eyes. ‘Are you ok?’ I asked her. She looked at me furtively and I reached out and hugged her and told her that I would pray for her and that we were really now in God’s Hands and she was strengthened and touched. By God’s grace we will have more time together.
There IS ofcourse, humor.
This is how our people face hard things; you have to laugh. There was a funny post on a local group website when someone asked:
“What exactly is traditional to cook/prep for Armageddon?
(Asking for a friend )
ANSWER: “We’re serving roasted chicken, rice, vegetable stir fry, sweet potatoes, homemade focaccia and rugelach for dessert. Shabbat shalom, with emphasis on shalom.”
I must admit that I laughed out loud. But it is true. People have said ‘What are you doing to prepare?’ and I say, ‘Well, I made dinner…’
Our fellowship usually meets on Shabbat, but we try to meet on a Friday night at someone’s house once every month or two, so that we might share a meal together. Last night we met at the wonderful home of one of our leadership team in a local moshav and had an excellent time of worship and fellowship. One of the leaders, who is also a high ranking officer in the IDF (a ‘lifer’) gave the message and his words, so comforting, bear sharing. He told us that the IDF has prepared for such a catastrophic scenario for so many years, as our existence has always been threatened. He said; now they will be tried, but they are calm and prepared. He also said that we, as believers, have been prepared throughout our lifetimes for such a time as this, and we too, are prepared and equipped…may this be our shining hour for Him. It was so very encouraging. Ephesians 6:13 says “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
“And having done all…”. The enemy can really niggle us on THAT one; both physically and spiritually. ARE WE PREPARED? I have come to believe that whatever we have allowed Him to deposit INTO us is there. John tells us that The Holy Spirit WILL bring all things to remembrance that He has told us, and I believe Him. In Hebrew we learn the different words for ‘hearing’ (as in noise around us) and ‘listening’. I think back to my school days when I ‘HEARD’ the math teacher but I did not ‘LISTEN’ (and learn my lessons). Then came the tests and I could clearly see the results. HE IS FAITHFUL. I have no doubt. Does that mean that ‘everything will be ok’? Well…I consider being in the center of His will ‘ok’, and so in that way it will be. Many people have been reminding me of His promises, and I believe with all of my heart that ALL of His promises are true! But I know that He also has MANY promises of judgment that we often don’t want to see…and those are true too. In Jeremiah’s days, all of His promises remained true…and yet Jeremiah saw great judgment, which, also, like now…WASN’T THE END OF THE STORY.
I believe that all of the airlines, aside from ElAl, have now stopped flying to Israel. Our government is setting up ‘rescue flights’ for citizens stuck abroad. Our electric, cyber, water, transportation, communication systems have all been threatened. The seven nations surrounding us as well as isis cells within, have set up a ‘war room’ to work together. BUT GOD has a history of confounding plans! Psalm 2 says He laughs at the plans of the nations.
I was suddenly drawn to Rev. 12 and as I read, I was stopped at verse 13 and on. You all know the verses; the woman gave birth to the man child and the dragon was infuriated and spewed water from his mouth to destroy her…BUT THE EARTH HELPED THE WOMAN AND OPENED UP TO SWALLOW THE FLOOD. As I read that (in the middle of the night) I began to worship and see how He Who CREATED this world, is still sovereign over it, and it obeys him, even the winds and the waves obey Him the disciples noted. The earth, unlike us, still obeys and I thought about the parting of the sea, and the breaking of the chariot wheels; of the earth opening up when Koreh rebelled against Moses…so many! HE CAN STILL USE THE EARTH TO DISRUPT THE PLANS OF MEN.
BUT…we just got this alert on our phones:
“Israel expects a much shorter early warning of an Iranian attack compared to the incident on April 13. According to Kann News, Iran may launch missiles before drones, providing only minutes of warning instead of hours. The estimated time for Iranian projectiles to reach Israel are as follows:
- Ballistic missile: 12 minutes
- Cruise missile: 2 hours
- Drones: 9 hours”
Last time, we had a 9 hour warning (which wasn’t fun) but I think that I should close my computer and quiet myself.
We here are SO aware of the prayers of all of our brothers and sisters around the world. We FEEL them and we are encouraged by them. Thank you so much! Only in eternity will we understand and see clearly. Please pray for our children and grandchildren. I have so much more to say. But I will only pray that THE LORD BE GLORIFIED!
Loving blessings,
Your sister here.
please listen - song/prayer
IFI UPDATE
“And they overcame him by the Blood of The Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11
Greetings DEAR brothers and sisters who also trust in Him and have laid all on the altar for His glory. May The Lord Alone be glorified and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Shabbat has just ended here and our new week has begun…as we wait for the promised Iranian response, eyes on HIM. I will not lie…it is NOT a piece of cake…there IS some tension, but there is no panic and speaking not only for myself, there is no fear; it is more like a firm resolve. The people whom I hear are looking to God: the believers, ofcourse, and our brothers and sisters who don’t yet know Yeshua, are looking to Abba Father. (Please watch the short, stirring youtube below)
Our home front command (pikud h’oref) has updated our directions. For two days all of the water was sold out in the shops that I was in, but they kept restocking and there is no shortage. Although the stores have been full of sober looking people, with gentle greetings one to another, the streets that I have seen have been fairly empty. People seem to be stocking up and staying close to home. In general, no one is talking much about what lies before us…what can you really say except to give your opinion. People are blessing one another, wishing each other well, safety and peace in their hearts. My neighbor Y... continues to bring me meals, what a blessing! It is ‘standing silently’. We are all in this together. A young woman who works in the hardware store wished me well and I saw concern in her eyes. ‘Are you ok?’ I asked her. She looked at me furtively and I reached out and hugged her and told her that I would pray for her and that we were really now in God’s Hands and she was strengthened and touched. By God’s grace we will have more time together.
There IS ofcourse, humor.
This is how our people face hard things; you have to laugh. There was a funny post on a local group website when someone asked:
“What exactly is traditional to cook/prep for Armageddon?
(Asking for a friend )
ANSWER: “We’re serving roasted chicken, rice, vegetable stir fry, sweet potatoes, homemade focaccia and rugelach for dessert. Shabbat shalom, with emphasis on shalom.”
I must admit that I laughed out loud. But it is true. People have said ‘What are you doing to prepare?’ and I say, ‘Well, I made dinner…’
Our fellowship usually meets on Shabbat, but we try to meet on a Friday night at someone’s house once every month or two, so that we might share a meal together. Last night we met at the wonderful home of one of our leadership team in a local moshav and had an excellent time of worship and fellowship. One of the leaders, who is also a high ranking officer in the IDF (a ‘lifer’) gave the message and his words, so comforting, bear sharing. He told us that the IDF has prepared for such a catastrophic scenario for so many years, as our existence has always been threatened. He said; now they will be tried, but they are calm and prepared. He also said that we, as believers, have been prepared throughout our lifetimes for such a time as this, and we too, are prepared and equipped…may this be our shining hour for Him. It was so very encouraging. Ephesians 6:13 says “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
“And having done all…”. The enemy can really niggle us on THAT one; both physically and spiritually. ARE WE PREPARED? I have come to believe that whatever we have allowed Him to deposit INTO us is there. John tells us that The Holy Spirit WILL bring all things to remembrance that He has told us, and I believe Him. In Hebrew we learn the different words for ‘hearing’ (as in noise around us) and ‘listening’. I think back to my school days when I ‘HEARD’ the math teacher but I did not ‘LISTEN’ (and learn my lessons). Then came the tests and I could clearly see the results. HE IS FAITHFUL. I have no doubt. Does that mean that ‘everything will be ok’? Well…I consider being in the center of His will ‘ok’, and so in that way it will be. Many people have been reminding me of His promises, and I believe with all of my heart that ALL of His promises are true! But I know that He also has MANY promises of judgment that we often don’t want to see…and those are true too. In Jeremiah’s days, all of His promises remained true…and yet Jeremiah saw great judgment, which, also, like now…WASN’T THE END OF THE STORY.
I believe that all of the airlines, aside from ElAl, have now stopped flying to Israel. Our government is setting up ‘rescue flights’ for citizens stuck abroad. Our electric, cyber, water, transportation, communication systems have all been threatened. The seven nations surrounding us as well as isis cells within, have set up a ‘war room’ to work together. BUT GOD has a history of confounding plans! Psalm 2 says He laughs at the plans of the nations.
I was suddenly drawn to Rev. 12 and as I read, I was stopped at verse 13 and on. You all know the verses; the woman gave birth to the man child and the dragon was infuriated and spewed water from his mouth to destroy her…BUT THE EARTH HELPED THE WOMAN AND OPENED UP TO SWALLOW THE FLOOD. As I read that (in the middle of the night) I began to worship and see how He Who CREATED this world, is still sovereign over it, and it obeys him, even the winds and the waves obey Him the disciples noted. The earth, unlike us, still obeys and I thought about the parting of the sea, and the breaking of the chariot wheels; of the earth opening up when Koreh rebelled against Moses…so many! HE CAN STILL USE THE EARTH TO DISRUPT THE PLANS OF MEN.
BUT…we just got this alert on our phones:
“Israel expects a much shorter early warning of an Iranian attack compared to the incident on April 13. According to Kann News, Iran may launch missiles before drones, providing only minutes of warning instead of hours. The estimated time for Iranian projectiles to reach Israel are as follows:
- Ballistic missile: 12 minutes
- Cruise missile: 2 hours
- Drones: 9 hours”
Last time, we had a 9 hour warning (which wasn’t fun) but I think that I should close my computer and quiet myself.
We here are SO aware of the prayers of all of our brothers and sisters around the world. We FEEL them and we are encouraged by them. Thank you so much! Only in eternity will we understand and see clearly. Please pray for our children and grandchildren. I have so much more to say. But I will only pray that THE LORD BE GLORIFIED!
Loving blessings,
Your sister here.
please listen - song/prayer
IFI UPDATE
July 28, 2024
“Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.” MARK 15: 6-7
Greetings, sisters and brothers in Yeshua…HE IS SOVEREIGN LORD! He is Lord in the midst of the fires and the wars and the clouds and the situations that we can not grasp…for we really are finite…but we serve Him Who is infinite … HE Who is Lord. May He always be our comfort and strength. May they not come from our knowledge, wisdom, reasonings, governments, homes, families. We are temporary, HE IS FOREVER and His Word IS TRUE. On that we can count when all else falls away. May you be blessed and encouraged and may He alone be glorified.
I want to thank all of you who have inquired concerning my silence in these fast moving times. Thank you! I am ok. The increasing complexity and pressure of the war IS exhausting and the insufficiency of words to describe it all is perhaps good; I can ONLY write if He pushes me. That means that there is less chance of my opinions getting in the way, praise God!
Today is day 296 of the war. Perhaps there are still some of you who did not hear about last night’s horror: a hizbollah missile struck a Druze soccer field in Majdal Shams killing (at this count) 12 mostly children and a few teens and injuring many others. In past letters (I know that it has been awhile) I have explained to the best of my ability, who the Druzie are. Today google is saying:
“The Druze are an insular Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious minority who originated in Egypt roughly 1,000 years ago as an offshoot of Islam.”
They are a very proud, loyal, noble and honest people…very brave. The tribe was divided between Israel and Lebanon and the Israeli Druze are very patriotic to Israel and warriors. They are highly represented in the IDF (there was even a Druze General in the IDF) and many have given their lives for Israel, fighting in the elite units. Their religion is somewhat secretive. In spite of that, they are very hospitable, warm and friendly. The division of the Druze between Lebanon and Israel reminds me much of the division of my husband’s native Aleut people, who were divided between Siberia and Western Alaska. In days past, Israeli and Lebanese Druze passed freely through ‘The Good Gate’ to visit one another, but war, sadly, put an end to that some years back.
This current tragedy has brought the Druze (who have already lost many sons in this current battle) into the limelight. They have a distinct line between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’…there are no ‘grays’, and that is ‘ALLOWED’ to them by the international community, because they are not ‘expected by the west to be politically correct.’
YNET reported: “The spiritual leader of the Druze community, Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, said in an interview with Ynet that "there is a lot of anger" over the massacre in Majdal Shams, in which 12 children were murdered and dozens more were injured. "Today is a day of mourning for the entire Druze community. We are all with the families who lost the most precious of all. Harming civilians is a black line. The government must bring security to the residents. Why didn't we act before? Why did we let them grow stronger? There are many questions we need to ask. I am in touch with Druze around the world, including in Lebanon. They condemn what happened and grieve with the families. The whole world understands that it is Hezbollah."
Hizbollah took note and immediately tried to weasel out of responsibility for the attack saying ‘it wasn’t OUR missile…WE didn’t do it!’ Sorry…there was too much evidence…the Iranian made rocket was theirs and the film of the launch snuffed out that lie. The Druzim are ANGRY! … on BOTH sides of the border. Last night they said that if Israel didn’t take care of Hizbollah (Iran…), then they would…and that they would not bow down to the US or the UN or any other pressure…they would do what needed to be done. The Druze are Israeli, and we ‘heard’…so it looks as if things will shift big time…again. Our Prime Minister should return home from the US in a short time and then the war cabinet will convene.
We have seen a large number of dramatic events here lately…far too many for my aging brain to remember. Our soldiers bravely went in and ‘rescued’ (it is called that here although they were no longer alive) the bodies of 5 Israelis killed since 7 October. We have rebellion within the country with large demonstrations calling for the resignation of the government and the immediate cease fire (which will NOT bring a release of our captives according the agreement being pushed on us- only 30 out of 110 that we HOPE might still be alive). The demands call for us to release thousands of jailed terrorists with blood on their hands (you might remember that Sinwar was one of those released in the Gilad Shalit deal!). And, oh yes! Through some extraordinary intelligence gathering, a strike was made against Mohammed Deif, the secretive and illusive partner of Sinwar. We believe that he no longer is. This is a ‘big thing’; he and Sinwar shared leadership.
And then there is the trap set by the decisions of ICJ (international court) …declaring that Judea and Samaria are not ours. Today’s headlines in British papers said ‘Israeli ‘occupied’’ Golan…the INDIGNITIES and attacks on this nation defy description. If it had been 12 Israeli Jewish children killed last night, we would have been told that we ‘deserved it’, however they were Israeli Druze children…oops!
BUT…” For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corin. 10:4-5
Yes…that brings my list to a screeching halt.
Thank You Lord!
I have been blessed for the past 3 months to have a sister (very special to me and to Him) from Alaska with me while she volunteers for Bridges for Peace. She left on Wednesday night. While she was here, we were able to spend time praying together and seeking The Lord…such a gift. We found a couple of books that I would like to recommend: The Kneeling Christian (about 100 years old written by anon.) and Battle for Israel by Lance Lambert. Lance, (who has gone on to glory now) was a regular fixture around Jerusalem when we made aliyah, and I was privileged to taste of his godly wisdom. I hadn’t read his books and I know that I mentioned it in my last letter, but I recommend it.
I am feeling the urgency more and more for prevailing prayer that is Holy Spirit breathed and directed…NOT the super-spiritual counterfeit that so often proclaims victory where there IS none and lifts up people and ministries … but the hidden closet anonymous praying that is effectual. Nothing less means anything right now. This is life and death.
The (scratch your head) scripture that I put at the top of this letter may seem strange, but as I was reading it this morning, I thought about the times that Yeshua walked this earth and how He never mentioned the politics, which were corrupt and wicked. I thought about Barabas, who committed murder ‘in the rebellion’ (against the government) and it hit me that he was chosen rather than Yeshua…just as the world and the flesh are so sadly chosen very often, over the Spirit and the kingdom of God. Yeshua never mentioned the rebellion. Interesting.
So, my dear friends, brothers and sisters; IF the threats pan out that we are hearing today from Iran, we may be without electronics – which seem to control ‘everything’ these days. They apparently have an electromagnetic weapon that short circuits EVERYTHING, destroying it from within. I understand that even cars wouldn’t be able to move…good to have a horse, donkey or camel. In such a case…you wouldn’t hear from me. (obviously) I guess we would be cut off…no planes etc. It really IS IN HIS HANDS. How thankful I am that we can pray and that He IS SOVEREIGN LORD!
May we all be found of Him in His Peace, trusting Him all the way. May He BE GLORIFIED and, in His mercy, may we see HIM and reflect Him. Thank you so much for praying for the salvation of my people and for His mercy upon us.
I will enclose a couple of links for those interested. (I know that I enclosed before for Israel Real Time but am enclosing it again)--
I am adding a quick addendum concerning something that I forgot to mention that is encouraging:
Yes, there have been some wonderful opportunities to share! There is a particular door that opened that sort of ‘came out of left field’.
I go to a small Bible Study, and one of the sisters came from rural New Zealand about 40 years ago. She often said that no one in her life there took any interest in Israel and even her family never mentioned it when they spoke. It was a sad puzzle to her. Her Pastor there had no interest either but rather believed in replacement theology.
SUDDENLY, her brother called and asked if she would do a zoom meeting with some 30 believers who ‘wanted to know what God said about Israel and why it’s important’! This was such a shock! We began to pray and she has just finished her third meeting ( I've watched them) and I was so touched to see a room full of sincere and humble farmers, truly wanting to understand! She divided the participants into 3 groups of 10 so that they could ask questions…it is very touching and I was remembering old dear brothers in The Lord, Tim Ruthvan and Campbell McAlpine, who had sewn scriptures throughout that region some 50 years ago. It is exciting to see what God will do in the midst. In today's group, her Pastor from 40 years ago came as well!
“Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.” MARK 15: 6-7
Greetings, sisters and brothers in Yeshua…HE IS SOVEREIGN LORD! He is Lord in the midst of the fires and the wars and the clouds and the situations that we can not grasp…for we really are finite…but we serve Him Who is infinite … HE Who is Lord. May He always be our comfort and strength. May they not come from our knowledge, wisdom, reasonings, governments, homes, families. We are temporary, HE IS FOREVER and His Word IS TRUE. On that we can count when all else falls away. May you be blessed and encouraged and may He alone be glorified.
I want to thank all of you who have inquired concerning my silence in these fast moving times. Thank you! I am ok. The increasing complexity and pressure of the war IS exhausting and the insufficiency of words to describe it all is perhaps good; I can ONLY write if He pushes me. That means that there is less chance of my opinions getting in the way, praise God!
Today is day 296 of the war. Perhaps there are still some of you who did not hear about last night’s horror: a hizbollah missile struck a Druze soccer field in Majdal Shams killing (at this count) 12 mostly children and a few teens and injuring many others. In past letters (I know that it has been awhile) I have explained to the best of my ability, who the Druzie are. Today google is saying:
“The Druze are an insular Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious minority who originated in Egypt roughly 1,000 years ago as an offshoot of Islam.”
They are a very proud, loyal, noble and honest people…very brave. The tribe was divided between Israel and Lebanon and the Israeli Druze are very patriotic to Israel and warriors. They are highly represented in the IDF (there was even a Druze General in the IDF) and many have given their lives for Israel, fighting in the elite units. Their religion is somewhat secretive. In spite of that, they are very hospitable, warm and friendly. The division of the Druze between Lebanon and Israel reminds me much of the division of my husband’s native Aleut people, who were divided between Siberia and Western Alaska. In days past, Israeli and Lebanese Druze passed freely through ‘The Good Gate’ to visit one another, but war, sadly, put an end to that some years back.
This current tragedy has brought the Druze (who have already lost many sons in this current battle) into the limelight. They have a distinct line between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’…there are no ‘grays’, and that is ‘ALLOWED’ to them by the international community, because they are not ‘expected by the west to be politically correct.’
YNET reported: “The spiritual leader of the Druze community, Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, said in an interview with Ynet that "there is a lot of anger" over the massacre in Majdal Shams, in which 12 children were murdered and dozens more were injured. "Today is a day of mourning for the entire Druze community. We are all with the families who lost the most precious of all. Harming civilians is a black line. The government must bring security to the residents. Why didn't we act before? Why did we let them grow stronger? There are many questions we need to ask. I am in touch with Druze around the world, including in Lebanon. They condemn what happened and grieve with the families. The whole world understands that it is Hezbollah."
Hizbollah took note and immediately tried to weasel out of responsibility for the attack saying ‘it wasn’t OUR missile…WE didn’t do it!’ Sorry…there was too much evidence…the Iranian made rocket was theirs and the film of the launch snuffed out that lie. The Druzim are ANGRY! … on BOTH sides of the border. Last night they said that if Israel didn’t take care of Hizbollah (Iran…), then they would…and that they would not bow down to the US or the UN or any other pressure…they would do what needed to be done. The Druze are Israeli, and we ‘heard’…so it looks as if things will shift big time…again. Our Prime Minister should return home from the US in a short time and then the war cabinet will convene.
We have seen a large number of dramatic events here lately…far too many for my aging brain to remember. Our soldiers bravely went in and ‘rescued’ (it is called that here although they were no longer alive) the bodies of 5 Israelis killed since 7 October. We have rebellion within the country with large demonstrations calling for the resignation of the government and the immediate cease fire (which will NOT bring a release of our captives according the agreement being pushed on us- only 30 out of 110 that we HOPE might still be alive). The demands call for us to release thousands of jailed terrorists with blood on their hands (you might remember that Sinwar was one of those released in the Gilad Shalit deal!). And, oh yes! Through some extraordinary intelligence gathering, a strike was made against Mohammed Deif, the secretive and illusive partner of Sinwar. We believe that he no longer is. This is a ‘big thing’; he and Sinwar shared leadership.
And then there is the trap set by the decisions of ICJ (international court) …declaring that Judea and Samaria are not ours. Today’s headlines in British papers said ‘Israeli ‘occupied’’ Golan…the INDIGNITIES and attacks on this nation defy description. If it had been 12 Israeli Jewish children killed last night, we would have been told that we ‘deserved it’, however they were Israeli Druze children…oops!
BUT…” For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Corin. 10:4-5
Yes…that brings my list to a screeching halt.
Thank You Lord!
I have been blessed for the past 3 months to have a sister (very special to me and to Him) from Alaska with me while she volunteers for Bridges for Peace. She left on Wednesday night. While she was here, we were able to spend time praying together and seeking The Lord…such a gift. We found a couple of books that I would like to recommend: The Kneeling Christian (about 100 years old written by anon.) and Battle for Israel by Lance Lambert. Lance, (who has gone on to glory now) was a regular fixture around Jerusalem when we made aliyah, and I was privileged to taste of his godly wisdom. I hadn’t read his books and I know that I mentioned it in my last letter, but I recommend it.
I am feeling the urgency more and more for prevailing prayer that is Holy Spirit breathed and directed…NOT the super-spiritual counterfeit that so often proclaims victory where there IS none and lifts up people and ministries … but the hidden closet anonymous praying that is effectual. Nothing less means anything right now. This is life and death.
The (scratch your head) scripture that I put at the top of this letter may seem strange, but as I was reading it this morning, I thought about the times that Yeshua walked this earth and how He never mentioned the politics, which were corrupt and wicked. I thought about Barabas, who committed murder ‘in the rebellion’ (against the government) and it hit me that he was chosen rather than Yeshua…just as the world and the flesh are so sadly chosen very often, over the Spirit and the kingdom of God. Yeshua never mentioned the rebellion. Interesting.
So, my dear friends, brothers and sisters; IF the threats pan out that we are hearing today from Iran, we may be without electronics – which seem to control ‘everything’ these days. They apparently have an electromagnetic weapon that short circuits EVERYTHING, destroying it from within. I understand that even cars wouldn’t be able to move…good to have a horse, donkey or camel. In such a case…you wouldn’t hear from me. (obviously) I guess we would be cut off…no planes etc. It really IS IN HIS HANDS. How thankful I am that we can pray and that He IS SOVEREIGN LORD!
May we all be found of Him in His Peace, trusting Him all the way. May He BE GLORIFIED and, in His mercy, may we see HIM and reflect Him. Thank you so much for praying for the salvation of my people and for His mercy upon us.
I will enclose a couple of links for those interested. (I know that I enclosed before for Israel Real Time but am enclosing it again)--
I am adding a quick addendum concerning something that I forgot to mention that is encouraging:
Yes, there have been some wonderful opportunities to share! There is a particular door that opened that sort of ‘came out of left field’.
I go to a small Bible Study, and one of the sisters came from rural New Zealand about 40 years ago. She often said that no one in her life there took any interest in Israel and even her family never mentioned it when they spoke. It was a sad puzzle to her. Her Pastor there had no interest either but rather believed in replacement theology.
SUDDENLY, her brother called and asked if she would do a zoom meeting with some 30 believers who ‘wanted to know what God said about Israel and why it’s important’! This was such a shock! We began to pray and she has just finished her third meeting ( I've watched them) and I was so touched to see a room full of sincere and humble farmers, truly wanting to understand! She divided the participants into 3 groups of 10 so that they could ask questions…it is very touching and I was remembering old dear brothers in The Lord, Tim Ruthvan and Campbell McAlpine, who had sewn scriptures throughout that region some 50 years ago. It is exciting to see what God will do in the midst. In today's group, her Pastor from 40 years ago came as well!
July 6, 2024
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,” Ephesians 1:11
I greet you, brothers and sisters, in The Name that is above all names…The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in The Face of Yeshua Messiah! How thankful (aren’t we all?) that our sins have been forgiven and the way has been open to Life eternal! How blessed we are! Who are we that we should be given this most precious of gifts. May we walk in the wonder of this, seeking to be worthy, and to pray without ceasing for those who don’t yet know. May HE be blessed and glorified, and may you be encouraged.
I love our taxi drivers!
I used to love our bus drivers (and I still do), but I have had to take more taxis lately and have grown to really enjoy the uniqueness of the drivers. Yesterday was HOT and I had to be in downtown Jerusalem for three different appointments spread out through the day. By the time I was ready to return home, I was hot, tired and had walked more than 5 kilometers, so my feet were hurting and I decided that taking a taxi would be prudent. The trip is long enough for a nice conversation to brew, and I soon found out that U.. (my driver), had been a widower for a number of years. His battle was simple: ‘This is the portion that The Lord has given me and I have to use it to the best. No looking back and no falling into a pit of depression; just keep walking.’ He told me that he had picked up a passenger last week, who asked to be taken to Sheba Medical Center at Tel ha Shomer Hospital, where the soldiers are receiving rehabilitation. U.. asked the man if his child was injured and he said ‘No. I just want to go and cheer them up.’ so they went. U..i went along with him and spent the day meeting soldiers with no legs, no eyes, no arms but with the most amazing spirits! He told me that they are so encouraging and full of the battle to live that they are inspiring. He said that they told him ‘Yes it hurts! We take a pain pill and off we go to learn to live this way.’ He told me that most of them, inspite of such debilitating injuries, aspire to go back to the front as soon as they can, and indeed I have read that some 70% or those rehabilitated have done just that, even with prosthetic limbs! U.. told me to go and visit. In fact, the whole country is welcome to visit and encourage and donate…and BE encouraged.
This isn’t the first time.
J..... brought home a book from the library where she is volunteering called ‘Battle For Israel’ by Lance Lambert. It was written right after the Yom Kippur War, which was in 1973…two years before I was saved. I was still in full rebellion hippie mode then and I remember my Mom telling me in tears that ‘Little Israel was about to be destroyed’ and I gloated ‘GOOD! They stole the Arab’s land and they deserve it!’ I can still hear her pained retort ‘Oh…how can you!’ The book is an amazing up close first hand document written by a brother in The Lord and in the know (he was very active here, as a Jerusalemite and Israeli citizen, up until he went home 10 May 2015), but what shocked me about this book is that it could well be today’s newspaper! I had not realized – not known- how the world had responded to Israel's wars until reading this book! Nor had I fully realized how ISRAELI SOCIETY reacted in the past and I must admit that I am shocked. “There is nothing new under the sun” and the only ‘new’ ingredient that I can put my finger on here is social media.
So I began thinking about ‘inheritance’ and this land.
Wouldn’t you know that in my morning reading I was about to find what seemed like God’s Land Deed. Oh, ofcourse I know that there are many land promises, beginning in Genesis, and I’m sharing only a couple of places, but the two sections of scripture (that I am sharing at the end of the letter in full) literally had my heart pounding as I read them. How they encouraged me and increased my confidence, KNOWING that God makes no empty promises and that He is fully able to bring ALL OF HIS PURPOSES to pass!
With this all in mind, I saw my dentist yesterday and asked him how his family was doing. ‘You mean the war?’ he asked. ‘Well…this is Israel. It is ALWAYS this way.’ He began to share about his family history; ‘My family lived along the Silk Road for much of its history, but it originated here and ended up here. In the 1920s there was a terrible famine in Jerusalem. My Grandfather’s sister died of starvation then. Due to the famine, my family moved to Tel Aviv and my Grandfather, who was 4 years old, used to get shot at by the Arabs on the wall. Do you know about the wall?’ he asked me (I did not). He told me that there had been a wall separating Jaffa from Tel Aviv, built by the Arabs. My dentist’s (his name is .......) family lived alongside of the wall and his Grandfather was a 4 year old moving target.
There is OH SO MUCH that I do not know about the history of this area and long to learn and understand.
Back to my taxi driver for a moment. He asked me the usual ‘test questions”. ‘You live in Maoz Zion? It’s Kurdish. Do you like the people? Do you like to eat kubbe? Do you have to buy them or do the neighbors give them to you?’ Again, I passed the test and he asked me if I had been at the kubbe festival last night. You got it! Our area has a kubbe festival, even during a war! One night a year, the local Kurdish cooks come out battling for the title of ‘the best kubbe cook’. It reminded me of fishtival in Naknek Alaska when we lined the streets with tables and competed to see who had the tastiest smoked salmon, or salmon spread, and who could split a salmon fastest. Here the test of ‘are you one of us or are you not?’ seems to be kubbe.
1 Corin. 9:19-23 says “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
Hudson Taylor applied this quite well without falling into a trap of idolatry. ‘Culture’ can be such a tricky road. How I praise God that our kingdom, our inheritance, our identity and our citizenship is in heaven! No matter where we are planted, may we bear His mark.
So…yes. The North of Israel has been on fire.
Huge fires…increasing injuries…massive loss of property and farms…all due to attacks from Hizbolla. Yesterday there were 180-200 or so rocket barrages with non-stop sirens for quite awhile. As I said, reading through the book about the Yom Kippur war…I see no difference. The world powers are attempting to ‘play Israel’ like a chess game and it is insidious. I understand that many of the political opponents of the government are in the West influencing western governments in a way that they were unable to do here through ballots. I am shocked, listening to some old friends and relatives telling me that they KNOW that ‘all Israelis hate this and want nothing but peace.’ not understanding that YES we hate the war and want peace, but not at the cost of the country! It is painful to see the grieving families speaking at the funerals of their children calling on the country to not let their children to have died in vain, but to continue the fight until Hamas is defeated. I witnessed a heart wrenching funeral this week. A mother wept for her fallen son and right there (yes at the funeral- there are IDF reps at all funerals) signed up to take her son’s place in the battle. People do NOT understand that this is not an ideological battle or a battle for power but a battle for existence and for life! Our captives are not yet home! The wolves are surrounding us licking their lips…and we are trusting that God…GOD ALMIGHTY…THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE WHO IS ALSO THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB…AND OF YOU AND OF ME…WILL REACH OUT HIS HAND AND SHOW HIMSELF MIGHTY TO SAVE!
NOT for our sakes…but for HIS GREAT NAME’S SAKE!
NOT because we are special…but because HE is The ONLY GOD, AND HE PROMISED.
It is heading toward Shabbat and I must prepare dinner. Thank you for standing with The God of Israel and His purposes…for us and for yourselves. Thank you for taking the time to read this. May HE ALONE be glorified!
Lovingly, your sister here. (below are the scriptures that I referred to at the beginning).
Numbers 33:50-34:12 “ Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’ ”34 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance—the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Your southern border shall be from the Wilderness of Zin along the border of Edom; then your southern border shall extend eastward to the end of the Salt Sea; your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Akrabbim, continue to Zin, and be on the south of Kadesh Barnea; then it shall go on to Hazar Addar, and continue to Azmon; the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and it shall end at‘ As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border; this shall be your western border. ‘And this shall be your northern border: From the Great Sea you shall mark out your border line to Mount Hor; from Mount Hor you shall mark out your border to the entrance of Hamath; then the direction of the border shall be toward Zedad; the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and it shall end at Hazar Enan. This shall be your northern border. ‘You shall mark out your eastern border from Hazar Enan to Shepham; the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain; the border shall go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth; the border shall go down along the Jordan, and it shall end at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land with its surrounding boundaries.’ ”
Deuteronomy 2 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness of the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days. “And the Lord spoke to me, saying: ‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward. And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully. Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall buy food from them with money, that you may eat; and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” ’“And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ” (The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave them.)“ ‘Now rise and cross over the Valley of the Zered.’ So we crossed over the Valley of the Zered. 14 And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed over the Valley of the Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed. “So it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, that the Lord spoke to me, saying: ‘This day you are to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. And when you come near the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ” (That was also regarded as a land of giants; giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.)“ ‘Rise, take your journey, and cross over the River Arnon. Look, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and engage him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’“And I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ‘Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink; only let me pass through on foot, just as the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir and the Moabites who dwell in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord our God is giving us.’“But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day.“And the Lord said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to possess it, that you may inherit his land.’ Then Sihon and all his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. And the Lord our God delivered him over to us; so we defeated him, his sons, and all his people. We took all his cities at that time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city; we left none remaining. We took only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we took. From Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, and from the city that is in the ravine, as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us. Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon—anywhere along the River Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us.”
June 26, 2024
“Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:24
“… that you may cling to Him, for He is your life…”
a fragment of the wonderful verse Deuteronomy 30:20
Loving greetings brothers and sisters. May The Dearest Lord of all be glorified and blessed and may you be edified and blessed.
What you see, what you hear, that write.
That is what He told me thirty years ago, and may I be found faithful; no more and no less.
I was speaking to a niece in remote Alaska. We have been out of contact for 30 years and it was so nice to renew the connection via whatsapp. Her mom (E’s oldest sister) is struggling with the assorted health issues of involved in aging, and my niece asked me if I have anyone to check in on me daily to make sure that I am ok. I had to stop and think about the differences concerning life here, and I had to laugh. It has been the hottest June on record and even the news announces with each heat wave; ‘Make sure to check up on any old people in your area’.
Walking home today from across Mevaseret, the sound of planes above was nonstop.
People will ask me ‘what will be?’ We see through a glass darkly, but we see Yeshua. In His Face we see that He sees, and in the FACT that He sees it all, I trust Him Who knows and doesn’t have to guess and reason…so I have peace and do not fear.
I had a wave of thoughts, comforting, wonderous memories sweep over me and teach me yesterday.
I remembered:
I remembered being told a year ago February that I had to move in 4 months. I remember the painful months of packing up our entire life of 50 years together under the pressure of the move and the pain of the broken arm, E’s death still being such a shock to me. [that has not changed] I ‘knew’ only one thing; that I could only afford to rent a very small apartment so everything had to go. I could not imagine moving out of Jerusalem, so I was only looking in the Jerusalem area. In May, our Kehila (fellowship) went on a tour of the Kastel (1948 war memorial hill) on Independence Day (yom h’atzmaut) and I was shaken to tears…to my very core, by the miracles that took place there; my heart was moved deep within me. Then I got sick and was once again in the hospital. A believing friend, a doctor, said to me ‘I just moved to Mevaseret Zion and I love it. Why don’t you look there…it’s beautiful and peaceful.’ I told her ‘No. God brought us to Jerusalem and He hasn’t told me to leave.’ I came home and the time was down to less than 2 weeks. Not one friend, but two, pointed out an ad in an unlikely source, for a two room ground floor apartment in Mevaseret Zion…the area of the Kastel. My reaction was a firm ‘No!’ until The Lord woke me in the night and changed that ‘No’ to a ‘Yes. I will go and look.’ Without even going inside the apartment, I knew that this was His place for me. Now I pass the Kastel fort everytime I walk. I moved here on 1 June last year and continued riding the bus into Jerusalem to work until the last day of September (erev Sukkot) when we retired and the doctor’s office, where I worked for 25 years, closed. One week later, on 7 October, this war broke out. I was outside at 6:20am walking Gila, our dog, when I heard the first boom and looked off to the West to see the smoke. More booms followed. We were at war and The Lord had SO INTRICATELY woven a safe home for me. I could not take it all in. We see through a glass darkly.
Yesterday, as I was walking home, I was thinking about it all again. I walked past the picturesque homes in this tucked away Jewish Kurdistani neighborhood with such a rich and unique history. I looked up at the Kastel and then my eyes focused on the newly forming grapes and pomegranates right next to me. Figs are also ripening as are the peaches. The mulberries are thick and ready to pick. The ripe herbs make the air richly pungent… rosemary, mint, za’atar, myrtle, oregano…so many sweet spices spring up alongside of the road. My eyes sing as they feel their way over the rich horizon in front of me. I greet people freely and they ask how I am, even though we don’t one another. I asked someone how many of their children and grandchildren were in Gaza…they thought; ‘Five. We have five there.’ I looked in her eyes; ‘I will pray’.
Y... comes in with yet another wonderfully spicy dish to check up on me and advise me about literally everything. She worries about me living alone. Our landlords are now away for 3 months ministering in Finland. Last year, they had a Finnish family come and stay to care for the house, but this year they could not find anyone who wanted to. You might remember that in the small apartment above me, there is a young family of immigrants from Estonia. (S.. and N... with their two small daughters, ......) S’s brother is POSSIBLY going to make Aliyah from Estonia and we are hoping that he would come and house sit. It is a strange feeling and we are praying that the house will need no sudden repairs.
‘What is life like’ I am so often asked. I don’t know how to answer that. As I walk, the streets are lined with posters of faces. Here in Mevaseret, they are the faces of the hostages. When I went to Jerusalem the other day, I saw the streets lined with posters of the photos of the soldiers who have fallen, over 660, since 7 October. Today is the 264rd day of the war. Each poster picture says ‘l’netzhak’ or ‘l’netzayak’ and as I looked at the word in Hebrew on the signs, I realized that the word is the same, ‘eternal’, ‘victory’, ‘to win’. There are also signs everywhere saying ‘together we are strong to victory’…however our enemy counts on the fact that that our unity is not a constant…and they are right; and it is a great danger to our people; the contention…the opinions that kill the unity…as the days tick by we become a country of generals where everyone knows how they would ‘do it’. Thankfully, even this is not too big for God…nor is it new. What is life like? We are tired and perplexed as a people.
I had been reading Numbers 16; the awful account of the rebellion of Korah. They were LEADERS. It says in verses 2-3 “and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” I shake with the fear of God everytime that I read this chapter. I have learned to love reading the intricate plans concerning the building of the tabernacle and then the temple…AND His body…AND His laws. His plans and His plumbline are so specific and so different from ours. Just think of it; He specified a people whose purpose it was, was to carry the pegs and sockets and boards…to count them…to store them and set them up. That was it. Would I be satisfied if given such a role by God? Am I willing to scrub the dishes, wash the floors…am I willing to do what HE tells me- WITH JOY? And am I willing to be at PEACE and SATISFIED with the small portion that He gives me and not covet big things for myself? Oh, this chapter is so revealing!
Another day has passed and I have not been able to finish this letter.
My limited understanding is that our mounting tension in the north is only vaguely referred to in foreign media. Hizbolla, stationed in Lebanon, has been attacking our northern border since the beginning of the war. It is very complicated and I won’t explain what I do understand right now, but it DOES look as if it might be about to spill over…and this is much bigger than the Hamas in Gaza. We are being prepared as a nation for unprecedented events. Many hospitals in the north have been moved to special underground facilities and many preparations are quietly being made. I will enclose a short video shown on our local news, informing us about underground ‘supermarket storehouses’ where there are emergency boxes of food (and, yes, toilet paper!) to be distributed to every household in Israel in the event of the nation being ‘shut down’. Even though the video is in Hebrew, I think that it would be interesting to most of you and it is easy to see what is happening. We were told that these would be distributed by the army and all of the branches of ‘helps’ services to everyone (yes, Arab Israelis too). We see through a glass darkly…but HE has already walked there.
I’m also including a bit of a long interview with an Iranian Jewish professor who is an advisor on Arab affairs to the government and whom I have listened to for the 25 years. Mordechai Kedar was interviewed on TBN, a local believing station and I feel that his conclusions are wise and worth hearing.
Years ago, a sister in The Lord shared with me that she had been circling the word ‘remember’ each time she read it in her Bible and she brought to my attention how important it was to God that we REMEMBER. That lesson stayed with me and more and more as this war progresses and we move along THIS path, I think about what it must have been like for the children of Israel leaving Egypt and approaching the sea…with the Egyptians pursuing. It’s become very real to me. We KNOW the end of the story, but for them in the midst, it was simply an impossible situation. With so many people, I think about what it was like for the people near the front…by the sea…for those in the middle who were maybe being pushed and shoved and yet couldn’t see anything much…and for those in the rear who could SEE the Egyptian chariots and soldiers drawing near. It must have been TERRIFYING!
In the midst…we simply don’t know. Yes, we have all of His promises and we KNOW that ALL of them are true…but we often comfort ourselves by taking a verse here and there out of context without looking at the bigger picture. I am learning to be comforted unto quietness IN HIM. His Word is true and not one jot or tittel will fail. We see through a glass darkly…at THIS point…but then…face to FACE.
So, here we are again, at the brink of ‘we haven’t passed this way before’. But we KNOW that The Lord of hosts is with us.
I should send this now and go to sleep, so I do ask The Lord to make this His bread for His own glory that you might be encouraged, and He might be blessed. May The Lord be glorified and may we KNOW HIM! Lovingly, your sister here.
TBN interview with Mordechai Kedar
“Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:24
“… that you may cling to Him, for He is your life…”
a fragment of the wonderful verse Deuteronomy 30:20
Loving greetings brothers and sisters. May The Dearest Lord of all be glorified and blessed and may you be edified and blessed.
What you see, what you hear, that write.
That is what He told me thirty years ago, and may I be found faithful; no more and no less.
I was speaking to a niece in remote Alaska. We have been out of contact for 30 years and it was so nice to renew the connection via whatsapp. Her mom (E’s oldest sister) is struggling with the assorted health issues of involved in aging, and my niece asked me if I have anyone to check in on me daily to make sure that I am ok. I had to stop and think about the differences concerning life here, and I had to laugh. It has been the hottest June on record and even the news announces with each heat wave; ‘Make sure to check up on any old people in your area’.
Walking home today from across Mevaseret, the sound of planes above was nonstop.
People will ask me ‘what will be?’ We see through a glass darkly, but we see Yeshua. In His Face we see that He sees, and in the FACT that He sees it all, I trust Him Who knows and doesn’t have to guess and reason…so I have peace and do not fear.
I had a wave of thoughts, comforting, wonderous memories sweep over me and teach me yesterday.
I remembered:
I remembered being told a year ago February that I had to move in 4 months. I remember the painful months of packing up our entire life of 50 years together under the pressure of the move and the pain of the broken arm, E’s death still being such a shock to me. [that has not changed] I ‘knew’ only one thing; that I could only afford to rent a very small apartment so everything had to go. I could not imagine moving out of Jerusalem, so I was only looking in the Jerusalem area. In May, our Kehila (fellowship) went on a tour of the Kastel (1948 war memorial hill) on Independence Day (yom h’atzmaut) and I was shaken to tears…to my very core, by the miracles that took place there; my heart was moved deep within me. Then I got sick and was once again in the hospital. A believing friend, a doctor, said to me ‘I just moved to Mevaseret Zion and I love it. Why don’t you look there…it’s beautiful and peaceful.’ I told her ‘No. God brought us to Jerusalem and He hasn’t told me to leave.’ I came home and the time was down to less than 2 weeks. Not one friend, but two, pointed out an ad in an unlikely source, for a two room ground floor apartment in Mevaseret Zion…the area of the Kastel. My reaction was a firm ‘No!’ until The Lord woke me in the night and changed that ‘No’ to a ‘Yes. I will go and look.’ Without even going inside the apartment, I knew that this was His place for me. Now I pass the Kastel fort everytime I walk. I moved here on 1 June last year and continued riding the bus into Jerusalem to work until the last day of September (erev Sukkot) when we retired and the doctor’s office, where I worked for 25 years, closed. One week later, on 7 October, this war broke out. I was outside at 6:20am walking Gila, our dog, when I heard the first boom and looked off to the West to see the smoke. More booms followed. We were at war and The Lord had SO INTRICATELY woven a safe home for me. I could not take it all in. We see through a glass darkly.
Yesterday, as I was walking home, I was thinking about it all again. I walked past the picturesque homes in this tucked away Jewish Kurdistani neighborhood with such a rich and unique history. I looked up at the Kastel and then my eyes focused on the newly forming grapes and pomegranates right next to me. Figs are also ripening as are the peaches. The mulberries are thick and ready to pick. The ripe herbs make the air richly pungent… rosemary, mint, za’atar, myrtle, oregano…so many sweet spices spring up alongside of the road. My eyes sing as they feel their way over the rich horizon in front of me. I greet people freely and they ask how I am, even though we don’t one another. I asked someone how many of their children and grandchildren were in Gaza…they thought; ‘Five. We have five there.’ I looked in her eyes; ‘I will pray’.
Y... comes in with yet another wonderfully spicy dish to check up on me and advise me about literally everything. She worries about me living alone. Our landlords are now away for 3 months ministering in Finland. Last year, they had a Finnish family come and stay to care for the house, but this year they could not find anyone who wanted to. You might remember that in the small apartment above me, there is a young family of immigrants from Estonia. (S.. and N... with their two small daughters, ......) S’s brother is POSSIBLY going to make Aliyah from Estonia and we are hoping that he would come and house sit. It is a strange feeling and we are praying that the house will need no sudden repairs.
‘What is life like’ I am so often asked. I don’t know how to answer that. As I walk, the streets are lined with posters of faces. Here in Mevaseret, they are the faces of the hostages. When I went to Jerusalem the other day, I saw the streets lined with posters of the photos of the soldiers who have fallen, over 660, since 7 October. Today is the 264rd day of the war. Each poster picture says ‘l’netzhak’ or ‘l’netzayak’ and as I looked at the word in Hebrew on the signs, I realized that the word is the same, ‘eternal’, ‘victory’, ‘to win’. There are also signs everywhere saying ‘together we are strong to victory’…however our enemy counts on the fact that that our unity is not a constant…and they are right; and it is a great danger to our people; the contention…the opinions that kill the unity…as the days tick by we become a country of generals where everyone knows how they would ‘do it’. Thankfully, even this is not too big for God…nor is it new. What is life like? We are tired and perplexed as a people.
I had been reading Numbers 16; the awful account of the rebellion of Korah. They were LEADERS. It says in verses 2-3 “and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” I shake with the fear of God everytime that I read this chapter. I have learned to love reading the intricate plans concerning the building of the tabernacle and then the temple…AND His body…AND His laws. His plans and His plumbline are so specific and so different from ours. Just think of it; He specified a people whose purpose it was, was to carry the pegs and sockets and boards…to count them…to store them and set them up. That was it. Would I be satisfied if given such a role by God? Am I willing to scrub the dishes, wash the floors…am I willing to do what HE tells me- WITH JOY? And am I willing to be at PEACE and SATISFIED with the small portion that He gives me and not covet big things for myself? Oh, this chapter is so revealing!
Another day has passed and I have not been able to finish this letter.
My limited understanding is that our mounting tension in the north is only vaguely referred to in foreign media. Hizbolla, stationed in Lebanon, has been attacking our northern border since the beginning of the war. It is very complicated and I won’t explain what I do understand right now, but it DOES look as if it might be about to spill over…and this is much bigger than the Hamas in Gaza. We are being prepared as a nation for unprecedented events. Many hospitals in the north have been moved to special underground facilities and many preparations are quietly being made. I will enclose a short video shown on our local news, informing us about underground ‘supermarket storehouses’ where there are emergency boxes of food (and, yes, toilet paper!) to be distributed to every household in Israel in the event of the nation being ‘shut down’. Even though the video is in Hebrew, I think that it would be interesting to most of you and it is easy to see what is happening. We were told that these would be distributed by the army and all of the branches of ‘helps’ services to everyone (yes, Arab Israelis too). We see through a glass darkly…but HE has already walked there.
I’m also including a bit of a long interview with an Iranian Jewish professor who is an advisor on Arab affairs to the government and whom I have listened to for the 25 years. Mordechai Kedar was interviewed on TBN, a local believing station and I feel that his conclusions are wise and worth hearing.
Years ago, a sister in The Lord shared with me that she had been circling the word ‘remember’ each time she read it in her Bible and she brought to my attention how important it was to God that we REMEMBER. That lesson stayed with me and more and more as this war progresses and we move along THIS path, I think about what it must have been like for the children of Israel leaving Egypt and approaching the sea…with the Egyptians pursuing. It’s become very real to me. We KNOW the end of the story, but for them in the midst, it was simply an impossible situation. With so many people, I think about what it was like for the people near the front…by the sea…for those in the middle who were maybe being pushed and shoved and yet couldn’t see anything much…and for those in the rear who could SEE the Egyptian chariots and soldiers drawing near. It must have been TERRIFYING!
In the midst…we simply don’t know. Yes, we have all of His promises and we KNOW that ALL of them are true…but we often comfort ourselves by taking a verse here and there out of context without looking at the bigger picture. I am learning to be comforted unto quietness IN HIM. His Word is true and not one jot or tittel will fail. We see through a glass darkly…at THIS point…but then…face to FACE.
So, here we are again, at the brink of ‘we haven’t passed this way before’. But we KNOW that The Lord of hosts is with us.
I should send this now and go to sleep, so I do ask The Lord to make this His bread for His own glory that you might be encouraged, and He might be blessed. May The Lord be glorified and may we KNOW HIM! Lovingly, your sister here.
TBN interview with Mordechai Kedar
June 12, 2024
“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.” DEUTERONOMY 16:9-12 (AND SEE LEVITICUS 23)
“And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
“Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God: ‘My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”; and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’
“Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God. So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.” DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest…” LEVITICUS 26:9-10 (the rest of this section describes various offerings)
“Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.” NUMBERS 28:26 (also followed by various offerings)
“Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land to which I bring you, then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the Lord. You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations.” Numbers 15:17-21
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ACTS 2:1-4
As the bombs are falling in the North of Israel [PRAYER PLEASE], I greet you, brothers and sisters, for the glory of God Alone! May you be encouraged and blessed and may this only be written in obedience to Him: ‘What you see…what you hear, write!’
Today is Shavuot and it has been many years since I wrote about it in any depth. Shavuot is one of the three commanded ‘pilgrim feasts’…when the tribes ‘go up to Jerusalem’ to present the first fruit offerings to The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in accordance to His design. Shavuot is also called ‘the feast of weeks’ or ‘Pentecost’ in English. It marks the end of the ‘counting of the Omer’…the 50 days during which the grain ripens between Passover and Shavuot. As the tribes go up to Jerusalem with their offerings, the SONGS OF ASCENTS…Psalms 120-134…are sung.
The three pilgrim feasts are Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot (feast of tabernacles). Although there is no temple to bring the offerings to, over the millennium rabbinical traditions have been prescribed to honor the intent of the offerings to God…for His glory…in obedience to His plan…although we see through a glass darkly; for indeed our eyes have been closed by The One Who has The Seal, AND WILL OPEN THEM. [Romans 11:8 quotes a number of places ie: Isa. 6:9-10 -29:10, Isa. 43:8, Isa. 44:18-20, Jer. 16:5 Psalm 69:22) “Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”]
In the other years since I have been here, living in Jerusalem, I watched (or joined) the groups of people walking up to Jerusalem from around the country. (usually young people who walked to Jerusalem from the North and South carrying banners and flags.) It has been such a privilege to live in Jerusalem for nearly 30 years, but The Lord, in His wisdom, moved me here…and here, just outside of Jerusalem, from the street in front of my house, I have a full view of the road ‘up to Jerusalem’…the way taken for three thousand years, by many or few, to obey the commands of The Lord to come up and present yourself…not empty handed…TO THE LORD. It is a lot to think about, and I have pondered it much.
WHY the different commandments? WHY the ‘order of things’ and the meticulous ‘design’ that The Lord has given us from Genesis through Revelation? I am convinced that it ALL reveals HIM…His character…a picture of Who He Is; The Creator IS a God of order and design.
Sometimes I wonder how His creation (us) could have so much rebellion and self will in ourselves. How thankful I am for His patience…His mercy…to draw us, convict us, teach us.
Over the years I have viewed the modern traditions attached to Shavuot (and all of the holidays) with varying degrees of ‘opinions’ (ranging from judgmental pride, to curiosity and research). We all know how much Yeshua disdained the religious system that obliterated the true picture of Who God IS and muddied the path to Him…how pride (and many other reasons) distorted the path for those who may have been truly seeking. He said ‘WOE to you, Pharisees, hypocrites!’ He said ‘You have made the commandment of God of no effect through your traditions’! Yet we all have traditions, whether we recognize them or not. We teach our children lessons, and often lessons well learned become a beloved tradition.
Through out this ongoing war, I have admired some of the Rabbinical teachings concerning thanksgiving. There is a beautiful prayer that is sung (even on the radio) to start the daySORRY FOR THE ADS BEFORE THE SONG- WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES and it has, yes, become a ‘tradition’. I, also, have a ‘tradition’ of (trying to) go FIRST to The Lord before beginning the new day.
Shavuot was the day that THE HOLY SPIRIT was given…poured out upon the first disciples and apostles as they waited in the upper room in Jerusalem on Shavuot. (DO IT AGAIN LORD!) Shavuot was a holiday what I did not at all understand until I made Aliyah, and it was if my eyes flew open that The Word says “WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND…” I had no understanding of it when I was still in the diaspora.
So how IS it celebrated here and now in the land that He has given us, with our eyes still blinded and without the temple? Well…that depends. Many DO still come up to Jerusalem and many of those spend all night studying Torah at the western wall of the temple (the only access that Jews have to the temple area). Others hold all night study sessions in homes or synagogues. The ‘traditions’ says that the Law was given to the Jews on Shavuot but the numbers in Scripture don’t add up; it is a ‘tradition.’ People wear white (to be wedded to the Law) …and eat milk products (especially cheesecake) because (I just heard this explanation) we entered the land of milk and honey. The farms, moshavim and kibbutzim celebrated the beginning of the harvest with joyful festivals and dancing…but this year the farms are under attack. You might enjoy googling ‘celebrating Shavuot through history in pictures.’ Here is another fun google search ‘old Shavuot posters’. Traditionally, the Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue as well as Habakkuk.
I have written more than you want to read I’m afraid (and I could easily go on). More than 160 rockets attacked our North this morning although it seems quiet at the moment. I have not heard of anyone injured (such a miracle). There is so much damage and devastation to this country that you do not see nor hear about.
BUT GOD CALLED US TO STOP AND REJOICE, AND SO WE DO. It is Shavuot and we dare not come to Him empty handed. May He accept our sacrifice of praise and may our eyes be fixed on Him…for surely everything else is shaking except The Rock!
God BLESS and keep you and make His Face to shine upon you and give you HIS PEACE as you walk with Him. Lovingly, a sister here.
MORNING THANKSGIVING SONG WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION
“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. You shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are among you, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes.” DEUTERONOMY 16:9-12 (AND SEE LEVITICUS 23)
“And it shall be, when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’
“Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. And you shall answer and say before the Lord your God: ‘My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”; and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’
“Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God. So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.” DEUTERONOMY 26:1-11
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest…” LEVITICUS 26:9-10 (the rest of this section describes various offerings)
“Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the Lord at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.” NUMBERS 28:26 (also followed by various offerings)
“Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land to which I bring you, then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall offer up a heave offering to the Lord. You shall offer up a cake of the first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. Of the first of your ground meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your generations.” Numbers 15:17-21
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” ACTS 2:1-4
As the bombs are falling in the North of Israel [PRAYER PLEASE], I greet you, brothers and sisters, for the glory of God Alone! May you be encouraged and blessed and may this only be written in obedience to Him: ‘What you see…what you hear, write!’
Today is Shavuot and it has been many years since I wrote about it in any depth. Shavuot is one of the three commanded ‘pilgrim feasts’…when the tribes ‘go up to Jerusalem’ to present the first fruit offerings to The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in accordance to His design. Shavuot is also called ‘the feast of weeks’ or ‘Pentecost’ in English. It marks the end of the ‘counting of the Omer’…the 50 days during which the grain ripens between Passover and Shavuot. As the tribes go up to Jerusalem with their offerings, the SONGS OF ASCENTS…Psalms 120-134…are sung.
The three pilgrim feasts are Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot (feast of tabernacles). Although there is no temple to bring the offerings to, over the millennium rabbinical traditions have been prescribed to honor the intent of the offerings to God…for His glory…in obedience to His plan…although we see through a glass darkly; for indeed our eyes have been closed by The One Who has The Seal, AND WILL OPEN THEM. [Romans 11:8 quotes a number of places ie: Isa. 6:9-10 -29:10, Isa. 43:8, Isa. 44:18-20, Jer. 16:5 Psalm 69:22) “Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”]
In the other years since I have been here, living in Jerusalem, I watched (or joined) the groups of people walking up to Jerusalem from around the country. (usually young people who walked to Jerusalem from the North and South carrying banners and flags.) It has been such a privilege to live in Jerusalem for nearly 30 years, but The Lord, in His wisdom, moved me here…and here, just outside of Jerusalem, from the street in front of my house, I have a full view of the road ‘up to Jerusalem’…the way taken for three thousand years, by many or few, to obey the commands of The Lord to come up and present yourself…not empty handed…TO THE LORD. It is a lot to think about, and I have pondered it much.
WHY the different commandments? WHY the ‘order of things’ and the meticulous ‘design’ that The Lord has given us from Genesis through Revelation? I am convinced that it ALL reveals HIM…His character…a picture of Who He Is; The Creator IS a God of order and design.
Sometimes I wonder how His creation (us) could have so much rebellion and self will in ourselves. How thankful I am for His patience…His mercy…to draw us, convict us, teach us.
Over the years I have viewed the modern traditions attached to Shavuot (and all of the holidays) with varying degrees of ‘opinions’ (ranging from judgmental pride, to curiosity and research). We all know how much Yeshua disdained the religious system that obliterated the true picture of Who God IS and muddied the path to Him…how pride (and many other reasons) distorted the path for those who may have been truly seeking. He said ‘WOE to you, Pharisees, hypocrites!’ He said ‘You have made the commandment of God of no effect through your traditions’! Yet we all have traditions, whether we recognize them or not. We teach our children lessons, and often lessons well learned become a beloved tradition.
Through out this ongoing war, I have admired some of the Rabbinical teachings concerning thanksgiving. There is a beautiful prayer that is sung (even on the radio) to start the daySORRY FOR THE ADS BEFORE THE SONG- WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES and it has, yes, become a ‘tradition’. I, also, have a ‘tradition’ of (trying to) go FIRST to The Lord before beginning the new day.
Shavuot was the day that THE HOLY SPIRIT was given…poured out upon the first disciples and apostles as they waited in the upper room in Jerusalem on Shavuot. (DO IT AGAIN LORD!) Shavuot was a holiday what I did not at all understand until I made Aliyah, and it was if my eyes flew open that The Word says “WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND…” I had no understanding of it when I was still in the diaspora.
So how IS it celebrated here and now in the land that He has given us, with our eyes still blinded and without the temple? Well…that depends. Many DO still come up to Jerusalem and many of those spend all night studying Torah at the western wall of the temple (the only access that Jews have to the temple area). Others hold all night study sessions in homes or synagogues. The ‘traditions’ says that the Law was given to the Jews on Shavuot but the numbers in Scripture don’t add up; it is a ‘tradition.’ People wear white (to be wedded to the Law) …and eat milk products (especially cheesecake) because (I just heard this explanation) we entered the land of milk and honey. The farms, moshavim and kibbutzim celebrated the beginning of the harvest with joyful festivals and dancing…but this year the farms are under attack. You might enjoy googling ‘celebrating Shavuot through history in pictures.’ Here is another fun google search ‘old Shavuot posters’. Traditionally, the Book of Ruth is read in the synagogue as well as Habakkuk.
I have written more than you want to read I’m afraid (and I could easily go on). More than 160 rockets attacked our North this morning although it seems quiet at the moment. I have not heard of anyone injured (such a miracle). There is so much damage and devastation to this country that you do not see nor hear about.
BUT GOD CALLED US TO STOP AND REJOICE, AND SO WE DO. It is Shavuot and we dare not come to Him empty handed. May He accept our sacrifice of praise and may our eyes be fixed on Him…for surely everything else is shaking except The Rock!
God BLESS and keep you and make His Face to shine upon you and give you HIS PEACE as you walk with Him. Lovingly, a sister here.
MORNING THANKSGIVING SONG WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION
June 9, 2024
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:25-27
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ…LORD OF ALL. May He be glorified and blessed, and may you be encouraged.
Indeed, I have no words this morning to write…but I have to. My heart is filled with a mix that is not possible to describe. It has been VERY hot here for the past few days, although today, thank God, it is cooler. On Friday, a one line report caught my attention; our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yisrael Katz, contacted his counterpart in Russia for the first time in 8 months. Yesterday (Shabat) we noticed planes. It was so hot, I lay down to take a nap and slept deeply for two and a half hours, very unlike me! When I awoke with a start, there was a message from our daughter, ......in London…I thought that it was a hoax! She said “I’m crying! Four were rescued!’ I literally rubbed my eyes and read it again and, still not believing that it could be true, I opened my news sites and also began to shake and weep. J.... had just taken Gila out for a walk, so I shortly got to share with her and together we praised The Lord Who Alone does such wonders before the eyes of man!
I would say that I doubt that any of you have not heard what has happened here…but to our utter shock and astonishment, the hatred and accusations that began to pour out of the world against Israel…I HAVE NO WORDS!
Brothers and sisters, we are not only WITNESSING, but are swimming up to our necks in such a great deception and spiritual battle…have we been ‘doing our lessons?’ Are we ‘prepared’ that His rod and His staff can guide us to, and keep us in, the middle of the ever narrowing path in such deepening darkness? Do we KNOW HIM IN HIS WORD AND INTIMATELY IN CLOSET PRAYER? ARE WE FILLED WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH?...because this world is darkening and filling itself with lies…and it’s REAL. THE TIME IS ‘NOW’.
Perhaps you have heard and seen it all already: the people dancing in the streets, the lifeguards announcing it over the loud speakers as swimmers shouted for joy, the gathering at the hospital, the shouts of the families. There is the story of Noa Argamani, who’s dying mother with terminal brain cancer has been pleading with world leaders, able to hug her mother who has held on by a thread. There is Almog Meir, who’s mother grieved his death and could not believe that he was alive…his father being found dead in front of the television…a broken heart…did he find out that his son was rescued? Andrey Kozlov who made Aliyah alone from Russia a year ago and had been a security guard when he was kidnapped, said that he learned Hebrew finally in Gaza captivity, being kept with two other young men. His parents are just arriving from Russia as I write. Then there was the oldest of the 4 captives, Shlomi Ziv, who wept in the embrace of his wife and daughter…Noa’s father giving thanks to God and offering a blessing upon all.
The secret mission, according the army, was the most complex since the famous Entebbe rescue mission on 3 July 1976. In our briefings, we were told that it was prepared for in the same way. And just like in the Entebbe hostage rescue, one true hero died. Just as Yonathan Netanyahu (yes, the brother of our Prime Minister) lead that rescue and gave his life, so Arnon Zemora (36 year old husband and father) bravely lead this mission, knowing of the extreme danger. As I write, people are lining the streets holding flags as the family (and thousands of others) makes their way to Mount Herzl military cemetery for the funeral. Until a year ago I lived within walking distance of Mt. Herzl.
It seems as if grief is always near to rejoicing here.
And great shock at the world’s reaction.
Shouldn’t we be used to both by now? We are not.
I have more to write but I will not now. This rescue stands alone…and more and more, so do we…BUT GOD! ALL GLORY TO HIM as we approach Shavuot Tuesday night Wednesday. I hope to write again soon. Loving blessings, your sister.
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you…” Numbers 15:1-2
..."a sweet aroma to the Lord.” (throughout scripture)
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Psalm 141:2
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:25-27
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ…LORD OF ALL. May He be glorified and blessed, and may you be encouraged.
Indeed, I have no words this morning to write…but I have to. My heart is filled with a mix that is not possible to describe. It has been VERY hot here for the past few days, although today, thank God, it is cooler. On Friday, a one line report caught my attention; our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yisrael Katz, contacted his counterpart in Russia for the first time in 8 months. Yesterday (Shabat) we noticed planes. It was so hot, I lay down to take a nap and slept deeply for two and a half hours, very unlike me! When I awoke with a start, there was a message from our daughter, ......in London…I thought that it was a hoax! She said “I’m crying! Four were rescued!’ I literally rubbed my eyes and read it again and, still not believing that it could be true, I opened my news sites and also began to shake and weep. J.... had just taken Gila out for a walk, so I shortly got to share with her and together we praised The Lord Who Alone does such wonders before the eyes of man!
I would say that I doubt that any of you have not heard what has happened here…but to our utter shock and astonishment, the hatred and accusations that began to pour out of the world against Israel…I HAVE NO WORDS!
Brothers and sisters, we are not only WITNESSING, but are swimming up to our necks in such a great deception and spiritual battle…have we been ‘doing our lessons?’ Are we ‘prepared’ that His rod and His staff can guide us to, and keep us in, the middle of the ever narrowing path in such deepening darkness? Do we KNOW HIM IN HIS WORD AND INTIMATELY IN CLOSET PRAYER? ARE WE FILLED WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH?...because this world is darkening and filling itself with lies…and it’s REAL. THE TIME IS ‘NOW’.
Perhaps you have heard and seen it all already: the people dancing in the streets, the lifeguards announcing it over the loud speakers as swimmers shouted for joy, the gathering at the hospital, the shouts of the families. There is the story of Noa Argamani, who’s dying mother with terminal brain cancer has been pleading with world leaders, able to hug her mother who has held on by a thread. There is Almog Meir, who’s mother grieved his death and could not believe that he was alive…his father being found dead in front of the television…a broken heart…did he find out that his son was rescued? Andrey Kozlov who made Aliyah alone from Russia a year ago and had been a security guard when he was kidnapped, said that he learned Hebrew finally in Gaza captivity, being kept with two other young men. His parents are just arriving from Russia as I write. Then there was the oldest of the 4 captives, Shlomi Ziv, who wept in the embrace of his wife and daughter…Noa’s father giving thanks to God and offering a blessing upon all.
The secret mission, according the army, was the most complex since the famous Entebbe rescue mission on 3 July 1976. In our briefings, we were told that it was prepared for in the same way. And just like in the Entebbe hostage rescue, one true hero died. Just as Yonathan Netanyahu (yes, the brother of our Prime Minister) lead that rescue and gave his life, so Arnon Zemora (36 year old husband and father) bravely lead this mission, knowing of the extreme danger. As I write, people are lining the streets holding flags as the family (and thousands of others) makes their way to Mount Herzl military cemetery for the funeral. Until a year ago I lived within walking distance of Mt. Herzl.
It seems as if grief is always near to rejoicing here.
And great shock at the world’s reaction.
Shouldn’t we be used to both by now? We are not.
I have more to write but I will not now. This rescue stands alone…and more and more, so do we…BUT GOD! ALL GLORY TO HIM as we approach Shavuot Tuesday night Wednesday. I hope to write again soon. Loving blessings, your sister.
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving to you…” Numbers 15:1-2
..."a sweet aroma to the Lord.” (throughout scripture)
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
Psalm 141:2
June 6, 2024
YOM YERUSHALAYIM 2024 - יום ירושלים 5784
“But the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem; so the Jebusites
dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.” JUDGES 1:21
“The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.” 1 Kings 2:11
“For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever” 1 Chronicles 23:25
“Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ 2Chronicles 6:6
“And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.” 1 Kings 11:42
“Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” 2 Kings 18:25
“He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;” 2 Kings 21:7
“…therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.” 2 Kings 21:12-13
2 Chronicles 29:8 “Therefore the wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes.”
Psalm 51:18 “Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.”
Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 135:21“Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, Who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord!”
“By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harpsUpon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth-- If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.” PSALM 137:1-7
Psalm 147:2 AND 12 “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!”
Isaiah 4:3-4 “And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning,”
ZECH 1:17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
Zechariah 2:4 “who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.”
And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Zechariah 2:12
“And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Zechariah 3:2
“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ Zechariah 8:3
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.” Zechariah 8:4
Zechariah 8:8 “I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
Zechariah 8:15 “So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear. “
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. ZECH 9:9
Zechariah 12:2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 12:3 “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”
Zechariah 12:5 “And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’
Zechariah 12:9-10 “It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
ALL OF CHAPTER 14 ZECHARIAH
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37
Revelation 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Well…I have never done THAT before… JERUSALEM! …here are a few…
With 815 Biblical references to JERUSALEM…AND 352 additional topical references…I simply can not write them all out (although I was tempted), but HE ALREADY DID!
LOVING GREETINGS Dearest brothers and sisters in Yeshua. May The Lord of all creation be blessed, and feared and loved and obeyed and glorified…and may you be encouraged into Him… (and may I as well),
Today is Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim).
As verses poured into my mind concerning Jerusalem, I decided to look them up and picked a ‘few’ of the 815.
Jerusalem!
Fifty seven years ago today, in 1967, God Almighty gave a startling victory to His unworthy people. To the shock (and consternation) of much of the world, against all odds, Israel defeated the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian armies who had attacked us, and to our great surprise, JERUSALEM…the eternal capital of the Jews, was liberated…for the first time in 2,000 years! It was indeed a mighty miracle! It is celebrated yearly here and it has been (ab)used to ignite tensions. I don’t remember if it was 2 years ago or 3 or (?) when Jerusalem was bombed by Hamas in Gaza during the flag parade.
I looked just now at the internet for historic videos of 1967 and to my shock (why I am still shocked by anything is a bit of a wonder) the first video to come up is Al Jazeera’s 45 minute explanation…followed by many other narratives that have not held any place of authority on ‘google research’ in past years…until now. Have you noticed ‘facts’ replaced on the internet by ‘new facts’? I have been alarmed to watch this taking place. This is another red flag to me concerning our toppling world. As reference books have been replaced by the fluid, everchanging internet, those who seek TRUTH are being pressed, hopefully into God. (THIS WEBSITE I BELIEVE TO BE ACCURATE https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-six-day-war you might want to take a look at for information about the ’67 war)
I am writing this letter at 2pm and I don’t know yet how this day will turn out…but none of us know how any of the days will turn out, do we.
We do know that events have been crazy…topsy turvy! We here in Israel (I hope that I am not taking too much upon myself, speaking for others)generally feel grieved, isolated, confused, tired…perplexed. (yes, we DO know of all of the believers around the world standing with us and praying and we do thank you) And yet, whomever I speak with on the street, remains hopeful in The God of Israel. He HAS done it…He WILL do it…unless we are being judged…and toward that thought we walk gently. But even if we are facing His judgment, we KNOW that He is True and Righteous and Just and that we can trust ourselves ever to The Just Judge.
Most of you probably KNOW what is going on here. The top of our news right now includes these horrific situations:
Our North (the Galilee and the Northern farms) has been set on fire by Hizbollah is Lebanon. With the emergency [“shalv 8”] announcement of the call up of 50,000 more reservists (many of whom have been back home resting), the war in the north against Hizbollah appears imminent. Hizbollah has a far more formidable army and weaponry than Hamas.
The situation with the captives is such a nightmare. The grief is carried by the whole country but the answer is not so simple. Hamas was smart in that any captives still alive are constantly with those who are called ‘innocents’. Just as the leaders of Hamas surround themselves with children and our captives, so the captives are also surrounded. And now more and more are found to be dead and the grief of the families who do NOT know the fate of their loved ones is compounded. Into this equation we bring world politics; elections in different countries, filthy politics, countries who don’t care about us ‘negotiating a cease fire’ that is suicide…internal political strife; HOW our government can function is a testimony to God’s goodness and we continue to pray for their wisdom and strength in this impossible situation for which NO BODY has yet presented an alternative.
Countries are ‘recognizing a Palestinian state’ (yep…reward!) and the Maldives (along with other countries) will not allow Israelis to enter. Our Prime Minister may have an arrest warrant out for him. Facts don’t matter. Truth has fallen in the street.
I had a memory.
Two mornings ago, I was praying about the pressure being put on the government to stop the war while Hamas is still in power. The terms of the ‘cease fire’ are awful and I wondered if and how our government could withstand the pressure. It is ‘easy’ to say ‘cease fire’ when those firing at you are not within walking distance!
I was remembering the Wye River negotiations back in October 1998. I had prayed much concerning them. There was a 21 hour sequestered marathon ‘negotiation’…no sleep and no rest. In other words, what I saw happen was that there was an agenda and those in the room were being pressured to ‘see it their way’ until they did! Netanyahu came back from there and Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho were turned over to the Palestinian Authority…in return for ‘PEACE’.
As I was thinking about that, I suddenly remembered my ‘trial by jury duty’ in the early 1980s.
I was living in the tiny, remote fishing village of Naknek, Alaska, and there had been a rape. A jury was needed and the way that a jury was found was that the police man would stand in the (only) road and when someone came into town they were stopped and summoned to the jury. I had taken my 3 month old baby into town to check the mail and there I was. Jury duty! I was sure that I would not be picked. I had a nursing baby. I knew both the victim AND the defendant. My husband was RELATED to both! (it is a tiny area). When I was asked during jury selection what my ‘hobbies’ were I said quite frankly; ‘I want to know God better and that is what I spend my time doing.’ To my shock and horror, I was picked!
The trial was awful! Graphic and sad! We were finally (to my horror) sequestered to come up with a verdict. I was convinced beyond a doubt and wrote ‘guilty’ on my little piece of paper. We all handed the papers in. Around the table sat people whom I knew well; the school principal’s wife…the bar owner…a boat tender…all neighbors. They began to read the results: 1 – GUILTY! I relaxed, hoping that this nightmare would be over soon. Eleven more papers were read …ALL of them said ‘NOT GUILTY’! I was horrified!
We went into discussion.
The principal’s wife said ‘How could he be guilty? He said that he ‘made LOVE to her’…that was so TENDER!’ I remain perplexed to this day. We discussed and argued for 2 days being sequestered at night in the ‘bar hotel’. After 2 days I saw that I could convince nobody and I thought that the idea of a retrial was impossible. I asked them all to leave the room while I prayed and they did. Then I changed my vote so that we could go home.
The lawyer came to me and said ‘HOW COULD YOU HAVE FOUND HIM NOT GUILTY? I WAS COUNTING ON YOU?’ I explained the situation to him…and he told me that it would not have been a retrial but a hung jury. I simply did not know that that was possible. I didn’t know what that was. I should have been told but hadn’t been.
When we left that awful place I was faced by friends and relatives…native women looking at me accusingly; how could I have found him not guilty?
I will NEVER FORGET FAILING THAT AWFUL TEST!
The pressure had been great…and I bowed under it.
Netanyahu had bowed at Wye River and came home to the same stunned horror…how could he have done that?
Here we are again.
How do people stand under such pressure to make decisions that will change the world for atleast some people and possibly the entire world?
Oh brothers and sisters! How we must PRAY! And praying…we must PRAY!
It is now after 4:30 and the main march should be underway in Jerusalem and I am praying that it proceeds with dignity and without violence.
May God, in His Mercy, find repentant and humble hearts to touch His! May we be renewed in our prayer closets, hidden away to find our first love again. May we, quietly, make a difference.
Loving blessings, from the pressure cooker in the center.
Your sis
dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.” JUDGES 1:21
“The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.” 1 Kings 2:11
“For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever” 1 Chronicles 23:25
“Yet I have chosen Jerusalem, that My name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’ 2Chronicles 6:6
“And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.” 1 Kings 11:42
“Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” 2 Kings 18:25
“He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the Lord had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever;” 2 Kings 21:7
“…therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.” 2 Kings 21:12-13
2 Chronicles 29:8 “Therefore the wrath of the Lord fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes.”
Psalm 51:18 “Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.”
Psalm 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Psalm 135:21“Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, Who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the Lord!”
“By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harpsUpon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth-- If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.” PSALM 137:1-7
Psalm 147:2 AND 12 “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel. 12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!”
Isaiah 4:3-4 “And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning,”
ZECH 1:17 “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ’ ”
Zechariah 2:4 “who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.”
And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.” Zechariah 2:12
“And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” Zechariah 3:2
“Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’ Zechariah 8:3
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age.” Zechariah 8:4
Zechariah 8:8 “I will bring them back, And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people And I will be their God, In truth and righteousness.’
Zechariah 8:15 “So again in these days I am determined to do good To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear. “
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. ZECH 9:9
Zechariah 12:2 “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.”
Zechariah 12:3 “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”
Zechariah 12:5 “And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’
Zechariah 12:9-10 “It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
ALL OF CHAPTER 14 ZECHARIAH
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37
Revelation 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Well…I have never done THAT before… JERUSALEM! …here are a few…
With 815 Biblical references to JERUSALEM…AND 352 additional topical references…I simply can not write them all out (although I was tempted), but HE ALREADY DID!
LOVING GREETINGS Dearest brothers and sisters in Yeshua. May The Lord of all creation be blessed, and feared and loved and obeyed and glorified…and may you be encouraged into Him… (and may I as well),
Today is Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim).
As verses poured into my mind concerning Jerusalem, I decided to look them up and picked a ‘few’ of the 815.
Jerusalem!
Fifty seven years ago today, in 1967, God Almighty gave a startling victory to His unworthy people. To the shock (and consternation) of much of the world, against all odds, Israel defeated the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian armies who had attacked us, and to our great surprise, JERUSALEM…the eternal capital of the Jews, was liberated…for the first time in 2,000 years! It was indeed a mighty miracle! It is celebrated yearly here and it has been (ab)used to ignite tensions. I don’t remember if it was 2 years ago or 3 or (?) when Jerusalem was bombed by Hamas in Gaza during the flag parade.
I looked just now at the internet for historic videos of 1967 and to my shock (why I am still shocked by anything is a bit of a wonder) the first video to come up is Al Jazeera’s 45 minute explanation…followed by many other narratives that have not held any place of authority on ‘google research’ in past years…until now. Have you noticed ‘facts’ replaced on the internet by ‘new facts’? I have been alarmed to watch this taking place. This is another red flag to me concerning our toppling world. As reference books have been replaced by the fluid, everchanging internet, those who seek TRUTH are being pressed, hopefully into God. (THIS WEBSITE I BELIEVE TO BE ACCURATE https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-six-day-war you might want to take a look at for information about the ’67 war)
I am writing this letter at 2pm and I don’t know yet how this day will turn out…but none of us know how any of the days will turn out, do we.
We do know that events have been crazy…topsy turvy! We here in Israel (I hope that I am not taking too much upon myself, speaking for others)generally feel grieved, isolated, confused, tired…perplexed. (yes, we DO know of all of the believers around the world standing with us and praying and we do thank you) And yet, whomever I speak with on the street, remains hopeful in The God of Israel. He HAS done it…He WILL do it…unless we are being judged…and toward that thought we walk gently. But even if we are facing His judgment, we KNOW that He is True and Righteous and Just and that we can trust ourselves ever to The Just Judge.
Most of you probably KNOW what is going on here. The top of our news right now includes these horrific situations:
Our North (the Galilee and the Northern farms) has been set on fire by Hizbollah is Lebanon. With the emergency [“shalv 8”] announcement of the call up of 50,000 more reservists (many of whom have been back home resting), the war in the north against Hizbollah appears imminent. Hizbollah has a far more formidable army and weaponry than Hamas.
The situation with the captives is such a nightmare. The grief is carried by the whole country but the answer is not so simple. Hamas was smart in that any captives still alive are constantly with those who are called ‘innocents’. Just as the leaders of Hamas surround themselves with children and our captives, so the captives are also surrounded. And now more and more are found to be dead and the grief of the families who do NOT know the fate of their loved ones is compounded. Into this equation we bring world politics; elections in different countries, filthy politics, countries who don’t care about us ‘negotiating a cease fire’ that is suicide…internal political strife; HOW our government can function is a testimony to God’s goodness and we continue to pray for their wisdom and strength in this impossible situation for which NO BODY has yet presented an alternative.
Countries are ‘recognizing a Palestinian state’ (yep…reward!) and the Maldives (along with other countries) will not allow Israelis to enter. Our Prime Minister may have an arrest warrant out for him. Facts don’t matter. Truth has fallen in the street.
I had a memory.
Two mornings ago, I was praying about the pressure being put on the government to stop the war while Hamas is still in power. The terms of the ‘cease fire’ are awful and I wondered if and how our government could withstand the pressure. It is ‘easy’ to say ‘cease fire’ when those firing at you are not within walking distance!
I was remembering the Wye River negotiations back in October 1998. I had prayed much concerning them. There was a 21 hour sequestered marathon ‘negotiation’…no sleep and no rest. In other words, what I saw happen was that there was an agenda and those in the room were being pressured to ‘see it their way’ until they did! Netanyahu came back from there and Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho were turned over to the Palestinian Authority…in return for ‘PEACE’.
As I was thinking about that, I suddenly remembered my ‘trial by jury duty’ in the early 1980s.
I was living in the tiny, remote fishing village of Naknek, Alaska, and there had been a rape. A jury was needed and the way that a jury was found was that the police man would stand in the (only) road and when someone came into town they were stopped and summoned to the jury. I had taken my 3 month old baby into town to check the mail and there I was. Jury duty! I was sure that I would not be picked. I had a nursing baby. I knew both the victim AND the defendant. My husband was RELATED to both! (it is a tiny area). When I was asked during jury selection what my ‘hobbies’ were I said quite frankly; ‘I want to know God better and that is what I spend my time doing.’ To my shock and horror, I was picked!
The trial was awful! Graphic and sad! We were finally (to my horror) sequestered to come up with a verdict. I was convinced beyond a doubt and wrote ‘guilty’ on my little piece of paper. We all handed the papers in. Around the table sat people whom I knew well; the school principal’s wife…the bar owner…a boat tender…all neighbors. They began to read the results: 1 – GUILTY! I relaxed, hoping that this nightmare would be over soon. Eleven more papers were read …ALL of them said ‘NOT GUILTY’! I was horrified!
We went into discussion.
The principal’s wife said ‘How could he be guilty? He said that he ‘made LOVE to her’…that was so TENDER!’ I remain perplexed to this day. We discussed and argued for 2 days being sequestered at night in the ‘bar hotel’. After 2 days I saw that I could convince nobody and I thought that the idea of a retrial was impossible. I asked them all to leave the room while I prayed and they did. Then I changed my vote so that we could go home.
The lawyer came to me and said ‘HOW COULD YOU HAVE FOUND HIM NOT GUILTY? I WAS COUNTING ON YOU?’ I explained the situation to him…and he told me that it would not have been a retrial but a hung jury. I simply did not know that that was possible. I didn’t know what that was. I should have been told but hadn’t been.
When we left that awful place I was faced by friends and relatives…native women looking at me accusingly; how could I have found him not guilty?
I will NEVER FORGET FAILING THAT AWFUL TEST!
The pressure had been great…and I bowed under it.
Netanyahu had bowed at Wye River and came home to the same stunned horror…how could he have done that?
Here we are again.
How do people stand under such pressure to make decisions that will change the world for atleast some people and possibly the entire world?
Oh brothers and sisters! How we must PRAY! And praying…we must PRAY!
It is now after 4:30 and the main march should be underway in Jerusalem and I am praying that it proceeds with dignity and without violence.
May God, in His Mercy, find repentant and humble hearts to touch His! May we be renewed in our prayer closets, hidden away to find our first love again. May we, quietly, make a difference.
Loving blessings, from the pressure cooker in the center.
Your sis
May 20, 2024
“Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.” PSALM 98:(8)9
“The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!The Lord is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name-He is holy.” PSALM 99:1-3
Loving greetings in The Name above all names…Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ…in Whom we have redemption and forgiveness of all of our sin without which I, for one, would be hopeless in this dark world! All praise and glory and blessing and honor to Him…and may you be encouraged.
I have managed to offend a lot of people lately. If you are one of them, I am so sorry. Please let me know that I might repent. Any breach in the body of The Lord is unbearably grievous and eternally serious. We have no leeway to allow offences to take root, and thankfully He has given us His path to mend such breaches…but we have to be open and honest. If I have offended you, please tell me. Thank you…it is for HIS sake.
We live in such times! It IS a roller coaster and fraught with traps and deceptions. I read something written by a guy in Tel Aviv who said that he understands why people in the West ‘don’t get it’. He said ‘The war is not near them.’ He continued; ‘For a long time it wasn’t all that real to me until it came to Tel Aviv and changed my daily life. Now it is real.’ I try to be a bridge in this way, I guess. I remember what it was like to live pretty isolated from the problems of the world. My own personal problems seemed so huge back then; there were always reasons to stress and worry…or to choose Him. I didn’t learn my lessons very well back in the simpler days. Now that the situation is ‘existential’, I recall the lessons of the past and am ashamed for the ones that I did not pass. They (the lessons…the tests and trials) were all for His glory and for my equipping. It is so much easier to see things in retrospect. I wish that I had not been so ‘sensitive’ when my ‘feelings’ were hurt, or when I was corrected in a manner that I thought to be harshly. However, it makes no difference now; it is what it is, and He still forgives and teaches in the way that we should go.
How strange to read that the international criminal court in the Hague has just issued arrest warrants for our Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (why not Benny Gantz? Interesting…) along with 3 Hamas leaders. What hypocrisy…but why should ANYTHING make sense today? This was announced just after the death of Iranian President Raisi along with 6 other government members in a helicopter crash during bad weather while returning from Azerbaijan. Immediately the media lit up with accusations against Israel. One writer wryly commented that our Mossad really was masterful, placing that mountain in front of the helicopter in the fog - while another commented that The God of Israel has the courage to do what the people of Israel does not. President Raisi was known as the butcher of Teheran, having been responsible in the 1980s for the slaughter of many of their own people as part of the Islamic revolution.
Such was the day here, while rockets and fighting continued. A poignant video showed on the news today, a class of second graders in Sderot under their desks during an attack alert, singing prayers for the IDF (our soldiers). Next to that article were many others about the four burials that just took place for the bodies that were ‘rescued’ from Gaza, from 7th October…giving closure to too few families.
Only God is steady and stable…The Rock that does not move…but ‘only God’ is enough! Two hundred and twenty seven days of war, we struggle to hold on to the unity that has been so beautiful, but that unity is opposed by strong moves afoot to topple the government. The Lord REIGNS in majesty! The government IS on His shoulders and that does bring those of us who know Him a peace in our hearts that others can’t yet know.
I walked over to the Rami Levi store. I enjoyed seeing the ABUNDANCE of fruit bursting forth from the so many trees that grace this area. The trees drape over the fences and anyone can pick any fruit that is hanging over. The shesek trees were laden with fruit and I feasted as I walked. Now the mulberries are falling to the ground turning the stones a deep purple. Grapes, pomegranates, and figs are growing rapidly and there are still lemons and oranges too high up to reach. The flowers are abundant and fragrant…what a dichotomy this is…and what a picture of The Lord!
On the eve of Yom h’zicheron (our Memorial Day for fallen soldiers), I was getting ready to go to find a ceremony to take part in. E... and I always joined the local ceremonies when we lived in Beit h’Kerem, Jerusalem, but this would be my first ceremony here in Maoz Zion. Instead…I tripped on …?? Lord knows what (!) and had a nasty fall. Thankfully, nothing was broken (11 x-rays cleared me of any nagging suspicions) but every muscle was pulled and bruised and my confidence was shaken. I did not get to go to a local ceremony. The day was, as was to be expected, grievous. There were hundreds of new families mourning and 5 new graves of soldiers that very day. The burden was agonizing. I wondered if they would still be able to ‘pull off’ the transition between Memorial Day and Yom h’atzmaut (Independence Day). It is such an emotional transition year after year…but THIS year threatened to be the end of death unto life and grief unto joy. The ceremony itself would not be live for the first time. Who would light the torches? How would we celebrate? The ‘bring down the government camp’ called for an alternative ‘torch extinguishing (!)’ ceremony. What would happen? I watched the main state ceremony on my computer and was brought to tears; It was beautiful and touching. It began at Kibbutz Be’eri, where the main slaughter took place on 7th October. The torch lighters, instead of being outstanding people, were GROUPS! There were the first responders…there were the medical teams…there were those who tirelessly tell Israel’s story on social media (yes!) …it was such an encouraging event that again, gracefully moved the country into as much celebrating as possible…a nation born in a day! I was blessed to join our Kehila (fellowship) for a ‘mangal’ (bar b’q) at the beautiful home of one of our families where we sang praises to and worshipped The Lord Who WILL reveal Himself to His people.
There is just never a dull moment here.
The next morning as I was out walking Gila, my miracle dog, I had one of those fascinating National Geographic moments that fills my life with wonder. We have tons of ravens here…they have grey bodies and black heads and wings and are very noisy, as ravens are. They are a smart bird and I enjoy watching their antics and (yes…) even talking to them. It’s not unusual to see them grouping in a tree and squawking loudly, but that morning there was something very different. There was an urgency that caught my attention. There must have been atleast 40 of them flying around and ALL of them were squawking at once. They called to another tree across the road and there was a constant flow back and forth. ‘Hey!’ (I said, just like the little old lady that I am) ‘What’s going on here?’ I continued to watch them and to listen, and indeed they were frantic and communicating face to face. All of the sudden it hit me; they are grieving! As I watched I came to assume that an important member of their community had died. Many years ago, we had a duck that deeply grieved the death of his mate, and I’ve seen documentaries about other animals grieving, particularly elephants but this was the first time that I have been privy to such a large group of The Lord’s creatures grieving…aside from humans. When Racheli, my helper from Bituach Leumi arrived, I told her about it and she said ‘Oh! In that tree over there?’ pointing to the tree. ‘I watched them too and that was what I felt was happening also. I have never seen that before!’ How gracious of The Lord to open our eyes to the wonders of His creation.
I will bring this letter to a close now. Thank you so much for your prayers. We are weary but expecting to see The Lord. I am not one to send prayer points…The Holy Spirit can do so much better than I. But I know that most of you pray and I am so incredibly thankful. Thank you for remembering my family as well.
May The Lord meet you where you are and bring you further on. Me too. Loving blessings, your sis.
“Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.” PSALM 98:(8)9
“The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!The Lord is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name-He is holy.” PSALM 99:1-3
Loving greetings in The Name above all names…Messiah Yeshua, Jesus Christ…in Whom we have redemption and forgiveness of all of our sin without which I, for one, would be hopeless in this dark world! All praise and glory and blessing and honor to Him…and may you be encouraged.
I have managed to offend a lot of people lately. If you are one of them, I am so sorry. Please let me know that I might repent. Any breach in the body of The Lord is unbearably grievous and eternally serious. We have no leeway to allow offences to take root, and thankfully He has given us His path to mend such breaches…but we have to be open and honest. If I have offended you, please tell me. Thank you…it is for HIS sake.
We live in such times! It IS a roller coaster and fraught with traps and deceptions. I read something written by a guy in Tel Aviv who said that he understands why people in the West ‘don’t get it’. He said ‘The war is not near them.’ He continued; ‘For a long time it wasn’t all that real to me until it came to Tel Aviv and changed my daily life. Now it is real.’ I try to be a bridge in this way, I guess. I remember what it was like to live pretty isolated from the problems of the world. My own personal problems seemed so huge back then; there were always reasons to stress and worry…or to choose Him. I didn’t learn my lessons very well back in the simpler days. Now that the situation is ‘existential’, I recall the lessons of the past and am ashamed for the ones that I did not pass. They (the lessons…the tests and trials) were all for His glory and for my equipping. It is so much easier to see things in retrospect. I wish that I had not been so ‘sensitive’ when my ‘feelings’ were hurt, or when I was corrected in a manner that I thought to be harshly. However, it makes no difference now; it is what it is, and He still forgives and teaches in the way that we should go.
How strange to read that the international criminal court in the Hague has just issued arrest warrants for our Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (why not Benny Gantz? Interesting…) along with 3 Hamas leaders. What hypocrisy…but why should ANYTHING make sense today? This was announced just after the death of Iranian President Raisi along with 6 other government members in a helicopter crash during bad weather while returning from Azerbaijan. Immediately the media lit up with accusations against Israel. One writer wryly commented that our Mossad really was masterful, placing that mountain in front of the helicopter in the fog - while another commented that The God of Israel has the courage to do what the people of Israel does not. President Raisi was known as the butcher of Teheran, having been responsible in the 1980s for the slaughter of many of their own people as part of the Islamic revolution.
Such was the day here, while rockets and fighting continued. A poignant video showed on the news today, a class of second graders in Sderot under their desks during an attack alert, singing prayers for the IDF (our soldiers). Next to that article were many others about the four burials that just took place for the bodies that were ‘rescued’ from Gaza, from 7th October…giving closure to too few families.
Only God is steady and stable…The Rock that does not move…but ‘only God’ is enough! Two hundred and twenty seven days of war, we struggle to hold on to the unity that has been so beautiful, but that unity is opposed by strong moves afoot to topple the government. The Lord REIGNS in majesty! The government IS on His shoulders and that does bring those of us who know Him a peace in our hearts that others can’t yet know.
I walked over to the Rami Levi store. I enjoyed seeing the ABUNDANCE of fruit bursting forth from the so many trees that grace this area. The trees drape over the fences and anyone can pick any fruit that is hanging over. The shesek trees were laden with fruit and I feasted as I walked. Now the mulberries are falling to the ground turning the stones a deep purple. Grapes, pomegranates, and figs are growing rapidly and there are still lemons and oranges too high up to reach. The flowers are abundant and fragrant…what a dichotomy this is…and what a picture of The Lord!
On the eve of Yom h’zicheron (our Memorial Day for fallen soldiers), I was getting ready to go to find a ceremony to take part in. E... and I always joined the local ceremonies when we lived in Beit h’Kerem, Jerusalem, but this would be my first ceremony here in Maoz Zion. Instead…I tripped on …?? Lord knows what (!) and had a nasty fall. Thankfully, nothing was broken (11 x-rays cleared me of any nagging suspicions) but every muscle was pulled and bruised and my confidence was shaken. I did not get to go to a local ceremony. The day was, as was to be expected, grievous. There were hundreds of new families mourning and 5 new graves of soldiers that very day. The burden was agonizing. I wondered if they would still be able to ‘pull off’ the transition between Memorial Day and Yom h’atzmaut (Independence Day). It is such an emotional transition year after year…but THIS year threatened to be the end of death unto life and grief unto joy. The ceremony itself would not be live for the first time. Who would light the torches? How would we celebrate? The ‘bring down the government camp’ called for an alternative ‘torch extinguishing (!)’ ceremony. What would happen? I watched the main state ceremony on my computer and was brought to tears; It was beautiful and touching. It began at Kibbutz Be’eri, where the main slaughter took place on 7th October. The torch lighters, instead of being outstanding people, were GROUPS! There were the first responders…there were the medical teams…there were those who tirelessly tell Israel’s story on social media (yes!) …it was such an encouraging event that again, gracefully moved the country into as much celebrating as possible…a nation born in a day! I was blessed to join our Kehila (fellowship) for a ‘mangal’ (bar b’q) at the beautiful home of one of our families where we sang praises to and worshipped The Lord Who WILL reveal Himself to His people.
There is just never a dull moment here.
The next morning as I was out walking Gila, my miracle dog, I had one of those fascinating National Geographic moments that fills my life with wonder. We have tons of ravens here…they have grey bodies and black heads and wings and are very noisy, as ravens are. They are a smart bird and I enjoy watching their antics and (yes…) even talking to them. It’s not unusual to see them grouping in a tree and squawking loudly, but that morning there was something very different. There was an urgency that caught my attention. There must have been atleast 40 of them flying around and ALL of them were squawking at once. They called to another tree across the road and there was a constant flow back and forth. ‘Hey!’ (I said, just like the little old lady that I am) ‘What’s going on here?’ I continued to watch them and to listen, and indeed they were frantic and communicating face to face. All of the sudden it hit me; they are grieving! As I watched I came to assume that an important member of their community had died. Many years ago, we had a duck that deeply grieved the death of his mate, and I’ve seen documentaries about other animals grieving, particularly elephants but this was the first time that I have been privy to such a large group of The Lord’s creatures grieving…aside from humans. When Racheli, my helper from Bituach Leumi arrived, I told her about it and she said ‘Oh! In that tree over there?’ pointing to the tree. ‘I watched them too and that was what I felt was happening also. I have never seen that before!’ How gracious of The Lord to open our eyes to the wonders of His creation.
I will bring this letter to a close now. Thank you so much for your prayers. We are weary but expecting to see The Lord. I am not one to send prayer points…The Holy Spirit can do so much better than I. But I know that most of you pray and I am so incredibly thankful. Thank you for remembering my family as well.
May The Lord meet you where you are and bring you further on. Me too. Loving blessings, your sis.
May 11, 2024
“…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” JOHN 14:2-3
Greetings brothers and sisters, as we approach Shabbat. May The Sovereign Lord Who Is eternal…Who created us through His love and for His glory…for fellowship with us that we may KNOW HIM…may HE Alone be glorified and blessed. And may encouragement toward Him be ours.
What a time we are living in. Most of us probably remember ‘better’ and ‘simpler’ days. We have read His Word and we knew that this was all coming…but what it would actually look like, we could only imagine. Weren’t we all going to be so brave and strong; so FAITHFUL…heroes for Him? I think of Christian and Faithful in the wonderful book Pilgrim’s Progress and how the walk along the path really was: They went through pleasant places and through terrifying pits…and each one that was ‘now’ was what they could see at the moment. During this ‘now’ here in Israel…we see the ‘now’…we experience the ‘now’. ALL of His promises in His Word are real and true…and we walk through a ‘real and true’ path on our way. We have not passed this way before.
It is a hot day today…one of those dry, wind from the desert, pre-summer hot days during the spring weather roller coaster. A celebration of my landlady’s birthday is being planned for tonight and tables for 20 of us are being set up outside my door. There is a certain resilience here that really does uniquely exist; the insistence that we WILL ‘live’ and continue living, even as grief and hate laugh in our faces. I was speaking with one of our soldiers and hearing his experience of the surreal feeling; walking off the battlefield and seeing people drinking coffee in cafés. That puts into perspective for me one of the facts missing in most of these ‘difficult’ political discussions constantly thrown in our faces; the battle IS AT OUR DOORSTEP. We do not have the privilege of fighting a battle in a foreign land…this IS HERE. It is daily, hourly at our doors. As I write there are war planes flying overhead, and since I live very near to Hadassa Ein Kerem hospital, the helicopters carrying the injured fly by so that I can watch them and pray. IT IS HERE AND NOW.
This little paragraph may leave some of you scratching your heads, but it has a ‘flavor’, if you will take a moment to understand. Part of my daily reading right now is in Zechariah and I am touched at how many times he says “I raised my eyes and looked…”. Before I was saved, as most of you know, I was a wild hippie and so the music that went along with the 1960s early ‘70s was a big part of my life. When I got saved, the Lord did some radical work in my life and the world’s music went out the window, gloriously replaced by songs of praise and worship. It was a miracle and to this day I do not hear worldly music without discomfort.
But this paragraph is about a worldly song from Israel right now: Eurovision is an international ‘Olympics’ of music taken very seriously in this part of the world. Israeli’s entry is a powerfully emotional song that really does reflect the current national ‘heartbeat’…thinly cloaked. The very participation of Israel this year (in Sweden) was highly contested and met with violent rage and indignation. With dignity, courage and for her country, 20 year old Eden Golan went with her song ‘Hurricane’, her dress resembling torn bandages. She gracefully performed through the hisses and boos, volent protesters seeking to lynch her (!) and last night she made it to the finals. During the interviews following her performance, she was asked by a reporter ‘Didn’t it concern you that your very presence here might cause someone to be hurt?!?’ Wow! That seemed to me to sum up this entire past 7 months of war: Doesn’t it concern you that YOUR PRESENCE might cause ‘someone’ to be hurt. I realized that, actually, that question confronts (maybe) every Jew…all through our lives. (at least that is MY perception of MY life. I surely can not speak for all, so please, I do not mean to.) I grew up with a distinct feeling that my very existence disrupted…EVERYTHING.
THEN CAME YESHUA!
HIS Presence also disturbed and disrupted everything. But to those who SAW and followed after, and became His disciples, life from the dead…Light from the darkness…beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Praise God, it is HIS plan and HIS world and the outcome is HIS!
Can you believe it? I can not…it is almost a full year since I moved from Jerusalem to Maoz Zion! On 1 of June last year I left Jerusalem, my head swimming. Then, E had left this earth just a year earlier (is it really 2 already?) and El.... also was moving out of Jerusalem and this new page that was turning was so heavy that my strength nearly failed me to turn it; but The Holy Spirit turned it for me. In this year, my job ended one week before the war began. With total wonder and awe, I look at the lovingkindness of The Lord – open mouthed! We used to sing an old chorus in Naknek “He’s able, He’s able, I know that He is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through.” Whether we know it or not, He IS able and willing! I feel that He has safely tucked me away and yesterday morning, as I was reading John 14, the verses above grabbed my heart! Of course I have always seen them and taken comfort in them, but during this time of war and uncertainty and great upheaval, I began to think about the incredible PEACE that is in the heart of a child or ANYONE who knows that their loved one has provided for them a secure place to live! It became so much more meaningful to me. This IS HIS PROMISE and HE WILL do it, we are secure in this! I had the absurd thought of a princess marrying a rich prince and being carried over the threshold of a beautiful home prepared for her and never questioning the security of the ownership. Wow!
I suspect that not one of you is unaware of what is going on here, both from your own news sources and all of the newsletters that you are inundated with. From this end, looking at the world’s response to us is grotesquely bizarre, and the reality of the fact that “in every generation Amalek will arise to destroy us” while not being comforting, is here and now. Since we just passed through and emotional Holocaust Remembrance Day and are on our way toward Memorial Day and Independence Day (Monday and Tuesday), perhaps it is ok to look at some basic bare bone facts as I see them, if you will put up with this a bit: We are fighting an enemy who is determined to destroy us…the spiritual battle that has gone on since the garden of Eden. We are physically surrounded by this enemy as well as them being embedded within (in Judea and Samaria). Our enemy is heavily armed and determined to fulfill their goal, and by their own creed loves death and sees our love of life as our great weakness. The war is NOW, and there was and is no way to avoid it or put it off. SO WHY IS OUR ENTRY INTO THE WAR ON RAFAH SO VIOLENTLY CONTESTED BY AMERICA AND EUROPE? What is Rafah?
The Gaza Strip is a long narrow piece of land divided into sections…like counties. Contrary to propaganda, Gaza was quite a resort area and you can still see pictures on google (what hasn’t been deftly removed) of opulent hotels and shopping centers, frequented by rich tourists mostly from Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and wealthy Arab nations. Rafah is the southernmost section of Gaza and has a long border with Egypt. We have known since the beginning of the war that in Rafah there are thriving terror and weapons smuggling tunnels across the Egyptian border, that our hostages are there and the remaining leaders of Hamas have strongholds there. Egypt and Israel have had a ‘cool’ peace treaty since March 1979 (it took effect 1 Jan. 1980) The Gaza Strip was under Egyptian control until the war of 1967. Egypt refused to take Gaza back and will not take any ‘Gazan refugees’ as Hamas is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, thus enemies of Egypt. The remaining intact battalions of Hamas stand in Rafah. According to intelligence, so do our captives and the main leaders of Hamas in Gaza; Sinwar and Deif. Yes, we know that the leaders and fighters in Hamas surround themselves with the captives and women and children. WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE WORLD REFUSES TO ALLOW ISRAEL TO WIN THE WAR- the war that if we do NOT win, will mean our demise…it is not natural…it is spiritual. We are at the point of standing alone, BUT FOR THE BELIEVERS who read and see and understand and KNOW GOD’S WORD, WAY AND SPIRIT who stand with us. You know, I’m sure, that America has stopped supplying us weapons…the other countries from whom we purchased weapons are following suit. You know that Turkey, who has been Israel’s main trading partner for 75 years, has cut off all trade with us. The viciousness of the hatred is what is so shocking. Coming from a background where I felt as a child that we were hated and unwanted, now I am seeing this as an adult in context of the spiritual battle.
The spiritual battle: (rabbit trail here perhaps) It occurred to me that the spiritual battle does not end until it ENDS and we enter into our rest. My daily reading is ALSO in Revelation at the moment and I suddenly saw something that released me … but that many may not agree with. It seems to me that my understanding of ‘deliverance’ was not deep enough. I don’t know if I can explain this because I have BEEN delivered from many things and had so many awful chains broken in my life…but I suddenly realized that it is a ‘guarantee’ of the promise to be eternal…and yet I must stand in the victory here and now until the ‘guarantee’ is fulfilled. Our enemy is alive and greedy and filled with hate and does not mind waiting until we are just a bit lazy to take advantage of ground that we thought was fully gained.
WHEW! That was a mouthful and I am not sure that I was at all able to express what I feel that my heart discovered, but it was very freeing and strengthening to me. We are in a battle for life. We signed up for this path ALL the way to the finish line…to the final ‘Oh glory be the day’. It is real.
AND…we are nearing Shabbat, so I will close this letter, that IS written with loving blessing to you who stand with The Lord for His glory and for His purposes to be fulfilled, I am humbled that you take the time to read this and to pray. Loving blessings to each of you. Your sister.
Update:
The first article is very well written explanation of the confusion around the so called hostage release 'deal'.
The second article about the Italian waiter is simply a major eye opener to the fact that there are so many
people who still have no idea what happened on 7 Oct. Thank you for taking the time to read them.
Sinister Hamas terms would let it keep most hostages, win the war, inflame the West Bank
Editor's note: The second article was deleted.
“…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” JOHN 14:2-3
Greetings brothers and sisters, as we approach Shabbat. May The Sovereign Lord Who Is eternal…Who created us through His love and for His glory…for fellowship with us that we may KNOW HIM…may HE Alone be glorified and blessed. And may encouragement toward Him be ours.
What a time we are living in. Most of us probably remember ‘better’ and ‘simpler’ days. We have read His Word and we knew that this was all coming…but what it would actually look like, we could only imagine. Weren’t we all going to be so brave and strong; so FAITHFUL…heroes for Him? I think of Christian and Faithful in the wonderful book Pilgrim’s Progress and how the walk along the path really was: They went through pleasant places and through terrifying pits…and each one that was ‘now’ was what they could see at the moment. During this ‘now’ here in Israel…we see the ‘now’…we experience the ‘now’. ALL of His promises in His Word are real and true…and we walk through a ‘real and true’ path on our way. We have not passed this way before.
It is a hot day today…one of those dry, wind from the desert, pre-summer hot days during the spring weather roller coaster. A celebration of my landlady’s birthday is being planned for tonight and tables for 20 of us are being set up outside my door. There is a certain resilience here that really does uniquely exist; the insistence that we WILL ‘live’ and continue living, even as grief and hate laugh in our faces. I was speaking with one of our soldiers and hearing his experience of the surreal feeling; walking off the battlefield and seeing people drinking coffee in cafés. That puts into perspective for me one of the facts missing in most of these ‘difficult’ political discussions constantly thrown in our faces; the battle IS AT OUR DOORSTEP. We do not have the privilege of fighting a battle in a foreign land…this IS HERE. It is daily, hourly at our doors. As I write there are war planes flying overhead, and since I live very near to Hadassa Ein Kerem hospital, the helicopters carrying the injured fly by so that I can watch them and pray. IT IS HERE AND NOW.
This little paragraph may leave some of you scratching your heads, but it has a ‘flavor’, if you will take a moment to understand. Part of my daily reading right now is in Zechariah and I am touched at how many times he says “I raised my eyes and looked…”. Before I was saved, as most of you know, I was a wild hippie and so the music that went along with the 1960s early ‘70s was a big part of my life. When I got saved, the Lord did some radical work in my life and the world’s music went out the window, gloriously replaced by songs of praise and worship. It was a miracle and to this day I do not hear worldly music without discomfort.
But this paragraph is about a worldly song from Israel right now: Eurovision is an international ‘Olympics’ of music taken very seriously in this part of the world. Israeli’s entry is a powerfully emotional song that really does reflect the current national ‘heartbeat’…thinly cloaked. The very participation of Israel this year (in Sweden) was highly contested and met with violent rage and indignation. With dignity, courage and for her country, 20 year old Eden Golan went with her song ‘Hurricane’, her dress resembling torn bandages. She gracefully performed through the hisses and boos, volent protesters seeking to lynch her (!) and last night she made it to the finals. During the interviews following her performance, she was asked by a reporter ‘Didn’t it concern you that your very presence here might cause someone to be hurt?!?’ Wow! That seemed to me to sum up this entire past 7 months of war: Doesn’t it concern you that YOUR PRESENCE might cause ‘someone’ to be hurt. I realized that, actually, that question confronts (maybe) every Jew…all through our lives. (at least that is MY perception of MY life. I surely can not speak for all, so please, I do not mean to.) I grew up with a distinct feeling that my very existence disrupted…EVERYTHING.
THEN CAME YESHUA!
HIS Presence also disturbed and disrupted everything. But to those who SAW and followed after, and became His disciples, life from the dead…Light from the darkness…beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Praise God, it is HIS plan and HIS world and the outcome is HIS!
Can you believe it? I can not…it is almost a full year since I moved from Jerusalem to Maoz Zion! On 1 of June last year I left Jerusalem, my head swimming. Then, E had left this earth just a year earlier (is it really 2 already?) and El.... also was moving out of Jerusalem and this new page that was turning was so heavy that my strength nearly failed me to turn it; but The Holy Spirit turned it for me. In this year, my job ended one week before the war began. With total wonder and awe, I look at the lovingkindness of The Lord – open mouthed! We used to sing an old chorus in Naknek “He’s able, He’s able, I know that He is able, I know my Lord is able to carry me through.” Whether we know it or not, He IS able and willing! I feel that He has safely tucked me away and yesterday morning, as I was reading John 14, the verses above grabbed my heart! Of course I have always seen them and taken comfort in them, but during this time of war and uncertainty and great upheaval, I began to think about the incredible PEACE that is in the heart of a child or ANYONE who knows that their loved one has provided for them a secure place to live! It became so much more meaningful to me. This IS HIS PROMISE and HE WILL do it, we are secure in this! I had the absurd thought of a princess marrying a rich prince and being carried over the threshold of a beautiful home prepared for her and never questioning the security of the ownership. Wow!
I suspect that not one of you is unaware of what is going on here, both from your own news sources and all of the newsletters that you are inundated with. From this end, looking at the world’s response to us is grotesquely bizarre, and the reality of the fact that “in every generation Amalek will arise to destroy us” while not being comforting, is here and now. Since we just passed through and emotional Holocaust Remembrance Day and are on our way toward Memorial Day and Independence Day (Monday and Tuesday), perhaps it is ok to look at some basic bare bone facts as I see them, if you will put up with this a bit: We are fighting an enemy who is determined to destroy us…the spiritual battle that has gone on since the garden of Eden. We are physically surrounded by this enemy as well as them being embedded within (in Judea and Samaria). Our enemy is heavily armed and determined to fulfill their goal, and by their own creed loves death and sees our love of life as our great weakness. The war is NOW, and there was and is no way to avoid it or put it off. SO WHY IS OUR ENTRY INTO THE WAR ON RAFAH SO VIOLENTLY CONTESTED BY AMERICA AND EUROPE? What is Rafah?
The Gaza Strip is a long narrow piece of land divided into sections…like counties. Contrary to propaganda, Gaza was quite a resort area and you can still see pictures on google (what hasn’t been deftly removed) of opulent hotels and shopping centers, frequented by rich tourists mostly from Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and wealthy Arab nations. Rafah is the southernmost section of Gaza and has a long border with Egypt. We have known since the beginning of the war that in Rafah there are thriving terror and weapons smuggling tunnels across the Egyptian border, that our hostages are there and the remaining leaders of Hamas have strongholds there. Egypt and Israel have had a ‘cool’ peace treaty since March 1979 (it took effect 1 Jan. 1980) The Gaza Strip was under Egyptian control until the war of 1967. Egypt refused to take Gaza back and will not take any ‘Gazan refugees’ as Hamas is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, thus enemies of Egypt. The remaining intact battalions of Hamas stand in Rafah. According to intelligence, so do our captives and the main leaders of Hamas in Gaza; Sinwar and Deif. Yes, we know that the leaders and fighters in Hamas surround themselves with the captives and women and children. WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE WORLD REFUSES TO ALLOW ISRAEL TO WIN THE WAR- the war that if we do NOT win, will mean our demise…it is not natural…it is spiritual. We are at the point of standing alone, BUT FOR THE BELIEVERS who read and see and understand and KNOW GOD’S WORD, WAY AND SPIRIT who stand with us. You know, I’m sure, that America has stopped supplying us weapons…the other countries from whom we purchased weapons are following suit. You know that Turkey, who has been Israel’s main trading partner for 75 years, has cut off all trade with us. The viciousness of the hatred is what is so shocking. Coming from a background where I felt as a child that we were hated and unwanted, now I am seeing this as an adult in context of the spiritual battle.
The spiritual battle: (rabbit trail here perhaps) It occurred to me that the spiritual battle does not end until it ENDS and we enter into our rest. My daily reading is ALSO in Revelation at the moment and I suddenly saw something that released me … but that many may not agree with. It seems to me that my understanding of ‘deliverance’ was not deep enough. I don’t know if I can explain this because I have BEEN delivered from many things and had so many awful chains broken in my life…but I suddenly realized that it is a ‘guarantee’ of the promise to be eternal…and yet I must stand in the victory here and now until the ‘guarantee’ is fulfilled. Our enemy is alive and greedy and filled with hate and does not mind waiting until we are just a bit lazy to take advantage of ground that we thought was fully gained.
WHEW! That was a mouthful and I am not sure that I was at all able to express what I feel that my heart discovered, but it was very freeing and strengthening to me. We are in a battle for life. We signed up for this path ALL the way to the finish line…to the final ‘Oh glory be the day’. It is real.
AND…we are nearing Shabbat, so I will close this letter, that IS written with loving blessing to you who stand with The Lord for His glory and for His purposes to be fulfilled, I am humbled that you take the time to read this and to pray. Loving blessings to each of you. Your sister.
Update:
The first article is very well written explanation of the confusion around the so called hostage release 'deal'.
The second article about the Italian waiter is simply a major eye opener to the fact that there are so many
people who still have no idea what happened on 7 Oct. Thank you for taking the time to read them.
Sinister Hamas terms would let it keep most hostages, win the war, inflame the West Bank
Editor's note: The second article was deleted.
May 3, 2024
‘…This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” LEVITICUS 6:9-13
Greetings, brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua, The Light of the world. May you be blessed and encouraged and may He Alone be seen and glorified.
We here, (dare I speak for ‘us’? I feel that is ‘chutzpah’- emotions are running so deep- so I say that with humility) continue in ‘survival mode’, but a ratcheted up version. As I find it more and more difficult to say anything about what I am seeing, hearing, feeling here…I really felt His pressure this morning that I was to write. This scripture above may seem strange (I mean…Leviticus 6 may not always grab your attention) but it grabbed me this morning during my reading. I was praying ‘to pray’ as I read this; asking The Lord HOW to formulate all that is in my heart (or should be) into prevailing prayer…and I read this. I had written myself a note along side awhile back asking how the ashes, fully burned and brought outside could ALSO continue burning on the altar and NEVER GO OUT. Today I saw that as a picture of prevailing prayer and I WANT THAT: But I don’t yet have it!
Thank you for praying for my time with our daughter and family during Pesach. It was a blessing and it was the ‘right time’ for me to break out of my cocoon. I spent 3 days with them in their rugged, mountain home in Gush Etzion, Judea, and it was a great blessing to me. I have begun reading The Horse and His Boy to the children (CS Lewis – Narnia series) and I am so thankful for every moment that I am able to have with Grandchildren (AND Children!). Upon returning home, I went to the shops and proceeded to lose my glasses on the bus – the next day I dropped my iPhone in some nasty water and the day after my computer screen simply died. ‘Ok Lord, I’m listening.’ I had neither phone contact nor email contact at all…and I couldn’t see. AND…I had to find solutions on my own. I did. I’m typing on a borrowed computer screen; my iPhone was finally repaired after 4 days – and I found the solutions and made the decisions ‘myself’ to issues that E... usually solved. I was able to locate an optometrist who was open during the holidays and have ordered new glasses. During this time, my dear sister from Alaska has arrived for the next 3 months (she volunteers at Bridges for Peace) so I am not alone and this is a great blessing. The 26th marked 2 years already since E.. left this world…how can the time be so short…and so long all at once. Suddenly, my right arm stopped working again. Oh well…that is slowly coming back, praise God, and my sister so graciously, has volunteered to water my mini-farm. I see God’s Hand EVERYWHERE!
It was as if the intensity of my personal life was a microcosm of the impossible intensity that stretches this nation.
He gave me His peace in the midst of these sudden challenges.
Will He give our people His Peace in the midst of this fire?
Last Thursday, just before the final Shabbat of the Passover, and just after I had lost my glasses, I had to walk over to the super and get some milk and eggs. It is difficult to describe the crowds in the stores on days like this. It was just before Shabbat, towards the end of the holiday, in the midst of the war and right after we had been informed of some impending price hikes; EVERYBODY was shopping …or on the ‘other’ battlefront. The store was full of people, the shelves were almost empty and the checkout lines stretched down the shopping aisles and around the corner. I took my four items (because there is always ‘something else’ to get) and got on line. Time ticked by and I got tired. The woman behind me said ‘Please! Put your things in my cart so that you don’t have to hold them.’ I was thankful and did. Another woman with a full cart came and tried to get in front of me. The woman in front of me said to me ‘Oh, she was there before you came’, so I stepped aside. Soon both of the women in front of me saw a neighbor several aisles down and said ‘Would you watch our carts? We want to greet our friends.’ Everyone was patiently waiting. Everyone knew that it was a holiday. I was wishing that I wasn’t feeling so tired and weak. Suddenly a woman came up to me and said ‘What are you doing in the middle of this long line? You should go to the service counter and ‘demand’ to be taken.’ I told her ‘Oh no! I can wait like everyone else. It’s ‘hag’ (holiday).’ She said ‘No! You are old and it is your privilege! You earned it! Come with me!’ She took my groceries out of the cart behind me and people began to applaud. What kindness!! She took me up to the service counter and stood with me until I had paid. There were a few other ‘old’ people there but I was out in less than 5 minutes instead of the hour that it would have been had I remained on line. I thanked her profusely. She had taken her time, her energy, in the midst of all of this and it really touched me. On the way home I thanked The Lord for such people who stop in the midst of their own busy-ness. I WAS very tired and she took the time for me. I wonder at God’s gracious ways. They are seen everywhere.
I have had some questions about the situation in Gaza. One question that seems to need a history refresher, I would like to address here. What is ‘the blockade of Gaza’ and where did the policy spring from? When did it begin and why? I know that I am speaking to those of you who mostly know the history of this area, but some of you may not remember it all…we all have many facts in our heads. It is good for me, also to remember. Israel had thriving villages in Gaza (Gush Katif) until 2005 when then Prime Minister Ariel Sharone, brought about a full Israeli withdrawal. I will not go into that history at the moment. The ‘hope’ was that the Palestinians (then under the Palestinian Authority – Machmud Abbas – would take the opportunity to THRIVE! Israelis had established amazing greenhouses (having developed the now famous cherry tomato) which were completely turned over to the Palestinian Authority, along with all infrastructure, buildings, it was quite a gift. It was designed to help the Palestinians along to statehood…OR…reveal what was lying just hidden from sight. Hamas saw an opportunity to establish, literally, a terrorist entity. They began by intimidating the local Gazans, often with murder and torture, getting their opponents out of the way and winning supporters with their show of strength. Their opponents were subdued. Then they called for general elections in June 2007, when Hamas was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Gaza strip. Their brute force and rhetoric appealed to the people. Since 2005 Gaza has not been part of Israeli territory nor under our control. However, they began massive imports of weapons and construction materials (this is how they were able to build tunnels that rival the railway tunnel systems worldwide!). The alarming rate at which they were becoming toxic brought about the ‘blockade’. The blockade was NOT AT ANY POINT AGAINST FOOD AND WATER, clothing, any normal imports that normal people use; ONLY against production of military development. It didn’t work. Another interesting point; there were 1.3 million Gazans in Gaza in 2005. We are hearing that now their population is 2 million; in other words, they have increased and not decreased.
This is a small amount of information, but perhaps it will add some perspective for some of you?
It is a beautiful day today…deceptively quiet. We are approaching Holocaust Memorial Day Sunday night-Monday night…followed a week later by our Memorial Day and then Independence Day. Turkey, our main trading partner for 75 years, has broken all trade agreements with Israel today. NOTHING seems to be passing without great controversy…Yet, my garden is thriving in spite of me. My neighbors continue in their kindness and Gila, my dog, has gained strength and is happy. The wonderous array of birds fly overhead and the fruit trees are producing abundantly. How can life go on, but it does; although it seems to have stopped for many on 7 October, yet here am I. The pressure from the world on Israel is something that my mind can not grasp. I ask for two prayer requests; 1) That God, in His mercy, will somehow lead our government into His will with His wisdom (I can not comprehend the pressure on them!) and that 2) Yeshua will be revealed to our people…the blinders that He has put in place will be removed (John 12:39 – Isa. 43:8, Isa. 6:9-10 and so many other places!) and finally our Messiah will rule and reign in our hearts…THAT HE WILL BE GLORIFIED! Your kingdom come…Your will be done! “You went forth for the salvation of Your people. For salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked by laying bare from foundation to the neck. Selah.” Habakkuk 3:13
Loving blessings. Thank you for standing with The Lord for His purposes…and thank you for your prayers!
Your sis.
‘…This is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen trousers he shall put on his body, and take up the ashes of the burnt offering which the fire has consumed on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his garments, put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” LEVITICUS 6:9-13
Greetings, brothers and sisters, in The Name of Yeshua, The Light of the world. May you be blessed and encouraged and may He Alone be seen and glorified.
We here, (dare I speak for ‘us’? I feel that is ‘chutzpah’- emotions are running so deep- so I say that with humility) continue in ‘survival mode’, but a ratcheted up version. As I find it more and more difficult to say anything about what I am seeing, hearing, feeling here…I really felt His pressure this morning that I was to write. This scripture above may seem strange (I mean…Leviticus 6 may not always grab your attention) but it grabbed me this morning during my reading. I was praying ‘to pray’ as I read this; asking The Lord HOW to formulate all that is in my heart (or should be) into prevailing prayer…and I read this. I had written myself a note along side awhile back asking how the ashes, fully burned and brought outside could ALSO continue burning on the altar and NEVER GO OUT. Today I saw that as a picture of prevailing prayer and I WANT THAT: But I don’t yet have it!
Thank you for praying for my time with our daughter and family during Pesach. It was a blessing and it was the ‘right time’ for me to break out of my cocoon. I spent 3 days with them in their rugged, mountain home in Gush Etzion, Judea, and it was a great blessing to me. I have begun reading The Horse and His Boy to the children (CS Lewis – Narnia series) and I am so thankful for every moment that I am able to have with Grandchildren (AND Children!). Upon returning home, I went to the shops and proceeded to lose my glasses on the bus – the next day I dropped my iPhone in some nasty water and the day after my computer screen simply died. ‘Ok Lord, I’m listening.’ I had neither phone contact nor email contact at all…and I couldn’t see. AND…I had to find solutions on my own. I did. I’m typing on a borrowed computer screen; my iPhone was finally repaired after 4 days – and I found the solutions and made the decisions ‘myself’ to issues that E... usually solved. I was able to locate an optometrist who was open during the holidays and have ordered new glasses. During this time, my dear sister from Alaska has arrived for the next 3 months (she volunteers at Bridges for Peace) so I am not alone and this is a great blessing. The 26th marked 2 years already since E.. left this world…how can the time be so short…and so long all at once. Suddenly, my right arm stopped working again. Oh well…that is slowly coming back, praise God, and my sister so graciously, has volunteered to water my mini-farm. I see God’s Hand EVERYWHERE!
It was as if the intensity of my personal life was a microcosm of the impossible intensity that stretches this nation.
He gave me His peace in the midst of these sudden challenges.
Will He give our people His Peace in the midst of this fire?
Last Thursday, just before the final Shabbat of the Passover, and just after I had lost my glasses, I had to walk over to the super and get some milk and eggs. It is difficult to describe the crowds in the stores on days like this. It was just before Shabbat, towards the end of the holiday, in the midst of the war and right after we had been informed of some impending price hikes; EVERYBODY was shopping …or on the ‘other’ battlefront. The store was full of people, the shelves were almost empty and the checkout lines stretched down the shopping aisles and around the corner. I took my four items (because there is always ‘something else’ to get) and got on line. Time ticked by and I got tired. The woman behind me said ‘Please! Put your things in my cart so that you don’t have to hold them.’ I was thankful and did. Another woman with a full cart came and tried to get in front of me. The woman in front of me said to me ‘Oh, she was there before you came’, so I stepped aside. Soon both of the women in front of me saw a neighbor several aisles down and said ‘Would you watch our carts? We want to greet our friends.’ Everyone was patiently waiting. Everyone knew that it was a holiday. I was wishing that I wasn’t feeling so tired and weak. Suddenly a woman came up to me and said ‘What are you doing in the middle of this long line? You should go to the service counter and ‘demand’ to be taken.’ I told her ‘Oh no! I can wait like everyone else. It’s ‘hag’ (holiday).’ She said ‘No! You are old and it is your privilege! You earned it! Come with me!’ She took my groceries out of the cart behind me and people began to applaud. What kindness!! She took me up to the service counter and stood with me until I had paid. There were a few other ‘old’ people there but I was out in less than 5 minutes instead of the hour that it would have been had I remained on line. I thanked her profusely. She had taken her time, her energy, in the midst of all of this and it really touched me. On the way home I thanked The Lord for such people who stop in the midst of their own busy-ness. I WAS very tired and she took the time for me. I wonder at God’s gracious ways. They are seen everywhere.
I have had some questions about the situation in Gaza. One question that seems to need a history refresher, I would like to address here. What is ‘the blockade of Gaza’ and where did the policy spring from? When did it begin and why? I know that I am speaking to those of you who mostly know the history of this area, but some of you may not remember it all…we all have many facts in our heads. It is good for me, also to remember. Israel had thriving villages in Gaza (Gush Katif) until 2005 when then Prime Minister Ariel Sharone, brought about a full Israeli withdrawal. I will not go into that history at the moment. The ‘hope’ was that the Palestinians (then under the Palestinian Authority – Machmud Abbas – would take the opportunity to THRIVE! Israelis had established amazing greenhouses (having developed the now famous cherry tomato) which were completely turned over to the Palestinian Authority, along with all infrastructure, buildings, it was quite a gift. It was designed to help the Palestinians along to statehood…OR…reveal what was lying just hidden from sight. Hamas saw an opportunity to establish, literally, a terrorist entity. They began by intimidating the local Gazans, often with murder and torture, getting their opponents out of the way and winning supporters with their show of strength. Their opponents were subdued. Then they called for general elections in June 2007, when Hamas was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Gaza strip. Their brute force and rhetoric appealed to the people. Since 2005 Gaza has not been part of Israeli territory nor under our control. However, they began massive imports of weapons and construction materials (this is how they were able to build tunnels that rival the railway tunnel systems worldwide!). The alarming rate at which they were becoming toxic brought about the ‘blockade’. The blockade was NOT AT ANY POINT AGAINST FOOD AND WATER, clothing, any normal imports that normal people use; ONLY against production of military development. It didn’t work. Another interesting point; there were 1.3 million Gazans in Gaza in 2005. We are hearing that now their population is 2 million; in other words, they have increased and not decreased.
This is a small amount of information, but perhaps it will add some perspective for some of you?
It is a beautiful day today…deceptively quiet. We are approaching Holocaust Memorial Day Sunday night-Monday night…followed a week later by our Memorial Day and then Independence Day. Turkey, our main trading partner for 75 years, has broken all trade agreements with Israel today. NOTHING seems to be passing without great controversy…Yet, my garden is thriving in spite of me. My neighbors continue in their kindness and Gila, my dog, has gained strength and is happy. The wonderous array of birds fly overhead and the fruit trees are producing abundantly. How can life go on, but it does; although it seems to have stopped for many on 7 October, yet here am I. The pressure from the world on Israel is something that my mind can not grasp. I ask for two prayer requests; 1) That God, in His mercy, will somehow lead our government into His will with His wisdom (I can not comprehend the pressure on them!) and that 2) Yeshua will be revealed to our people…the blinders that He has put in place will be removed (John 12:39 – Isa. 43:8, Isa. 6:9-10 and so many other places!) and finally our Messiah will rule and reign in our hearts…THAT HE WILL BE GLORIFIED! Your kingdom come…Your will be done! “You went forth for the salvation of Your people. For salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked by laying bare from foundation to the neck. Selah.” Habakkuk 3:13
Loving blessings. Thank you for standing with The Lord for His purposes…and thank you for your prayers!
Your sis.
April 23, 2024
“It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.” EXODUS 12:42
May The Lord glorify HIS NAME and encourage each of us unto Himself.
I did not expect to write again so soon, and I had some thoughts that I have written down to share…but this letter is different. Impromptu…stream of thought writing. Tomorrow night at this time we will be beginning to celebrate the Passover. Earlier today, as I walked down the street, the weather was what one would call perfect. I went to walk past the flag hanging from the gate of the house next to us and the wind picked it up over my head: I passed under it…and it delighted my heart. As I returned, passing the same spot, the same thing happened again…and I thought as I walked about the Passovers throughout my lifetime that have led me to this moment in time.
As a child, we drew the curtains, being the only Jewish family in the neighborhood, and my Dad’s sister and family gathered with us. It was a wonder to me as a sense of holiness fell over my child sized being. My Mom had packed away all of our regular kitchen ware and carefully took down the carton that held the precious Passover dishes that were used only during this special week each year. They were my Grandmother’s and I gently polished old silver and cleaned seemingly ancient crystal…the preparations themselves held a sense of awe. We took out the Passover haggadot (the book that was read at the Seder) which was written in English with the strange and mysterious scrawl of the ancient language…Hebrew! At about the age of seven I memorized the words of the 4 questions that the youngest child is to ask at the opening of the Seder, trying to remember what it meant…pouring over the pictures and waiting for the moment when I would have this privilege, which would last until my sister, who is 3 years younger than I am, would take my place. Until I became a teenager, the seder held that special place in my heart…a secret, holy time that I got to participate in. When I became a teenager, rebellion took over my entire life.
I did not care about Passover (or much else) again…until I got saved.
From the moment that I met Him, I poured over the Scriptures like a starving person. Very early in my walk with The Lord, He said to me something that disturbed me terribly. He said: ‘I made you Jewish for a reason and someday you shall live in Israel.’ Most of you might think ‘Wow! She’s a prophet! Someone special! How exciting!’ Ha!! For me it was the opposite! I have told you before how I grew up hating being Jewish and ran away from what I felt was the burden and stigma of it. I had effectively ‘become’ a native and I did NOT want to hear from my Lord whom I had just met that He indeed made me Jewish. It took awhile for me to get used to ‘Not my will but Yours!’.
I told The Lord that I was willing to be made willing, but I asked Him to change my heart and He did as I read His Word. Thankfully, E... was far happier about me being Jewish than I was and encouraged me along the path.
In remote Alaska, where we raised our children, we settled upon a Seder that was to become my favorite: we read the book of Exodus from chapter 3-15! It may very well have been the longest seder on record, but oh it was exciting. We would stop to eat part way through and finish the reading at the end. It might not have been your traditional seder, but it was lively and inspiring.
When we made Aliyah we were exposed to many kinds of seders from the full spectrum of Judaism, being often invited to neighbors or friends; but I was recalling today probably, strangely enough, my favorite seder. It is important (traditionally) that no one celebrate the seder alone…the room might have 30, even 50 people. Often the house is emptied of furniture other than what will accommodate all of the guests. But one year, E... and I found ourselves alone and E... settled on a Haggadah that we gotten from the ministry of absorption when we made Aliyah. It described each tradition in detail and that was what E... wanted to do that year. I remember that I had quite a war with my ungodly attitude! First; I wanted guests. Secondly, I did not want to spend the evening pluming rabbinical traditions. Finally, The Lord subdued my stubborn will to submit to my husband in this…and it was a most extraordinary evening! We read through the entire Haggadah and by the time we came to the ‘Hallel’ or the songs (Psalms) of worship at the end…The Holy Spirit fell upon the two of us and we were so FILLED with joy, thanksgiving and wonder at what The Lord had done during that first Exodus…and faith for all that He promised to do. What an evening!
So, as I prepare to go for several days to our daughter, E...and family, in Gush Etzion (Judea – Bat Ayin) I look forward to what The Lord has this year…this year when the need to truly seek His Face for our very lives, and see again His miracles or deliverance are NECESSARY…AND OUR ONLY HOPE. Indeed, this really IS the general feeling in the country. I can say that with some confidence as I stopped writing to listen to the evening news and, being that Passover is upon us, a rabbi spoke during the news. He confirmed what I am observing all around me. We need God’s deliverance now. We need to SEE MESSIAH NOW…yes we do…and everyone knows it…and we are expectant… and we are needy…and the expectancy is toward GOD! THIS is the season of His deliverance…may He reveal Himself to His children NOW. May ‘the sea of the veil’ part once again …for salvation IS of THE LORD!
This unplanned letter…again late at night so not crafted very well, but with a longing that I pray encourages you to pray with us and to expect with us…MAY THE LORD BE GLORIFIED!! Chag Sameach…
Loving BLESSINGS to each of you!
“It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.” EXODUS 12:42
May The Lord glorify HIS NAME and encourage each of us unto Himself.
I did not expect to write again so soon, and I had some thoughts that I have written down to share…but this letter is different. Impromptu…stream of thought writing. Tomorrow night at this time we will be beginning to celebrate the Passover. Earlier today, as I walked down the street, the weather was what one would call perfect. I went to walk past the flag hanging from the gate of the house next to us and the wind picked it up over my head: I passed under it…and it delighted my heart. As I returned, passing the same spot, the same thing happened again…and I thought as I walked about the Passovers throughout my lifetime that have led me to this moment in time.
As a child, we drew the curtains, being the only Jewish family in the neighborhood, and my Dad’s sister and family gathered with us. It was a wonder to me as a sense of holiness fell over my child sized being. My Mom had packed away all of our regular kitchen ware and carefully took down the carton that held the precious Passover dishes that were used only during this special week each year. They were my Grandmother’s and I gently polished old silver and cleaned seemingly ancient crystal…the preparations themselves held a sense of awe. We took out the Passover haggadot (the book that was read at the Seder) which was written in English with the strange and mysterious scrawl of the ancient language…Hebrew! At about the age of seven I memorized the words of the 4 questions that the youngest child is to ask at the opening of the Seder, trying to remember what it meant…pouring over the pictures and waiting for the moment when I would have this privilege, which would last until my sister, who is 3 years younger than I am, would take my place. Until I became a teenager, the seder held that special place in my heart…a secret, holy time that I got to participate in. When I became a teenager, rebellion took over my entire life.
I did not care about Passover (or much else) again…until I got saved.
From the moment that I met Him, I poured over the Scriptures like a starving person. Very early in my walk with The Lord, He said to me something that disturbed me terribly. He said: ‘I made you Jewish for a reason and someday you shall live in Israel.’ Most of you might think ‘Wow! She’s a prophet! Someone special! How exciting!’ Ha!! For me it was the opposite! I have told you before how I grew up hating being Jewish and ran away from what I felt was the burden and stigma of it. I had effectively ‘become’ a native and I did NOT want to hear from my Lord whom I had just met that He indeed made me Jewish. It took awhile for me to get used to ‘Not my will but Yours!’.
I told The Lord that I was willing to be made willing, but I asked Him to change my heart and He did as I read His Word. Thankfully, E... was far happier about me being Jewish than I was and encouraged me along the path.
In remote Alaska, where we raised our children, we settled upon a Seder that was to become my favorite: we read the book of Exodus from chapter 3-15! It may very well have been the longest seder on record, but oh it was exciting. We would stop to eat part way through and finish the reading at the end. It might not have been your traditional seder, but it was lively and inspiring.
When we made Aliyah we were exposed to many kinds of seders from the full spectrum of Judaism, being often invited to neighbors or friends; but I was recalling today probably, strangely enough, my favorite seder. It is important (traditionally) that no one celebrate the seder alone…the room might have 30, even 50 people. Often the house is emptied of furniture other than what will accommodate all of the guests. But one year, E... and I found ourselves alone and E... settled on a Haggadah that we gotten from the ministry of absorption when we made Aliyah. It described each tradition in detail and that was what E... wanted to do that year. I remember that I had quite a war with my ungodly attitude! First; I wanted guests. Secondly, I did not want to spend the evening pluming rabbinical traditions. Finally, The Lord subdued my stubborn will to submit to my husband in this…and it was a most extraordinary evening! We read through the entire Haggadah and by the time we came to the ‘Hallel’ or the songs (Psalms) of worship at the end…The Holy Spirit fell upon the two of us and we were so FILLED with joy, thanksgiving and wonder at what The Lord had done during that first Exodus…and faith for all that He promised to do. What an evening!
So, as I prepare to go for several days to our daughter, E...and family, in Gush Etzion (Judea – Bat Ayin) I look forward to what The Lord has this year…this year when the need to truly seek His Face for our very lives, and see again His miracles or deliverance are NECESSARY…AND OUR ONLY HOPE. Indeed, this really IS the general feeling in the country. I can say that with some confidence as I stopped writing to listen to the evening news and, being that Passover is upon us, a rabbi spoke during the news. He confirmed what I am observing all around me. We need God’s deliverance now. We need to SEE MESSIAH NOW…yes we do…and everyone knows it…and we are expectant… and we are needy…and the expectancy is toward GOD! THIS is the season of His deliverance…may He reveal Himself to His children NOW. May ‘the sea of the veil’ part once again …for salvation IS of THE LORD!
This unplanned letter…again late at night so not crafted very well, but with a longing that I pray encourages you to pray with us and to expect with us…MAY THE LORD BE GLORIFIED!! Chag Sameach…
Loving BLESSINGS to each of you!
April 20, 2024
I had neglected to forward a rather interesting article, and now, ofcourse, we retaliated this morning. All around me I sense nothing but peace in every heart. We did the right thing and there is no fear.
NOTES FROM A PILOT
We tend to send little shabbat greetings to one another on Fridays, and this one that I'm forwarding to all of you...I think of as a song of praise. HE ALONE IS WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE...NO MATTER WHAT.
I had neglected to forward a rather interesting article, and now, ofcourse, we retaliated this morning. All around me I sense nothing but peace in every heart. We did the right thing and there is no fear.
NOTES FROM A PILOT
We tend to send little shabbat greetings to one another on Fridays, and this one that I'm forwarding to all of you...I think of as a song of praise. HE ALONE IS WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE...NO MATTER WHAT.
April 17, 2024
“…For the shields of earth belong to God…” Psalm 47:9
“As we have heard, So we have seen. In the city of The Lord of hosts, In the city of our God. God will establish it forever.” Psalm 48:8
Judges 18:9 “So they said, ‘Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go and enter and possess the land.”
Greetings, brothers and sisters, in The Name of The One True God…The Creator and Savior…The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The God of Israel shining through His Messiah Yeshua unto salvation (2 Corin. 4:6); for His sake and for His glory I ask His mercy, so that I can be a blessing to you with words that will edify you, and bring Him Alone glory!
Thank you so much, all of you who have cared and enquired after our well being and sent encouraging words and PRAYED! THANK YOU! It meant so much to me and I am sorry that I could not take even a moment until now to answer.
God is so good and faithful! What a different atmosphere there is this year as we prepare for Passover which begins with the first seder on Monday night! It seems much more serious, and there is MUCH more talk about the real miracle of Passover…The real ‘thing’ that God did before the eyes of our ancestors…and their reactions…for now we seem in a similar position. From my vantage point, there appears to be much less ‘tradition’ and much more ‘searching’ for the reality: Perhaps that is because we are living in such a stark reality right now that only the reality of what God has been trying to show us will matter. I pray that this is a true assessment, for the price has been so very high…the eternal price.
We had a wonderful meeting at Kehila on Saturday evening and two of the returned reserve fighters whom you prayed for (N........), joined F...... to make up the worship team and lead us before His throne and it was glorious. The Lord’s Presence was with us. We went home to be attacked by Iran. His Presence was with us still!
On Sunday morning the first headline that I saw made me laugh. The Irna (Iranian) News Agency published videos of disasters in (according to what I have read) Texas and South America (cities burning) announcing that Tel Aviv was burning. Israel got up and went back to work…a bit stunned perhaps…a bit surreal…but there we were!
In fact, my ‘experience’ and what I have gleaned from watching and listening is; 1) yes, we certainly DID experience The miraculous Hand of God’s protection! Sadly, one 7 year old Bedouin girl in the Negev remains in very serious condition after having been wounded by shrapnel. I hesitate to say that she was the ‘only one’, because one little girl is a family’s whole life…but considering the magnitude of the attack…it is very much a miracle that NO ONE ELSE WAS INJURED, and God IS being given the glory everywhere that I see in Israel. We were told at about 11:00pm on Saturday night that the attack had been launched from Iran and should reach us by about 1:30am, so I chose to stay up and pray and read. We were told to be in our shelters and prepared for anything. When the attack began, it was too wide spread for the sirens to warn us, but the phone app began blaring and didn’t stop…and it was eerie! Soon the sirens joined in and then the booms began from every direction without stopping …it sounded like a ‘war movie’. It continued for 15 minutes. It was intense. It impacted everyone’s nervous systems. One feels very small at such a time. I have the great comfort of knowing our Great and Huge God, but many don’t. We are told that the Israeli google search was overwhelmed with people searching the Psalms. ‘He is our very present Strength and Refuge in time of trouble’. Yes He is!
So here is one reason that it has taken me so long to write: With the ‘media’ of today - in the crazy state that it is…there has been way too MUCH ‘fake news’ or…’embellished’ news from every direction…full of emotion and opinion and speculation and just downright error. Everytime that I went to write I felt ‘Shhhhh. Wait. Listen.’
The one truth that has stayed unchanged since Sunday morning is that we have, without a doubt, seen a great miracle! The Hand of God truly was a shield over this nation, even considering the fact that the weapons that the Iranians used this time around, were not their best. We were given some pretty dramatic numbers via the media (both Christian and secular) throughout the first days concerning how many of the some 5,000 projectiles made it into our airspace. At one point I heard only 4…which…uh…well…I counted more than that just over my head. Then we were told that The US and Britain, Jordan and France did it…then we were told that the IDF did it (MUCH more what we saw with our own eyes) then we were told that 50% of the weapons fell outside of the country. I heard these statements from both believing news media, regular news media…I kept waiting. Tonight on the news I was listening to a retired IDF general who was gathered with the Israeli leaders in the war room on Saturday night and he said that about 75%, by actual count, entered our airspace. That makes much more sense to me from what I was experiencing and others as well…our skies looked like fireworks! There were dramatic pictures (that you likely saw) of rockets headed for the Alaksa Mosque in Jerusalem (!) and the IDF intercepting. I saw pictures of interceptions over the Knesset and Dimona as well. What a MIRACLE that none of these targets were struck! There was a strike on the Nabatean Air Force base in the south, but the damage was minimal and the base remained fully operational. ALL GLORY TO GOD!
So…how am I? Hum… How are ‘we’. It was intense! The ‘sounds’ shake your nervous system, even as one is praising our mighty God in faith. I was not scared for myself. I was worried for our daughter in Bat Ayin. It turned out that they picked up their sleeping children and drove to the nearby shelter in the boy’s school and spent the night there, praise God – but I ask for prayer for our daughter E.... who is somewhat fragile and not trusting Yeshua at this point.
She is badly shaken.
That is the next reason that I didn’t write until now. ........(My granddaughter), came on Monday to stay with me until late last night. She helped me with my Passover cleaning and we simply had a wonderful time together. How good to not be sleeping alone. What a gift!
El... and the children were with me on Monday until Y... picked all but M... up, so we went across the street to visit Y... and I.... Y.... was not home but that did not stop I.. from filling the table with non – stop treats! Within a minute of our arrival, he glanced at the little ones and left the room, returning with hands FULL of all sorts of candy and a big smile. ‘Here!’ he said, filling up a bag that M... had brought with her. ‘What do you want to drink?’ Both E.... and I made the mistake of declining, since Y... wasn’t there, but he eyed us, and in a commanding voice said ‘Sit down’…so…ofcourse we did. The table filled up with bowls of fruit and treats made of nuts and seeds and dried fruit and soon we were munching away talking. E.... asked him ‘So, how are you doing with the belegan?’(meaning something like ‘crazy mess’) She was referring, ofcourse, to the Iranian attack and our preparations for the yet unknown future. Now…please be prepared for some slapstick humor here…because this really happened. I... answered: ‘Oh! I love it. It happens every Shabbat and it’s normal to me. It’s what life is about. It’s hard but it doesn’t bother me at all!’ E.... turned pale. ‘Really? It doesn’t bother you?!?’ She looked incredulous. ‘Not at all! I love it! It’s life!’ I looked over at E.... giggling and said ‘He’s talking about his family (they have 9 children and Lord knows how many Grandchildren…they don’t!) coming over for Shabbat dinner.’ E.... burst out laughing and asked him ‘But how are you about the war?’ he shrugged and said ‘It is what it is. It is the portion that h’Shem (God) has given us. We have to fight for our land. Always. It is our portion. Now we will see Him fight for us and we will remember our place.’
This morning I was reading one of my favorite parts of scripture - the great intercession of Moses in Exodus 33 and 34. Again I thought about what it was like then to walk through the miracles that we read about and hopefully learn from. I thought about how quickly the people would turn away to murmuring, complaining, reasoning, disobedience, discouragement after having seen such dramatic demonstrations of Who God IS. It is always a ‘learning curve’…learning from reading not to forget as they ‘forgot’; exhorting myself and praying for the grace to always remember, not complain or fear or disobey. Sometimes I have wondered at my ancestor’s ‘stupidity’, and stiff necks. Now it is my turn…our turn…to not walk one week into the future and FORGET WHO HE IS WHEN THE FIRES BURN AGAIN! I think of the people saying ‘Where IS this Moses who brought us up out of Egypt?’ and Aaron making the golden calf and daring to say ‘See o Israel, here is your god!’ This is NOW. It is all happening again and we are getting another chance. Oh Lord have mercy upon us to SEE and BEHOLD OUR KING!
I’m sorry. I am emotional and it is late at night. What will happen next? I do not know. Many people have been reading Ezekiel 38 and 39, both Jews and non Jews. Many people are searching the scriptures. The nations are banging on our doors to ‘use restraint’. ‘Don’t respond’. When we were attacked on Saturday night the thought crossed my mind ‘Well, we have a 12-24 hour reprieve before the nations turn on us again.’ It’s funny…when we are being stomped, there is a collective ‘gasp’…for a very brief period. There has even been a pause in our internal demonstrations, which is very refreshing while it lasts. We do not know what is next, but our God does…and I will trust Him and encourage all of those whom I meet to do the same.
An interesting observation (I think): I googled “How many injuries were there when Iran attacked Israel” AND NOTHING CAME UP!! Huh? I was so surprised that I worded it differently many times. NOTHING!! You might want to try. I am concerned that we use electronic media to get our information which is more and more directed by artificial intelligence. I wish that I had a paper encyclopedia. Things are moving much faster. May we seek His discernment constantly!
It is WAY past my bedtime. Thank you so much for praying for me, for my family and for this nation. What an amazing thing it will be when we see the fulfillment of His glory…the fulfillment of Romans 9, 10, 11…of Zechariah and of ALL of the prophets…the fulfillment of every promise from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21…not one Word will fail and here we are in the midst! Oh, may we bring glory to His Name! Loving blessings to you and thank you so very much! Your sister here.
“…For the shields of earth belong to God…” Psalm 47:9
“As we have heard, So we have seen. In the city of The Lord of hosts, In the city of our God. God will establish it forever.” Psalm 48:8
Judges 18:9 “So they said, ‘Arise, let us go up against them. For we have seen the land, and indeed it is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate to go and enter and possess the land.”
Greetings, brothers and sisters, in The Name of The One True God…The Creator and Savior…The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The God of Israel shining through His Messiah Yeshua unto salvation (2 Corin. 4:6); for His sake and for His glory I ask His mercy, so that I can be a blessing to you with words that will edify you, and bring Him Alone glory!
Thank you so much, all of you who have cared and enquired after our well being and sent encouraging words and PRAYED! THANK YOU! It meant so much to me and I am sorry that I could not take even a moment until now to answer.
God is so good and faithful! What a different atmosphere there is this year as we prepare for Passover which begins with the first seder on Monday night! It seems much more serious, and there is MUCH more talk about the real miracle of Passover…The real ‘thing’ that God did before the eyes of our ancestors…and their reactions…for now we seem in a similar position. From my vantage point, there appears to be much less ‘tradition’ and much more ‘searching’ for the reality: Perhaps that is because we are living in such a stark reality right now that only the reality of what God has been trying to show us will matter. I pray that this is a true assessment, for the price has been so very high…the eternal price.
We had a wonderful meeting at Kehila on Saturday evening and two of the returned reserve fighters whom you prayed for (N........), joined F...... to make up the worship team and lead us before His throne and it was glorious. The Lord’s Presence was with us. We went home to be attacked by Iran. His Presence was with us still!
On Sunday morning the first headline that I saw made me laugh. The Irna (Iranian) News Agency published videos of disasters in (according to what I have read) Texas and South America (cities burning) announcing that Tel Aviv was burning. Israel got up and went back to work…a bit stunned perhaps…a bit surreal…but there we were!
In fact, my ‘experience’ and what I have gleaned from watching and listening is; 1) yes, we certainly DID experience The miraculous Hand of God’s protection! Sadly, one 7 year old Bedouin girl in the Negev remains in very serious condition after having been wounded by shrapnel. I hesitate to say that she was the ‘only one’, because one little girl is a family’s whole life…but considering the magnitude of the attack…it is very much a miracle that NO ONE ELSE WAS INJURED, and God IS being given the glory everywhere that I see in Israel. We were told at about 11:00pm on Saturday night that the attack had been launched from Iran and should reach us by about 1:30am, so I chose to stay up and pray and read. We were told to be in our shelters and prepared for anything. When the attack began, it was too wide spread for the sirens to warn us, but the phone app began blaring and didn’t stop…and it was eerie! Soon the sirens joined in and then the booms began from every direction without stopping …it sounded like a ‘war movie’. It continued for 15 minutes. It was intense. It impacted everyone’s nervous systems. One feels very small at such a time. I have the great comfort of knowing our Great and Huge God, but many don’t. We are told that the Israeli google search was overwhelmed with people searching the Psalms. ‘He is our very present Strength and Refuge in time of trouble’. Yes He is!
So here is one reason that it has taken me so long to write: With the ‘media’ of today - in the crazy state that it is…there has been way too MUCH ‘fake news’ or…’embellished’ news from every direction…full of emotion and opinion and speculation and just downright error. Everytime that I went to write I felt ‘Shhhhh. Wait. Listen.’
The one truth that has stayed unchanged since Sunday morning is that we have, without a doubt, seen a great miracle! The Hand of God truly was a shield over this nation, even considering the fact that the weapons that the Iranians used this time around, were not their best. We were given some pretty dramatic numbers via the media (both Christian and secular) throughout the first days concerning how many of the some 5,000 projectiles made it into our airspace. At one point I heard only 4…which…uh…well…I counted more than that just over my head. Then we were told that The US and Britain, Jordan and France did it…then we were told that the IDF did it (MUCH more what we saw with our own eyes) then we were told that 50% of the weapons fell outside of the country. I heard these statements from both believing news media, regular news media…I kept waiting. Tonight on the news I was listening to a retired IDF general who was gathered with the Israeli leaders in the war room on Saturday night and he said that about 75%, by actual count, entered our airspace. That makes much more sense to me from what I was experiencing and others as well…our skies looked like fireworks! There were dramatic pictures (that you likely saw) of rockets headed for the Alaksa Mosque in Jerusalem (!) and the IDF intercepting. I saw pictures of interceptions over the Knesset and Dimona as well. What a MIRACLE that none of these targets were struck! There was a strike on the Nabatean Air Force base in the south, but the damage was minimal and the base remained fully operational. ALL GLORY TO GOD!
So…how am I? Hum… How are ‘we’. It was intense! The ‘sounds’ shake your nervous system, even as one is praising our mighty God in faith. I was not scared for myself. I was worried for our daughter in Bat Ayin. It turned out that they picked up their sleeping children and drove to the nearby shelter in the boy’s school and spent the night there, praise God – but I ask for prayer for our daughter E.... who is somewhat fragile and not trusting Yeshua at this point.
She is badly shaken.
That is the next reason that I didn’t write until now. ........(My granddaughter), came on Monday to stay with me until late last night. She helped me with my Passover cleaning and we simply had a wonderful time together. How good to not be sleeping alone. What a gift!
El... and the children were with me on Monday until Y... picked all but M... up, so we went across the street to visit Y... and I.... Y.... was not home but that did not stop I.. from filling the table with non – stop treats! Within a minute of our arrival, he glanced at the little ones and left the room, returning with hands FULL of all sorts of candy and a big smile. ‘Here!’ he said, filling up a bag that M... had brought with her. ‘What do you want to drink?’ Both E.... and I made the mistake of declining, since Y... wasn’t there, but he eyed us, and in a commanding voice said ‘Sit down’…so…ofcourse we did. The table filled up with bowls of fruit and treats made of nuts and seeds and dried fruit and soon we were munching away talking. E.... asked him ‘So, how are you doing with the belegan?’(meaning something like ‘crazy mess’) She was referring, ofcourse, to the Iranian attack and our preparations for the yet unknown future. Now…please be prepared for some slapstick humor here…because this really happened. I... answered: ‘Oh! I love it. It happens every Shabbat and it’s normal to me. It’s what life is about. It’s hard but it doesn’t bother me at all!’ E.... turned pale. ‘Really? It doesn’t bother you?!?’ She looked incredulous. ‘Not at all! I love it! It’s life!’ I looked over at E.... giggling and said ‘He’s talking about his family (they have 9 children and Lord knows how many Grandchildren…they don’t!) coming over for Shabbat dinner.’ E.... burst out laughing and asked him ‘But how are you about the war?’ he shrugged and said ‘It is what it is. It is the portion that h’Shem (God) has given us. We have to fight for our land. Always. It is our portion. Now we will see Him fight for us and we will remember our place.’
This morning I was reading one of my favorite parts of scripture - the great intercession of Moses in Exodus 33 and 34. Again I thought about what it was like then to walk through the miracles that we read about and hopefully learn from. I thought about how quickly the people would turn away to murmuring, complaining, reasoning, disobedience, discouragement after having seen such dramatic demonstrations of Who God IS. It is always a ‘learning curve’…learning from reading not to forget as they ‘forgot’; exhorting myself and praying for the grace to always remember, not complain or fear or disobey. Sometimes I have wondered at my ancestor’s ‘stupidity’, and stiff necks. Now it is my turn…our turn…to not walk one week into the future and FORGET WHO HE IS WHEN THE FIRES BURN AGAIN! I think of the people saying ‘Where IS this Moses who brought us up out of Egypt?’ and Aaron making the golden calf and daring to say ‘See o Israel, here is your god!’ This is NOW. It is all happening again and we are getting another chance. Oh Lord have mercy upon us to SEE and BEHOLD OUR KING!
I’m sorry. I am emotional and it is late at night. What will happen next? I do not know. Many people have been reading Ezekiel 38 and 39, both Jews and non Jews. Many people are searching the scriptures. The nations are banging on our doors to ‘use restraint’. ‘Don’t respond’. When we were attacked on Saturday night the thought crossed my mind ‘Well, we have a 12-24 hour reprieve before the nations turn on us again.’ It’s funny…when we are being stomped, there is a collective ‘gasp’…for a very brief period. There has even been a pause in our internal demonstrations, which is very refreshing while it lasts. We do not know what is next, but our God does…and I will trust Him and encourage all of those whom I meet to do the same.
An interesting observation (I think): I googled “How many injuries were there when Iran attacked Israel” AND NOTHING CAME UP!! Huh? I was so surprised that I worded it differently many times. NOTHING!! You might want to try. I am concerned that we use electronic media to get our information which is more and more directed by artificial intelligence. I wish that I had a paper encyclopedia. Things are moving much faster. May we seek His discernment constantly!
It is WAY past my bedtime. Thank you so much for praying for me, for my family and for this nation. What an amazing thing it will be when we see the fulfillment of His glory…the fulfillment of Romans 9, 10, 11…of Zechariah and of ALL of the prophets…the fulfillment of every promise from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21…not one Word will fail and here we are in the midst! Oh, may we bring glory to His Name! Loving blessings to you and thank you so very much! Your sister here.
April 11, 2024
“IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.” Genesis 1:1
“Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” Psalm 90:2
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.”
Psalm 41:13 and 106:48
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Precious Name of THAT GOD Who is the only One worthy of all praise and glory! The One Who calls us to know Him when we can barely glimpse His grandeur. All glory to The One Who IS the aleph and the tav…Who gave us His Word and His Spirit and calls us to trust, obey, follow. May HE ALONE be glorified and may you be blessed and encouraged.
I had a stirring time with The Lord in His Word this morning, so I will try to restrain the passion that I am feeling in my heart and to reign in what I have seen and translate it into something that won’t look like (huh??) pea soup.
For the past two nights the planes have been flying overhead nonstop. Our ground troops were mostly withdrawn from Gaza rather suddenly to the speculation of…well…everybody (so how many million opinions is that?!) but the amount of air activity causes me to ‘watch’ rather than speculate. Strangely, our northern border became unusually quiet last night. I will share a little bit, from my seat, only because my sister, who lives in the USA, hadn't heard much. We are currently expecting (according to our news updates) a large Iranian retaliatory attack ‘at any moment’. To give you an idea of some possibilities, I know people who are praying specifically for the covering of the coastal ports (north western, Haifa, Ashdod) …and our borders in general. Others are praying for Tel Aviv (which surely needs prayer spiritually as well!!), Ben Gurion Airport, The Knesset, and Dimona. There was a time when no targets in Jerusalem would have been on such a potential list because of the danger of hitting the dome of the rock mosque, but Iran has now pinpoint weaponry, so the Knesset is a possibility as they are no longer restrained by inaccuracy. In other words, no place is considered outside of the preparation area. As of today, several airlines have suspended flights to Iran and countries have notified their citizens to avoid travel to the Middle East.
I see and sense NO panic among the people, just the continuing grief.
A beautiful prayer was posted this morning by Rabbi Fuld. He wrote: “Dear God (he wrote ‘ha Shem’- The Name). We don’t know much about Your ways and why You do what You do: But we do know some things. We know that You are merciful. We know that You love Your children. We know that You stand for truth. We know that You are forgiving. We know that you yearn for justice. So please, it’s time. We need mercy. We need love. We need truth. We need forgiveness. We need justice. Please make the suffering end. Please get rid of the evil amongst us. Please help us to be victorious. And most importantly, please protect us. Thank You. Your 16 million children.” The children of Israel are seeking (ofcourse, not all) and asking and knocking, particularly as people are preparing their hearts and homes for approaching Pesach. The awful, hateful, violent division, in the form of demonstrations have again taken to the streets…the war within joining the war without. The sad and understandable calls to ‘bring the captives home’ was joined by the ‘overthrow the government’ group and the result has been massive. It makes me, and so many others, terribly sad.
So, for those of you who pray (and I know that so many do) this is the overall view from my window this morning.
No. I am NOT afraid.
You who have been reading this letter for years (THANK YOU!!) know that nearly 50 years ago, from the day that I met Him, I asked The Lord how He wanted me to read His Book and, in His faithfulness, He told me. He has adjusted it over the years to add more in daily, but I began by starting in Gen. 1:1 and Mat. 1:1, a chapter in each Old and New Testament daily, in order…continuing straight on. That now includes a chapter in the prophets, in Psalms and in The Gospels. All ‘in order…straight on…not jumping around. Because of this, I am often ‘blown away’ by the dove tailing of what I am reading and so it was this morning, although perhaps cryptic to some. I have been reading through Exodus and I noticed a ‘theme’ in my observations. It suddenly became SO REAL to me what these people went through all that they did, not knowing what lay before them. Whether it was Avraham, or Joseph in the dungeon or the children of Israel standing before the sea with the Egyptians pursuing them…we KNOW the end of the story but they didn’t…they were being trained to KNOW GOD, but how scary and dark those times must have been. In my reading now, (Exodus 24) Moses was called up the mountain to receive the commandments. It was a fearsome sight with thunder and lightning, thick clouds and fire. Aaron, Joshua, Nadav and Abiayhu (who were killed for burning false fire) and the 70 elders (probably including Koreh and Dotan (Deut 16) who rebelled against Moses and the earth swallowed them up)…THEY WERE THERE AND WITNESSED THIS. But think of the people back in the camp for 40 days and 40 nights…having seen this strange leader go up into the fiery cloud and disappear…and he was no kid. I have been wondering if my faith would have stood or shaken?
BUT THAT ISN’T WHERE I WAS READING TODAY! I have grown, over the years, to love the intricacy of the pattern that God so tenderly gave for the building of every detail of the tabernacle. I am particularly caught by the fact that everything has a purpose and is ‘the same’ (‘make them exactly the same’) and how they are coupled together in a certain way…nothing standing alone, but woven and coupled and perfectly fit together. I think of how we, the body of Messiah, are described as the holy temple and how we too should be perfectly fit together…not distinct…no star like guru to follow. This morning my soul was feasting on the beauty of His way and it was time to turn to the Prophets and today I read Obediah (which in Hebrew I Av-ah-diya – or slave of God) and I read in verses 17 and 18 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame;…” and that word was just so comforting! Now…if THAT made any sense…all glory to God!
My crazy garden is growing like mad, but not mine alone. I walked to the store the other day and was overcome by the fullness of the fruit trees! We have a wonderful tree here called the ‘shesek’ which produces and orange oval fruit that has a large seed. The trees are laden with fruit in a manner that I have never seen before! The fig trees as well are bursting forth with a seemingly double harvest. My little olive tree has doubled in size and already needs a new pot and I’m realizing that I should be planted in the ground fairly soon. I thought about this; how fruitful our God is even in such awful times and how He expects His children to follow suit and produce abundant fruit in constricting times. This is a law of the kingdom!
I am hoping to spend the first 3 nights of Passover with our daughter in Gush Etzion – Judea (Bat Ayin). They don’t drive on holidays so it will be an experiment with my body adapting to a child’s mattress as I will be sleeping with our Grandchildren. I am so looking forward to it. I bought a box of matzo, thinking how strange it was to only need a small box. I thought back to years ago at the shuk when I was wondering if I should buy one or two six packs and I noticed an Arab woman with SIX six packs! I couldn’t resist and asked her why she was buying so much Matzo and she said ‘Oh! These Jewish crackers are the best ones ever! I always stock up!’ We laughed and hugged. How times have changed.
Someday, time shall be no more (Revelation). Praise God…no more pain…no more striving…no more aging and death, but LOVE WILL REIGN and we will be in a FRUITFUL GARDEN!
I look over to Jerusalem every time that I am outside. It is such a wonderful place that God has given to me to live. The view is stunning. I watch the sky a lot; I see big black clouds from the West…from Gaza…and tumultuous clouds over Jerusalem. I watch helicopters land on Hadassa hospital across the valley from me carrying wounded soldiers and I pray and meanwhile colorful parrots and woodpeckers fly overhead, swallows dance above me and today I have a roof over my head and food on my table and how blessed I am…and so are you! The wonder of God choosing the likes of us to call us to Himself and give us the grace to come…and keep coming.
May we be found IN HIM and in His Peace. (I lost that peace one evening and my daughter .... helped me back in) (How thankful I am for His children…and mine!) May we love His Word and make TIME for Him, set apart quietly before Him. May we be found faithful. May we be filled with His Holy Spirit Who teaches and leads us and with His Spirit of discernment and all prayer. Loving blessings, from a sister here for His purposes.
“IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.” Genesis 1:1
“Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” Psalm 90:2
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.”
Psalm 41:13 and 106:48
Greetings brothers and sisters, in The Precious Name of THAT GOD Who is the only One worthy of all praise and glory! The One Who calls us to know Him when we can barely glimpse His grandeur. All glory to The One Who IS the aleph and the tav…Who gave us His Word and His Spirit and calls us to trust, obey, follow. May HE ALONE be glorified and may you be blessed and encouraged.
I had a stirring time with The Lord in His Word this morning, so I will try to restrain the passion that I am feeling in my heart and to reign in what I have seen and translate it into something that won’t look like (huh??) pea soup.
For the past two nights the planes have been flying overhead nonstop. Our ground troops were mostly withdrawn from Gaza rather suddenly to the speculation of…well…everybody (so how many million opinions is that?!) but the amount of air activity causes me to ‘watch’ rather than speculate. Strangely, our northern border became unusually quiet last night. I will share a little bit, from my seat, only because my sister, who lives in the USA, hadn't heard much. We are currently expecting (according to our news updates) a large Iranian retaliatory attack ‘at any moment’. To give you an idea of some possibilities, I know people who are praying specifically for the covering of the coastal ports (north western, Haifa, Ashdod) …and our borders in general. Others are praying for Tel Aviv (which surely needs prayer spiritually as well!!), Ben Gurion Airport, The Knesset, and Dimona. There was a time when no targets in Jerusalem would have been on such a potential list because of the danger of hitting the dome of the rock mosque, but Iran has now pinpoint weaponry, so the Knesset is a possibility as they are no longer restrained by inaccuracy. In other words, no place is considered outside of the preparation area. As of today, several airlines have suspended flights to Iran and countries have notified their citizens to avoid travel to the Middle East.
I see and sense NO panic among the people, just the continuing grief.
A beautiful prayer was posted this morning by Rabbi Fuld. He wrote: “Dear God (he wrote ‘ha Shem’- The Name). We don’t know much about Your ways and why You do what You do: But we do know some things. We know that You are merciful. We know that You love Your children. We know that You stand for truth. We know that You are forgiving. We know that you yearn for justice. So please, it’s time. We need mercy. We need love. We need truth. We need forgiveness. We need justice. Please make the suffering end. Please get rid of the evil amongst us. Please help us to be victorious. And most importantly, please protect us. Thank You. Your 16 million children.” The children of Israel are seeking (ofcourse, not all) and asking and knocking, particularly as people are preparing their hearts and homes for approaching Pesach. The awful, hateful, violent division, in the form of demonstrations have again taken to the streets…the war within joining the war without. The sad and understandable calls to ‘bring the captives home’ was joined by the ‘overthrow the government’ group and the result has been massive. It makes me, and so many others, terribly sad.
So, for those of you who pray (and I know that so many do) this is the overall view from my window this morning.
No. I am NOT afraid.
You who have been reading this letter for years (THANK YOU!!) know that nearly 50 years ago, from the day that I met Him, I asked The Lord how He wanted me to read His Book and, in His faithfulness, He told me. He has adjusted it over the years to add more in daily, but I began by starting in Gen. 1:1 and Mat. 1:1, a chapter in each Old and New Testament daily, in order…continuing straight on. That now includes a chapter in the prophets, in Psalms and in The Gospels. All ‘in order…straight on…not jumping around. Because of this, I am often ‘blown away’ by the dove tailing of what I am reading and so it was this morning, although perhaps cryptic to some. I have been reading through Exodus and I noticed a ‘theme’ in my observations. It suddenly became SO REAL to me what these people went through all that they did, not knowing what lay before them. Whether it was Avraham, or Joseph in the dungeon or the children of Israel standing before the sea with the Egyptians pursuing them…we KNOW the end of the story but they didn’t…they were being trained to KNOW GOD, but how scary and dark those times must have been. In my reading now, (Exodus 24) Moses was called up the mountain to receive the commandments. It was a fearsome sight with thunder and lightning, thick clouds and fire. Aaron, Joshua, Nadav and Abiayhu (who were killed for burning false fire) and the 70 elders (probably including Koreh and Dotan (Deut 16) who rebelled against Moses and the earth swallowed them up)…THEY WERE THERE AND WITNESSED THIS. But think of the people back in the camp for 40 days and 40 nights…having seen this strange leader go up into the fiery cloud and disappear…and he was no kid. I have been wondering if my faith would have stood or shaken?
BUT THAT ISN’T WHERE I WAS READING TODAY! I have grown, over the years, to love the intricacy of the pattern that God so tenderly gave for the building of every detail of the tabernacle. I am particularly caught by the fact that everything has a purpose and is ‘the same’ (‘make them exactly the same’) and how they are coupled together in a certain way…nothing standing alone, but woven and coupled and perfectly fit together. I think of how we, the body of Messiah, are described as the holy temple and how we too should be perfectly fit together…not distinct…no star like guru to follow. This morning my soul was feasting on the beauty of His way and it was time to turn to the Prophets and today I read Obediah (which in Hebrew I Av-ah-diya – or slave of God) and I read in verses 17 and 18 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame;…” and that word was just so comforting! Now…if THAT made any sense…all glory to God!
My crazy garden is growing like mad, but not mine alone. I walked to the store the other day and was overcome by the fullness of the fruit trees! We have a wonderful tree here called the ‘shesek’ which produces and orange oval fruit that has a large seed. The trees are laden with fruit in a manner that I have never seen before! The fig trees as well are bursting forth with a seemingly double harvest. My little olive tree has doubled in size and already needs a new pot and I’m realizing that I should be planted in the ground fairly soon. I thought about this; how fruitful our God is even in such awful times and how He expects His children to follow suit and produce abundant fruit in constricting times. This is a law of the kingdom!
I am hoping to spend the first 3 nights of Passover with our daughter in Gush Etzion – Judea (Bat Ayin). They don’t drive on holidays so it will be an experiment with my body adapting to a child’s mattress as I will be sleeping with our Grandchildren. I am so looking forward to it. I bought a box of matzo, thinking how strange it was to only need a small box. I thought back to years ago at the shuk when I was wondering if I should buy one or two six packs and I noticed an Arab woman with SIX six packs! I couldn’t resist and asked her why she was buying so much Matzo and she said ‘Oh! These Jewish crackers are the best ones ever! I always stock up!’ We laughed and hugged. How times have changed.
Someday, time shall be no more (Revelation). Praise God…no more pain…no more striving…no more aging and death, but LOVE WILL REIGN and we will be in a FRUITFUL GARDEN!
I look over to Jerusalem every time that I am outside. It is such a wonderful place that God has given to me to live. The view is stunning. I watch the sky a lot; I see big black clouds from the West…from Gaza…and tumultuous clouds over Jerusalem. I watch helicopters land on Hadassa hospital across the valley from me carrying wounded soldiers and I pray and meanwhile colorful parrots and woodpeckers fly overhead, swallows dance above me and today I have a roof over my head and food on my table and how blessed I am…and so are you! The wonder of God choosing the likes of us to call us to Himself and give us the grace to come…and keep coming.
May we be found IN HIM and in His Peace. (I lost that peace one evening and my daughter .... helped me back in) (How thankful I am for His children…and mine!) May we love His Word and make TIME for Him, set apart quietly before Him. May we be found faithful. May we be filled with His Holy Spirit Who teaches and leads us and with His Spirit of discernment and all prayer. Loving blessings, from a sister here for His purposes.
April 4, 2024
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
Loving greetings on 4.04.24- DAY 181-A day that He has made and a day that we can praise HIM Who is worthy to be praised, Who is willing to teach us, Who is Patient and Merciful and Just and Righteous and HOLY! May He be glorified and blessed and may you be edified!
There was no sleeping last night. I wasn’t scared, nor was I anxious…but I couldn’t quite settle into that abiding peace. I got up and filled a bucket of water to keep in my room ‘just incase’. There is no safe room in my house. I have access to a strong public shelter just 2 doors away; however the narrow cement steps leading downward are steep, and I decided that rather than falling down the stairs, I would put a pillow over my head and sit against the inner wall of my bedroom when there is a bomb alert. Thus my ‘emergency supply’ is stored in my bedroom. The messages have been…well…typical: DON’T PANIC… but ‘prepare’! DON’T storm the stores and buy a generator…but…make sure that you have enough emergency water, canned and dry food, medications, id papers and some cash…BUT DON’T PANIC! Just check and be ready…sort of…yes do it…but calmly. Probably nothing will happen, but we are fairly certain that it will…just DON’T PANIC! We are cancelling all soldier leaves, recalling the reserves, sending kids home from boarding schools…we KNOW that the GPS has been scrambled…BUT DON’T PANIC. Last night the home front command website posted an upgrade alert to the highest level and stock up on food etc. The news tonight said ‘there is no change from the home front command.’…uh…ok.
So I prayed.
Although we have ‘been there before’ and the past 181 days have been VERY real and exhausting with the number of 600 soldiers killed having been reached, this part seems grim. Iran [Persia…our ancient nemesis – See Daniel 10:13 for one] has stated that it WILL launch a strong and deadly attack on us following our elimination of a high ranking Iranian official in Syria. Hizbollah attacks along our northern border have increased and intensified and so have our responses. We are only awaiting the ‘official announcement’. Hamas is giddy with joy saying that Israel will be buried in the sands of Gaza. What they do not realize is that even IF we are buried in Gaza’s sands should God will, we WILL rise again…BECAUSE THAT IS GOD’S WILL! To glorify HIS HOLY NAME through this people.
I have begun a vegetable garden! I also made myself a screen to cover my door so that I can leave the door open. I have walked to the market and bought two [expensive!] cans of local olive oil. It has been a poor year for oil here and there has been a shortage. I have been so blessed, working in the earth but have wondered; ‘Lord? Is this what You want for me right now?’ I deeply enjoy working the soil and seeing things grow. Strangely (to me) most of the land around each house here has either been covered by ‘plastic grass’ or stone tiles. My home is the latter and so I have gotten pots and boxes and who knows what. I have always enjoyed working with my hands, but for years, serving my family has taken the place of the time that I would have more selfishly used, and the exchange was the best ever…the right one and I am thankful for what I had. But now, at this end of my life…here I am Lord…and I don’t want to waste my time, so I long to follow His leading, looking for and listening for any ‘checks’ in my spirit; not my will but His. Thus far I have enjoyed the plants, some sewing, a lot of walking and baking to give away…but ready to stop at His bidding. Sometimes I am so very tired.
People have asked if there was a food crisis here. I would have to say ‘not yet’…but I see it coming. People still do help one another but we don’t have the variety that we used to before the war. Everything is much more expensive, but I still look out and see fruit growing wild on the trees and I thank God for His great abundance. Last Thursday night I was outside walking the dog and a man went running past, looking at an address, carrying a flat of eggs! Now E.. and I loved raising our chickens and when we didn’t have chickens anymore, we were always on the lookout for a fresh flat of eggs. ‘Betziem??’ (eggs??) I asked him? ‘Are you selling them? Can I buy some? Where are they from?’ He told me that they were from the kibbutz in Keslon, fresh today. ‘Yofi! Can I buy a flat please?’ With great joy I carried my 30 fresh eggs home, opened the door and said ‘Hey E....!’ I stopped short and burst out laughing. I had FORGOTTEN that I live alone now. I had forgotten that I bought a dozen eggs last week and that there was nothing that I could do with these 30 farm fresh eggs except to give them to my neighbors from Estonia. I had to laugh; the seller of the eggs was happy to make a sale that he didn’t expect, I was happy because it stirred a happy feeling, and my neighbors were happy because they had been blessed with abundant eggs for their family of 4. It is amazing how contagious joy is.
The Friday night before Purim I was also out walking Gila and I looked up. I realize that (except when I’m walking because I’ve learned that I must watch my feet) I like to look up. I see amazing birds, wild clouds, all sorts of things. In my life I have been blessed to live with the northern lights, sun dogs, such assorted wonders in the sky that one is blessed to see in the extremely cold parts of Alaska. But I had never seen THIS before and I rubbed my eyes. I have macular degeneration and I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me. The very large and bright full moon had a brilliant rainbow around it…several circles indeed! I’ve seen triple rainbows and full circle rainbows, one circle inside another, but never one around the moon! A man was coming out of synagogue just then and I said ‘Ti’ray!’ [look!] and I pointed up. ‘Is that real or is it my eyes?’ I asked him. ‘That is real but I am above 80 years old and I have never seen such a thing!’ More people began to come out of the synagogue and we showed them. Everyone was amazed. I texted friends a few miles away but it seemed to be only visible where we were. What a joy! I immediately thought of Psalm 8:1,3,4 “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! …When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”
I was speaking with some dear friends of ours who, several years ago, moved to Haifa after many years in Jerusalem. I have been blessed to watch them mature into discerning leaders in the local body for such a time as this. One son and two sons-in-law have just returned after months of fighting and I asked her how they are doing. She told me that her son said ‘I can not settle down into things as usual…and I don’t want to settle down into that again…to forget that they are fighting and dying just a few kilometers from here…I want to keep a fine edge.’ I remember being in third grade and having a new boy come into our class. I still remember him clearly, Walter Klassen. He was an immigrant from Poland and he was so ‘different’ than all of the other children. He was so SERIOUS. I remember wondering why he didn’t ‘play’ like the rest of the children. That reminds me of Little Pilgrim’s Progress and how Little Pilgrim couldn’t play with the other children because he felt so keenly the burden on his back [sin] and the presence of ‘the city of destruction’…and the other children made fun of him. They didn’t understand that his eyes were looking beyond.
I know that some of you already have this information, but several of you recently have asked for the news addresses that I have recommended in the past. There is an excellent and accurate update that I encourage you to sign up for if you have either WhatsApp or Telegram. If you have trouble connecting, I can send it to you on WhatsApp (I do not have telegram) Let me know and I will be happy to. Be sure to send me your cell phone number if you do want my help.
ISRAEL REALTIME — "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"
WhatsApp Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DWhtMTRHOxvLFFUvEzP50r
Telegram Channel Link: https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
With all that is going on…Passover is rapidly approaching. People are cleaning and the matzo has appeared in the shops. The fresh garlic is here. The store shelves are being separated and cleaned of leavened products. I was reading in Exodus and thinking about how the people felt as they stood before the sea with the Egyptian army pressing in behind them. I was thinking about ‘the minute before deliverance’. That ‘minute before’ is surely a point of test…a point where we will either stand still…or we won’t. May The Lord find us STANDING STILL before Him.
I must sleep now, so I will send this, rough edges and all. I have not mentioned the tragic error that lead to the death of the 7 aid workers, nor the hideous world response…I can only look up. Others are commenting right and left.
May The Lord Alone be glorified in each of our lives…may we live each moment with our eyes fixed on Him!
Loving blessings from a tired sister here.
: sorry...I neglected to share this
Watchmen from Jerusalem - Issue #1, 2024 - Intercessors for Israel
ifi.org.il
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
Loving greetings on 4.04.24- DAY 181-A day that He has made and a day that we can praise HIM Who is worthy to be praised, Who is willing to teach us, Who is Patient and Merciful and Just and Righteous and HOLY! May He be glorified and blessed and may you be edified!
There was no sleeping last night. I wasn’t scared, nor was I anxious…but I couldn’t quite settle into that abiding peace. I got up and filled a bucket of water to keep in my room ‘just incase’. There is no safe room in my house. I have access to a strong public shelter just 2 doors away; however the narrow cement steps leading downward are steep, and I decided that rather than falling down the stairs, I would put a pillow over my head and sit against the inner wall of my bedroom when there is a bomb alert. Thus my ‘emergency supply’ is stored in my bedroom. The messages have been…well…typical: DON’T PANIC… but ‘prepare’! DON’T storm the stores and buy a generator…but…make sure that you have enough emergency water, canned and dry food, medications, id papers and some cash…BUT DON’T PANIC! Just check and be ready…sort of…yes do it…but calmly. Probably nothing will happen, but we are fairly certain that it will…just DON’T PANIC! We are cancelling all soldier leaves, recalling the reserves, sending kids home from boarding schools…we KNOW that the GPS has been scrambled…BUT DON’T PANIC. Last night the home front command website posted an upgrade alert to the highest level and stock up on food etc. The news tonight said ‘there is no change from the home front command.’…uh…ok.
So I prayed.
Although we have ‘been there before’ and the past 181 days have been VERY real and exhausting with the number of 600 soldiers killed having been reached, this part seems grim. Iran [Persia…our ancient nemesis – See Daniel 10:13 for one] has stated that it WILL launch a strong and deadly attack on us following our elimination of a high ranking Iranian official in Syria. Hizbollah attacks along our northern border have increased and intensified and so have our responses. We are only awaiting the ‘official announcement’. Hamas is giddy with joy saying that Israel will be buried in the sands of Gaza. What they do not realize is that even IF we are buried in Gaza’s sands should God will, we WILL rise again…BECAUSE THAT IS GOD’S WILL! To glorify HIS HOLY NAME through this people.
I have begun a vegetable garden! I also made myself a screen to cover my door so that I can leave the door open. I have walked to the market and bought two [expensive!] cans of local olive oil. It has been a poor year for oil here and there has been a shortage. I have been so blessed, working in the earth but have wondered; ‘Lord? Is this what You want for me right now?’ I deeply enjoy working the soil and seeing things grow. Strangely (to me) most of the land around each house here has either been covered by ‘plastic grass’ or stone tiles. My home is the latter and so I have gotten pots and boxes and who knows what. I have always enjoyed working with my hands, but for years, serving my family has taken the place of the time that I would have more selfishly used, and the exchange was the best ever…the right one and I am thankful for what I had. But now, at this end of my life…here I am Lord…and I don’t want to waste my time, so I long to follow His leading, looking for and listening for any ‘checks’ in my spirit; not my will but His. Thus far I have enjoyed the plants, some sewing, a lot of walking and baking to give away…but ready to stop at His bidding. Sometimes I am so very tired.
People have asked if there was a food crisis here. I would have to say ‘not yet’…but I see it coming. People still do help one another but we don’t have the variety that we used to before the war. Everything is much more expensive, but I still look out and see fruit growing wild on the trees and I thank God for His great abundance. Last Thursday night I was outside walking the dog and a man went running past, looking at an address, carrying a flat of eggs! Now E.. and I loved raising our chickens and when we didn’t have chickens anymore, we were always on the lookout for a fresh flat of eggs. ‘Betziem??’ (eggs??) I asked him? ‘Are you selling them? Can I buy some? Where are they from?’ He told me that they were from the kibbutz in Keslon, fresh today. ‘Yofi! Can I buy a flat please?’ With great joy I carried my 30 fresh eggs home, opened the door and said ‘Hey E....!’ I stopped short and burst out laughing. I had FORGOTTEN that I live alone now. I had forgotten that I bought a dozen eggs last week and that there was nothing that I could do with these 30 farm fresh eggs except to give them to my neighbors from Estonia. I had to laugh; the seller of the eggs was happy to make a sale that he didn’t expect, I was happy because it stirred a happy feeling, and my neighbors were happy because they had been blessed with abundant eggs for their family of 4. It is amazing how contagious joy is.
The Friday night before Purim I was also out walking Gila and I looked up. I realize that (except when I’m walking because I’ve learned that I must watch my feet) I like to look up. I see amazing birds, wild clouds, all sorts of things. In my life I have been blessed to live with the northern lights, sun dogs, such assorted wonders in the sky that one is blessed to see in the extremely cold parts of Alaska. But I had never seen THIS before and I rubbed my eyes. I have macular degeneration and I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me. The very large and bright full moon had a brilliant rainbow around it…several circles indeed! I’ve seen triple rainbows and full circle rainbows, one circle inside another, but never one around the moon! A man was coming out of synagogue just then and I said ‘Ti’ray!’ [look!] and I pointed up. ‘Is that real or is it my eyes?’ I asked him. ‘That is real but I am above 80 years old and I have never seen such a thing!’ More people began to come out of the synagogue and we showed them. Everyone was amazed. I texted friends a few miles away but it seemed to be only visible where we were. What a joy! I immediately thought of Psalm 8:1,3,4 “O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! …When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”
I was speaking with some dear friends of ours who, several years ago, moved to Haifa after many years in Jerusalem. I have been blessed to watch them mature into discerning leaders in the local body for such a time as this. One son and two sons-in-law have just returned after months of fighting and I asked her how they are doing. She told me that her son said ‘I can not settle down into things as usual…and I don’t want to settle down into that again…to forget that they are fighting and dying just a few kilometers from here…I want to keep a fine edge.’ I remember being in third grade and having a new boy come into our class. I still remember him clearly, Walter Klassen. He was an immigrant from Poland and he was so ‘different’ than all of the other children. He was so SERIOUS. I remember wondering why he didn’t ‘play’ like the rest of the children. That reminds me of Little Pilgrim’s Progress and how Little Pilgrim couldn’t play with the other children because he felt so keenly the burden on his back [sin] and the presence of ‘the city of destruction’…and the other children made fun of him. They didn’t understand that his eyes were looking beyond.
I know that some of you already have this information, but several of you recently have asked for the news addresses that I have recommended in the past. There is an excellent and accurate update that I encourage you to sign up for if you have either WhatsApp or Telegram. If you have trouble connecting, I can send it to you on WhatsApp (I do not have telegram) Let me know and I will be happy to. Be sure to send me your cell phone number if you do want my help.
ISRAEL REALTIME — "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"
WhatsApp Link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DWhtMTRHOxvLFFUvEzP50r
Telegram Channel Link: https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
With all that is going on…Passover is rapidly approaching. People are cleaning and the matzo has appeared in the shops. The fresh garlic is here. The store shelves are being separated and cleaned of leavened products. I was reading in Exodus and thinking about how the people felt as they stood before the sea with the Egyptian army pressing in behind them. I was thinking about ‘the minute before deliverance’. That ‘minute before’ is surely a point of test…a point where we will either stand still…or we won’t. May The Lord find us STANDING STILL before Him.
I must sleep now, so I will send this, rough edges and all. I have not mentioned the tragic error that lead to the death of the 7 aid workers, nor the hideous world response…I can only look up. Others are commenting right and left.
May The Lord Alone be glorified in each of our lives…may we live each moment with our eyes fixed on Him!
Loving blessings from a tired sister here.
: sorry...I neglected to share this
Watchmen from Jerusalem - Issue #1, 2024 - Intercessors for Israel
ifi.org.il
March 31, 2024
May we all walk in the Victory of His Resurrection… we
are bought with a Price… for such a time as this🤲🏽
LOVING BLESSINGS IN THE JOY OF THE KNOWLEDGE
THAT HE LIVES!
May we all walk in the Victory of His Resurrection… we
are bought with a Price… for such a time as this🤲🏽
LOVING BLESSINGS IN THE JOY OF THE KNOWLEDGE
THAT HE LIVES!
March 20, 2024
“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:8-16
Greetings again, dear brothers and sisters as we rapidly approach the holiday of Purim. May The Lord be seen and glorified. As He is often hidden, and works in strange (to us) and unexpected ways, may we anticipate seeing Him, knowing Him, following Him; knowing that He IS The Victor…El Gibor – brave, courageous, strong, mighty, hero GOD! May He be glorified and may you be blessed.
Tomorrow is the Esther fast among Jews. I listened to a very interesting teaching by a Rabbi’s wife that really stirred me. It spoke about ‘WHY THE SECOND DAY’ and ‘FINISHING THE WORK’, and it inspired me. I HAVE often wondered as I read the book of Esther, what was the significance of the ‘one more day’ for ‘walled cities. This rabbi’s wife brought out the fact that Gaza City is the ONLY other city, besides Jerusalem, that is a walled city set in the same place that it was in the time of Joshua and that this year, our soldiers are there and the scroll can be read there as well as in Jerusalem…on the second day. What does that ‘mean’? I don’t know exactly, but somehow it excited my faith.
Many things have ‘excited my faith’…simply because God is so GOOD! I read this morning the verse in Exodus 3:3-4 “Then Moses said,’ I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” I thrilled at the thought that we have the choice to ‘turn aside and SEE’…to open our ears and hear our name called and then to say ‘Here I am’.
On Shabbat, an old friend of ours from Alaska passed into glory. My husband was the first Aleut Israeli citizen…and he was unique. He was raised from the age of 2 in an orphanage and he was really part of a ‘bridge’ generation living in between the old native ways and the modern ways…He was unique and had an amazing ‘presence’. Willie was like this too. He was also raised with Eric in the orphanage and made a huge impact on people in his quiet way…as did Eric. Hearing that he had gone made me sad, but that was between God and I. There was no one else to say it to. But God hears!
I had a ride home from Kehila (fellowship) at around 8pm with a lovely family. Suddenly there was an awful smell and smoke started billowing up from their car. We jumped out on the side of highway 1, thankful that it wasn’t a fire, but having overheated badly, the engine was not happy. As we waited a car pulled over to see if they could help and my friends asked if he could give me a ride home. As we rode, ofcourse we struck up a conversation. He was young, married almost a year ago and lived in Jerusalem. We talked about our neighborhoods and I told him that we had lived in Beit h’Kerem and that my husband had been the first Israeli ‘Eskimo’ (most people don’t know what an Aleut is) and he yelled; ‘Not Eric of Alaska??!?’…I was so surprised! ‘Yes, Eric was my husband’. He started to tell me how Eric had cut his hair since he was a small child and how much he loved hearing Eric’s stories. WHAT A PERSONAL GIFT TO ME! What were the ‘chances’ of all of these (dare I say) ‘pur’ falling together and spilling out in the form of encouragement.
How He leads us! If we will focus on the rose buds instead of the thorns, perhaps the result will be a sweet smelling savor.
Now that I’m retired, and alone, I have had time to reflect with great wonder, about the path that I have trod these past 78 years. I’m sure that you all can relate. Through fire, through flood, through grief and through joy, with wonder and with tears…HE has been our path in unknown territory and familiar… HE IS THERE. I read a wonderful article in the Jerusalem Post (interview with Natan Sharansky) which was an excellent interview with Natan Sharansky. To many of you the name is familiar, but to me…his name is a landmark on the map along my way. I first heard of him in the early 1980s while he was a Russian prisoner of Zion in a Siberian prison in the Russian Gulag. Somehow, I got a picture of him and a prayer request asking for prayer that he would be released and able to join his wife in Israel…so I prayed. It was one of those prayers that your spirit grabs ahold of. I remember lying on the tundra while picking blueberries and thinking about him, just the other side of the Bering Sea that ran beside our village – Naknek Alaska – and crying out to God to release him…save him…and bring him home to Israel: my voice blending with countless others, worldwide. Soon after I began working in Dr. R......’s office (oh the AGONY of the initiation of that!) Natan and Avigale Sharansky walked in and asked if they could become our patients. I stood up, heart pounding, my mouth fell open making a complete fool of myself…but inspite of that, we became friends. He later served in many government cabinets and important posts. He is a wise man.
So is Michael Oren, who also became a friend. (Michael Oren article)
Besides being a patient of ours, he played tennis with my boss and they were good friends, so I met the man with the boyish face who had written the classic book on the 6 day war and who was later to become the Israeli Ambassador to the United States under Obama, at a time when we needed someone very wise and careful in that office. Since I met him before he became famous, it wasn’t as intimidating. I got to share my testimony with both of them, particularly Michael in much depth. They both hunger for Truth and are men of high integrity and I believe that they will have their eyes open. They are two of so many that I have been privileged to know. I mention them because I am enclosing two articles, one, an interview with Natan Sharansky that has great insight about the current situation, and the second an article by Michael Oren who describes clearly the very heart beat of Israelis at this time.
Michael’s article caught my eye because on a list that I keep by my computer for things that I want to write about, I have written down: “cut off and insular” …Michael calls it ‘lonely’. I wrote last week about the people of Shushan being ‘Perplexed’. When you ask ‘how we are’ here…these words describe it well inspite of the fact that we are comforted knowing that many of the world’s Christians do stand strongly with us.
…as we fight AMALEK.
Who is AMALEK, whom we have songs about and of whom we say ‘that he arises in each generation’? When we were told on the 7th of October that we were entering a war for our survival, our Prime Minister said ‘we are fighting Amalek’. We all understood, but the indignant reaction from around the world should have been fair warning for the response that we are now seeing. Nevertheless, it has shocked us, as a people. (See scripture above) In 1 Samuel 15 I’m sure that you remember the pivotal and fearsome event in King Saul’s life, where he was commanded by Samuel to destroy Amalek and all that Amalek had, however he disobeyed and spared king Agag and the livestock. Saul’s end was a testimony to remind us all how serious it is to disobey God.
In the book of Esther…Haman is the one who rose his head…and Haman was an Agagite…a descendant of king Agag.
Haman was an Amalekite.
Mordechai and Esther were direct descendants of King Saul: Esther 2:5 “In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been capturedwith Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother.”
Redemption! What mercy God shows!
We don’t know what lies ahead…none of us do, although it may be very quiet and peaceful where you live (I DO know that for some of you it is, and war is not before your eyes). But it is so comforting to know that The God Whom we serve is a REDEMPTIVE God with a Heart of Mercy…and with a plan and pattern before us. In His Hands this walk of ours is not random. May we all lean into Him and find our reality to be “Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.” Psalm 5:8
God bless you! I am thankful for your kindness along with your prayers and encouragement. May THE LORD BE GLORIFIED and may we be found faithful. Lovingly, your sister
“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Exodus 17:8-16
Greetings again, dear brothers and sisters as we rapidly approach the holiday of Purim. May The Lord be seen and glorified. As He is often hidden, and works in strange (to us) and unexpected ways, may we anticipate seeing Him, knowing Him, following Him; knowing that He IS The Victor…El Gibor – brave, courageous, strong, mighty, hero GOD! May He be glorified and may you be blessed.
Tomorrow is the Esther fast among Jews. I listened to a very interesting teaching by a Rabbi’s wife that really stirred me. It spoke about ‘WHY THE SECOND DAY’ and ‘FINISHING THE WORK’, and it inspired me. I HAVE often wondered as I read the book of Esther, what was the significance of the ‘one more day’ for ‘walled cities. This rabbi’s wife brought out the fact that Gaza City is the ONLY other city, besides Jerusalem, that is a walled city set in the same place that it was in the time of Joshua and that this year, our soldiers are there and the scroll can be read there as well as in Jerusalem…on the second day. What does that ‘mean’? I don’t know exactly, but somehow it excited my faith.
Many things have ‘excited my faith’…simply because God is so GOOD! I read this morning the verse in Exodus 3:3-4 “Then Moses said,’ I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.’ So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” I thrilled at the thought that we have the choice to ‘turn aside and SEE’…to open our ears and hear our name called and then to say ‘Here I am’.
On Shabbat, an old friend of ours from Alaska passed into glory. My husband was the first Aleut Israeli citizen…and he was unique. He was raised from the age of 2 in an orphanage and he was really part of a ‘bridge’ generation living in between the old native ways and the modern ways…He was unique and had an amazing ‘presence’. Willie was like this too. He was also raised with Eric in the orphanage and made a huge impact on people in his quiet way…as did Eric. Hearing that he had gone made me sad, but that was between God and I. There was no one else to say it to. But God hears!
I had a ride home from Kehila (fellowship) at around 8pm with a lovely family. Suddenly there was an awful smell and smoke started billowing up from their car. We jumped out on the side of highway 1, thankful that it wasn’t a fire, but having overheated badly, the engine was not happy. As we waited a car pulled over to see if they could help and my friends asked if he could give me a ride home. As we rode, ofcourse we struck up a conversation. He was young, married almost a year ago and lived in Jerusalem. We talked about our neighborhoods and I told him that we had lived in Beit h’Kerem and that my husband had been the first Israeli ‘Eskimo’ (most people don’t know what an Aleut is) and he yelled; ‘Not Eric of Alaska??!?’…I was so surprised! ‘Yes, Eric was my husband’. He started to tell me how Eric had cut his hair since he was a small child and how much he loved hearing Eric’s stories. WHAT A PERSONAL GIFT TO ME! What were the ‘chances’ of all of these (dare I say) ‘pur’ falling together and spilling out in the form of encouragement.
How He leads us! If we will focus on the rose buds instead of the thorns, perhaps the result will be a sweet smelling savor.
Now that I’m retired, and alone, I have had time to reflect with great wonder, about the path that I have trod these past 78 years. I’m sure that you all can relate. Through fire, through flood, through grief and through joy, with wonder and with tears…HE has been our path in unknown territory and familiar… HE IS THERE. I read a wonderful article in the Jerusalem Post (interview with Natan Sharansky) which was an excellent interview with Natan Sharansky. To many of you the name is familiar, but to me…his name is a landmark on the map along my way. I first heard of him in the early 1980s while he was a Russian prisoner of Zion in a Siberian prison in the Russian Gulag. Somehow, I got a picture of him and a prayer request asking for prayer that he would be released and able to join his wife in Israel…so I prayed. It was one of those prayers that your spirit grabs ahold of. I remember lying on the tundra while picking blueberries and thinking about him, just the other side of the Bering Sea that ran beside our village – Naknek Alaska – and crying out to God to release him…save him…and bring him home to Israel: my voice blending with countless others, worldwide. Soon after I began working in Dr. R......’s office (oh the AGONY of the initiation of that!) Natan and Avigale Sharansky walked in and asked if they could become our patients. I stood up, heart pounding, my mouth fell open making a complete fool of myself…but inspite of that, we became friends. He later served in many government cabinets and important posts. He is a wise man.
So is Michael Oren, who also became a friend. (Michael Oren article)
Besides being a patient of ours, he played tennis with my boss and they were good friends, so I met the man with the boyish face who had written the classic book on the 6 day war and who was later to become the Israeli Ambassador to the United States under Obama, at a time when we needed someone very wise and careful in that office. Since I met him before he became famous, it wasn’t as intimidating. I got to share my testimony with both of them, particularly Michael in much depth. They both hunger for Truth and are men of high integrity and I believe that they will have their eyes open. They are two of so many that I have been privileged to know. I mention them because I am enclosing two articles, one, an interview with Natan Sharansky that has great insight about the current situation, and the second an article by Michael Oren who describes clearly the very heart beat of Israelis at this time.
Michael’s article caught my eye because on a list that I keep by my computer for things that I want to write about, I have written down: “cut off and insular” …Michael calls it ‘lonely’. I wrote last week about the people of Shushan being ‘Perplexed’. When you ask ‘how we are’ here…these words describe it well inspite of the fact that we are comforted knowing that many of the world’s Christians do stand strongly with us.
…as we fight AMALEK.
Who is AMALEK, whom we have songs about and of whom we say ‘that he arises in each generation’? When we were told on the 7th of October that we were entering a war for our survival, our Prime Minister said ‘we are fighting Amalek’. We all understood, but the indignant reaction from around the world should have been fair warning for the response that we are now seeing. Nevertheless, it has shocked us, as a people. (See scripture above) In 1 Samuel 15 I’m sure that you remember the pivotal and fearsome event in King Saul’s life, where he was commanded by Samuel to destroy Amalek and all that Amalek had, however he disobeyed and spared king Agag and the livestock. Saul’s end was a testimony to remind us all how serious it is to disobey God.
In the book of Esther…Haman is the one who rose his head…and Haman was an Agagite…a descendant of king Agag.
Haman was an Amalekite.
Mordechai and Esther were direct descendants of King Saul: Esther 2:5 “In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been capturedwith Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother.”
Redemption! What mercy God shows!
We don’t know what lies ahead…none of us do, although it may be very quiet and peaceful where you live (I DO know that for some of you it is, and war is not before your eyes). But it is so comforting to know that The God Whom we serve is a REDEMPTIVE God with a Heart of Mercy…and with a plan and pattern before us. In His Hands this walk of ours is not random. May we all lean into Him and find our reality to be “Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.” Psalm 5:8
God bless you! I am thankful for your kindness along with your prayers and encouragement. May THE LORD BE GLORIFIED and may we be found faithful. Lovingly, your sister
March 16, 2024
“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:7, 8
“So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, ‘See that you do not become troubled along the way.’”
“And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.” Genesis 45:24 and 26
“...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;” Romans 12:12
Greetings, Brothers and Sisters along this journey…along the road that is narrowing and darkening. May The Lord, The Light of the world, The Living Word, The aleph and the tav, be our One True Guide. May He search us thoroughly and remove all of the stumbling blocks in each of us. May HE be glorified, and may you (and I) be encouraged.
Planes were flying overhead nearly nonstop last night: It’s nothing that we can see…it is just always there…like the rumbling of an upset stomach.
In my village, we don’t have a ‘Shabbat horn’ ushering in Shabbat; we have the Shabbat song/prayer ‘Shalom Aleichem’ (Peace to you) over the loud speaker. I just went outside to sing and it thrills my soul as it settles over us calling us to Him and to separate us from the week and it’s struggles into His Rest…leave it all at the door…the planes above…the injustice and pain…the trials that tear at the soul…leave it and close the door on it and enter into His Rest…every bit as real as all of His provision for us…His Strong Tower…HE IS!
Having said that, I wonder now if I will write…but I do feel that it is the time, and so I will.
What does Ramadan, Purim, Passover and Simchat Torah (the last of the Biblical Fall Feasts of The Lord) have in common? Middle Eastern thinking is very symbolic. This war started, not only on Simchat Torah, but on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war. Simchat Torah celebrates the giving of the Torah to Israel on Mt. Sinai…the giving of the covenants of The Living God…The Creator…Lord God Almighty…THE SOVEREIGN GOD…It is HE Who is being challenged. That is why the Palestinian name for this war is ‘Al-Aqsa flood’…and the call has gone out from jihadist leaders world wide to start ‘taking back Jerusalem’ with the beginning of the month of Ramadan. Today was the first Friday of Ramadan and this week has passed relatively peacefully with the Ramadan prayers on Temple Mount at Al-Aqsa basically without incident…praise God. As I said, most of the Israeli Arabs do NOT want uprising. They have taken a stand against the Palestinian calls to rise up. May God bless them for this.
MEANWHILE…here in Israel…we are baking ‘hamantaschen’ (or Haman’s ears re-named this year Sinwar’s ears) and packing baskets of goodies and clown pictures to give out for Purim… I mentioned to my neighbor that it felt bizarre and she answered with a resounding ‘NO!’ and reminded me that all through our history ‘Amalek’ has tried to destroy us but The Lord is sovereign and we are to give the ‘victory shout’ and celebrate before Him. Yes…I knew that and it was good to be reminded. This will be the first Purim that I am not living in a walled city, so I do not celebrate ‘Shushan Purim’ (the second day of Purim as prescribed in the book of Esther). Purim begins this year on Saturday night, the 24th, with the fast of Esther (ta’anit Esther) being on Thursday the 21st. Purim is the last holiday before Passover, which begins this year on the night of the 22nd of April.
As I was reading in Genesis 45 this morning, I was struck by many things all at once. I don’t know about you, but The Lord often prepares me for some new ‘challenge’ that way. I was thinking about Joseph and all of the really difficult things that he went through and how the picture that is presented is one of such utter steadfastness…like Daniel. I was thinking about that deep faithfulness through such severe trials and I felt my spirit ‘want THAT’. And when I read his admonition to his brothers ‘not to become troubled along the way’, I thought, isn’t that often how it is. I will see things clearly but then allow my soul to become troubled along the way. Joseph didn’t. His brothers might. AND THEN…His Father! He could not believe that Joseph was alive, after all of these years of grieving, and I thought of how the disciples couldn’t believe that Yeshua was raised AS HE SAID.
These thoughts tumbled in on me all together.
How good He is to prepare us…remind us…before the bumpy part of the road rises in front of us. So, a rather C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-I-N-G personal situation burst on the horizon like a volcano…and I thought about all of the times I have said to my brothers and sisters (and fully meant and believed it); this kingdom isn’t ours; we get to walk through the fire and the flood with our eyes fixed upon Yeshua, The FAITHFUL Author and Finisher of our faith, HE is our Provider and our Provision. HE is our sure Rock when all else shakes.
……………..
So…I wrote that far last night and today is shabbat. It is so wonderfully quiet inspite of the war continuing to rage…the pain, the uncertainty…the life and death situations…the lies and the truth all in a soup…and here is the still quiet of Shabbat in the midst. What a demonstration of how He calls us to walk.
As the days grow narrower and darker, it has seemed to me that discernment from God (as opposed to natural discernment)…by The Holy Spirit…is more and more necessary and indeed, part of the two edged sword. I was reading in Luke this morning as part of my daily reading and it struck me afresh how the demons KNEW Who He was, and spoke it and He FORBADE them to speak this ‘TRUTH…BECAUSE OF THE SOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE’! We see that as well in Acts 16 when Paul confronted the girl with the spirit of divination who was following him and proclaiming TRUTH (that Paul was speaking TRUTH) – YET THE SOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE WAS FROM A SPIRIT OTHER THAN THE HOLY SPIRIT! This is the discernment that I believe that we desperately need today. With so much darkness and narrowing of the path, there are so many ‘words’ being given out…very ‘spiritual’ words from some very ‘spiritual’ people…but only that which proceeds from The HOLY Spirit has LIFE in it, and with the path so narrow, a ‘small’ detour from His path can find us lost in the mud of despair and blindness and that is part of the reality of living in such a time as this. As the believing soldiers have asked us to pray that they will have that sharp gift of discernment to know which way to turn in the midst of battle, so we also are in the midst of raging battle and need His discernment desperately. I have learned that discernment doesn’t mean ‘judging’; there is a huge difference. Judging is soulish and comes from the mind and heart. Discernment is The Holy Spirit and is for US. It struck me as a good lesson that Yeshua rebuked the demons and commanded them to keep silent but He healed and saved those who needed to be delivered.
AND…as I came to the end of the book of Mark the other day, I was thinking about Barabas…and how he had committed murder in the insurrection. In other words, as Yeshua was moving on this earth, teaching, calling, breathing life…there was indeed tremendous political unrest going on around him; BUT HE DIDN’T ADDRESS IT! I speak with my sister (by blood) in the US, and other old friends and hear the spouting of anger, hatred, pride, rage, I notice that The Lord is leading me further and further from expecting the world to fix the world’s problems but more into letting Him live through me to draw people to His kingdom. I know that we are ‘in the world’ and must walk here…but not ‘of the world’…so our weapons are not the world’s tools.
Fine lines: His lines are the ones that we must find.
Isn’t it amazing that ‘His Peace’ is a direct command to us!
So, we are preparing for Purim. Purim, of course, celebrates the sudden overthrow of the enemy when it appeared hopeless. The message is not lost on Israelis today. When the command was issued that all of the Jews were to be killed, it says in Esther 3:15 “The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.” I can say that this is the same emotion shared by Israelis today as we listen to the demands of the world…read the decrees issued against us…wonder if everyone is blind…we are again ‘perplexed’. How can it be that so many do not see? How can so many believe lies?
Yesterday morning there was an announcement that there was ‘another massacre’ perpetrated against the Gazans by the IDF. A ‘mass slaughter of 50 – maybe 100 people trying to get food from the aid trucks.’ Thankfully this time Israel had the entire thing on film, distinctly showing Hamas shooting people approaching the trucks; but the world buys it and frankly Israelis are perplexed.
Years ago, during the second intifada, I explained that ‘hasborah’ is a Hebrew word that basically means ‘telling the Israeli side…our view of the situation.’ We are apparently not very good at it. Currently we have a sizable number of Israeli Arabs speaking out strongly, defending Israel’s situation. One of these brave people, Yosif Haddad, shared this morning an interview that he had done in America. He told them that Israel had eliminated more than 10,000 Hamas fighters. The interviewer asked him where he got his figures and when he said the IDF, he was mocked and belittled. So he asked the interviewer where he got the figure of 30,000 killed and he said from the UN…who got the figure from the Gaza health ministry…which is Hamas. This is totally perplexing to Israelis.
2 Kings chapter 6 tells the wonderful story about Elisha when Israel was at war with Syria. He struck the Syrian army with blindness (it is worth reading the chapter rather than me re-telling it) but this is my point; I do not want to be struck with blindness; so I am praying for a spirit discernment with a desperation in my prayers. It IS life and death.
I have really run at the mouth and I apologize for such a long letter.
I want to report that my little dog Gila is happier and healthier than ever and I praise God for His loving kindness to me in this.
I appreciate prayers for our daughter and family in Gush Etzion (Bat Ayin) and all of those in the areas of Judea and Samaria as the towns around them are being incited to violence during Ramadan. (as I write this there just came a red alert of a terrorist infiltration in my daughter's area)
If any of you are interested, I’ve included a few articles that have spoken to my heart.
May The God of Hope fill you (and me) with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of The Holy Spirit…and may we bring Joy to The Heart of Abba God, for He is good and His mercy endures forever! God bless you! Lovingly, me
can i really love my enemies (written by a friend)
many still had the expression of pain
“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:7, 8
“So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, ‘See that you do not become troubled along the way.’”
“And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.” Genesis 45:24 and 26
“...rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;” Romans 12:12
Greetings, Brothers and Sisters along this journey…along the road that is narrowing and darkening. May The Lord, The Light of the world, The Living Word, The aleph and the tav, be our One True Guide. May He search us thoroughly and remove all of the stumbling blocks in each of us. May HE be glorified, and may you (and I) be encouraged.
Planes were flying overhead nearly nonstop last night: It’s nothing that we can see…it is just always there…like the rumbling of an upset stomach.
In my village, we don’t have a ‘Shabbat horn’ ushering in Shabbat; we have the Shabbat song/prayer ‘Shalom Aleichem’ (Peace to you) over the loud speaker. I just went outside to sing and it thrills my soul as it settles over us calling us to Him and to separate us from the week and it’s struggles into His Rest…leave it all at the door…the planes above…the injustice and pain…the trials that tear at the soul…leave it and close the door on it and enter into His Rest…every bit as real as all of His provision for us…His Strong Tower…HE IS!
Having said that, I wonder now if I will write…but I do feel that it is the time, and so I will.
What does Ramadan, Purim, Passover and Simchat Torah (the last of the Biblical Fall Feasts of The Lord) have in common? Middle Eastern thinking is very symbolic. This war started, not only on Simchat Torah, but on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war. Simchat Torah celebrates the giving of the Torah to Israel on Mt. Sinai…the giving of the covenants of The Living God…The Creator…Lord God Almighty…THE SOVEREIGN GOD…It is HE Who is being challenged. That is why the Palestinian name for this war is ‘Al-Aqsa flood’…and the call has gone out from jihadist leaders world wide to start ‘taking back Jerusalem’ with the beginning of the month of Ramadan. Today was the first Friday of Ramadan and this week has passed relatively peacefully with the Ramadan prayers on Temple Mount at Al-Aqsa basically without incident…praise God. As I said, most of the Israeli Arabs do NOT want uprising. They have taken a stand against the Palestinian calls to rise up. May God bless them for this.
MEANWHILE…here in Israel…we are baking ‘hamantaschen’ (or Haman’s ears re-named this year Sinwar’s ears) and packing baskets of goodies and clown pictures to give out for Purim… I mentioned to my neighbor that it felt bizarre and she answered with a resounding ‘NO!’ and reminded me that all through our history ‘Amalek’ has tried to destroy us but The Lord is sovereign and we are to give the ‘victory shout’ and celebrate before Him. Yes…I knew that and it was good to be reminded. This will be the first Purim that I am not living in a walled city, so I do not celebrate ‘Shushan Purim’ (the second day of Purim as prescribed in the book of Esther). Purim begins this year on Saturday night, the 24th, with the fast of Esther (ta’anit Esther) being on Thursday the 21st. Purim is the last holiday before Passover, which begins this year on the night of the 22nd of April.
As I was reading in Genesis 45 this morning, I was struck by many things all at once. I don’t know about you, but The Lord often prepares me for some new ‘challenge’ that way. I was thinking about Joseph and all of the really difficult things that he went through and how the picture that is presented is one of such utter steadfastness…like Daniel. I was thinking about that deep faithfulness through such severe trials and I felt my spirit ‘want THAT’. And when I read his admonition to his brothers ‘not to become troubled along the way’, I thought, isn’t that often how it is. I will see things clearly but then allow my soul to become troubled along the way. Joseph didn’t. His brothers might. AND THEN…His Father! He could not believe that Joseph was alive, after all of these years of grieving, and I thought of how the disciples couldn’t believe that Yeshua was raised AS HE SAID.
These thoughts tumbled in on me all together.
How good He is to prepare us…remind us…before the bumpy part of the road rises in front of us. So, a rather C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-I-N-G personal situation burst on the horizon like a volcano…and I thought about all of the times I have said to my brothers and sisters (and fully meant and believed it); this kingdom isn’t ours; we get to walk through the fire and the flood with our eyes fixed upon Yeshua, The FAITHFUL Author and Finisher of our faith, HE is our Provider and our Provision. HE is our sure Rock when all else shakes.
……………..
So…I wrote that far last night and today is shabbat. It is so wonderfully quiet inspite of the war continuing to rage…the pain, the uncertainty…the life and death situations…the lies and the truth all in a soup…and here is the still quiet of Shabbat in the midst. What a demonstration of how He calls us to walk.
As the days grow narrower and darker, it has seemed to me that discernment from God (as opposed to natural discernment)…by The Holy Spirit…is more and more necessary and indeed, part of the two edged sword. I was reading in Luke this morning as part of my daily reading and it struck me afresh how the demons KNEW Who He was, and spoke it and He FORBADE them to speak this ‘TRUTH…BECAUSE OF THE SOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE’! We see that as well in Acts 16 when Paul confronted the girl with the spirit of divination who was following him and proclaiming TRUTH (that Paul was speaking TRUTH) – YET THE SOURCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE WAS FROM A SPIRIT OTHER THAN THE HOLY SPIRIT! This is the discernment that I believe that we desperately need today. With so much darkness and narrowing of the path, there are so many ‘words’ being given out…very ‘spiritual’ words from some very ‘spiritual’ people…but only that which proceeds from The HOLY Spirit has LIFE in it, and with the path so narrow, a ‘small’ detour from His path can find us lost in the mud of despair and blindness and that is part of the reality of living in such a time as this. As the believing soldiers have asked us to pray that they will have that sharp gift of discernment to know which way to turn in the midst of battle, so we also are in the midst of raging battle and need His discernment desperately. I have learned that discernment doesn’t mean ‘judging’; there is a huge difference. Judging is soulish and comes from the mind and heart. Discernment is The Holy Spirit and is for US. It struck me as a good lesson that Yeshua rebuked the demons and commanded them to keep silent but He healed and saved those who needed to be delivered.
AND…as I came to the end of the book of Mark the other day, I was thinking about Barabas…and how he had committed murder in the insurrection. In other words, as Yeshua was moving on this earth, teaching, calling, breathing life…there was indeed tremendous political unrest going on around him; BUT HE DIDN’T ADDRESS IT! I speak with my sister (by blood) in the US, and other old friends and hear the spouting of anger, hatred, pride, rage, I notice that The Lord is leading me further and further from expecting the world to fix the world’s problems but more into letting Him live through me to draw people to His kingdom. I know that we are ‘in the world’ and must walk here…but not ‘of the world’…so our weapons are not the world’s tools.
Fine lines: His lines are the ones that we must find.
Isn’t it amazing that ‘His Peace’ is a direct command to us!
So, we are preparing for Purim. Purim, of course, celebrates the sudden overthrow of the enemy when it appeared hopeless. The message is not lost on Israelis today. When the command was issued that all of the Jews were to be killed, it says in Esther 3:15 “The couriers went out, hastened by the king’s command; and the decree was proclaimed in Shushan the citadel. So the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Shushan was perplexed.” I can say that this is the same emotion shared by Israelis today as we listen to the demands of the world…read the decrees issued against us…wonder if everyone is blind…we are again ‘perplexed’. How can it be that so many do not see? How can so many believe lies?
Yesterday morning there was an announcement that there was ‘another massacre’ perpetrated against the Gazans by the IDF. A ‘mass slaughter of 50 – maybe 100 people trying to get food from the aid trucks.’ Thankfully this time Israel had the entire thing on film, distinctly showing Hamas shooting people approaching the trucks; but the world buys it and frankly Israelis are perplexed.
Years ago, during the second intifada, I explained that ‘hasborah’ is a Hebrew word that basically means ‘telling the Israeli side…our view of the situation.’ We are apparently not very good at it. Currently we have a sizable number of Israeli Arabs speaking out strongly, defending Israel’s situation. One of these brave people, Yosif Haddad, shared this morning an interview that he had done in America. He told them that Israel had eliminated more than 10,000 Hamas fighters. The interviewer asked him where he got his figures and when he said the IDF, he was mocked and belittled. So he asked the interviewer where he got the figure of 30,000 killed and he said from the UN…who got the figure from the Gaza health ministry…which is Hamas. This is totally perplexing to Israelis.
2 Kings chapter 6 tells the wonderful story about Elisha when Israel was at war with Syria. He struck the Syrian army with blindness (it is worth reading the chapter rather than me re-telling it) but this is my point; I do not want to be struck with blindness; so I am praying for a spirit discernment with a desperation in my prayers. It IS life and death.
I have really run at the mouth and I apologize for such a long letter.
I want to report that my little dog Gila is happier and healthier than ever and I praise God for His loving kindness to me in this.
I appreciate prayers for our daughter and family in Gush Etzion (Bat Ayin) and all of those in the areas of Judea and Samaria as the towns around them are being incited to violence during Ramadan. (as I write this there just came a red alert of a terrorist infiltration in my daughter's area)
If any of you are interested, I’ve included a few articles that have spoken to my heart.
May The God of Hope fill you (and me) with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope by the power of The Holy Spirit…and may we bring Joy to The Heart of Abba God, for He is good and His mercy endures forever! God bless you! Lovingly, me
can i really love my enemies (written by a friend)
many still had the expression of pain
March 6, 2024
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING! It truly IS a miracle, even in the midst of this time when we need \beg for so many grave answers...MY LITTLE OLD BLIND, DEAF DOG HAS BEEN FOUND! (after 6 days and stormy nights) Gila was found in Gush Etzion and brought to the pound. We can pick her up tomorrow morning. They said that she appears well. With so many life changing world event needs...He still hears our small sighs. I can not thank Him enough for this encouragement. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING! It truly IS a miracle, even in the midst of this time when we need \beg for so many grave answers...MY LITTLE OLD BLIND, DEAF DOG HAS BEEN FOUND! (after 6 days and stormy nights) Gila was found in Gush Etzion and brought to the pound. We can pick her up tomorrow morning. They said that she appears well. With so many life changing world event needs...He still hears our small sighs. I can not thank Him enough for this encouragement. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
March 1, 2024
“For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: ‘Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.’” JEREMIAH 25:15-16
Shalom, brothers and sisters of the covenant given to us by God and sealed by The Blood of Yeshua The Messiah, kept by His Holy Spirit, for the glory of God alone. What a wonder! What a privilege! We are privileged to be part of His body in these last days, knit together by His Spirit for His glory…may we encourage one another…may we be found in the center of His will…may we be found faithful, beholding Him Alone. Above all, may He be glorified!
Today is day 145 of the war against Hamas, and I will not lie…it has gotten harder and harder. Pressure cookers are amazing devices; they cook under intense heat and pressure, softening the food inside and bringing out the purest of flavors, while bringing any impurities that might be still in the food…to the top. The pressure cooker of life does a similar thing; the ugliness comes to the surface, but if the heart has been pressed into tenderness, there is an opportunity to deal with it; to repent
There have been a number of ‘calls to prayer’ both among the religious and among the believers. Surely the country has needed to repent and be restored to our first love and to the fear of God…no one denies that. One such call to the entire body was issued about a week or two ago and it grabbed my attention; I felt that this one was ‘God calling us’. It was a specific call to the body in Israel…to the indigenous body, FOR the body here and for this nation (so it was not a call for the nations to pray for or with us…but it was for us to humble ourselves, seek His Face and turn from our wicked ways). During this time, between the call to prayer and the 3 days set apart, I felt that I wasn’t to write, but to seek His Face. The weight of the reality of the situation before us is … a path that we have never walked before. God’s dealings with us have been so ‘real’ that we dare not deny the fact that ‘This is God’. Will He have His place and His way in each of us individually and corporately or will we have to say with the prophet…(to me one of the scariest verses in all of scripture): Jeremiah 8:20 (19-21) “Listen! The voice, The cry of the daughter of my people From a far country: ‘Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King in her?’‘Why have they provoked Me to anger
With their carved images—With foreign idols?’ ‘The harvest is past, The summer is ended,And we are not saved!’
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.”
“The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!’ I have always shuddered when I read that verse but now? If we don’t grab ahold of the center of the path and be led by His Holy Spirit ALONE, this could be the awful reality…for the nations HAVE INDEED drunk The Lord’s cup of MADDNESS! (verse at the top of this letter) The insanity that we see worldwide, is NOT political… it is spiritual and this battle can ONLY be fought in the Spirit (and dare I add that this war in Gaza is spiritual). And it MUST be fought His way, in His Spirit, with Him at the head; The Lord of hosts (armies).
The war is continuing and no one is untouched. I got a call from a woman who had been a patient of ours and I asked if she had anyone fighting that I could pray for. Her answer was ‘Five sons’. FIVE SONS! One of the believing soldiers has asked that we pray specifically for DISCERNMENT as (he said) ‘I need to know in a split second whether to turn to the left or to the right…whether to shoot or not…and we need HIS discernment.’
I was remembering when we first came to the land, in the first week, I picked up the small book ‘Appointment in Jerusalem’ (Derek Prince wrote it about his wife Lydia). She spoke about having to know His voice so as not to be shot going outside of her apartment for milk for the baby during the war of Independence…and He was faithful!
I have told you that the Palestinians name for this war is ‘Alaksa (mosque) Flood’, and that has stuck with me hard. I thought: ‘Jerusalem! How can this be stretched to be about Jerusalem?’ This morning, I saw this item on YNET Israeli news:
“Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in a speech on Wednesday called on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first day of Ramadan. Israel has said it will restrict certain Muslims from visiting the site. Haniyeh also called on the Iran-backed "Axis of Resistance" to step up their support for Gazans and said that the Arab world should act to end the starvation in Gaza. (Reuters)”
I recalled a video that was sent to me several days ago and I will include it below in light of the news clip above. Isaiah 59:19 says that “When the enemy comes in LIKE A FLOOD, The LORD WILL lift up a standard against him.” Yes He will.
In the midst of so many huge, life and death changes around us, I do have a personal request that might seem petty to some. I am thankful that The Lord IS merciful and remembers that we are but dust. On Shabbat I began to be so thankful for my little old dog, Gila. She is 16, deaf and blind but so happy and such a wonderful companion. I thanked The Lord that there was her little warm body in my home…another soul and that was a comfort to me. Since I expected to be gone some long hours during the days of prayer, and since Gila loved to run in the hills, I asked my daughter if they would take her for two nights. They happily did and she gleefully enjoyed it, however she may have decided that it was time to come home (?) to me or just ran too far and gotten lost…but she has been gone since yesterday morning and I would ask …in the midst…for prayer for my dog to be found…AND for my daughter and son in law to NOT FEEL RESPONSIBLE as they weren’t negligent…it just happened. I can’t bear to see them weeping. Thank you.
At the same time, it has turned to an opportunity to share with my son in law in a deeper way than I have been able to before, and for that I give great thanks!
I must get to sleep and so I will close. I know of a number of you going through extremely painful and deep waters. I believe that we do live in a day when the world has drunk the cup of madness and our world, and ‘our worlds’ are being shaken to the core. What is founded on The Rock will stand…even weak ‘you and I’ if we are on The Rock. In the midst of all of this shaking, thank you for praying for the working out of God’s purposes for and in Israel…and even for me.
Sometimes my emotions are pretty raw and if I have said anything that would offend any of you, please, please forgive me. I do not intend for my words to be used as a whip. I can see sometimes where my words might appear harsh and God forbid that I should hurt or offend you. Please forgive me and correct me.
With that I do send sincere loving blessings, and prayers. May our eyes be steadfast upon Him.
PLEASE WATCH THIS - CONSIDER THE TEMPLE
This chair is at the health clinic. It says ‘the empty chair’…waiting for those kidnapped…bring the captives home!
“For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: ‘Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.’” JEREMIAH 25:15-16
Shalom, brothers and sisters of the covenant given to us by God and sealed by The Blood of Yeshua The Messiah, kept by His Holy Spirit, for the glory of God alone. What a wonder! What a privilege! We are privileged to be part of His body in these last days, knit together by His Spirit for His glory…may we encourage one another…may we be found in the center of His will…may we be found faithful, beholding Him Alone. Above all, may He be glorified!
Today is day 145 of the war against Hamas, and I will not lie…it has gotten harder and harder. Pressure cookers are amazing devices; they cook under intense heat and pressure, softening the food inside and bringing out the purest of flavors, while bringing any impurities that might be still in the food…to the top. The pressure cooker of life does a similar thing; the ugliness comes to the surface, but if the heart has been pressed into tenderness, there is an opportunity to deal with it; to repent
There have been a number of ‘calls to prayer’ both among the religious and among the believers. Surely the country has needed to repent and be restored to our first love and to the fear of God…no one denies that. One such call to the entire body was issued about a week or two ago and it grabbed my attention; I felt that this one was ‘God calling us’. It was a specific call to the body in Israel…to the indigenous body, FOR the body here and for this nation (so it was not a call for the nations to pray for or with us…but it was for us to humble ourselves, seek His Face and turn from our wicked ways). During this time, between the call to prayer and the 3 days set apart, I felt that I wasn’t to write, but to seek His Face. The weight of the reality of the situation before us is … a path that we have never walked before. God’s dealings with us have been so ‘real’ that we dare not deny the fact that ‘This is God’. Will He have His place and His way in each of us individually and corporately or will we have to say with the prophet…(to me one of the scariest verses in all of scripture): Jeremiah 8:20 (19-21) “Listen! The voice, The cry of the daughter of my people From a far country: ‘Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King in her?’‘Why have they provoked Me to anger
With their carved images—With foreign idols?’ ‘The harvest is past, The summer is ended,And we are not saved!’
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.”
“The harvest is past, The summer is ended, And we are not saved!’ I have always shuddered when I read that verse but now? If we don’t grab ahold of the center of the path and be led by His Holy Spirit ALONE, this could be the awful reality…for the nations HAVE INDEED drunk The Lord’s cup of MADDNESS! (verse at the top of this letter) The insanity that we see worldwide, is NOT political… it is spiritual and this battle can ONLY be fought in the Spirit (and dare I add that this war in Gaza is spiritual). And it MUST be fought His way, in His Spirit, with Him at the head; The Lord of hosts (armies).
The war is continuing and no one is untouched. I got a call from a woman who had been a patient of ours and I asked if she had anyone fighting that I could pray for. Her answer was ‘Five sons’. FIVE SONS! One of the believing soldiers has asked that we pray specifically for DISCERNMENT as (he said) ‘I need to know in a split second whether to turn to the left or to the right…whether to shoot or not…and we need HIS discernment.’
I was remembering when we first came to the land, in the first week, I picked up the small book ‘Appointment in Jerusalem’ (Derek Prince wrote it about his wife Lydia). She spoke about having to know His voice so as not to be shot going outside of her apartment for milk for the baby during the war of Independence…and He was faithful!
I have told you that the Palestinians name for this war is ‘Alaksa (mosque) Flood’, and that has stuck with me hard. I thought: ‘Jerusalem! How can this be stretched to be about Jerusalem?’ This morning, I saw this item on YNET Israeli news:
“Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in a speech on Wednesday called on Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank to march to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first day of Ramadan. Israel has said it will restrict certain Muslims from visiting the site. Haniyeh also called on the Iran-backed "Axis of Resistance" to step up their support for Gazans and said that the Arab world should act to end the starvation in Gaza. (Reuters)”
I recalled a video that was sent to me several days ago and I will include it below in light of the news clip above. Isaiah 59:19 says that “When the enemy comes in LIKE A FLOOD, The LORD WILL lift up a standard against him.” Yes He will.
In the midst of so many huge, life and death changes around us, I do have a personal request that might seem petty to some. I am thankful that The Lord IS merciful and remembers that we are but dust. On Shabbat I began to be so thankful for my little old dog, Gila. She is 16, deaf and blind but so happy and such a wonderful companion. I thanked The Lord that there was her little warm body in my home…another soul and that was a comfort to me. Since I expected to be gone some long hours during the days of prayer, and since Gila loved to run in the hills, I asked my daughter if they would take her for two nights. They happily did and she gleefully enjoyed it, however she may have decided that it was time to come home (?) to me or just ran too far and gotten lost…but she has been gone since yesterday morning and I would ask …in the midst…for prayer for my dog to be found…AND for my daughter and son in law to NOT FEEL RESPONSIBLE as they weren’t negligent…it just happened. I can’t bear to see them weeping. Thank you.
At the same time, it has turned to an opportunity to share with my son in law in a deeper way than I have been able to before, and for that I give great thanks!
I must get to sleep and so I will close. I know of a number of you going through extremely painful and deep waters. I believe that we do live in a day when the world has drunk the cup of madness and our world, and ‘our worlds’ are being shaken to the core. What is founded on The Rock will stand…even weak ‘you and I’ if we are on The Rock. In the midst of all of this shaking, thank you for praying for the working out of God’s purposes for and in Israel…and even for me.
Sometimes my emotions are pretty raw and if I have said anything that would offend any of you, please, please forgive me. I do not intend for my words to be used as a whip. I can see sometimes where my words might appear harsh and God forbid that I should hurt or offend you. Please forgive me and correct me.
With that I do send sincere loving blessings, and prayers. May our eyes be steadfast upon Him.
PLEASE WATCH THIS - CONSIDER THE TEMPLE
This chair is at the health clinic. It says ‘the empty chair’…waiting for those kidnapped…bring the captives home!
February 14, 2024
“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.’”
GENESIS 13:14-17
I greet you, dear brothers and sisters, in the most precious of all names, Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ. May He be known, blessed and glorified and may you (and I) be encouraged in Him.
The week of blessing, GREAT blessing, that I had with our daughter ......visiting from London, remains in my heart with such a sweetness! I am filled with thanksgiving and am full of blessing. Thank YOU Lord!
How can so much have happened in a week, and yet it has. It ran through all of its colors and implications. I have used the words ‘juxtapositions’ and ‘surreal’…perhaps ‘bizarre’ is next? But it isn’t the right word. There ARE no ‘right words’ to describe ‘today’…the ‘now’ season that we are in that we never thought that we would be… except to write about it, with mouth half open…wondering if the picture can somehow be seen…while knowing deep inside, that it can not be. Our 1948 war of Independence lasted for 9 months, 3 weeks and two days. Today is day 131 of the Israeli Hamas War.
There was just a knock on my door as I wrote the above sentence, and my Estonian immigrant neighbor was there with a huge bouquet of flowers for me for no reason at all. See what I mean? How does that fit in with the breaking news that the war in the North has just begun within the hour…a civilian and a soldier being killed by rocket/missile fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Reports say that 5-8 wounded…damage done… and flowers come to my door. So WHAT is the word that I use for this fast moving life…a life where God’s Hand and Presence is SO evident…His MESSAGE must penetrate our collective hearts and it still has not, but I pray and believe that it WILL!
S..... and I had a wonderful week. I know that it is true, for I am living it, that just to spend TIME near your grown children ‘is enough’. There is something about being near them that is so comforting…and that is what we had. We had coffee together, did a puzzle (almost), she washed my windows and repotted my baby olive tree! She was here for a week and one of those days we went to E..... home in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion…Judea and Samaria…called ‘the west bank’ by western news media) and there I was with BOTH of our daughters and 3 of our 6 Grandchildren and one of our two sons in law…WHAT A GIFT! The only other time that I have been to E..... new home it was raining and the fog was so thick that I could see nothing. This time we saw the incredible beauty of the area, and also how close the (very large) Palestinian village (really a city) is to their house. Y..... (son in law) showed me a cave that they found near the house that they could run into for shelter…may it not be…but I trust them to The Lord, Who has been our dwelling place in all generations (Psalm 90). How many times this week I have seen The Lord’s Hand so graciously direct our path.
We were walking home from shopping and I saw some balloons. I had gotten a message on our community WhatsApp group, saying that at 11:30 the new library would be dedicated. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 11:30 and sure enough, the balloons marked the spot. Standing behind the ribbon, was a council worker thanking everyone who had worked on the library; about 25 people had gathered. I don’t do well with stairs (there were only a few) and someone so kindly, and to my surprise, brought a chair up the stairs for me to sit on. After the speeches, someone sang a song and then someone cut the ribbon with a great flurry of old fashioned confetti (sort of blown through a paper towel tube). Finally, an elderly man came forward to pray a blessing over the mezuzah being placed in the front door lintel, and to thank God for the new library. It was such an interlude…’INTERLUDE’…perhaps that is it. The war has been so intense. People break under the pressure. The astounding unity that bound us together at first has appeared to be crumbling…and then…an INTERLUDE! Like…the miracle of the 2 rescued hostages! Smack in the midst of a growing heaviness, the news came forth while my S.... was still getting back to London…2 hostages were rescued in a daring operation! The country gasped as we began to take in the details…the precise work…the step by step pinpoint operation…each word that was spoken…watching as they were whisked away to their families. The word started circulating: The new Argentinian President had just come to Israel this week to declare his stand with Israel and to pray at the Western Wall…and the two rescued captives were (would you believe?) of Argentinian origin. People began making the connection that the president looked to God and prayed and God honored him. But ‘shhhhh’…people look at one another knowingly but not saying much because it only brings forth mocking and nobody needs anymore mocking…so people just smile at one another and pray. All that I can say is that it was SO encouraging! It happened at a moment when the people NEEDED encouragement to continue on.
The soldiers who were released for rest are being called up again. N.... and D..., I.... is still there, J..... still there, perhaps B.... will be called back…Please pray for N... (the father of the new baby) who’s best friend was killed the day after N... was released. That, on top of the rest of the trauma, has him deeply struggling.
I think that I wrote about this before, but yesterday when I was reading in Genesis I was again reminded. I’m blessed to have enough Hebrew so that I can read the Hebrew and English side by side and enlarge my understanding of The Word, since all of the ‘Old Testament’ was originally written in Hebrew which is very sculptural where English is linear. One word in Hebrew often needs many in English to fully describe it, so reading side by side is enriching. Years ago, I was startled to see that the word ‘hamas’ means ‘violence’ in Hebrew (Hebrew and Arabic are very similar), and indeed that IS the meaning of the word in Arabic…AND the name of the organization/philosophy that we are now at war with. As I read Genesis 6:13 a few days ago: “And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” And looking over to the Hebrew, I started thinking about ‘the earth being filled with ‘hamas’. I have been thinking a lot about ‘life goals’, and ‘paths’, particularly since E..... left this life and here I am, alone with Him, suddenly EVERYTHING new and different (home, neighborhood, no work, no children nearby, war, age). Such sudden and drastic changes cause you to ponder the path. The goal of character traits…to ‘become’ loyal, quiet, faithful, loving, serious, honest, benign etc. – I have been thinking about this…and suddenly I saw ‘VIOLENCE’. For a people to embrace and become violent…how incredibly sad! Years ago I realized that if I tell a lie, I BECOME a liar. If I take something that is not mine, I BECOME a thief. I see around me people who have chosen to NOT ‘become victims’ because to become a victim is to become broken. I listened to an interview with a young soldier this morning who had lost his legs last month and he had no pity for himself. The interviewer was asking him what his goals were and he said to go back and to continue fighting in Gaza for the country. I watched a video of displaced young teens from the south who had lost their families and homes. They were from one kibbutz and atleast one was a released captive. They had been close on the kibbutz that they had grown up on which is now destroyed. The displaced people from the north and south have been placed around the country in apartments or hotels. The government has done an amazing job in keeping the communities together, even bringing their teachers to teach them in rented rooms…it’s pretty amazing. But many of these have lost everything…children with no family…no home. In this interview, these 7 young teen boys are together and planning! I didn’t understand all of it (language), but one thing hit me between the eyes: The youngster who was released captive was asked if he had any hope and he looked shocked and said forcefully ‘I NEVER lost my hope!’ I thought of the wonderful verse in Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” How WONDERFUL! We not only have a CHOICE to CHOOSE LIFE (hope, love, quiet heart, honesty, loyalty etc.) but we also have THE HOLY SPIRIT Who came to bear the fruit of Messiah IN and THROUGH us! So we ARE equipped for this battle…we ARE able to stand, NOT in our own strength but in HIS for what will lie before us in our path. We do not battle it with our wit nor with our fleshly understanding but we “Trust in The Lord with all of our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our path.”
So the world rages against us, the world banking system degrades Israeli financial standing, the Houthis strike the shipping, bombs continue from North and south and in our lifetime we are given the honor and the opportunity to see with our own eyes that God IS ALL WHO HE SAYS THAT HE IS!
May you be kept by His power and grace unto Himself for His glory.
Lovingly, your sister here.
“And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. 17 Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.’”
GENESIS 13:14-17
I greet you, dear brothers and sisters, in the most precious of all names, Yeshua h’Meshiach, Jesus Christ. May He be known, blessed and glorified and may you (and I) be encouraged in Him.
The week of blessing, GREAT blessing, that I had with our daughter ......visiting from London, remains in my heart with such a sweetness! I am filled with thanksgiving and am full of blessing. Thank YOU Lord!
How can so much have happened in a week, and yet it has. It ran through all of its colors and implications. I have used the words ‘juxtapositions’ and ‘surreal’…perhaps ‘bizarre’ is next? But it isn’t the right word. There ARE no ‘right words’ to describe ‘today’…the ‘now’ season that we are in that we never thought that we would be… except to write about it, with mouth half open…wondering if the picture can somehow be seen…while knowing deep inside, that it can not be. Our 1948 war of Independence lasted for 9 months, 3 weeks and two days. Today is day 131 of the Israeli Hamas War.
There was just a knock on my door as I wrote the above sentence, and my Estonian immigrant neighbor was there with a huge bouquet of flowers for me for no reason at all. See what I mean? How does that fit in with the breaking news that the war in the North has just begun within the hour…a civilian and a soldier being killed by rocket/missile fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Reports say that 5-8 wounded…damage done… and flowers come to my door. So WHAT is the word that I use for this fast moving life…a life where God’s Hand and Presence is SO evident…His MESSAGE must penetrate our collective hearts and it still has not, but I pray and believe that it WILL!
S..... and I had a wonderful week. I know that it is true, for I am living it, that just to spend TIME near your grown children ‘is enough’. There is something about being near them that is so comforting…and that is what we had. We had coffee together, did a puzzle (almost), she washed my windows and repotted my baby olive tree! She was here for a week and one of those days we went to E..... home in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion…Judea and Samaria…called ‘the west bank’ by western news media) and there I was with BOTH of our daughters and 3 of our 6 Grandchildren and one of our two sons in law…WHAT A GIFT! The only other time that I have been to E..... new home it was raining and the fog was so thick that I could see nothing. This time we saw the incredible beauty of the area, and also how close the (very large) Palestinian village (really a city) is to their house. Y..... (son in law) showed me a cave that they found near the house that they could run into for shelter…may it not be…but I trust them to The Lord, Who has been our dwelling place in all generations (Psalm 90). How many times this week I have seen The Lord’s Hand so graciously direct our path.
We were walking home from shopping and I saw some balloons. I had gotten a message on our community WhatsApp group, saying that at 11:30 the new library would be dedicated. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 11:30 and sure enough, the balloons marked the spot. Standing behind the ribbon, was a council worker thanking everyone who had worked on the library; about 25 people had gathered. I don’t do well with stairs (there were only a few) and someone so kindly, and to my surprise, brought a chair up the stairs for me to sit on. After the speeches, someone sang a song and then someone cut the ribbon with a great flurry of old fashioned confetti (sort of blown through a paper towel tube). Finally, an elderly man came forward to pray a blessing over the mezuzah being placed in the front door lintel, and to thank God for the new library. It was such an interlude…’INTERLUDE’…perhaps that is it. The war has been so intense. People break under the pressure. The astounding unity that bound us together at first has appeared to be crumbling…and then…an INTERLUDE! Like…the miracle of the 2 rescued hostages! Smack in the midst of a growing heaviness, the news came forth while my S.... was still getting back to London…2 hostages were rescued in a daring operation! The country gasped as we began to take in the details…the precise work…the step by step pinpoint operation…each word that was spoken…watching as they were whisked away to their families. The word started circulating: The new Argentinian President had just come to Israel this week to declare his stand with Israel and to pray at the Western Wall…and the two rescued captives were (would you believe?) of Argentinian origin. People began making the connection that the president looked to God and prayed and God honored him. But ‘shhhhh’…people look at one another knowingly but not saying much because it only brings forth mocking and nobody needs anymore mocking…so people just smile at one another and pray. All that I can say is that it was SO encouraging! It happened at a moment when the people NEEDED encouragement to continue on.
The soldiers who were released for rest are being called up again. N.... and D..., I.... is still there, J..... still there, perhaps B.... will be called back…Please pray for N... (the father of the new baby) who’s best friend was killed the day after N... was released. That, on top of the rest of the trauma, has him deeply struggling.
I think that I wrote about this before, but yesterday when I was reading in Genesis I was again reminded. I’m blessed to have enough Hebrew so that I can read the Hebrew and English side by side and enlarge my understanding of The Word, since all of the ‘Old Testament’ was originally written in Hebrew which is very sculptural where English is linear. One word in Hebrew often needs many in English to fully describe it, so reading side by side is enriching. Years ago, I was startled to see that the word ‘hamas’ means ‘violence’ in Hebrew (Hebrew and Arabic are very similar), and indeed that IS the meaning of the word in Arabic…AND the name of the organization/philosophy that we are now at war with. As I read Genesis 6:13 a few days ago: “And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’” And looking over to the Hebrew, I started thinking about ‘the earth being filled with ‘hamas’. I have been thinking a lot about ‘life goals’, and ‘paths’, particularly since E..... left this life and here I am, alone with Him, suddenly EVERYTHING new and different (home, neighborhood, no work, no children nearby, war, age). Such sudden and drastic changes cause you to ponder the path. The goal of character traits…to ‘become’ loyal, quiet, faithful, loving, serious, honest, benign etc. – I have been thinking about this…and suddenly I saw ‘VIOLENCE’. For a people to embrace and become violent…how incredibly sad! Years ago I realized that if I tell a lie, I BECOME a liar. If I take something that is not mine, I BECOME a thief. I see around me people who have chosen to NOT ‘become victims’ because to become a victim is to become broken. I listened to an interview with a young soldier this morning who had lost his legs last month and he had no pity for himself. The interviewer was asking him what his goals were and he said to go back and to continue fighting in Gaza for the country. I watched a video of displaced young teens from the south who had lost their families and homes. They were from one kibbutz and atleast one was a released captive. They had been close on the kibbutz that they had grown up on which is now destroyed. The displaced people from the north and south have been placed around the country in apartments or hotels. The government has done an amazing job in keeping the communities together, even bringing their teachers to teach them in rented rooms…it’s pretty amazing. But many of these have lost everything…children with no family…no home. In this interview, these 7 young teen boys are together and planning! I didn’t understand all of it (language), but one thing hit me between the eyes: The youngster who was released captive was asked if he had any hope and he looked shocked and said forcefully ‘I NEVER lost my hope!’ I thought of the wonderful verse in Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” How WONDERFUL! We not only have a CHOICE to CHOOSE LIFE (hope, love, quiet heart, honesty, loyalty etc.) but we also have THE HOLY SPIRIT Who came to bear the fruit of Messiah IN and THROUGH us! So we ARE equipped for this battle…we ARE able to stand, NOT in our own strength but in HIS for what will lie before us in our path. We do not battle it with our wit nor with our fleshly understanding but we “Trust in The Lord with all of our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our path.”
So the world rages against us, the world banking system degrades Israeli financial standing, the Houthis strike the shipping, bombs continue from North and south and in our lifetime we are given the honor and the opportunity to see with our own eyes that God IS ALL WHO HE SAYS THAT HE IS!
May you be kept by His power and grace unto Himself for His glory.
Lovingly, your sister here.
January 31, 2024
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11
I greet you in The Name of Yeshua, King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior, Messiah, The Way, The Truth and The Life. May He be glorified for the glory of God The Father of all.
PRAYER REQUEST 1. If this does take place, you will not hear from me ofcourse.
I apologize for writing again so soon, but I received a reliable warning this morning to be prepared for outbreak of war in the north with full blackout….....
“*ISRAEL PREPARES FOR NORTHERN WARFARE*
The Emergency Department of the Ministry of Justice has issued a directive to its employees, urging them to ready themselves for an imminent conflict in the northern region, expected to impact the electricity infrastructure.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 1: We received a notice that the alert to be prepared for blackout was false news and that the ONLY alert that we would receive would be from our home front command. I apologize for sending this one.
PRAYER REQUEST 2
I had requested prayer for our brother, my friend, who is a new father and who went to fight in Gaza right from the brit (circumcision) of his first child…leaving his wife and brand new baby alone in their ‘home front’ battle nearly 4 months ago. PRAISE GOD, he came home, released, on Friday (for now anyway), but we just got this from our Kehila:
“....writes: I am very sad to share that yesterday there was an attack on part of my unit in the Gaza Strip. The team was attacked and 3 were wounded, relatively lightly, but 2 were killed. One of those killed was a dear friend that I have been together with since my first day in the army, and he was our commander and officer in the war now. The funeral of Gavriel Shani will be at Har Herzl in Jerusalem, today at 14:00.”
Please pray for ...... He and all of the other released soldiers need to be restored mind soul and spirit…many in body too. Their bodies have been pumping pure adrenalin for nearly 4 months and the unity that they have together is something that defies description; each one is prepared to die for the other. He has now returned home to his first baby who is almost 4 months old and doesn’t know him…and his wife who has also been under great pressure. Thank you for praying for each of our brothers and sisters (as well as those who don’t yet know Him) whom God has spared and who now need to re- enter.
3-THIS ALSO, MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, BUT IT IS AN EDIFYING PRAYER REQUEST;
Powerful Letter from Israeli Soldier on Front Lines in Gaza
PRESS HERE
So, as I send this, I also ask for prayer for our youngest grandson, who becomes 13 tomorrow and will have a small family bar mitzvah. Thank you for remembering my family in prayer. May we all be found in Him in His peace. Lovingly, your sis here.
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11
I greet you in The Name of Yeshua, King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior, Messiah, The Way, The Truth and The Life. May He be glorified for the glory of God The Father of all.
PRAYER REQUEST 1. If this does take place, you will not hear from me ofcourse.
I apologize for writing again so soon, but I received a reliable warning this morning to be prepared for outbreak of war in the north with full blackout….....
“*ISRAEL PREPARES FOR NORTHERN WARFARE*
The Emergency Department of the Ministry of Justice has issued a directive to its employees, urging them to ready themselves for an imminent conflict in the northern region, expected to impact the electricity infrastructure.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 1: We received a notice that the alert to be prepared for blackout was false news and that the ONLY alert that we would receive would be from our home front command. I apologize for sending this one.
PRAYER REQUEST 2
I had requested prayer for our brother, my friend, who is a new father and who went to fight in Gaza right from the brit (circumcision) of his first child…leaving his wife and brand new baby alone in their ‘home front’ battle nearly 4 months ago. PRAISE GOD, he came home, released, on Friday (for now anyway), but we just got this from our Kehila:
“....writes: I am very sad to share that yesterday there was an attack on part of my unit in the Gaza Strip. The team was attacked and 3 were wounded, relatively lightly, but 2 were killed. One of those killed was a dear friend that I have been together with since my first day in the army, and he was our commander and officer in the war now. The funeral of Gavriel Shani will be at Har Herzl in Jerusalem, today at 14:00.”
Please pray for ...... He and all of the other released soldiers need to be restored mind soul and spirit…many in body too. Their bodies have been pumping pure adrenalin for nearly 4 months and the unity that they have together is something that defies description; each one is prepared to die for the other. He has now returned home to his first baby who is almost 4 months old and doesn’t know him…and his wife who has also been under great pressure. Thank you for praying for each of our brothers and sisters (as well as those who don’t yet know Him) whom God has spared and who now need to re- enter.
3-THIS ALSO, MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, BUT IT IS AN EDIFYING PRAYER REQUEST;
Powerful Letter from Israeli Soldier on Front Lines in Gaza
PRESS HERE
So, as I send this, I also ask for prayer for our youngest grandson, who becomes 13 tomorrow and will have a small family bar mitzvah. Thank you for remembering my family in prayer. May we all be found in Him in His peace. Lovingly, your sis here.
January 29, 2024
“Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:12,13
Greetings, in The Name of The Lord, The Sovereign Creator…The Author and Finisher of our faith…but also of the entire story. May HE be blessed and glorified and known, and may you be edified.
Day 115 of the war.
My pointer finger on my right hand (the main typing finger) is bandaged in a huge bulky bandage. Suffice it to say that I’m thankful that the wasn’t cut off and that the bone was not hit, but I have not been able to type. So much has gone on since I last wrote; the grief of the death of the 21 soldiers at once (with 3 more on the same day in a separate incident); the funerals…the grief…the stories...this has been agonizing and the grief is like an open wound. Tu b’shvat (Israeli ‘arbor day’ celebrating the birthday of the trees) came as we were burying our fallen. “They thought that they buried us, but they did not know that we were seeds” was posted over a heart wrenching video of fruit trees being planted by the mourners bearing the pictures of each loved one…watered with tears. That resonated deeply within me! Is that a key? “They thought that they buried us. They did not know that we were seeds.” Oh Lord! Make us FRUITFUL for Your kingdom purposes!
Then there were the scenes at the Hague. It was encouraging to see the strong Christian presence battling for us, standing with us…worshipping! None the less we are worn by the constant worldwide drama directed at Israel and the drama within, thankful for those standing strongly with us…amazed to see so clearly that (ah ha!) THIS is how the Holocaust, that I was born out of, happened.
The first wave of critically injured soldiers are recovering enough to be released into rehab. We watch their brave progress on posts, and offer help as we can. The first wave of fighters are also returning home and dealing with the trauma of what they have experienced: Their families need as much prayer as they do. The Houthi blockade of the shipping routes in the Red Sea have complicated daily life; the north is heating up dramatically, while winter weather displays God’s powerful intensity as we shiver in rain and snow and yet wonder at His power. Across much of the world yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day (not in Israel), which has stirred MORE hatred toward us, as if that is possible. Oh my. It has only been 9 days since I last wrote but it feels to me as if months have passed.
When I cut my finger, I ran across the street to Y... to ask her to help me to bandage it; afterall, she is the mother of 9 and the grandmother of (she lost count) so I knew that she wouldn’t freak out; sure enough, she had no problem with gross. Ofcourse, that opened the door for a nonstop flow of food as well! (‘You can’t cook with that finger!’) Later on I went to the nurse and we decked it out with blue ‘band closures’ for the dressing so everyone loves my patriotic finger (which now looks like an Israeli flag). It will be fine and it doesn’t hurt (unless I bang it). Here is a gem of wisdom…ALWAYS unplug your blender before sticking your finger in it.
My youngest Grandson, ....., in London, is about to turn 13 on Thursday. That is quite a milestone for a Jewish boy because it is his ‘bar mitzvah’ (son of the covenant). In a traditional Jewish family, where the first covenant is the only covenant, the celebration can be nerve wracking and huge, but .... is shy and a son of the full covenant, so it will be just the family and me on video. What a season to be growing up in. Only God’s wisdom can lead us…may God’s loving wisdom guide him…our beloved seeds…life…the promise of love. In Judaism, he is now of age and responsible to read and understand and apply and display with his life, God’s Word. He is 13, in this present world.
That is what I was thinking about when I read the verses above in Jeremiah this morning [and I wonder if I can share this…express it…] WHY DO WE READ GOD’S WORD? Why do we seek to ‘do good’ and ‘shun evil’? I sat this morning with His Word on my lap and I thought…’Well…yes…we need to know Your directions (after all, You made us) …to learn Your way. We want to know His promises…But really…why do I read His Word? We all have seen people following Him and none the less having disaster befall them. We all know some really ‘GOOD’ people who have been tragically taken from us…many of us have ‘claimed a promise’ perhaps presumptuously, only to experience the opposite. And…many of us have seen those whom we thought were strong believers, many whom we loved dearly, fall away because they were ‘disappointed in God’. I sat before Him with this this morning; ‘Yes, Lord, I believe Your Word…but it is YOU Whom I want to know IN YOUR WORD’. My experience is that KNOWING HIM, there is no way that I can be ‘disappointed’. He is worth it. Job was a man whom God testified of that he was good and righteous in all of his ways (yep, that is written) none the less, we all know what Job went through. If being good and following the rules, even with all of our hearts, would guarantee us a painless life, most religious Jews would not be found in need of a Savior. But we are ALL in need of a Savior because we all like sheep have gone astray. As I read the above verses I thought about the GIFT of ‘repentance’ and I wondered why it is so very hard, when we try to ‘be good’ to admit that we missed ANYTHING. I watch my little granddaughter. She is a very good girl who wants to be good and do good and tries her best…but at TEN…she does make some mistakes (like kicking her 7 year old sister’s tooth out, thankfully it was loose) … and yet…because she tries so hard, she just CAN’T seem to admit that she was wrong. There is always an excuse…always a reason WHY she was really right. I SO recognize myself in that. I remember my oldest daughter talking to her 4th grade teacher who told her that maybe she shouldn’t try so hard to be ‘so good’ so that more kids would like her, and she asked the teacher; ‘Is it bad to be good? Is it better to be bad? We shouldn’t obey?’ The teacher was dumbfounded and seriously touched. But that leaves a question…if we really ARE ‘being good’, why don’t we just ‘always’ receive the promises? Why do bad things happen to good people (the old question) … why the Holocaust? Where was God?
I sat with my Bible in my lap. I told The Lord…I’m sorry Lord…I know SO LITTLE…but I want to KNOW YOU…and that is why I am here in Your Word. NOT so much to know the way, or the promises…but to know YOU…and thank You for the gift of repentance that allows me daily to start afresh.
I guess that I do feel that in many ways that describes Israel. Israel REALLY tries to ‘do right and good.’ It is always a shock to watch it twisted. I think that we felt that way when the Houthis entered the war. ‘REALLY? Now the Houthis hate us?’ The blocking of the Red Sea IS a problem. Nearly 50% of the shipping has had to be diverted around the cape of Africa; a much longer route. Some countries are boycotting us anyway, but we were told to expect prices to pretty well double within the next few months, so there has been a run on food. With our agriculture hit so hard in both the north (Hizbollah causing evacuations of northern farms) and the south (the Gaza periphery farms) due to evacuations, farmers called up to fight, and foreign workers having left the country, our crops have been left for the volunteers to take over. They are doing an amazing and commendable job, [I wish that I could participate] but it really isn’t enough. A friend asked if there were food shortages. I would still say no. We might not have everything that we want or are used to, and the prices may be higher, but we are not without enough food.
When this war began, Prime Minister Netanyahu said ‘We are fighting our second war of Independence’. Israel has been used to ‘quick wars’. I looked up the war of independence and it lasted 9 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (15 May 1948-10 March 1949)
I’m sorry that this isn’t a very inspiring letter, but I am tired and going to bed now. May we all truly be pressing in to know Him Who really IS THE ANSWER.
Loving blessings. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Love, your sister.
“Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 3:12,13
Greetings, in The Name of The Lord, The Sovereign Creator…The Author and Finisher of our faith…but also of the entire story. May HE be blessed and glorified and known, and may you be edified.
Day 115 of the war.
My pointer finger on my right hand (the main typing finger) is bandaged in a huge bulky bandage. Suffice it to say that I’m thankful that the wasn’t cut off and that the bone was not hit, but I have not been able to type. So much has gone on since I last wrote; the grief of the death of the 21 soldiers at once (with 3 more on the same day in a separate incident); the funerals…the grief…the stories...this has been agonizing and the grief is like an open wound. Tu b’shvat (Israeli ‘arbor day’ celebrating the birthday of the trees) came as we were burying our fallen. “They thought that they buried us, but they did not know that we were seeds” was posted over a heart wrenching video of fruit trees being planted by the mourners bearing the pictures of each loved one…watered with tears. That resonated deeply within me! Is that a key? “They thought that they buried us. They did not know that we were seeds.” Oh Lord! Make us FRUITFUL for Your kingdom purposes!
Then there were the scenes at the Hague. It was encouraging to see the strong Christian presence battling for us, standing with us…worshipping! None the less we are worn by the constant worldwide drama directed at Israel and the drama within, thankful for those standing strongly with us…amazed to see so clearly that (ah ha!) THIS is how the Holocaust, that I was born out of, happened.
The first wave of critically injured soldiers are recovering enough to be released into rehab. We watch their brave progress on posts, and offer help as we can. The first wave of fighters are also returning home and dealing with the trauma of what they have experienced: Their families need as much prayer as they do. The Houthi blockade of the shipping routes in the Red Sea have complicated daily life; the north is heating up dramatically, while winter weather displays God’s powerful intensity as we shiver in rain and snow and yet wonder at His power. Across much of the world yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day (not in Israel), which has stirred MORE hatred toward us, as if that is possible. Oh my. It has only been 9 days since I last wrote but it feels to me as if months have passed.
When I cut my finger, I ran across the street to Y... to ask her to help me to bandage it; afterall, she is the mother of 9 and the grandmother of (she lost count) so I knew that she wouldn’t freak out; sure enough, she had no problem with gross. Ofcourse, that opened the door for a nonstop flow of food as well! (‘You can’t cook with that finger!’) Later on I went to the nurse and we decked it out with blue ‘band closures’ for the dressing so everyone loves my patriotic finger (which now looks like an Israeli flag). It will be fine and it doesn’t hurt (unless I bang it). Here is a gem of wisdom…ALWAYS unplug your blender before sticking your finger in it.
My youngest Grandson, ....., in London, is about to turn 13 on Thursday. That is quite a milestone for a Jewish boy because it is his ‘bar mitzvah’ (son of the covenant). In a traditional Jewish family, where the first covenant is the only covenant, the celebration can be nerve wracking and huge, but .... is shy and a son of the full covenant, so it will be just the family and me on video. What a season to be growing up in. Only God’s wisdom can lead us…may God’s loving wisdom guide him…our beloved seeds…life…the promise of love. In Judaism, he is now of age and responsible to read and understand and apply and display with his life, God’s Word. He is 13, in this present world.
That is what I was thinking about when I read the verses above in Jeremiah this morning [and I wonder if I can share this…express it…] WHY DO WE READ GOD’S WORD? Why do we seek to ‘do good’ and ‘shun evil’? I sat this morning with His Word on my lap and I thought…’Well…yes…we need to know Your directions (after all, You made us) …to learn Your way. We want to know His promises…But really…why do I read His Word? We all have seen people following Him and none the less having disaster befall them. We all know some really ‘GOOD’ people who have been tragically taken from us…many of us have ‘claimed a promise’ perhaps presumptuously, only to experience the opposite. And…many of us have seen those whom we thought were strong believers, many whom we loved dearly, fall away because they were ‘disappointed in God’. I sat before Him with this this morning; ‘Yes, Lord, I believe Your Word…but it is YOU Whom I want to know IN YOUR WORD’. My experience is that KNOWING HIM, there is no way that I can be ‘disappointed’. He is worth it. Job was a man whom God testified of that he was good and righteous in all of his ways (yep, that is written) none the less, we all know what Job went through. If being good and following the rules, even with all of our hearts, would guarantee us a painless life, most religious Jews would not be found in need of a Savior. But we are ALL in need of a Savior because we all like sheep have gone astray. As I read the above verses I thought about the GIFT of ‘repentance’ and I wondered why it is so very hard, when we try to ‘be good’ to admit that we missed ANYTHING. I watch my little granddaughter. She is a very good girl who wants to be good and do good and tries her best…but at TEN…she does make some mistakes (like kicking her 7 year old sister’s tooth out, thankfully it was loose) … and yet…because she tries so hard, she just CAN’T seem to admit that she was wrong. There is always an excuse…always a reason WHY she was really right. I SO recognize myself in that. I remember my oldest daughter talking to her 4th grade teacher who told her that maybe she shouldn’t try so hard to be ‘so good’ so that more kids would like her, and she asked the teacher; ‘Is it bad to be good? Is it better to be bad? We shouldn’t obey?’ The teacher was dumbfounded and seriously touched. But that leaves a question…if we really ARE ‘being good’, why don’t we just ‘always’ receive the promises? Why do bad things happen to good people (the old question) … why the Holocaust? Where was God?
I sat with my Bible in my lap. I told The Lord…I’m sorry Lord…I know SO LITTLE…but I want to KNOW YOU…and that is why I am here in Your Word. NOT so much to know the way, or the promises…but to know YOU…and thank You for the gift of repentance that allows me daily to start afresh.
I guess that I do feel that in many ways that describes Israel. Israel REALLY tries to ‘do right and good.’ It is always a shock to watch it twisted. I think that we felt that way when the Houthis entered the war. ‘REALLY? Now the Houthis hate us?’ The blocking of the Red Sea IS a problem. Nearly 50% of the shipping has had to be diverted around the cape of Africa; a much longer route. Some countries are boycotting us anyway, but we were told to expect prices to pretty well double within the next few months, so there has been a run on food. With our agriculture hit so hard in both the north (Hizbollah causing evacuations of northern farms) and the south (the Gaza periphery farms) due to evacuations, farmers called up to fight, and foreign workers having left the country, our crops have been left for the volunteers to take over. They are doing an amazing and commendable job, [I wish that I could participate] but it really isn’t enough. A friend asked if there were food shortages. I would still say no. We might not have everything that we want or are used to, and the prices may be higher, but we are not without enough food.
When this war began, Prime Minister Netanyahu said ‘We are fighting our second war of Independence’. Israel has been used to ‘quick wars’. I looked up the war of independence and it lasted 9 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (15 May 1948-10 March 1949)
I’m sorry that this isn’t a very inspiring letter, but I am tired and going to bed now. May we all truly be pressing in to know Him Who really IS THE ANSWER.
Loving blessings. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him. Love, your sister.
January 20, 2024
“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,…” Philippians 3:10
Greetings to you wherever you are …all IN HIM…for we are His creation and for His glory…how awesome are His smallest of ways (in Proverbs He say to consider the ant). May HE be glorified, feared, blessed, seen. May we be encouraged in our tininess (for we really are tiny…dust).
I greet you today with musings…because I have observed such strange and wonderful juxtapositions over the past few days. It is really (to me) like whispers of the wind and I can only describe them; maybe you will understand.
I am so thankful! On Wednesday I got the steroid shots in my knees and shoulder. It is wonderful to be relatively pain free and be able to move, so (since they only work for about 6 weeks) I took the opportunity and walked for about 2 and a half hours on Thursday. The weather has been warm and definitely conducive to walking. We had some strong, drenching rains last week, so the colorful flowers and deep, living greens warm the heart with all of their vibrant beauty.
That’s when I started seeing (experiencing) these juxtapositions.
I stopped to read a small sign on an electric pole. It was a picture of a soldier, saying ‘may his memory be blessed’, stating when and where he fell. I stopped and read it. It wasn’t a ‘death notice’ but probably a sign lovingly put up by family to mark the 30th day since he left. I have not seen a sign like this before so I am certain that his family did it out of loving grief. I walked on, praying for the comfort and salvation of his family.
I headed toward the mall to buy some of the ‘bring them home’ dog tags for someone. I walk with a cane, just for caution, not really out of need. A man was getting off the bus in front of me and turned around smiling, waving his stick at me. ‘It’s GOOD to reach this age and keep walking!’ he said with a joyful grin. He proceeded to tell me his life story. I left him smiling and thought about how kind people have been lately. Inside the mall I also found people particularly patient and friendly. ‘Go ahead of me, please’ was something that I heard again and again …smiles abounded. This is NOT because somehow something is ‘easier’…but somehow as things get more difficult, there is more of a need for kindness and sharing burdens.
I went to buy the dog tags and the saleswoman was Arab. She perked up and smiled as she took them. ‘Good’ she said. The cost is all donated so you also get a 50% discount on any of these items (that she pointed to) if you would like, as a ‘thank you’.
The walk home from the mall is a couple of kilometers and I hadn’t gone very far when a woman came up behind me. ‘Hi, can I help you?’ she offered. I smiled. ‘No thank you, I’m fine.’ Soon she wanted to know where I was going, what house I lived in, how long I had lived there and what I thought of the neighborhood. I told her that I loved it and that God had brought me there. ‘Bless His Holy Name, yes! Only HE could have brought you. He knows and He takes care of us.’ That opened the door easily for a wonderful time of praising His wondrous ways together. ‘Do you know about Leket giving out fruit and vegetables every Wednesday? I will give you the number for Etie. She can help you get free meals and even help if you need.’ She asked me where I lived and when I told her that I ‘lived across the street from ..........’, she nearly jumped for joy and was sure that God had brought me (yes…I know too). ‘You know, just about everyone in this neighborhood has lived there for 3 generations…so we are happy that you are here’. What kindness continued until we parted ways…ofcourse exchanging phone numbers. Her name....... means ‘bay (tree of leaf)’.
Coming home, I looked up in the sky, and there was the infinity sign, made by two airforce jets. That (along with yellow ribbons) is the sign being used to remember the captives. We see them everywhere. It was massive above us…the never ending presence of the pressure in our hearts for those captive and their families suffering such agony. With the first birthday of little red headed baby ..... (his name means ‘young lion’) in captivity, reminders were everywhere. A friend told me that she came home and a small table was set with one tiny chair, a birthday cake with a candle…on the street near her house. I wonder if he is alive…any of them. It is truly cruel and agonizing. There have been more and more painful demonstrations…’FREE THEM NOW!’ as if it were a choice…in our hand. I remember the Gilad Shalit deal (perhaps I mentioned it recently, I don’t remember). We said that we could NEVER make that mistake again. One of the some 1,200 terrorists released for Gilad Shalit was Sinawar…the Hamas leader responsible for all that is now going on. For the release of the captives, they are demanding 3 things; an immediate cessation of the war; the release of ALL of the terrorists from all Israeli jails; and ‘a state’: In other words,…commit suicide. There is not one Israeli who would not give their right arm…or their own life (as many are doing) to release the captives. This hurts.
So…I looked up into the sky and saw the huge infinity sign and I remembered that God YES, knows where they are and He is not ignorant of this plight, nor is He uncaring. His ways, His thoughts, far higher than ours will be revealed in His time. Until then, there is much pain.
I had not heard from ....... for a week. That’s unusual. She usually starts the day with a ‘meme’ sent to my what’s app. She knows that we both are early risers. She was one of our younger daughter’s teachers and then also a patient at the doctor’s office where I worked. Her husband had post traumatic stress since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago and she has had to care for him. She writes the horoscopes for one of the main newspapers (yep!) and one day told me that ‘I was very spiritual and God loved me.’…so…I got to tell her WHO HE was and who I was in Him and she said ‘interesting…hum…someday maybe tell me about Him…someday maybe.’ On Thursday I got a note explaining that she has been in intensive care with influenza, pneumonia, rsv, and heart problems. ‘God didn’t think that I was ready for Him to take me’ she said. I agreed. ‘Marilyn, when you get out of the hospital, will you let me tell you my whole story and why I know that He IS OUR JEWISH MESSIAH?’ I told her that she could say no and I wouldn’t say anything…but, praise God, she said ‘Yes please’, and so I ask for prayer for her.
AND…yes…there is more.
I spoke to another sister who had been to the ear doctor and had gotten to share with both him and the taxi driver…both of them taking FULL Bibles…AND…the water pipes in the house where I live broke and my landlords called a plumber who ALSO listened to them share and thankfully took a Bible!! WOW!!! These are 4 souls who seem prepared, tender and open! TODAY! THIS IS NEW!
Juxtapositions…like the tears for the captives…their mourners…the mourners for the soldiers…the hatred of the world…and hearts becoming tender. Juxtapositions.
I help with Shabbat School and a children’s project called for some short tree branches, but my hands are too weak to cut them. I spotted a neighbor trimming some trees and asked him if he could cut these branches for me. He was making them too long so I explained that they were for children in Shabbat school. He joyfully cut them for me and thanked me for letting him be part of a blessing.
..... (my neighbor from across the street) came by laden with more food than I could lift…oh my, Lord…this is all real and I am seeing it with my eyes and experiencing it…WHO IS OUR GOD? AND WHAT MORE COULD I WANT THAN TO KNOW HIM? And for my people to know HIM too!
Yesterday I went back to the mall for something that I forgot. A woman was at the top of the stairs giving out Shabbat candles. This is not unusual…this is done every Friday as lighting the Shabbat candles is considered a ‘mitzvah’ (command) and people care that we obey. I smiled at her and thanked her as she gave them to me and she handed me a small bag and said ‘Would you like two small homemade challot?’ Wow! ‘Oh yes! Thank you so very very much!’ We both smiled. I walked to the flower stand. Two sad looking young people were working there and I smiled at them and picked out some flowers. I handed them to the girl and she thanked me for buying them and I said ‘Oh no! I thank YOU for selling them! They are so beautiful and they give hope and joy and we all need hope and joy right now.’ She got big tears in her eyes and gave me a hug with the flowers and picked up a card on the table that said ‘A smile is worth 1000 good thoughts’ and gave it to me. I stood aside, waiting for a friend who was in the store and suddenly I felt strongly to give the flowers to the bread/candle lady. Ok. I walked over and handed them to her and wished her a Shabbat Shalom. Her mouth fell open. ‘Oh! Thank you SO much!’ she said. Only later did I realize that the flower girl had seen this…and…well…the whole area seemed to pulse with His preparatory presence…softening the soil…preparing hearts.
God FORBID that ANY of this should come across as if ‘I am so nice’ or ‘I am ANYTHING’. JUXTAPOSITIONS… feeling the seasons…may we not close the doors on His opportunities! There are, again, calls for changing the government…angry calls…no one changes a government in the midst of a war. The unity in the nation has been powerful and has been making hearts tender…the enemy does not want this.
Today, again, is sunny and warm and I was out walking. There are not many cars on Shabbat where I live now, but a car was coming and stopped right in front of me. Two weary soldiers were inside. One got out to be with his family on Shabbat. ‘Oh! BLESSINGS! Thank you so very very much!! Blessings and Shabbat shalom!’ I blurted out to them. They looked at me with eyes broken and passionate. “Shabbat Blessings to you!” they said.
May this season of His breath find us tender and seeking…ready and willing…obedient and listening. Thank you for praying for the revelation of YESHUA to the hearts of my people. It is promised…may NOW be the time.
Lovingly, your sister
“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,…” Philippians 3:10
Greetings to you wherever you are …all IN HIM…for we are His creation and for His glory…how awesome are His smallest of ways (in Proverbs He say to consider the ant). May HE be glorified, feared, blessed, seen. May we be encouraged in our tininess (for we really are tiny…dust).
I greet you today with musings…because I have observed such strange and wonderful juxtapositions over the past few days. It is really (to me) like whispers of the wind and I can only describe them; maybe you will understand.
I am so thankful! On Wednesday I got the steroid shots in my knees and shoulder. It is wonderful to be relatively pain free and be able to move, so (since they only work for about 6 weeks) I took the opportunity and walked for about 2 and a half hours on Thursday. The weather has been warm and definitely conducive to walking. We had some strong, drenching rains last week, so the colorful flowers and deep, living greens warm the heart with all of their vibrant beauty.
That’s when I started seeing (experiencing) these juxtapositions.
I stopped to read a small sign on an electric pole. It was a picture of a soldier, saying ‘may his memory be blessed’, stating when and where he fell. I stopped and read it. It wasn’t a ‘death notice’ but probably a sign lovingly put up by family to mark the 30th day since he left. I have not seen a sign like this before so I am certain that his family did it out of loving grief. I walked on, praying for the comfort and salvation of his family.
I headed toward the mall to buy some of the ‘bring them home’ dog tags for someone. I walk with a cane, just for caution, not really out of need. A man was getting off the bus in front of me and turned around smiling, waving his stick at me. ‘It’s GOOD to reach this age and keep walking!’ he said with a joyful grin. He proceeded to tell me his life story. I left him smiling and thought about how kind people have been lately. Inside the mall I also found people particularly patient and friendly. ‘Go ahead of me, please’ was something that I heard again and again …smiles abounded. This is NOT because somehow something is ‘easier’…but somehow as things get more difficult, there is more of a need for kindness and sharing burdens.
I went to buy the dog tags and the saleswoman was Arab. She perked up and smiled as she took them. ‘Good’ she said. The cost is all donated so you also get a 50% discount on any of these items (that she pointed to) if you would like, as a ‘thank you’.
The walk home from the mall is a couple of kilometers and I hadn’t gone very far when a woman came up behind me. ‘Hi, can I help you?’ she offered. I smiled. ‘No thank you, I’m fine.’ Soon she wanted to know where I was going, what house I lived in, how long I had lived there and what I thought of the neighborhood. I told her that I loved it and that God had brought me there. ‘Bless His Holy Name, yes! Only HE could have brought you. He knows and He takes care of us.’ That opened the door easily for a wonderful time of praising His wondrous ways together. ‘Do you know about Leket giving out fruit and vegetables every Wednesday? I will give you the number for Etie. She can help you get free meals and even help if you need.’ She asked me where I lived and when I told her that I ‘lived across the street from ..........’, she nearly jumped for joy and was sure that God had brought me (yes…I know too). ‘You know, just about everyone in this neighborhood has lived there for 3 generations…so we are happy that you are here’. What kindness continued until we parted ways…ofcourse exchanging phone numbers. Her name....... means ‘bay (tree of leaf)’.
Coming home, I looked up in the sky, and there was the infinity sign, made by two airforce jets. That (along with yellow ribbons) is the sign being used to remember the captives. We see them everywhere. It was massive above us…the never ending presence of the pressure in our hearts for those captive and their families suffering such agony. With the first birthday of little red headed baby ..... (his name means ‘young lion’) in captivity, reminders were everywhere. A friend told me that she came home and a small table was set with one tiny chair, a birthday cake with a candle…on the street near her house. I wonder if he is alive…any of them. It is truly cruel and agonizing. There have been more and more painful demonstrations…’FREE THEM NOW!’ as if it were a choice…in our hand. I remember the Gilad Shalit deal (perhaps I mentioned it recently, I don’t remember). We said that we could NEVER make that mistake again. One of the some 1,200 terrorists released for Gilad Shalit was Sinawar…the Hamas leader responsible for all that is now going on. For the release of the captives, they are demanding 3 things; an immediate cessation of the war; the release of ALL of the terrorists from all Israeli jails; and ‘a state’: In other words,…commit suicide. There is not one Israeli who would not give their right arm…or their own life (as many are doing) to release the captives. This hurts.
So…I looked up into the sky and saw the huge infinity sign and I remembered that God YES, knows where they are and He is not ignorant of this plight, nor is He uncaring. His ways, His thoughts, far higher than ours will be revealed in His time. Until then, there is much pain.
I had not heard from ....... for a week. That’s unusual. She usually starts the day with a ‘meme’ sent to my what’s app. She knows that we both are early risers. She was one of our younger daughter’s teachers and then also a patient at the doctor’s office where I worked. Her husband had post traumatic stress since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago and she has had to care for him. She writes the horoscopes for one of the main newspapers (yep!) and one day told me that ‘I was very spiritual and God loved me.’…so…I got to tell her WHO HE was and who I was in Him and she said ‘interesting…hum…someday maybe tell me about Him…someday maybe.’ On Thursday I got a note explaining that she has been in intensive care with influenza, pneumonia, rsv, and heart problems. ‘God didn’t think that I was ready for Him to take me’ she said. I agreed. ‘Marilyn, when you get out of the hospital, will you let me tell you my whole story and why I know that He IS OUR JEWISH MESSIAH?’ I told her that she could say no and I wouldn’t say anything…but, praise God, she said ‘Yes please’, and so I ask for prayer for her.
AND…yes…there is more.
I spoke to another sister who had been to the ear doctor and had gotten to share with both him and the taxi driver…both of them taking FULL Bibles…AND…the water pipes in the house where I live broke and my landlords called a plumber who ALSO listened to them share and thankfully took a Bible!! WOW!!! These are 4 souls who seem prepared, tender and open! TODAY! THIS IS NEW!
Juxtapositions…like the tears for the captives…their mourners…the mourners for the soldiers…the hatred of the world…and hearts becoming tender. Juxtapositions.
I help with Shabbat School and a children’s project called for some short tree branches, but my hands are too weak to cut them. I spotted a neighbor trimming some trees and asked him if he could cut these branches for me. He was making them too long so I explained that they were for children in Shabbat school. He joyfully cut them for me and thanked me for letting him be part of a blessing.
..... (my neighbor from across the street) came by laden with more food than I could lift…oh my, Lord…this is all real and I am seeing it with my eyes and experiencing it…WHO IS OUR GOD? AND WHAT MORE COULD I WANT THAN TO KNOW HIM? And for my people to know HIM too!
Yesterday I went back to the mall for something that I forgot. A woman was at the top of the stairs giving out Shabbat candles. This is not unusual…this is done every Friday as lighting the Shabbat candles is considered a ‘mitzvah’ (command) and people care that we obey. I smiled at her and thanked her as she gave them to me and she handed me a small bag and said ‘Would you like two small homemade challot?’ Wow! ‘Oh yes! Thank you so very very much!’ We both smiled. I walked to the flower stand. Two sad looking young people were working there and I smiled at them and picked out some flowers. I handed them to the girl and she thanked me for buying them and I said ‘Oh no! I thank YOU for selling them! They are so beautiful and they give hope and joy and we all need hope and joy right now.’ She got big tears in her eyes and gave me a hug with the flowers and picked up a card on the table that said ‘A smile is worth 1000 good thoughts’ and gave it to me. I stood aside, waiting for a friend who was in the store and suddenly I felt strongly to give the flowers to the bread/candle lady. Ok. I walked over and handed them to her and wished her a Shabbat Shalom. Her mouth fell open. ‘Oh! Thank you SO much!’ she said. Only later did I realize that the flower girl had seen this…and…well…the whole area seemed to pulse with His preparatory presence…softening the soil…preparing hearts.
God FORBID that ANY of this should come across as if ‘I am so nice’ or ‘I am ANYTHING’. JUXTAPOSITIONS… feeling the seasons…may we not close the doors on His opportunities! There are, again, calls for changing the government…angry calls…no one changes a government in the midst of a war. The unity in the nation has been powerful and has been making hearts tender…the enemy does not want this.
Today, again, is sunny and warm and I was out walking. There are not many cars on Shabbat where I live now, but a car was coming and stopped right in front of me. Two weary soldiers were inside. One got out to be with his family on Shabbat. ‘Oh! BLESSINGS! Thank you so very very much!! Blessings and Shabbat shalom!’ I blurted out to them. They looked at me with eyes broken and passionate. “Shabbat Blessings to you!” they said.
May this season of His breath find us tender and seeking…ready and willing…obedient and listening. Thank you for praying for the revelation of YESHUA to the hearts of my people. It is promised…may NOW be the time.
Lovingly, your sister
January 16, 2024
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the [b]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [c]openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:5-7
Greetings, in The Name of The One Who IS SOVEREIGN, The One Who gives breath, and The One Who withholds breath and calls us to Himself. How good and merciful He is! SOVEREIGN…and HE calls us to know Him! We are so privileged…and so unworthy! May HE be glorified and may you be encouraged.
It gets ‘scary’ to speak…do you know what I mean? We live in a HOLY moment of time and, God forbid, any of us [me] should speak as Job’s friends. They were so religious and ‘right’ and thought that they knew, but they were blind and knew NOTHING about what was really going on. I hear many speaking this way right now -opinions and analysis - and I pray that The Holy Spirit will give me His Words…and that they will be as a song to comfort HIS Heart, because I believe that His Heart is crushed. I base that on the verse in Ezekiel 6:9…an astounding verse that only recently jumped out at me; “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.” [I looked at the Hebrew and ‘crushed’ is an accurate translation into English.] Did you ever think of God’s heart being CRUSHED by our ways? It has been like a wave going over me. HE LOVES US AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRUSH HIS HEART JUST AS HUSBANDS AND WIVES AND CHILDREN DO TO ONE ANOTHER.
It is DAY 102 OF THE WAR.
Israel removed the ‘name’, ‘Iron Swords’. This is no longer the name of this war. They said that ‘Iron Swords’ is the name of an ‘action’ and not a war. This war is not yet permanently named; it is being called the Israel hamas war currently. HOWEVER, it seems to me important to note that the Arabs have named this war ‘the Alaksa flood’! This is interesting since Alaksa mosque sits on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem…not in Gaza (I probably mentioned that Gaza is approx. 46 miles, as the crow flies, from Jerusalem) What has this got to do with the war in Gaza? My mind IMMEDIATELY jumped back to an event inscribed in my memory: Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza on the 12th of September 2005: Those were painful and fiery days. I have a ‘personal policy’. I try to listen to speeches rather than commentaries, interpretations and opinions. I DID listen to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharone’s speech when he announced to the country that we were unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza. When he made the announcement, there was immediate mayhem, people jumping up and yelling from every direction. What became indelibly impressed upon my memory is what happened next: He passionately burst forth with the words (I quote, although it was in Hebrew and not in English) “YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND!! THIS IS NOT ABOUT GAZA…THIS IS ABOUT JERUSALEM!!” My mouth fell open and I said to E...; ‘Did you hear that?’ At the time I felt that I was hearing something significant that I needed to remember…and now…as this war morphs before our eyes into something pre-planned and touching many borders, (perhaps the entire world) I think about that statement ‘This is about Jerusalem!’ and I hear the name that the Arabs have given to this war…Alaksa flood…Jerusalem flood…and I wonder and pray.
We are thankful that so many of you around the world are praying about the hearings at the ICJ Hague. One of the things that our Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said as he announced the start of the war was that this was the greatest war for our survival since our war of independence in 1948, and then he quoted the Biblical injunction: REMEMBER AMALEK! Nearly every Jew knows what this means. Nearly every Jew understands these words, so it seemed almost humorous to hear this quoted by the South Africans at the Hague as proof that we were planning to commit genocide! Isn’t it amazing how the precious Words of the Scriptures can be twisted. May we, as believers, handle the sharp two edged sword with wisdom and truth.
I was walking my dog the other evening and I watched a car drive up and park across the street from me. A weary, ragged looking soldier got out. Another neighbor ran up and embraced him. I did not know him, but I said ‘Baruch h’ba! Brachot!’ (Blessed is he who arrives! Bless you!) Many of the soldiers who have been fighting for 90-100 days are being released right now for a time of rest. It is painful to see the struggles that they are going through. I have a cousin (not yet a believer) who is a psychiatrist, an American trauma expert who worked for the US government as an expert during the Iraqi war and 9/11. I asked her how to help, because there are NOT enough trained people here and we will ALL be with people in need ALL the time. I feel strongly that as believers, we NEED to be available each time that we rub shoulders with someone who has seen horrors or experienced them or is still living through them. My cousin told me that in many ways it is like grief…how do we know what each grieving person needs? We don’t…but we can’t avoid them. We should be available to listen…to hug…to be silent…not to give advice. It is true that generally Israelis are a resilient people. It seems to be in our DNA somehow; get up and keep walking…legs or not.
Yesterday there was a terror attack in the middle of the country, the city of Ra’anana (where our oldest daughter first lived). It is in undisputed central Israel. One was killed and 18 injured, 4 in serious to critical condition. The two terrorists were not Israeli Arabs, but were working at a car wash with forged work permits. There were many children and teens injured…so today, children and teens went to the spot of the attack and danced and sang; yes, resilience is something special to see.
There have been a slew of recordings on Instagram of late; people’s last phone conversations with their loved ones. We hear people calling their mothers or fathers and crying from ‘safe rooms’ that they are going to die and they want to say ‘I love you.’ You can hear the parent’s calming voice saying, ‘Just breathe deeply…don’t panic. Stay quiet. It will be ok.’ and, following the sounds of terrorists, the phone goes dead. It is awful, but it is all around us. I wondered what I would say in such a horrible situation. This IS our reality right now…and yet, not for us believers, because this is not our kingdom.
Considering the changes that I have walked through over the past year and a half, I can only fall at His feet and worship Him for His tender care for me. In this intense season, I have something that I have never had since I met Him…NO responsibilities. I am free to seek His Face and to stand in the gap with almost no time restraints, and it has shown me what a weakling I am. This is no longer a time of learning and testing and so I must find the victory to stay in the place of prayer. After so many years of prayer meetings and prayer conferences, I’m finding that it is the scripture on the top of this letter that pierces my heart. (surely, ofcourse, there is the place for group prayer, I’m not saying that there isn’t) I know that for me, He is telling me to enter into the prayer closet …the secret place of prayer; where no one sees but Him. I am thankful for my ‘mini cabin’ with Him.
Yesterday was my 49th birthday in Him, and He has NEVER disappointed me, NEVER misled me, NEVER been any less than ENOUGH.
But I have a burning request for Him.
That night, 49 years ago when my life was about to end (and, praise God, ‘that’ life did!) He revealed Himself to me, unasked for, unsearched for…HIS NAME that I had never heard except as a curse word…came to me and there was no way that I could have turned away once I saw Him.
All around me, my people are calling upon God…The God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob. And He IS drawing near to them. There IS a revival of Judaism going on here and it is real. But I have not heard of anyone…not one testimony…of someone having HIS NAME revealed to them as they cry out! I have heard of Arabs being told by Him His Name…but my people? Not yet, and I am longing, praying for Him to NOW rip off the veil, open the eyes of the heart, take away the prejudice against The Name Yeshua! In all that is happening…may The Lord have MERCY and reveal His Name…His Heart…His perfect Blood atonement!
Thank you for praying for my people, my family, HIS GLORY!
Loving blessings, your sister.
Below, I hope that you will see a youtube video…these are now so common…read the words.
I'M SORRY...I THINK THAT THIS MAY ONLY BE INSTAGRAM...(I HOPE THAT YOU CAN SEE IT)
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the [b]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [c]openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” Matthew 6:5-7
Greetings, in The Name of The One Who IS SOVEREIGN, The One Who gives breath, and The One Who withholds breath and calls us to Himself. How good and merciful He is! SOVEREIGN…and HE calls us to know Him! We are so privileged…and so unworthy! May HE be glorified and may you be encouraged.
It gets ‘scary’ to speak…do you know what I mean? We live in a HOLY moment of time and, God forbid, any of us [me] should speak as Job’s friends. They were so religious and ‘right’ and thought that they knew, but they were blind and knew NOTHING about what was really going on. I hear many speaking this way right now -opinions and analysis - and I pray that The Holy Spirit will give me His Words…and that they will be as a song to comfort HIS Heart, because I believe that His Heart is crushed. I base that on the verse in Ezekiel 6:9…an astounding verse that only recently jumped out at me; “Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.” [I looked at the Hebrew and ‘crushed’ is an accurate translation into English.] Did you ever think of God’s heart being CRUSHED by our ways? It has been like a wave going over me. HE LOVES US AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRUSH HIS HEART JUST AS HUSBANDS AND WIVES AND CHILDREN DO TO ONE ANOTHER.
It is DAY 102 OF THE WAR.
Israel removed the ‘name’, ‘Iron Swords’. This is no longer the name of this war. They said that ‘Iron Swords’ is the name of an ‘action’ and not a war. This war is not yet permanently named; it is being called the Israel hamas war currently. HOWEVER, it seems to me important to note that the Arabs have named this war ‘the Alaksa flood’! This is interesting since Alaksa mosque sits on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem…not in Gaza (I probably mentioned that Gaza is approx. 46 miles, as the crow flies, from Jerusalem) What has this got to do with the war in Gaza? My mind IMMEDIATELY jumped back to an event inscribed in my memory: Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza on the 12th of September 2005: Those were painful and fiery days. I have a ‘personal policy’. I try to listen to speeches rather than commentaries, interpretations and opinions. I DID listen to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharone’s speech when he announced to the country that we were unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza. When he made the announcement, there was immediate mayhem, people jumping up and yelling from every direction. What became indelibly impressed upon my memory is what happened next: He passionately burst forth with the words (I quote, although it was in Hebrew and not in English) “YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND!! THIS IS NOT ABOUT GAZA…THIS IS ABOUT JERUSALEM!!” My mouth fell open and I said to E...; ‘Did you hear that?’ At the time I felt that I was hearing something significant that I needed to remember…and now…as this war morphs before our eyes into something pre-planned and touching many borders, (perhaps the entire world) I think about that statement ‘This is about Jerusalem!’ and I hear the name that the Arabs have given to this war…Alaksa flood…Jerusalem flood…and I wonder and pray.
We are thankful that so many of you around the world are praying about the hearings at the ICJ Hague. One of the things that our Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said as he announced the start of the war was that this was the greatest war for our survival since our war of independence in 1948, and then he quoted the Biblical injunction: REMEMBER AMALEK! Nearly every Jew knows what this means. Nearly every Jew understands these words, so it seemed almost humorous to hear this quoted by the South Africans at the Hague as proof that we were planning to commit genocide! Isn’t it amazing how the precious Words of the Scriptures can be twisted. May we, as believers, handle the sharp two edged sword with wisdom and truth.
I was walking my dog the other evening and I watched a car drive up and park across the street from me. A weary, ragged looking soldier got out. Another neighbor ran up and embraced him. I did not know him, but I said ‘Baruch h’ba! Brachot!’ (Blessed is he who arrives! Bless you!) Many of the soldiers who have been fighting for 90-100 days are being released right now for a time of rest. It is painful to see the struggles that they are going through. I have a cousin (not yet a believer) who is a psychiatrist, an American trauma expert who worked for the US government as an expert during the Iraqi war and 9/11. I asked her how to help, because there are NOT enough trained people here and we will ALL be with people in need ALL the time. I feel strongly that as believers, we NEED to be available each time that we rub shoulders with someone who has seen horrors or experienced them or is still living through them. My cousin told me that in many ways it is like grief…how do we know what each grieving person needs? We don’t…but we can’t avoid them. We should be available to listen…to hug…to be silent…not to give advice. It is true that generally Israelis are a resilient people. It seems to be in our DNA somehow; get up and keep walking…legs or not.
Yesterday there was a terror attack in the middle of the country, the city of Ra’anana (where our oldest daughter first lived). It is in undisputed central Israel. One was killed and 18 injured, 4 in serious to critical condition. The two terrorists were not Israeli Arabs, but were working at a car wash with forged work permits. There were many children and teens injured…so today, children and teens went to the spot of the attack and danced and sang; yes, resilience is something special to see.
There have been a slew of recordings on Instagram of late; people’s last phone conversations with their loved ones. We hear people calling their mothers or fathers and crying from ‘safe rooms’ that they are going to die and they want to say ‘I love you.’ You can hear the parent’s calming voice saying, ‘Just breathe deeply…don’t panic. Stay quiet. It will be ok.’ and, following the sounds of terrorists, the phone goes dead. It is awful, but it is all around us. I wondered what I would say in such a horrible situation. This IS our reality right now…and yet, not for us believers, because this is not our kingdom.
Considering the changes that I have walked through over the past year and a half, I can only fall at His feet and worship Him for His tender care for me. In this intense season, I have something that I have never had since I met Him…NO responsibilities. I am free to seek His Face and to stand in the gap with almost no time restraints, and it has shown me what a weakling I am. This is no longer a time of learning and testing and so I must find the victory to stay in the place of prayer. After so many years of prayer meetings and prayer conferences, I’m finding that it is the scripture on the top of this letter that pierces my heart. (surely, ofcourse, there is the place for group prayer, I’m not saying that there isn’t) I know that for me, He is telling me to enter into the prayer closet …the secret place of prayer; where no one sees but Him. I am thankful for my ‘mini cabin’ with Him.
Yesterday was my 49th birthday in Him, and He has NEVER disappointed me, NEVER misled me, NEVER been any less than ENOUGH.
But I have a burning request for Him.
That night, 49 years ago when my life was about to end (and, praise God, ‘that’ life did!) He revealed Himself to me, unasked for, unsearched for…HIS NAME that I had never heard except as a curse word…came to me and there was no way that I could have turned away once I saw Him.
All around me, my people are calling upon God…The God of Avraham, Isaac and Jacob. And He IS drawing near to them. There IS a revival of Judaism going on here and it is real. But I have not heard of anyone…not one testimony…of someone having HIS NAME revealed to them as they cry out! I have heard of Arabs being told by Him His Name…but my people? Not yet, and I am longing, praying for Him to NOW rip off the veil, open the eyes of the heart, take away the prejudice against The Name Yeshua! In all that is happening…may The Lord have MERCY and reveal His Name…His Heart…His perfect Blood atonement!
Thank you for praying for my people, my family, HIS GLORY!
Loving blessings, your sister.
Below, I hope that you will see a youtube video…these are now so common…read the words.
I'M SORRY...I THINK THAT THIS MAY ONLY BE INSTAGRAM...(I HOPE THAT YOU CAN SEE IT)
January 7, 2024
“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before himAnd loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you…I will give you the treasures of darkness 3-And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me…I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’…22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! …9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”For I am God, and there is no other…” BITS AND PIECES OF ISAIAH 45
To the glory of The Lord Who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15), Who IS Sovereign, Who IS Holy, Who IS Worthy of ALL that He asks…to Him may all glory and praise be; and may you be encouraged and blessed. Greetings, again.
Today is day 93 of the war. It is the 7th of January, three months to the day since this war began.
S... came to see me today. She is the social worker who visits me to help me to access the help that I get from Bituach Leumi (our form of social security). The last time that she was here, she was frazzled and wishing to leave the country. She had told me that she couldn’t bear to hear the sirens again…the sirens that terrified her as a child, and now she was dreading the need for her 13 year old son to be growing up also, in the shadow of war and terror as she had. This time she looked strong, although very sad. She was horrified by the world’s reactions, grieved to be standing alone in the face of a world that couldn’t understand the difference between good and evil. However, she was no longer talking about leaving, but there was a ‘resolve’ in her to ‘stand’. I was strengthened by seeing her strengthened.
I have not been able, physically, to be of much help in the ‘war effort’ so I have looked for ways to give. I found a restaurant that was making meals for soldiers and delivering them and I could give to them cash (not credit card or some payment mode). I called last night to make sure that they were still doing this and they messaged back, saying that they had to quit because the donations had dried up. ‘Oh no!’ I said. ‘If you start up again or know of someone else doing this, would you please let me know?’ And they promised to. I was sad that people are slacking off. It is true that there are some larger, more organized groups that have taken over much of the services, but it is good for the country when we all do our part, no matter how small.
In the midst of the ‘small helpers’, there are the ones who are giving their all. ALL.
I just went to hunt for ‘the number’ today…the number of how many have died to date…and I couldn’t find it. I made the ‘mistake’ of clicking on to the “Those we have lost” site, thinking that I would find ‘the updated number’…but there they were; hundreds of faces staring out, frozen in a last photo “She helped everyone she could, 22”, “he left 6 small children, wanted to be a doctor 37”, “he died protecting 10 children19” …STOP! GO BACK TO WRITING…it is hard to describe…what I am trying to describe…but I am seeing it and witnessing it, and, yes, experiencing it.
The first large group of reservists who have been fighting for 90 days, was released from service this week. I am thankful to report that N...... is home as is B..., my son in law’s 3 brothers, and S..... So I am learning some things about ‘coming home’.
I have learned that 40 soldiers have lost all 4 limbs. I have learned that over 700 have lost atleast 1 limb. We have never had such numbers! There is a huge need for people who can help them with all of the needs that they will face.
I have learned about one battle that saw 1,000 injured needing to be taken out by helicopter.
I have learned of 15 men sleeping in a room with a believing soldier who prayed for each one. Suddenly they all just ‘knew’ that it was time to wake up and ‘move’. Less than a minute after leaving the room in which they were sleeping, an RPG rammed through 4 thick stone walls and landed where they had slept. They said ‘We saw a miracle’.
I am asking for prayer for one believing soldier (whose son is still fighting). He was discharged after 90 days. He is in his mid-40s and has very important skills. This is his 3rd war…but he said that he has never seen such evil…never been confronted by this degree of raw horror and wickedness…of booby trapped bodies…of truth turned inside out. He seems to have returned home with post traumatic stress disorder. Because he was in such an intense part of the battle, his battalion was ‘sequestered’ for 2 days on an animal farm, with beds and good food and specially trained counselors. They were told that they need to face that what they experienced was not at all normal and that now they needed to return to normal life, and that although they won’t ‘feel’ as if it is normal…it IS…and war is NOT. They were told that if they felt as if they were losing it, they must only seek help from those who were there because no one else could understand what they had been through. He came home and couldn’t take off his uniform for 2 days. He slept in it…he couldn’t stand the quiet. He is a strong believer. How many are going through this without The Lord! Please pray for this brother.
Are the captives alive? No one knows. The suffering of their families mixes with the grieving families who have lost loved ones in battle for them into one huge groan/cry. It forms a prayer…that I can only pray WILL RESULT IN THE SALVATION OF OUR PEOPLE…which includes REPENTANCE. He surely has promised.
This morning I was reading Isaiah 45 (pieces of it are quoted above) and the absolute wonder of it overtook me! God gave Isaiah Cyrus’s NAME hundreds of years before he was born; that a Persian king would arise when the judgment of the people of Israel was complete: that this same king would call for the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem…would initiate it…would provide for it…would be so instrumental in bringing about the restoration of Israel…and in the midst of so many prophecies concerning judgment of Israel, God sends forth like lightening… PROMISES of BLESSING. JUDGMENT is a promise…and BLESSING is a promise: from the same God to the same people.
I also am reading in 2 Kings, Psalms, Matthew 5 and Ephesians. I HAVE A KING AND I AM A CITIZEN OF HIS KINGDOM…but I walk on this earth…I am in the world but not of the world…as you are. I must remember this as I pass the soldiers, the grieving; as I walk in the midst of real war…war that touches us all. Gaza is approximately 45 miles (79km) from Jerusalem as the crow flies. I hear the bombs…the planes…see the faces… We are all touched by this war…this hatred…this pain. Matt 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” He does not leave us without directions HOW we are to walk. Nor does He leave us to our own strength, but He even sent His Holy Spirit to live in us so that we CAN obey! Praise His Name!
The Houthis have effectively blocked the Red Sea shipping corroders for any ship that is entering Israel. That has cut our supplies. Every ship passing through must prove that they are not coming to Israel. We are effectively NOT receiving mail and many items are missing from the shelves. (no mail is getting through)
Many people are speculating about what God is doing. My main question is ‘Lord…what would You have me to do for You? How am I to walk?’ I trust Him with His plan…but oh I want my ears listening to Him so that I am where He wants me WHEN He wants me.
I am way late for bed again.
I stumbled across a diary of a soldier being written now…I ended up reading the whole thing. I think that it really shines a light into the world that they are living in and I encourage you to read it (a free book).
DIARY OF AN IDF SOLDIER
I’m also enclosing the link to ‘their faces and epitaphs’…
Thank you for praying, for your gentleness with me as I flounder my way through this time, trying to say what I pray that He wants me to. God bless you, encourage you, lead you and give you His discernment and His Light.
Lovingly, your sister here.
THOSE WE HAVE LOST
“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before himAnd loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 ‘I will go before you…I will give you the treasures of darkness 3-And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob My servant’s sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me…I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’…22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! …9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”For I am God, and there is no other…” BITS AND PIECES OF ISAIAH 45
To the glory of The Lord Who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15), Who IS Sovereign, Who IS Holy, Who IS Worthy of ALL that He asks…to Him may all glory and praise be; and may you be encouraged and blessed. Greetings, again.
Today is day 93 of the war. It is the 7th of January, three months to the day since this war began.
S... came to see me today. She is the social worker who visits me to help me to access the help that I get from Bituach Leumi (our form of social security). The last time that she was here, she was frazzled and wishing to leave the country. She had told me that she couldn’t bear to hear the sirens again…the sirens that terrified her as a child, and now she was dreading the need for her 13 year old son to be growing up also, in the shadow of war and terror as she had. This time she looked strong, although very sad. She was horrified by the world’s reactions, grieved to be standing alone in the face of a world that couldn’t understand the difference between good and evil. However, she was no longer talking about leaving, but there was a ‘resolve’ in her to ‘stand’. I was strengthened by seeing her strengthened.
I have not been able, physically, to be of much help in the ‘war effort’ so I have looked for ways to give. I found a restaurant that was making meals for soldiers and delivering them and I could give to them cash (not credit card or some payment mode). I called last night to make sure that they were still doing this and they messaged back, saying that they had to quit because the donations had dried up. ‘Oh no!’ I said. ‘If you start up again or know of someone else doing this, would you please let me know?’ And they promised to. I was sad that people are slacking off. It is true that there are some larger, more organized groups that have taken over much of the services, but it is good for the country when we all do our part, no matter how small.
In the midst of the ‘small helpers’, there are the ones who are giving their all. ALL.
I just went to hunt for ‘the number’ today…the number of how many have died to date…and I couldn’t find it. I made the ‘mistake’ of clicking on to the “Those we have lost” site, thinking that I would find ‘the updated number’…but there they were; hundreds of faces staring out, frozen in a last photo “She helped everyone she could, 22”, “he left 6 small children, wanted to be a doctor 37”, “he died protecting 10 children19” …STOP! GO BACK TO WRITING…it is hard to describe…what I am trying to describe…but I am seeing it and witnessing it, and, yes, experiencing it.
The first large group of reservists who have been fighting for 90 days, was released from service this week. I am thankful to report that N...... is home as is B..., my son in law’s 3 brothers, and S..... So I am learning some things about ‘coming home’.
I have learned that 40 soldiers have lost all 4 limbs. I have learned that over 700 have lost atleast 1 limb. We have never had such numbers! There is a huge need for people who can help them with all of the needs that they will face.
I have learned about one battle that saw 1,000 injured needing to be taken out by helicopter.
I have learned of 15 men sleeping in a room with a believing soldier who prayed for each one. Suddenly they all just ‘knew’ that it was time to wake up and ‘move’. Less than a minute after leaving the room in which they were sleeping, an RPG rammed through 4 thick stone walls and landed where they had slept. They said ‘We saw a miracle’.
I am asking for prayer for one believing soldier (whose son is still fighting). He was discharged after 90 days. He is in his mid-40s and has very important skills. This is his 3rd war…but he said that he has never seen such evil…never been confronted by this degree of raw horror and wickedness…of booby trapped bodies…of truth turned inside out. He seems to have returned home with post traumatic stress disorder. Because he was in such an intense part of the battle, his battalion was ‘sequestered’ for 2 days on an animal farm, with beds and good food and specially trained counselors. They were told that they need to face that what they experienced was not at all normal and that now they needed to return to normal life, and that although they won’t ‘feel’ as if it is normal…it IS…and war is NOT. They were told that if they felt as if they were losing it, they must only seek help from those who were there because no one else could understand what they had been through. He came home and couldn’t take off his uniform for 2 days. He slept in it…he couldn’t stand the quiet. He is a strong believer. How many are going through this without The Lord! Please pray for this brother.
Are the captives alive? No one knows. The suffering of their families mixes with the grieving families who have lost loved ones in battle for them into one huge groan/cry. It forms a prayer…that I can only pray WILL RESULT IN THE SALVATION OF OUR PEOPLE…which includes REPENTANCE. He surely has promised.
This morning I was reading Isaiah 45 (pieces of it are quoted above) and the absolute wonder of it overtook me! God gave Isaiah Cyrus’s NAME hundreds of years before he was born; that a Persian king would arise when the judgment of the people of Israel was complete: that this same king would call for the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem…would initiate it…would provide for it…would be so instrumental in bringing about the restoration of Israel…and in the midst of so many prophecies concerning judgment of Israel, God sends forth like lightening… PROMISES of BLESSING. JUDGMENT is a promise…and BLESSING is a promise: from the same God to the same people.
I also am reading in 2 Kings, Psalms, Matthew 5 and Ephesians. I HAVE A KING AND I AM A CITIZEN OF HIS KINGDOM…but I walk on this earth…I am in the world but not of the world…as you are. I must remember this as I pass the soldiers, the grieving; as I walk in the midst of real war…war that touches us all. Gaza is approximately 45 miles (79km) from Jerusalem as the crow flies. I hear the bombs…the planes…see the faces… We are all touched by this war…this hatred…this pain. Matt 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” He does not leave us without directions HOW we are to walk. Nor does He leave us to our own strength, but He even sent His Holy Spirit to live in us so that we CAN obey! Praise His Name!
The Houthis have effectively blocked the Red Sea shipping corroders for any ship that is entering Israel. That has cut our supplies. Every ship passing through must prove that they are not coming to Israel. We are effectively NOT receiving mail and many items are missing from the shelves. (no mail is getting through)
Many people are speculating about what God is doing. My main question is ‘Lord…what would You have me to do for You? How am I to walk?’ I trust Him with His plan…but oh I want my ears listening to Him so that I am where He wants me WHEN He wants me.
I am way late for bed again.
I stumbled across a diary of a soldier being written now…I ended up reading the whole thing. I think that it really shines a light into the world that they are living in and I encourage you to read it (a free book).
DIARY OF AN IDF SOLDIER
I’m also enclosing the link to ‘their faces and epitaphs’…
Thank you for praying, for your gentleness with me as I flounder my way through this time, trying to say what I pray that He wants me to. God bless you, encourage you, lead you and give you His discernment and His Light.
Lovingly, your sister here.
THOSE WE HAVE LOST
December 31, 2023
OOPS...forgot...again...
A... is a wonderful believer...in our kehila....... She is a registered nurse but has recently felt that The Lord wanted her and a team of designers that she works with to design bedrooms for all of the newly orphaned children. She said that she felt as if it were important to give these children a place that was safe and warm and embracing. I agree. She has put some things up online, including the results of the first bedroom. If you would like to check out or support this special work, please let me know and I will put you in touch with them.
ZION - may we remember His promises
yes...another (short) update - 31.Dec, 23
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” The Revelation 1:1-3
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19
Greetings again so quickly in HIS NAME WHO IS THE ALEF AND THE TAV… WHO WAS, AND WHO IS, AND WHO IS TO COME…AND WHO IS HOLY! He Is The One Who made time and Who marks time…and the days and the seasons are in His Hands. May He be glorified and blessed in few words, enlarged by Him. Please forgive me for writing again so soon…but yesterday there was a ‘mistake’ and a few things omitted, and the events on the ground here are moving SO rapidly that the above scriptures seemed exceedingly appropriate for today. [And OFCOURSE I did NOT use that scripture as applied to anything which I am writing…It IS the revelation of Yeshua given to His servant John.]
First, I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear about my situation. I am home. I have no way to access email from the hospital, so if you receive any email from me, I am not in the hospital. I’m sorry for not being clearer. I was only in the emergency room for that one day and was not hospitalized. I still don’t know what the problem is and my family doctor is following up. Thank you for your concern AND prayers.
I had forgotten to send a couple of things that I wanted to share. I receive and see so many amazing things (and many of you do too) but it is too much…and my belief is that we need to be looking at HIM and to be careful to keep His Face from being fogged by the input of information (Even good and Godly information). Having said that…I KNOW that I am to bear witness to what I see…hear…feel here…and right now it is both agonizing and intense…and I am having difficulty sharing. I am sending you a link to a…hum…all I can call it is a musical prayer/scream ‘blasted’ to GOD by secular and religious musicians who joined together in Caesarea. Please listen…it’s gut wrenching. Speaking of gut-wrenching, I passed a public bench today near a bus stop with the photo of a young man taken captive. The hand written sign reads “23rd birthday of Evyatar – 83 days in captivity.” Finally, there is another gut-wrenching interview with M.., a young woman who was released from captivity. (don’t expect a ‘Godly interview’, it isn’t) Several of those released are speaking out in interviews and it is heartbreaking. She says something that I think everyone needs to hear…about the ‘innocents’ in Gaza.
And I leave you with a gem that a sister gave me as we were discussing scriptures. I think that all of us have known (or even been) people who look for a ‘shortcut formula’ to walking with The Lord. She told me that she learned that there is scripture that is ‘descriptive’ and not ‘prescriptive’ and that touched me. Sometimes we read something that is the perfect key for a particular deliverance and we fall into the trap of thinking that it is ‘THE KEY’ to every similar situation. May we not be hindered in this year to come from seeking His Face in every situation.
For those who are praying into this situation…the Yemenite Houthis have been much more aggressively attacking shipping through the Red Sea over the past 24 hours. China and North Korea are also weighing in. Our Northern border is very active. Thank you for praying for our soldiers.
May we be found in Him, doing His bidding, in His Peace for His glory as we mark the days…
Lovingly, your sister
LINK - BRING THEM HOME CONCERT INTERVIEW WITH RELEASED CAPTIVE MIA SCHEM
A... is a wonderful believer...in our kehila....... She is a registered nurse but has recently felt that The Lord wanted her and a team of designers that she works with to design bedrooms for all of the newly orphaned children. She said that she felt as if it were important to give these children a place that was safe and warm and embracing. I agree. She has put some things up online, including the results of the first bedroom. If you would like to check out or support this special work, please let me know and I will put you in touch with them.
ZION - may we remember His promises
yes...another (short) update - 31.Dec, 23
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” The Revelation 1:1-3
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:18-19
Greetings again so quickly in HIS NAME WHO IS THE ALEF AND THE TAV… WHO WAS, AND WHO IS, AND WHO IS TO COME…AND WHO IS HOLY! He Is The One Who made time and Who marks time…and the days and the seasons are in His Hands. May He be glorified and blessed in few words, enlarged by Him. Please forgive me for writing again so soon…but yesterday there was a ‘mistake’ and a few things omitted, and the events on the ground here are moving SO rapidly that the above scriptures seemed exceedingly appropriate for today. [And OFCOURSE I did NOT use that scripture as applied to anything which I am writing…It IS the revelation of Yeshua given to His servant John.]
First, I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear about my situation. I am home. I have no way to access email from the hospital, so if you receive any email from me, I am not in the hospital. I’m sorry for not being clearer. I was only in the emergency room for that one day and was not hospitalized. I still don’t know what the problem is and my family doctor is following up. Thank you for your concern AND prayers.
I had forgotten to send a couple of things that I wanted to share. I receive and see so many amazing things (and many of you do too) but it is too much…and my belief is that we need to be looking at HIM and to be careful to keep His Face from being fogged by the input of information (Even good and Godly information). Having said that…I KNOW that I am to bear witness to what I see…hear…feel here…and right now it is both agonizing and intense…and I am having difficulty sharing. I am sending you a link to a…hum…all I can call it is a musical prayer/scream ‘blasted’ to GOD by secular and religious musicians who joined together in Caesarea. Please listen…it’s gut wrenching. Speaking of gut-wrenching, I passed a public bench today near a bus stop with the photo of a young man taken captive. The hand written sign reads “23rd birthday of Evyatar – 83 days in captivity.” Finally, there is another gut-wrenching interview with M.., a young woman who was released from captivity. (don’t expect a ‘Godly interview’, it isn’t) Several of those released are speaking out in interviews and it is heartbreaking. She says something that I think everyone needs to hear…about the ‘innocents’ in Gaza.
And I leave you with a gem that a sister gave me as we were discussing scriptures. I think that all of us have known (or even been) people who look for a ‘shortcut formula’ to walking with The Lord. She told me that she learned that there is scripture that is ‘descriptive’ and not ‘prescriptive’ and that touched me. Sometimes we read something that is the perfect key for a particular deliverance and we fall into the trap of thinking that it is ‘THE KEY’ to every similar situation. May we not be hindered in this year to come from seeking His Face in every situation.
For those who are praying into this situation…the Yemenite Houthis have been much more aggressively attacking shipping through the Red Sea over the past 24 hours. China and North Korea are also weighing in. Our Northern border is very active. Thank you for praying for our soldiers.
May we be found in Him, doing His bidding, in His Peace for His glory as we mark the days…
Lovingly, your sister
LINK - BRING THEM HOME CONCERT INTERVIEW WITH RELEASED CAPTIVE MIA SCHEM
December 30, 2023
“Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).”[in Hebrew this would be translated: ‘Yeshua said to her ‘Miriam!’ She turned and said to HIM Rabbi!’] John 20:16
“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” John 20:26
To the glory of HIM Who formed the worlds, set the boundaries of the earth, changes the seasons and yet numbers every hair on our heads as well as our days on this earth, to HIM Who must ALONE receive ALL of the glory, to HIM I write this letter, and to you His other servants…may you be blessed and encouraged.
I reached for one of the blessed grapefruits that I received from Leket Yisrael (the food rescue group that gives harvested fruit and vegetables). Three of them were lovely and smooth, but one of them was ‘ugly’…perhaps it had lain on the ground or pressed against the trunk of the tree, but half of it was harder than the other. It was a particularly sweet grapefruit and it soon had me praising God and remembering. I’m so thankful for His school of creation…the intuitive school that He gave silently and freely. Growing up in the asphalt jungle of NYC, I coveted every square inch of earth. I remember as a small child taking a magnifying glass to see what was growing out of the ½ inch of earth between the squares of sidewalk. I loved animals and nature and was sure that I would grow up to be a veterinarian. I brought home a sick pigeon and to my families’ chagrin, we ended up getting painful shots at the health department because the pigeon had some disease deadly to humans (and pigeons). When I left NYC and lived on an Indian reservation in Washington state, those poor, patient people could not believe my stupidity when it came to knowing how to live. I swallowed my pride and so wanted to learn all that they could teach me. Most importantly, they taught me to BE QUIET and LOOK TO SEE.
Well…I wrote the above paragraph last Thursday night, and I have no idea where I was going with it. I ended up in the emergency room Friday morning. I have battled extremely low blood pressure for quite awhile, but on Friday morning, it soared to dangerous levels. After ruling out heart attack and stroke, I got to lay on a very uncomfortable bed in a hallway in the midst of the chaos of human drama. Soldiers came in off of the battle field; not the traumatic injuries. They go to a special area; but the ones who stumbled and broke their foot or came down with the flu or had appendicitis. There were many old people mixed in with all ages experiencing personal crisis. I was acutely aware of the fact that I was the only one there alone. I knew that there was a big temptation for have a pity party and I was choosing to have none of it…but the battle was waged. It wasn’t my choice, but, just like Israel, suddenly there was a REAL existential battle imposed, and when that happens, one must either fight for their lives or give up and die, because the ‘test’ is over and the ‘reality’ is what we have. It IS that way for Israel right now, and it was the same for me in the emergency room and continues; there is no room any longer for fleshly failures…it is a battle for the soul itself. The test is over and this is the reality and I can not fight the battles before me if I am indulging the temptation to have a pity party. The enemy knows that and makes the temptation attractive [even ‘fair’!] but thankfully I can see how the enemy is using my flesh to render me useless in the bigger battle…so…I have a battle on two fronts. So does Israel now.
Actually, Israel’s battle is on many more fronts than that. We are actively fighting in Gaza in the South, and with Hezbollah on our Northern border, but we have the Houthis (Yemen) attacking in the Red Sea, Iran and Iraq attacking through proxies in Lebanon and Syria, with support of Turkey and Russia behind the scenes…it is existential. On top of that, the political battle, which SHOULD be totally silenced until the end of the war, has glommed on to painfully raw emotion of the families of the captives, creating discord within. Yes…this is a REAL battle for survival and we somehow know that it is HUGE.
And yet in the midst there are signposts and fingerprints…like the star in the east directing the wise men to The Answer.
A very funny thing (perhaps my sense of humor is warped!) happened this Christmas. It has happened many times at Christmas over the years, but THIS YEAR it was particularly extravagant: It is the fight over ‘who does Jesus belong to!?!’. Now, MOST of you understand that Jews generally do not tolerate The Name of Jesus…whether it is the English version of Jesus or the Hebrew of Yeshua, it makes no difference. Grievously, over 2,000 years ago, we rejected HIM as our Messiah, and His Name has been cast out among our people even until now – except to whom He has revealed Himself…to those too few among us. HOWEVER…This year the ‘from the river to the sea’ movement laid claim upon Him, loudly proclaiming: ‘Jesus is Palestinian’ and THAT was just too much for us to bear! Social media became a battle ground over which another war has been raging called: ‘Who is Jesus and to whom does He belong’. Proving that Jesus is ‘OURS’ has required the reading and the presentation of the Gospel…and it is being heard.
God can (and does) use anything.
And He makes Himself seen…and known.
Yet we are in a battle for TRUTH as well as life. I have had some agonizing discussions with dear friends and relatives abroad who are being deeply influenced by what they are seeing and hearing that simply isn’t true and I no longer have the words to explain or battle the lies: and YES…photographs and films can lie as well as words!
I’m hesitant to share these testimonies because, with the use of social media, we see so many things sensationalized and this scares me. When God does something, it is holy. It is ALWAYS holy when He has touched something and the fear of God and the understanding of His holiness guards us to be careful with our lips (or ‘pens’). I have seen stories shared that were meant to give glory to God but instead trivialized and cheapened them because they were inaccurate, or blown out of proportion. Please don’t share these testimonies on social media. They are for the glory of God and to show you, who are praying, that God is indeed doing a work in our midst. I received these testimonies from parents of soldiers and I have not received permission to share them, so I am trusting you with precious gold. My friend told me that her son (a reserve soldier in Gaza, the father of 2) was in a jeep behind the vehicle that the company commander was in. He was the only believer in his unit (I believe) and suddenly a RPG appeared, aimed directly at the commander’s vehicle. As it was about to hit, “as if A Hand reached out and moved it” it made a right turn…veered to the right. (RPG’s do NOT DO THIS! They do not veer off course) ALL OF THE MEN IN THE UNIT SAW THIS AND KNEW THAT THEY HAD SEEN A MIRACLE! The men then came under heavy fire, however none of them were injured. When my friend’s son returned to base and took off his vest, he found that a bullet had gone through his collar and come out the other side a mere hair’s length from piercing his neck. The unit knew beyond a doubt that they had been protected by God’s Hand in this battle. Another mother told me of her backslidden daughter’s boyfriend whom we have been praying for. He is a Golani soldier in very tough battles. He and his unit were suddenly harshly reprimanded by their commander for something that they didn’t understand should have been a problem. They were punished and told that they had to stay behind on the next mission and clean the area. They were furious and expressed it. They are not (yet) believers, but the boyfriend knows that we are praying. As they grumbled, the rest of the unit was hit in battle and the commander killed along with several others. These also, who had been ‘unjustly punished’ and stayed behind, also knew that they had seen The Hand of God. You are praying. God will be glorified…even here. For 2,000 years the doors of our people’s hearts have been locked, but “…Jesus came…the doors being shut…and stook in their midst…” and brought His Peace!
It is VERY late and I must go to bed. I did have more to write but everything in it’s time…and now it is time for sleep.
It is almost the new year on the Western calendar. MAY HE BE REVEALED IN HIS GLORY…may you (we) be kept in His path. I am so thankful for each of you and your prayers. God BLESS you! Lovingly, your sister.
(please forgive poor writing or mistakes…I am not re-reading and correcting)
“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” John 20:26
To the glory of HIM Who formed the worlds, set the boundaries of the earth, changes the seasons and yet numbers every hair on our heads as well as our days on this earth, to HIM Who must ALONE receive ALL of the glory, to HIM I write this letter, and to you His other servants…may you be blessed and encouraged.
I reached for one of the blessed grapefruits that I received from Leket Yisrael (the food rescue group that gives harvested fruit and vegetables). Three of them were lovely and smooth, but one of them was ‘ugly’…perhaps it had lain on the ground or pressed against the trunk of the tree, but half of it was harder than the other. It was a particularly sweet grapefruit and it soon had me praising God and remembering. I’m so thankful for His school of creation…the intuitive school that He gave silently and freely. Growing up in the asphalt jungle of NYC, I coveted every square inch of earth. I remember as a small child taking a magnifying glass to see what was growing out of the ½ inch of earth between the squares of sidewalk. I loved animals and nature and was sure that I would grow up to be a veterinarian. I brought home a sick pigeon and to my families’ chagrin, we ended up getting painful shots at the health department because the pigeon had some disease deadly to humans (and pigeons). When I left NYC and lived on an Indian reservation in Washington state, those poor, patient people could not believe my stupidity when it came to knowing how to live. I swallowed my pride and so wanted to learn all that they could teach me. Most importantly, they taught me to BE QUIET and LOOK TO SEE.
Well…I wrote the above paragraph last Thursday night, and I have no idea where I was going with it. I ended up in the emergency room Friday morning. I have battled extremely low blood pressure for quite awhile, but on Friday morning, it soared to dangerous levels. After ruling out heart attack and stroke, I got to lay on a very uncomfortable bed in a hallway in the midst of the chaos of human drama. Soldiers came in off of the battle field; not the traumatic injuries. They go to a special area; but the ones who stumbled and broke their foot or came down with the flu or had appendicitis. There were many old people mixed in with all ages experiencing personal crisis. I was acutely aware of the fact that I was the only one there alone. I knew that there was a big temptation for have a pity party and I was choosing to have none of it…but the battle was waged. It wasn’t my choice, but, just like Israel, suddenly there was a REAL existential battle imposed, and when that happens, one must either fight for their lives or give up and die, because the ‘test’ is over and the ‘reality’ is what we have. It IS that way for Israel right now, and it was the same for me in the emergency room and continues; there is no room any longer for fleshly failures…it is a battle for the soul itself. The test is over and this is the reality and I can not fight the battles before me if I am indulging the temptation to have a pity party. The enemy knows that and makes the temptation attractive [even ‘fair’!] but thankfully I can see how the enemy is using my flesh to render me useless in the bigger battle…so…I have a battle on two fronts. So does Israel now.
Actually, Israel’s battle is on many more fronts than that. We are actively fighting in Gaza in the South, and with Hezbollah on our Northern border, but we have the Houthis (Yemen) attacking in the Red Sea, Iran and Iraq attacking through proxies in Lebanon and Syria, with support of Turkey and Russia behind the scenes…it is existential. On top of that, the political battle, which SHOULD be totally silenced until the end of the war, has glommed on to painfully raw emotion of the families of the captives, creating discord within. Yes…this is a REAL battle for survival and we somehow know that it is HUGE.
And yet in the midst there are signposts and fingerprints…like the star in the east directing the wise men to The Answer.
A very funny thing (perhaps my sense of humor is warped!) happened this Christmas. It has happened many times at Christmas over the years, but THIS YEAR it was particularly extravagant: It is the fight over ‘who does Jesus belong to!?!’. Now, MOST of you understand that Jews generally do not tolerate The Name of Jesus…whether it is the English version of Jesus or the Hebrew of Yeshua, it makes no difference. Grievously, over 2,000 years ago, we rejected HIM as our Messiah, and His Name has been cast out among our people even until now – except to whom He has revealed Himself…to those too few among us. HOWEVER…This year the ‘from the river to the sea’ movement laid claim upon Him, loudly proclaiming: ‘Jesus is Palestinian’ and THAT was just too much for us to bear! Social media became a battle ground over which another war has been raging called: ‘Who is Jesus and to whom does He belong’. Proving that Jesus is ‘OURS’ has required the reading and the presentation of the Gospel…and it is being heard.
God can (and does) use anything.
And He makes Himself seen…and known.
Yet we are in a battle for TRUTH as well as life. I have had some agonizing discussions with dear friends and relatives abroad who are being deeply influenced by what they are seeing and hearing that simply isn’t true and I no longer have the words to explain or battle the lies: and YES…photographs and films can lie as well as words!
I’m hesitant to share these testimonies because, with the use of social media, we see so many things sensationalized and this scares me. When God does something, it is holy. It is ALWAYS holy when He has touched something and the fear of God and the understanding of His holiness guards us to be careful with our lips (or ‘pens’). I have seen stories shared that were meant to give glory to God but instead trivialized and cheapened them because they were inaccurate, or blown out of proportion. Please don’t share these testimonies on social media. They are for the glory of God and to show you, who are praying, that God is indeed doing a work in our midst. I received these testimonies from parents of soldiers and I have not received permission to share them, so I am trusting you with precious gold. My friend told me that her son (a reserve soldier in Gaza, the father of 2) was in a jeep behind the vehicle that the company commander was in. He was the only believer in his unit (I believe) and suddenly a RPG appeared, aimed directly at the commander’s vehicle. As it was about to hit, “as if A Hand reached out and moved it” it made a right turn…veered to the right. (RPG’s do NOT DO THIS! They do not veer off course) ALL OF THE MEN IN THE UNIT SAW THIS AND KNEW THAT THEY HAD SEEN A MIRACLE! The men then came under heavy fire, however none of them were injured. When my friend’s son returned to base and took off his vest, he found that a bullet had gone through his collar and come out the other side a mere hair’s length from piercing his neck. The unit knew beyond a doubt that they had been protected by God’s Hand in this battle. Another mother told me of her backslidden daughter’s boyfriend whom we have been praying for. He is a Golani soldier in very tough battles. He and his unit were suddenly harshly reprimanded by their commander for something that they didn’t understand should have been a problem. They were punished and told that they had to stay behind on the next mission and clean the area. They were furious and expressed it. They are not (yet) believers, but the boyfriend knows that we are praying. As they grumbled, the rest of the unit was hit in battle and the commander killed along with several others. These also, who had been ‘unjustly punished’ and stayed behind, also knew that they had seen The Hand of God. You are praying. God will be glorified…even here. For 2,000 years the doors of our people’s hearts have been locked, but “…Jesus came…the doors being shut…and stook in their midst…” and brought His Peace!
It is VERY late and I must go to bed. I did have more to write but everything in it’s time…and now it is time for sleep.
It is almost the new year on the Western calendar. MAY HE BE REVEALED IN HIS GLORY…may you (we) be kept in His path. I am so thankful for each of you and your prayers. God BLESS you! Lovingly, your sister.
(please forgive poor writing or mistakes…I am not re-reading and correcting)
December 14, 2023
“As The Lord lives, Who has redeemed my life from every distress…” 1 KINGS 1:29
To The Lord Who LIVES and redeems His own who call upon Him…may this letter point to Him and light His way through, and bring Him Alone glory. Loving blessings to each of you on this last night of Chanukah. May you be edified and drawn into Him.
I have just lit the last candles; day 8 of Chanuka and the 69th day of the war. As I lit the 8th candle, there was a knock on the door. Y.... [my ‘across the street’ neighbor] came in with her usual plates, laden with goodies. There were fried donuts dripping oil and oil laden vegetable latkes…with an egg, salad, beets, rice and more. ‘What’s wrong? You look ‘heavy’?’ I asked her. ‘Ah, my daughter who died was born during Chanuka… at the fifth candle. She was an angel who helped everybody and was recognized by the government for her helping hand.’ Her voice dwindled. M..... died in her early 40s of cancer. She was Y... and I....’s first child…and their favorite. I know that too many of you have walked through such an awful fire as well. I can not imagine a hotter fire...may God strengthen you! Y.... has been an overcomer. She has always told me ‘This is the portion that He has given us, so we will praise Him and keep walking.’ I had not yet seen her this way before; cast down. She went on about the war and the hatred and lies that we hear more and more of, and she was sad and angry. Two days ago, we all watched as a Turkish parliamentarian presented an acrid speech about Israel before his parliament. He ended by calling down a curse upon Israel by Allah. It was shocking to see him turn and fall to the ground with a massive heart attack! I told her that I had just read that he died today and, to my surprise she shouted ‘YOFI! [wonderful] Did you hear what he said?? May He also strike ......... in the same way!’ I said ‘.....! This is not like you. Don’t forget that it is written: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;” [Proverbs 24:17] She would not have this today…she was too angry and grieved. Then we started to speak about having a low (humble) heart before Him in such a time, and she calmed down. We talked a bit more about praising Him in all things and times. She was still with a heavy heart when she left. It helped me to realize how deeply important it is HOW I walk and talk and think during these days. People are hurting so greatly. I remembered again King David in Ziklag after the Amalekites took the wives and children of David and his men captive…how the people wanted to stone him because they were so grieved. Grief has a powerful hand.
I went for a blood test today. I have to go frequently; therefore, I do know all of the lab technicians. The one that I had today is one of my favorites. She is beautiful inside and out. One day, about 15 years ago, I went in and she looked awful. When I asked what was wrong, she told me that her husband had an accident and died. She was in her early 40s with 3 young children. I grabbed her and hugged her and she wept so deeply on my shoulder. We talked at great length and I shared some of my testimony about Yeshua with her and told her that I would pray. We became very close over the years although she is not saved yet. Today I thought about her children. ‘Are any of them in the army?’ I asked. ‘All 3!’ she said, and grabbing a paper she began to write their names. ‘All 3 are in Gaza. And will you pray for my brother’s children as well? (she didn’t need to ask if I would pray…she assumed that I would) He also has 3 in Gaza’. She handed me the paper with their 6 names and I promised to pray and asked The Lord to make me faithful. More and more I meet people with 3, 6, even ten close relatives fighting in Gaza or on the northern border. With the demands of the west (that they would NEVER expect of themselves) our army has become so surgical that our own soldiers are being put into far greater danger and the results are painful. Yesterday we lost 10 Golani soldiers (the sharpest) in an ambush…a booby trap that was set up during the cease fire. As of this moment I know of 116 soldiers killed since the ground offensive began. Today it is reported [with photos] that about 70 Hamas fighters surrendered from a hospital that they were fighting from, coming out with their weapons over their heads. The numbers of those surrendering are encouraging. However today also, Iran published: “The State of Israel's collapse is imminent, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami said in a Thursday evening address. Salami was quoted by Islamic Republic state media as claiming that Zionists "are so weak that they cannot bear the existence of Palestinian women and children," a "clear sign" of the "collapse of the fake Israeli regime," he added. The IRGC chief continued, saying that Israel's war in Gaza had triggered a global aversion to Israel. "The world’s hatred of Zionists is not confined to Muslims anymore," Salami was quoted as saying.” And again I am reminded of the account in Isaiah and Kings of Hezekiah’s instructions when Sennacherib spoke his evil, lying words ‘Who IS YOUR GOD? HE can not keep you from me…’. May we do as Hezekiah instructed and not answer a word: no opinions…no personal preferences…fixed on God. We ARE at His mercy. It is not by not by power nor by might, but by His Spirit. ALONE.
I had an opportunity this week to speak with my sister [thank you for praying!] and a cousin. They both live in large cities on the east coast of America. My cousin said to me; ‘So…your country is so DIVIDED I see…’ I was shocked. ‘No! Not at all. We have not had such unity in years’ I answered. Why do you say that? She went on to tell me that there are many Israelis who have come to America and are saying that everyone in Israel wants a cease fire except for Netanyahu and his supporters and that they are asking America to intervene! I was SHOCKED! Then I understood. The ‘rebellion’ that has been taking place for the past (I forgot how long) over the Judicial reforms has morphed into this. I felt at the time that it was a very dangerous movement (1 Sam. 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” Samuel said to Saul). How our opinions and personal preferences can become idolatry is cause for thought.
As part of my reading, I have just finished 2 Samuel and began 1 Kings this morning and that quote at the top of the letter stopped me. David’s life was HARD! He went through so many floods and fires and yet God remained his God…and at the end of his life he was able to proclaim “As The Lord lives, Who has redeemed my life from every distress…” What a giant of faith David was. Through ALL that is going on in each of our lives, may we press into HIM and allow Him to be seen. We really have such a short time.
Yesterday, for the first time, I went out to our daughter's ..... house. It is the house that her husband ..... has built for them in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion) which is part of Judah that the media calls ‘the settlements’ or ‘the west bank’. The road has been more dangerous than usual of late, but I felt quite safe and I was thrilled to finally get to see where they are living. They live on a very steep mountain and the only way to their home was via steps so steep that my knees could not do the work. Yesterday ....... finished a road that allowed us to drive up to the house (albeit, I didn’t dare look over the cliff, particularly during the hairpin curve). I rejoiced with half of our Grandchildren for the seventh light and it was a great joy. I thank you for those who continue to pray for them…as well as our daughter ...... and family in London. But then again…aren’t we all on the straight and narrow path…in harms way or in God’s way. The days are short…PRAISE GOD that He has given us His Word and His Spirit!
May you be blessed and encouraged as you follow Him…and thank you so much for praying for the salvation of Israel, as well as the situation … for it IS His heart. And thank you for praying for my family and I.
Loving blessings from a sister…me
To The Lord Who LIVES and redeems His own who call upon Him…may this letter point to Him and light His way through, and bring Him Alone glory. Loving blessings to each of you on this last night of Chanukah. May you be edified and drawn into Him.
I have just lit the last candles; day 8 of Chanuka and the 69th day of the war. As I lit the 8th candle, there was a knock on the door. Y.... [my ‘across the street’ neighbor] came in with her usual plates, laden with goodies. There were fried donuts dripping oil and oil laden vegetable latkes…with an egg, salad, beets, rice and more. ‘What’s wrong? You look ‘heavy’?’ I asked her. ‘Ah, my daughter who died was born during Chanuka… at the fifth candle. She was an angel who helped everybody and was recognized by the government for her helping hand.’ Her voice dwindled. M..... died in her early 40s of cancer. She was Y... and I....’s first child…and their favorite. I know that too many of you have walked through such an awful fire as well. I can not imagine a hotter fire...may God strengthen you! Y.... has been an overcomer. She has always told me ‘This is the portion that He has given us, so we will praise Him and keep walking.’ I had not yet seen her this way before; cast down. She went on about the war and the hatred and lies that we hear more and more of, and she was sad and angry. Two days ago, we all watched as a Turkish parliamentarian presented an acrid speech about Israel before his parliament. He ended by calling down a curse upon Israel by Allah. It was shocking to see him turn and fall to the ground with a massive heart attack! I told her that I had just read that he died today and, to my surprise she shouted ‘YOFI! [wonderful] Did you hear what he said?? May He also strike ......... in the same way!’ I said ‘.....! This is not like you. Don’t forget that it is written: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;” [Proverbs 24:17] She would not have this today…she was too angry and grieved. Then we started to speak about having a low (humble) heart before Him in such a time, and she calmed down. We talked a bit more about praising Him in all things and times. She was still with a heavy heart when she left. It helped me to realize how deeply important it is HOW I walk and talk and think during these days. People are hurting so greatly. I remembered again King David in Ziklag after the Amalekites took the wives and children of David and his men captive…how the people wanted to stone him because they were so grieved. Grief has a powerful hand.
I went for a blood test today. I have to go frequently; therefore, I do know all of the lab technicians. The one that I had today is one of my favorites. She is beautiful inside and out. One day, about 15 years ago, I went in and she looked awful. When I asked what was wrong, she told me that her husband had an accident and died. She was in her early 40s with 3 young children. I grabbed her and hugged her and she wept so deeply on my shoulder. We talked at great length and I shared some of my testimony about Yeshua with her and told her that I would pray. We became very close over the years although she is not saved yet. Today I thought about her children. ‘Are any of them in the army?’ I asked. ‘All 3!’ she said, and grabbing a paper she began to write their names. ‘All 3 are in Gaza. And will you pray for my brother’s children as well? (she didn’t need to ask if I would pray…she assumed that I would) He also has 3 in Gaza’. She handed me the paper with their 6 names and I promised to pray and asked The Lord to make me faithful. More and more I meet people with 3, 6, even ten close relatives fighting in Gaza or on the northern border. With the demands of the west (that they would NEVER expect of themselves) our army has become so surgical that our own soldiers are being put into far greater danger and the results are painful. Yesterday we lost 10 Golani soldiers (the sharpest) in an ambush…a booby trap that was set up during the cease fire. As of this moment I know of 116 soldiers killed since the ground offensive began. Today it is reported [with photos] that about 70 Hamas fighters surrendered from a hospital that they were fighting from, coming out with their weapons over their heads. The numbers of those surrendering are encouraging. However today also, Iran published: “The State of Israel's collapse is imminent, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami said in a Thursday evening address. Salami was quoted by Islamic Republic state media as claiming that Zionists "are so weak that they cannot bear the existence of Palestinian women and children," a "clear sign" of the "collapse of the fake Israeli regime," he added. The IRGC chief continued, saying that Israel's war in Gaza had triggered a global aversion to Israel. "The world’s hatred of Zionists is not confined to Muslims anymore," Salami was quoted as saying.” And again I am reminded of the account in Isaiah and Kings of Hezekiah’s instructions when Sennacherib spoke his evil, lying words ‘Who IS YOUR GOD? HE can not keep you from me…’. May we do as Hezekiah instructed and not answer a word: no opinions…no personal preferences…fixed on God. We ARE at His mercy. It is not by not by power nor by might, but by His Spirit. ALONE.
I had an opportunity this week to speak with my sister [thank you for praying!] and a cousin. They both live in large cities on the east coast of America. My cousin said to me; ‘So…your country is so DIVIDED I see…’ I was shocked. ‘No! Not at all. We have not had such unity in years’ I answered. Why do you say that? She went on to tell me that there are many Israelis who have come to America and are saying that everyone in Israel wants a cease fire except for Netanyahu and his supporters and that they are asking America to intervene! I was SHOCKED! Then I understood. The ‘rebellion’ that has been taking place for the past (I forgot how long) over the Judicial reforms has morphed into this. I felt at the time that it was a very dangerous movement (1 Sam. 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” Samuel said to Saul). How our opinions and personal preferences can become idolatry is cause for thought.
As part of my reading, I have just finished 2 Samuel and began 1 Kings this morning and that quote at the top of the letter stopped me. David’s life was HARD! He went through so many floods and fires and yet God remained his God…and at the end of his life he was able to proclaim “As The Lord lives, Who has redeemed my life from every distress…” What a giant of faith David was. Through ALL that is going on in each of our lives, may we press into HIM and allow Him to be seen. We really have such a short time.
Yesterday, for the first time, I went out to our daughter's ..... house. It is the house that her husband ..... has built for them in Bat Ayin (Gush Etzion) which is part of Judah that the media calls ‘the settlements’ or ‘the west bank’. The road has been more dangerous than usual of late, but I felt quite safe and I was thrilled to finally get to see where they are living. They live on a very steep mountain and the only way to their home was via steps so steep that my knees could not do the work. Yesterday ....... finished a road that allowed us to drive up to the house (albeit, I didn’t dare look over the cliff, particularly during the hairpin curve). I rejoiced with half of our Grandchildren for the seventh light and it was a great joy. I thank you for those who continue to pray for them…as well as our daughter ...... and family in London. But then again…aren’t we all on the straight and narrow path…in harms way or in God’s way. The days are short…PRAISE GOD that He has given us His Word and His Spirit!
May you be blessed and encouraged as you follow Him…and thank you so much for praying for the salvation of Israel, as well as the situation … for it IS His heart. And thank you for praying for my family and I.
Loving blessings from a sister…me
December 8, 2023
“Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” I Corin. 8:1-3
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;…” John 6:44
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem [Chanukah], and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:22-24
To HIM Who IS Light, and in Whom there is no shadow of turning…and in Who’s Light, we see Light…I offer this letter. May He be glorified. And may we all walk in The Light as He is in the Light, and have fellowship one with another, to the end that we might be conformed to His Image. May you be blessed and encouraged. I write this letter with love in my heart for you and thankfulness for your prayers.
I have just lit the second candle on my chanukiah and it is also Shabbat. It is day 63 of the war. My neighbor brought fresh fried donuts to my door at 8am this morning [which I promptly passed along to my Estonian neighbors who have children]. Eating foods drenched in oil is the tradition at Chanukah; symbolizing the fact that this is the celebration of the multiplication of the oil…thus, the light. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for oil is also the root for the word ‘anointing’.
I am tempted to pass along a lot of information about what is happening here…but this isn’t my job. I see the gap widening, inaccuracies and lies, being fed to so many, but I have given you the links to the news outlets that, when taken together, are believably accurate. I had a very difficult experience this week. My only sister (there are just 2 of us) and I are very different and have purposed to love one another deeply, although we disagree on almost everything. Since our Mom died many years ago, we have kept up talking to each other every Sunday, knowing that there is little that we can discuss; the weather is a big one, and our children. With the war and the rise in antisemitism (she lives in the USA), we have been ‘sort of’ talking and somehow, I thought that she understood. Last Sunday, when she asked me how I was, I told her honestly ‘better than last week, which was emotionally awful!’ She immediately wanted to know ‘why’ and I told her that the cease fire week was excruciating because of the agony of each day’s lists of captives to be released (who was on the list and who wasn’t) and also the awful knowledge that we were releasing terrorists back into the hands of Hamas (Sinwar…the head of Hamas, was one of those released in the Shalit deal) and we knew that they were increasing weapons supplies. She retorted: ‘So it is better to be killing innocent children in Gaza than to have a cease fire?!?’
I lost it. I wasn’t prepared. We hung up ‘agreeing to disagree’, but it rattled me. I have not had an argument with my sister…we have guarded our relationship. The enemy caught a blind spot and I lost my temper and it hurt my witness before her for whom I am praying. Thank you for praying for her. (and me)
Our army, which has lost 93 soldiers since the beginning of the ground operations, has made amazing progress. There are atleast 500 km. of sophisticated tunnels under Gaza (more than 300 miles) that are FULL of explosives! As the IDF has gone painstakingly house to house, they announced today that EVERY house (residential) in Jabalia has weapons stashes (missiles and rockets). Surely they have seemed to have an endless supply as they continue to fire them into Israel. TODAY we have had a decrease in the number of attacks from Gaza, but a very significant increase from Hizbollah on our northern border. One Israeli citizen was killed from an attack on the north today. One of the soldiers who fell in battle and buried today was the son of Gadi Eisenkot, who, until recently, served as IDF Chief of Staff. No one is immune; everyone who is able, must fight.
We (as a nation) are tired…weary…but NOT losing hope. I heard an amazing thing on the news last week. One of the highlighted captives was an 8 year old girl named Emily. She and her father are dual citizens with Ireland and they grabbed many hearts. When Emily was released (‘ransomed’) the Irish representative announced that she was ‘lost but now she was found’. Israel was horrified! She hadn’t been ‘lost’, nor had she been ‘found’. She had been brutally abducted, and she was redeemed for the terrible price of 3 terrorists. The rhetoric between the countries was heated for a few days until the Irish representative quoted Amazing Grace and said (rather weakly – didn’t ring true) that because of the hymn he chose those words. As our news media sought to explain, they suddenly said ‘So here is the song that he was CLAIMING has the meaning’: AND… our news proceeded to play the FULL (ALL VERSES!) high church – very anointed hymn Amazing Grace…including the verse ‘When we’ve been there 10,000 years’!). I must admit that I was shouting Halleluyah! It was…dare I say…surreal, but I think that the word ‘miraculous’ is better! I DO see The Lord working in the midst of all of this pain. I see people speaking about The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob openly and with a seriousness and belief that I have not seen before. I see people calling on Him for help and proclaiming that there would be no help but for Him. Although we are (perhaps too) proud of our army, even our army is now calling upon Him, Praise God! He who seeks, WILL FIND! Abba, draw them to Yeshua! Give the believing soldiers opportunities to speak with anointed lips and those with prepared hearts to hear.
I continue to be touched by the fact that the general population is poured out for the needs that glaringly stand all around us, with (almost) one voice. Is there a need? Ten people will rush to fill it. The cooking pots continue to boil. My neighbor Y.... came to my door with a bowl of kibbe soup for me. She makes the BEST kibbe in the world, I’m sure! She told me that she is working now making kibble for the soldiers…10,000 and counting. I went with a friend to buy some things to put in the Chanukah boxes for our soldiers in our Kehila and she had to wait while the person in front of her was ringing up thousands of shekels of purchases to donate to the army; it was touching. Boxes stand at the supermarkets for people to donate food either for the soldiers or for the population displaced from the north or the south…or just those in need. People continue to volunteer in the fields picking produce and Leket Israel continues to pick fields, pay the farmers and then come to neighborhoods (mine included) to give out the fruit and vegetables to anyone who needs. Yes…it IS inspiring.
I’ve explained many times before how in Judaism, there is a prescribed way to read through the Torah (some include the prophets and history, or the Tenach). It is called the ‘Parashat h’shavouah’ or, in English, ‘the weekly portion’ (I know that many of you know this). Everybody is ‘on the same page’ so to speak, and there are ‘sermons’ about the current portion everywhere that you look (newspapers, radio as well as in the synagogues). This week’s reading is Genesis 37:1-Genesis 40:23…we are reading about Joseph. It should only be a week, maybe 2, before we are all reading about how Joseph is revealed to his brothers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Messiah is now revealed to His brothers? Perhaps we can pray that our believing brothers and sisters in the army will be given an opportunity (and anointing) to share? AND EVEN THAT THE WHOLE NATION’S EYES WILL BE OPENED?
Again, I beseech HIM ‘What is MY role in all of this? What am I supposed to be doing NOW?” This is (to my way of understanding) the singularly most important question that I could ask. If indeed The Lord is MY LORD (and oh I pray that He is!) and I am HIS servant…His bond servant; then I MUST know how He wants me to walk in THIS time…THIS moment…through THIS fire and flood and broken, narrow path…HE HAS the way for me to walk. There are so many temptations to ‘do my own thing’…so many ‘good causes’ and so many voices asking me why I don’t do this and that. I MUST daily, morning by morning be sure that it is His direction that I choose, period. Thankfully, His Word is clear and His Spirit still teaches. I continue to believe that we (the whole world) are in the midst of His judgment, and that does NOT make His promises void…because judgment IS His promise IF we walk in our own self will, pride and after the flesh (yes, even believers! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Mat. 7:21-23- “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Gal 6:7, 8 and ALL of the book of Romans for that matter. We live in serious times…we live in narrow times…and this is no longer ‘school’…this is real. I encourage you to revive your private closet prayer time if it has become anemic, as I encourage myself: to revive your early morning seeking Him in His Word with The Holy Spirit as your teacher rather than youtube. I am so thankful for the hope that we have, and I pray with Habakkuk “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2
This may not seem like a ‘Happy Chanukah’ message, but HIS Light always purges and results in His joy. May you be fully pressed into Him Who is The Light of the world…and may our pressing in make a difference.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;…” John 6:44
“Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem [Chanukah], and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” John 10:22-24
To HIM Who IS Light, and in Whom there is no shadow of turning…and in Who’s Light, we see Light…I offer this letter. May He be glorified. And may we all walk in The Light as He is in the Light, and have fellowship one with another, to the end that we might be conformed to His Image. May you be blessed and encouraged. I write this letter with love in my heart for you and thankfulness for your prayers.
I have just lit the second candle on my chanukiah and it is also Shabbat. It is day 63 of the war. My neighbor brought fresh fried donuts to my door at 8am this morning [which I promptly passed along to my Estonian neighbors who have children]. Eating foods drenched in oil is the tradition at Chanukah; symbolizing the fact that this is the celebration of the multiplication of the oil…thus, the light. It is interesting that the Hebrew word for oil is also the root for the word ‘anointing’.
I am tempted to pass along a lot of information about what is happening here…but this isn’t my job. I see the gap widening, inaccuracies and lies, being fed to so many, but I have given you the links to the news outlets that, when taken together, are believably accurate. I had a very difficult experience this week. My only sister (there are just 2 of us) and I are very different and have purposed to love one another deeply, although we disagree on almost everything. Since our Mom died many years ago, we have kept up talking to each other every Sunday, knowing that there is little that we can discuss; the weather is a big one, and our children. With the war and the rise in antisemitism (she lives in the USA), we have been ‘sort of’ talking and somehow, I thought that she understood. Last Sunday, when she asked me how I was, I told her honestly ‘better than last week, which was emotionally awful!’ She immediately wanted to know ‘why’ and I told her that the cease fire week was excruciating because of the agony of each day’s lists of captives to be released (who was on the list and who wasn’t) and also the awful knowledge that we were releasing terrorists back into the hands of Hamas (Sinwar…the head of Hamas, was one of those released in the Shalit deal) and we knew that they were increasing weapons supplies. She retorted: ‘So it is better to be killing innocent children in Gaza than to have a cease fire?!?’
I lost it. I wasn’t prepared. We hung up ‘agreeing to disagree’, but it rattled me. I have not had an argument with my sister…we have guarded our relationship. The enemy caught a blind spot and I lost my temper and it hurt my witness before her for whom I am praying. Thank you for praying for her. (and me)
Our army, which has lost 93 soldiers since the beginning of the ground operations, has made amazing progress. There are atleast 500 km. of sophisticated tunnels under Gaza (more than 300 miles) that are FULL of explosives! As the IDF has gone painstakingly house to house, they announced today that EVERY house (residential) in Jabalia has weapons stashes (missiles and rockets). Surely they have seemed to have an endless supply as they continue to fire them into Israel. TODAY we have had a decrease in the number of attacks from Gaza, but a very significant increase from Hizbollah on our northern border. One Israeli citizen was killed from an attack on the north today. One of the soldiers who fell in battle and buried today was the son of Gadi Eisenkot, who, until recently, served as IDF Chief of Staff. No one is immune; everyone who is able, must fight.
We (as a nation) are tired…weary…but NOT losing hope. I heard an amazing thing on the news last week. One of the highlighted captives was an 8 year old girl named Emily. She and her father are dual citizens with Ireland and they grabbed many hearts. When Emily was released (‘ransomed’) the Irish representative announced that she was ‘lost but now she was found’. Israel was horrified! She hadn’t been ‘lost’, nor had she been ‘found’. She had been brutally abducted, and she was redeemed for the terrible price of 3 terrorists. The rhetoric between the countries was heated for a few days until the Irish representative quoted Amazing Grace and said (rather weakly – didn’t ring true) that because of the hymn he chose those words. As our news media sought to explain, they suddenly said ‘So here is the song that he was CLAIMING has the meaning’: AND… our news proceeded to play the FULL (ALL VERSES!) high church – very anointed hymn Amazing Grace…including the verse ‘When we’ve been there 10,000 years’!). I must admit that I was shouting Halleluyah! It was…dare I say…surreal, but I think that the word ‘miraculous’ is better! I DO see The Lord working in the midst of all of this pain. I see people speaking about The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob openly and with a seriousness and belief that I have not seen before. I see people calling on Him for help and proclaiming that there would be no help but for Him. Although we are (perhaps too) proud of our army, even our army is now calling upon Him, Praise God! He who seeks, WILL FIND! Abba, draw them to Yeshua! Give the believing soldiers opportunities to speak with anointed lips and those with prepared hearts to hear.
I continue to be touched by the fact that the general population is poured out for the needs that glaringly stand all around us, with (almost) one voice. Is there a need? Ten people will rush to fill it. The cooking pots continue to boil. My neighbor Y.... came to my door with a bowl of kibbe soup for me. She makes the BEST kibbe in the world, I’m sure! She told me that she is working now making kibble for the soldiers…10,000 and counting. I went with a friend to buy some things to put in the Chanukah boxes for our soldiers in our Kehila and she had to wait while the person in front of her was ringing up thousands of shekels of purchases to donate to the army; it was touching. Boxes stand at the supermarkets for people to donate food either for the soldiers or for the population displaced from the north or the south…or just those in need. People continue to volunteer in the fields picking produce and Leket Israel continues to pick fields, pay the farmers and then come to neighborhoods (mine included) to give out the fruit and vegetables to anyone who needs. Yes…it IS inspiring.
I’ve explained many times before how in Judaism, there is a prescribed way to read through the Torah (some include the prophets and history, or the Tenach). It is called the ‘Parashat h’shavouah’ or, in English, ‘the weekly portion’ (I know that many of you know this). Everybody is ‘on the same page’ so to speak, and there are ‘sermons’ about the current portion everywhere that you look (newspapers, radio as well as in the synagogues). This week’s reading is Genesis 37:1-Genesis 40:23…we are reading about Joseph. It should only be a week, maybe 2, before we are all reading about how Joseph is revealed to his brothers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Messiah is now revealed to His brothers? Perhaps we can pray that our believing brothers and sisters in the army will be given an opportunity (and anointing) to share? AND EVEN THAT THE WHOLE NATION’S EYES WILL BE OPENED?
Again, I beseech HIM ‘What is MY role in all of this? What am I supposed to be doing NOW?” This is (to my way of understanding) the singularly most important question that I could ask. If indeed The Lord is MY LORD (and oh I pray that He is!) and I am HIS servant…His bond servant; then I MUST know how He wants me to walk in THIS time…THIS moment…through THIS fire and flood and broken, narrow path…HE HAS the way for me to walk. There are so many temptations to ‘do my own thing’…so many ‘good causes’ and so many voices asking me why I don’t do this and that. I MUST daily, morning by morning be sure that it is His direction that I choose, period. Thankfully, His Word is clear and His Spirit still teaches. I continue to believe that we (the whole world) are in the midst of His judgment, and that does NOT make His promises void…because judgment IS His promise IF we walk in our own self will, pride and after the flesh (yes, even believers! “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Mat. 7:21-23- “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Gal 6:7, 8 and ALL of the book of Romans for that matter. We live in serious times…we live in narrow times…and this is no longer ‘school’…this is real. I encourage you to revive your private closet prayer time if it has become anemic, as I encourage myself: to revive your early morning seeking Him in His Word with The Holy Spirit as your teacher rather than youtube. I am so thankful for the hope that we have, and I pray with Habakkuk “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2
This may not seem like a ‘Happy Chanukah’ message, but HIS Light always purges and results in His joy. May you be fully pressed into Him Who is The Light of the world…and may our pressing in make a difference.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
November 30, 2023
“To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!”
what a wonderful PSALM 25 is!
To The LORD Who Alone is God, I offer this note, a witness from my eyes, ears and heart…may I be found faithful but for His glory alone. May you be blessed and edified.
I think that today is day 55 of the war called Sword of Iron, but I’m not positive. I read about the sword of The Lord, the sword of The Word, the sword of The Spirit, the flaming sword and many others. Mary (Miriam) was told at the time of Yeshua’s birth, that a sword would also pierce her heart. It is certainly the time of the sword here (may we prevail) …and perhaps all over the world.
I was surprised by a ‘wave’ rippling over my whole being this morning at 6: am. I said, ‘Yes, Lord?’ and picked up my phone to check the news. It said that Israel had been given a list of the captives to be released today that was contrary to ‘the agreement’ which would gain them another day of ‘pause’, and that the fighting would resume at 7am if a new, acceptable list was not submitted. It said that 3 on the list were dead bodies. Again, a wave of quickening moved over me and I turned to The Lord, but not with peace in my heart. Soon I also heard planes overhead that had been quiet for the past week. At 10 minutes after 7 a notice appeared that a different list of 10 captives and 3 bodies to be freed was accepted and that the pause would continue for today. At about 7:45 an attack took place at the bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem…terrorists opened fire. Three were killed and (approximately) 6 others wounded. In another report, two soldiers were also hurt in a car ramming.
By the time that I turned back to The Lord, my heart was not still. Strong in me was Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed upon Thee, fore he trusts in Thee.” All of His Words began to grab me back: “Be anxious for NOTHING…”, “Wait on The Lord, be of good courage and HE will strengthen your heart…”, “Peace I give you, MY PEACE I leave unto you…” on and on I struggled to enter in to those Words, Words that I know and that I eat and live, usually, but I, like those around me, are a bit emotionally frayed, and so in His gentleness He grabs, pulls, reminds, exhorts. MY JOB IS TO KEEP MYSELF IN HIM, FACING HIM, PRESSING INTO HIM AND TO BE KEPT IN HIS PERFECT PEACE. I continued with my reading. What a gift to me that at this time in my life I do not have any time restraints, and if it takes me hours to be settled IN His Word, then hours it will take. It has taken hours today.
Why is that?
Well…this week of hostage releases has been emotionally exhausting for the entire country. As I attempted to explain in my last letter, we had no choice. We are not blind. We are NOT ignorant of the tactics of the enemy nor are we new to the mechanism…the WAY that ‘terrorism’ works in a heart, in a people. I am brought back to the stratagem of Sennacherib in Isaiah 36 (and in Chron. and Kings) and his words and threats of terror. “But they held their peace and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was ‘Do not answer him.’” Isa. 36:21 The voice of the enemy is loud and frightening, threatening…but The King’s COMMAND is PEACE! NOT the peace that the world is trying to shove on us, but HIS PEACE.
I wept through Psalm 25 this morning, remembering something that The Lord whispered to me last week when I noted before Him that ALL of the Psalms are appropriate for now…not just the ‘war Psalms’: He said ‘Don’t forget that David’s LIFE was full of war and opposition and hidden enemies, so, yes…they are ALL applicable.’
Our media has been non stop filled with the stories finally being told; very personal stories. Heartbreaking stories. With the children returning from captivity, THEIR stories also have been coming out, told by their own lips, seen in their faces, and letting us know that our worst fears were not just nightmares. It is a dilemma…for we are WITNESSES…PARTICULARLY in the light of the world’s denial. Dare I say, it is like the Holocaust…as we listen to story after story in an attempt to be faithful witnesses of what has taken place; to record that ‘This has happened’. WHY is it important to be a ‘faithful witness? As I asked myself that question I thought of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Luke 1:2-4 sees Luke explaining the importance of eyewitness accounts: … “just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
It is terror to go through what these people have been going through, or perhaps worse to have a loved one go through them…but it is also emotionally exhausting to be a witness. We must learn God’s ways and provision and most importantly, HIS FACE in this new walk. It is hard to hear lies and accusations being hurled at us from around the entire world…but Yeshua DID! HE heard those lies…and He even kept silent in the face of them. It is my job to keep my heart in His SILENT Peace.
It will soon be Chanukah (yes, it is early this year). Next Thursday night, the 8th of December will be the first light. You know ofcourse, how Chanukah represents the miracle of the multiplication of the Light…of the resurrection of the Lamp in the Temple after the seeming defeat of the enemy and destruction of the Temple. All of our holidays are about Light overcoming darkness and the miraculous deliverance and defeat of those who would destroy us.
I can not write anymore today. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork’ says Psalm 19:1. More and more I see people turning to God…looking for Him…honoring Him…and I pray that my life can declare HIS glory and reflect His Peace which is so desperately needed!
............
Lovingly, your sister here.
............
He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!”
what a wonderful PSALM 25 is!
To The LORD Who Alone is God, I offer this note, a witness from my eyes, ears and heart…may I be found faithful but for His glory alone. May you be blessed and edified.
I think that today is day 55 of the war called Sword of Iron, but I’m not positive. I read about the sword of The Lord, the sword of The Word, the sword of The Spirit, the flaming sword and many others. Mary (Miriam) was told at the time of Yeshua’s birth, that a sword would also pierce her heart. It is certainly the time of the sword here (may we prevail) …and perhaps all over the world.
I was surprised by a ‘wave’ rippling over my whole being this morning at 6: am. I said, ‘Yes, Lord?’ and picked up my phone to check the news. It said that Israel had been given a list of the captives to be released today that was contrary to ‘the agreement’ which would gain them another day of ‘pause’, and that the fighting would resume at 7am if a new, acceptable list was not submitted. It said that 3 on the list were dead bodies. Again, a wave of quickening moved over me and I turned to The Lord, but not with peace in my heart. Soon I also heard planes overhead that had been quiet for the past week. At 10 minutes after 7 a notice appeared that a different list of 10 captives and 3 bodies to be freed was accepted and that the pause would continue for today. At about 7:45 an attack took place at the bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem…terrorists opened fire. Three were killed and (approximately) 6 others wounded. In another report, two soldiers were also hurt in a car ramming.
By the time that I turned back to The Lord, my heart was not still. Strong in me was Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed upon Thee, fore he trusts in Thee.” All of His Words began to grab me back: “Be anxious for NOTHING…”, “Wait on The Lord, be of good courage and HE will strengthen your heart…”, “Peace I give you, MY PEACE I leave unto you…” on and on I struggled to enter in to those Words, Words that I know and that I eat and live, usually, but I, like those around me, are a bit emotionally frayed, and so in His gentleness He grabs, pulls, reminds, exhorts. MY JOB IS TO KEEP MYSELF IN HIM, FACING HIM, PRESSING INTO HIM AND TO BE KEPT IN HIS PERFECT PEACE. I continued with my reading. What a gift to me that at this time in my life I do not have any time restraints, and if it takes me hours to be settled IN His Word, then hours it will take. It has taken hours today.
Why is that?
Well…this week of hostage releases has been emotionally exhausting for the entire country. As I attempted to explain in my last letter, we had no choice. We are not blind. We are NOT ignorant of the tactics of the enemy nor are we new to the mechanism…the WAY that ‘terrorism’ works in a heart, in a people. I am brought back to the stratagem of Sennacherib in Isaiah 36 (and in Chron. and Kings) and his words and threats of terror. “But they held their peace and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was ‘Do not answer him.’” Isa. 36:21 The voice of the enemy is loud and frightening, threatening…but The King’s COMMAND is PEACE! NOT the peace that the world is trying to shove on us, but HIS PEACE.
I wept through Psalm 25 this morning, remembering something that The Lord whispered to me last week when I noted before Him that ALL of the Psalms are appropriate for now…not just the ‘war Psalms’: He said ‘Don’t forget that David’s LIFE was full of war and opposition and hidden enemies, so, yes…they are ALL applicable.’
Our media has been non stop filled with the stories finally being told; very personal stories. Heartbreaking stories. With the children returning from captivity, THEIR stories also have been coming out, told by their own lips, seen in their faces, and letting us know that our worst fears were not just nightmares. It is a dilemma…for we are WITNESSES…PARTICULARLY in the light of the world’s denial. Dare I say, it is like the Holocaust…as we listen to story after story in an attempt to be faithful witnesses of what has taken place; to record that ‘This has happened’. WHY is it important to be a ‘faithful witness? As I asked myself that question I thought of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Luke 1:2-4 sees Luke explaining the importance of eyewitness accounts: … “just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
It is terror to go through what these people have been going through, or perhaps worse to have a loved one go through them…but it is also emotionally exhausting to be a witness. We must learn God’s ways and provision and most importantly, HIS FACE in this new walk. It is hard to hear lies and accusations being hurled at us from around the entire world…but Yeshua DID! HE heard those lies…and He even kept silent in the face of them. It is my job to keep my heart in His SILENT Peace.
It will soon be Chanukah (yes, it is early this year). Next Thursday night, the 8th of December will be the first light. You know ofcourse, how Chanukah represents the miracle of the multiplication of the Light…of the resurrection of the Lamp in the Temple after the seeming defeat of the enemy and destruction of the Temple. All of our holidays are about Light overcoming darkness and the miraculous deliverance and defeat of those who would destroy us.
I can not write anymore today. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork’ says Psalm 19:1. More and more I see people turning to God…looking for Him…honoring Him…and I pray that my life can declare HIS glory and reflect His Peace which is so desperately needed!
............
Lovingly, your sister here.
............
November 24, 2023
“Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” 1 Samuel 30 1:6
It is day 49 and I am listening to the ‘live coverage’ of the release of the of the first 13 children, mothers and elderly from Hamas. Lord…You have called me to ‘what I see…what I hear…that write.’ I can’t. It is the first time…but there is a great divide, and Lord I cannot…I need You to translate in the breach. Help Lord.
May The Lord be glorified and may The Holy Spirit give understanding and be The Translator.
Brothers and sisters, it is Shabbat. The Shabbat prayer played over the loudspeakers in my village at exactly 4pm my time…the time that was given for the release of the first of the 13 captives, among the 50 infants, children, mothers and elderly that are to be released over the next 4 days…by God’s grace…in His mercy. That will STILL leave approximately 185 more still in captivity.
The question caught me…[and it came from many, so if you asked me, please don’t feel badly]…some whom I knew and just some other voices: ‘NO! How can Israel stop NOW? Don’t they know that Hamas will take advantage; that the world will press in and cause you guys to stop fighting before the war is won? Aren’t you tough? Keep going! Don’t stop! This is crazy! It’s a trap! How can you be so foolish!
And this is where my mouth falls open and nothing comes out and I can’t explain, because there IS a big gulf. You see…the ENTIRE country is mourning and grieving its children…Rachel crying and not being comforted AGAIN!
“Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18) And it is REAL…it’s not sentimental emotion…it IS what we are made of …it is our children, and our sisters and brothers weeping and lamenting. To the Jews, L-I-F-E is of utmost importance. That is why our (yes) socialistic medical system here ‘WORKS’. It is mixed with a deep compassion and belief that each life is holy. Yes, OFCOURSE it isn’t 100%! Yes, I KNOW that we have abortion. I know that we also have people who don’t care about life; but in general, a driving concern for ‘LIFE’ is what binds this people together. LIFE…points to GOD…in Him is Life and that Life echoes HIM.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4
Yesterday a friend told me a story that she heard first hand at ‘Efrat’, an organization that reaches out to people who are planning to have an abortion. [this is NOT the one that believers have called Ba’ad Hayim but Efrat is run by religious Jews] The father of a soldier went there a day or two ago and asked them for a coat for their son and for all of the 20 soldiers in his unit. They said that they couldn’t provide that many because they only had 30 coats and they could not give most of them away right at the start of the winter; they could give one or maybe two. The father looked at them and said; ‘But you must, because this son of mine who is defending you, is only here because you convinced us to have him and not kill him…and he is asking for them!’ They gave him the 20 coats.
Now how do I put THAT particular quality of the heart into words? I can’t. All I can say is that it is REAL. The entire country has been grieving and suffering with the families (can you imagine?) who have loved ones somewhere underground in Gaza as the war rages…Everyone here KNOWS that it is ALL ‘for them’…for the 9 month old baby or the 3 year old girl whose parents were killed before her eyes just before she was grabbed, or the holocaust survivor who lived life to say ‘NEVER AGAIN’…or simply each child, sibling, spouse, parent, grandparent.
Yesterday I read the account of David in Ziklag that I wrote at the top of this letter and I wept. It says that the men were so grieved for their captive wives and children that they were about to stone David. Grief does that… it rips people to pieces…and we ARE experiencing a collective grief. We have been praying that our soldiers would discover the captives and set them free (as David and his men did), but only one captive was set free thus far in this manner and we have been told that it was an extremely dangerous operation. Quoting an analysis by David Horovitz in Times of Israel:
“Obviously, Israel would have wanted an agreement to secure the return of all hostages. Ministers were told that there was no such deal to be made. Obviously, too, Israel would have wanted the IDF to have itself located and rescued all, or at least more of the hostages — without necessitating any deal with the terrorists, any release of Palestinian security prisoners, any halt to the war. But that option, ministers were told, was not available either. Only one hostage has been extricated from Gaza to date — Orit Megidish, three weeks ago, in an extremely high-risk operation — even as the IDF has taken greater control of many of Hamas’s strongholds in the north of the strip. (The case of Nachshon Wachsman. a soldier abducted and held hostage by Hamas in 1994, underscores the difficulty of such rescues. In Wachsman’s case, Israel knew precisely where he was being held, in the West Bank just outside Jerusalem, but a rescue attempt proved disastrous, with Wachsman killed by his captors as IDF commandos attempted to break in, and the lead officer in the rescue attempt killed as well.)”
I remember well the sad death of Nachshon Wachsman. We had just made Aliyah and this life was so new to me. Many thousands gathered at the western wall of the temple, praying, beseeching God to spare him…it was so vivid to me…and so new.
A sister wrote to me that she had been thinking about how many times Moses went to Pharaoh to beseech him: “Let My people go!”. And this war is not over yet. Although we are aware that Hamas has laid a trap in this 4 day ‘pause’, we pray with David “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.” In Psalm 141:9 and Psalm 124:7 “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.” We are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices.
The hour is late and we now see the faces of those who were released today. No one dares to say ‘So many little old ladies!’…because each life is considered holy and precious…but oh how we had hoped to see more than 4 children today. Actually, until they all come home it will not be enough. BUT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THESE AND WE LOOK TO GOD FOR THE FUTURE.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America and although the article that I printed below is…just an article…it touched me and perhaps it will give you more of a ‘flavor’ of Israel today than I am able to do. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR STAYING FAITHFUL TO HIM. MAY WE KNOW HIM MORE DEEPLY DAY BY DAY AND…BE FOUND FAITHFUL.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
AN ARTICLE FROM Times of Israel
Thanksgiving: This year in Jerusalem
Anxiety about Israel at war, the hostages, antisemitism (the list goes on) makes it hard to give thanks, but it's exactly the right thing to do
NOV 22, 2023
Tomorrow, Thursday, if I were in America, I would set the table early, organize a lavish mid-afternoon meal, and put the menu on the refrigerator. I would have scoured recipes in newspaper food sections intended for anxious would-be cooks and put the ingredients together on the counter. The day would be blessedly slow and calm. I’d have time to pause and consider the matanot ketanot, the small gifts of the day.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. The streets are quiet. The stores are closed (most of them), and family and friends gather together to celebrate. Everyone can drive over, and the food doesn’t dry out because you serve it right after you make it. Old and new immigrants usually love Thanksgiving, as my grandparents did. They loved America and were grateful for their new lives and new freedoms. It’s a festive time to recount blessings. In his book, Celebrating Life, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes, “A blessing is an expression of the miracle of simple things.”
But I am in Israel this year. It’s going to be different.
Together Watching
It was different even before I got on the plane. When the El Al security representative asked us if we packed our bags ourselves, he also asked why we were coming.
“For a visit.”
“A visit during a war?”
“A visit because of the war.”
He looked up from our passports with grateful eyes and thanked us. The pilot also thanked us for coming and reminded us that El Al, the only airline flying to Israel right now, continues to serve Israel in peace and in crisis. The airport was empty of the usual noises of families and friends reunited. There were no children holding balloons or boyfriends clutching cheap flowers and handmade signs.
The war is inescapable and everywhere. The automated passport reader that takes your photo first displayed a picture of one hostage, as if joining us together in a common fate. Ben Gurion’s long marble corridor is now flanked on both sides with posters of hostages. Walking by them quickly felt disrespectful. I took my time, pausing in front of babies and children under 10. Forty-six (now 47) days in captivity. Every one of those lives will be shattered in permanent ways. I touched my dog-tag that says, “Bring Them Home Now,” as a talisman and a prayer.
On Highway #1 to Jerusalem, there are signs promoting our victory, but the news makes it clear we’re not there yet. For the 10 hours on the plane, we had been cut off from our usual doom-scrolling, but when we landed, we learned that two more soldiers had been killed. We heard reports of a possible hostage deal to free 50 women and children that may take place on Thanksgiving. Together, may we say on this Thanksgiving the words of our morning prayer: “Blessed are You Lord, our God, King of the Universe who frees the imprisoned.”
Our anxiety about Israel at war is palpable, which makes it harder to give thanks. When Americans sit at tables to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, our soldiers will still be deep in Gaza. Family and friends will run into protective shelters when sirens cry out, and we will pray that today is the day that all the hostages see their loved ones. I find myself perpetually on the precipice of a deep black hole of sorrow. I weep randomly. It all seems absurd until I realize that this is exactly the right time to be thankful.
This Thanksgiving, let us offer a prayer of gratitude.
We are grateful that we have an army to protect us. We didn’t for most of Jewish history.
We are grateful that soldiers, many of them away for weeks without breaks, wake up each day and fight for democracy and Israel’s right to exist.
We are grateful for those hostages who have been released (and rescued) and pray for them all to come home.
We are grateful that reservists everywhere came home to serve in the IDF.
We are grateful for the strength of those holding down the home front while their family members are at war.
We are grateful that Israel is more unified than ever.
We are grateful that Israelis put down signs of protest and responded to ferocious atrocity with unconditional altruism.
We are grateful for the everyday miracles of volunteers who are packing food, doing laundry, sorting donations, picking fruit, babysitting, driving, and attending the funerals of those they don’t know.
We are grateful that Israel has a remarkable network and infrastructure of communal organizations in place that were ready and able to mobilize resources and respond quickly.
We are grateful that Jews and non-Jews across the globe are expressing solidarity with Israel when it matters most.
We are grateful that the rise in antisemitism has woken us up to the reality that we must show up for each other, now more than ever.
We are grateful that college students facing antisemitism on campus are finding the voice to fight back. This war will turn them into the future leaders of our people.
We are grateful that we have the technology to reach across the ocean in real time and support those who serve and those we love.
We are grateful that Israel continues to provide a sheltering embrace for refugees and immigrants who cannot live safely and securely elsewhere.
We are grateful for the many, many new babies born during this war whom we hope will one day enjoy peace.
We are grateful for the friends who carry us across the pain.
We are grateful for the love and support of strangers.
Spiritual writer Melodie Beattie, once wrote, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” We can be sad, despondent, and struggling and still offer thanks for life’s fullness. This year, Thanksgiving is more complicated. But sometimes squeezing gratitude out of despair makes it more rich, more textured, and more deeply felt.
AND ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A LOVELY PIECE I MUST ADD:
“GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD, AND HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER”
It is day 49 and I am listening to the ‘live coverage’ of the release of the of the first 13 children, mothers and elderly from Hamas. Lord…You have called me to ‘what I see…what I hear…that write.’ I can’t. It is the first time…but there is a great divide, and Lord I cannot…I need You to translate in the breach. Help Lord.
May The Lord be glorified and may The Holy Spirit give understanding and be The Translator.
Brothers and sisters, it is Shabbat. The Shabbat prayer played over the loudspeakers in my village at exactly 4pm my time…the time that was given for the release of the first of the 13 captives, among the 50 infants, children, mothers and elderly that are to be released over the next 4 days…by God’s grace…in His mercy. That will STILL leave approximately 185 more still in captivity.
The question caught me…[and it came from many, so if you asked me, please don’t feel badly]…some whom I knew and just some other voices: ‘NO! How can Israel stop NOW? Don’t they know that Hamas will take advantage; that the world will press in and cause you guys to stop fighting before the war is won? Aren’t you tough? Keep going! Don’t stop! This is crazy! It’s a trap! How can you be so foolish!
And this is where my mouth falls open and nothing comes out and I can’t explain, because there IS a big gulf. You see…the ENTIRE country is mourning and grieving its children…Rachel crying and not being comforted AGAIN!
“Thus says the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18) And it is REAL…it’s not sentimental emotion…it IS what we are made of …it is our children, and our sisters and brothers weeping and lamenting. To the Jews, L-I-F-E is of utmost importance. That is why our (yes) socialistic medical system here ‘WORKS’. It is mixed with a deep compassion and belief that each life is holy. Yes, OFCOURSE it isn’t 100%! Yes, I KNOW that we have abortion. I know that we also have people who don’t care about life; but in general, a driving concern for ‘LIFE’ is what binds this people together. LIFE…points to GOD…in Him is Life and that Life echoes HIM.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4
Yesterday a friend told me a story that she heard first hand at ‘Efrat’, an organization that reaches out to people who are planning to have an abortion. [this is NOT the one that believers have called Ba’ad Hayim but Efrat is run by religious Jews] The father of a soldier went there a day or two ago and asked them for a coat for their son and for all of the 20 soldiers in his unit. They said that they couldn’t provide that many because they only had 30 coats and they could not give most of them away right at the start of the winter; they could give one or maybe two. The father looked at them and said; ‘But you must, because this son of mine who is defending you, is only here because you convinced us to have him and not kill him…and he is asking for them!’ They gave him the 20 coats.
Now how do I put THAT particular quality of the heart into words? I can’t. All I can say is that it is REAL. The entire country has been grieving and suffering with the families (can you imagine?) who have loved ones somewhere underground in Gaza as the war rages…Everyone here KNOWS that it is ALL ‘for them’…for the 9 month old baby or the 3 year old girl whose parents were killed before her eyes just before she was grabbed, or the holocaust survivor who lived life to say ‘NEVER AGAIN’…or simply each child, sibling, spouse, parent, grandparent.
Yesterday I read the account of David in Ziklag that I wrote at the top of this letter and I wept. It says that the men were so grieved for their captive wives and children that they were about to stone David. Grief does that… it rips people to pieces…and we ARE experiencing a collective grief. We have been praying that our soldiers would discover the captives and set them free (as David and his men did), but only one captive was set free thus far in this manner and we have been told that it was an extremely dangerous operation. Quoting an analysis by David Horovitz in Times of Israel:
“Obviously, Israel would have wanted an agreement to secure the return of all hostages. Ministers were told that there was no such deal to be made. Obviously, too, Israel would have wanted the IDF to have itself located and rescued all, or at least more of the hostages — without necessitating any deal with the terrorists, any release of Palestinian security prisoners, any halt to the war. But that option, ministers were told, was not available either. Only one hostage has been extricated from Gaza to date — Orit Megidish, three weeks ago, in an extremely high-risk operation — even as the IDF has taken greater control of many of Hamas’s strongholds in the north of the strip. (The case of Nachshon Wachsman. a soldier abducted and held hostage by Hamas in 1994, underscores the difficulty of such rescues. In Wachsman’s case, Israel knew precisely where he was being held, in the West Bank just outside Jerusalem, but a rescue attempt proved disastrous, with Wachsman killed by his captors as IDF commandos attempted to break in, and the lead officer in the rescue attempt killed as well.)”
I remember well the sad death of Nachshon Wachsman. We had just made Aliyah and this life was so new to me. Many thousands gathered at the western wall of the temple, praying, beseeching God to spare him…it was so vivid to me…and so new.
A sister wrote to me that she had been thinking about how many times Moses went to Pharaoh to beseech him: “Let My people go!”. And this war is not over yet. Although we are aware that Hamas has laid a trap in this 4 day ‘pause’, we pray with David “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity.” In Psalm 141:9 and Psalm 124:7 “Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; The snare is broken, and we have escaped.” We are not ignorant of the enemy’s devices.
The hour is late and we now see the faces of those who were released today. No one dares to say ‘So many little old ladies!’…because each life is considered holy and precious…but oh how we had hoped to see more than 4 children today. Actually, until they all come home it will not be enough. BUT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR THESE AND WE LOOK TO GOD FOR THE FUTURE.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America and although the article that I printed below is…just an article…it touched me and perhaps it will give you more of a ‘flavor’ of Israel today than I am able to do. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR STAYING FAITHFUL TO HIM. MAY WE KNOW HIM MORE DEEPLY DAY BY DAY AND…BE FOUND FAITHFUL.
Loving blessings, your sister here.
AN ARTICLE FROM Times of Israel
Thanksgiving: This year in Jerusalem
Anxiety about Israel at war, the hostages, antisemitism (the list goes on) makes it hard to give thanks, but it's exactly the right thing to do
NOV 22, 2023
Tomorrow, Thursday, if I were in America, I would set the table early, organize a lavish mid-afternoon meal, and put the menu on the refrigerator. I would have scoured recipes in newspaper food sections intended for anxious would-be cooks and put the ingredients together on the counter. The day would be blessedly slow and calm. I’d have time to pause and consider the matanot ketanot, the small gifts of the day.
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. The streets are quiet. The stores are closed (most of them), and family and friends gather together to celebrate. Everyone can drive over, and the food doesn’t dry out because you serve it right after you make it. Old and new immigrants usually love Thanksgiving, as my grandparents did. They loved America and were grateful for their new lives and new freedoms. It’s a festive time to recount blessings. In his book, Celebrating Life, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes, “A blessing is an expression of the miracle of simple things.”
But I am in Israel this year. It’s going to be different.
Together Watching
It was different even before I got on the plane. When the El Al security representative asked us if we packed our bags ourselves, he also asked why we were coming.
“For a visit.”
“A visit during a war?”
“A visit because of the war.”
He looked up from our passports with grateful eyes and thanked us. The pilot also thanked us for coming and reminded us that El Al, the only airline flying to Israel right now, continues to serve Israel in peace and in crisis. The airport was empty of the usual noises of families and friends reunited. There were no children holding balloons or boyfriends clutching cheap flowers and handmade signs.
The war is inescapable and everywhere. The automated passport reader that takes your photo first displayed a picture of one hostage, as if joining us together in a common fate. Ben Gurion’s long marble corridor is now flanked on both sides with posters of hostages. Walking by them quickly felt disrespectful. I took my time, pausing in front of babies and children under 10. Forty-six (now 47) days in captivity. Every one of those lives will be shattered in permanent ways. I touched my dog-tag that says, “Bring Them Home Now,” as a talisman and a prayer.
On Highway #1 to Jerusalem, there are signs promoting our victory, but the news makes it clear we’re not there yet. For the 10 hours on the plane, we had been cut off from our usual doom-scrolling, but when we landed, we learned that two more soldiers had been killed. We heard reports of a possible hostage deal to free 50 women and children that may take place on Thanksgiving. Together, may we say on this Thanksgiving the words of our morning prayer: “Blessed are You Lord, our God, King of the Universe who frees the imprisoned.”
Our anxiety about Israel at war is palpable, which makes it harder to give thanks. When Americans sit at tables to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, our soldiers will still be deep in Gaza. Family and friends will run into protective shelters when sirens cry out, and we will pray that today is the day that all the hostages see their loved ones. I find myself perpetually on the precipice of a deep black hole of sorrow. I weep randomly. It all seems absurd until I realize that this is exactly the right time to be thankful.
This Thanksgiving, let us offer a prayer of gratitude.
We are grateful that we have an army to protect us. We didn’t for most of Jewish history.
We are grateful that soldiers, many of them away for weeks without breaks, wake up each day and fight for democracy and Israel’s right to exist.
We are grateful for those hostages who have been released (and rescued) and pray for them all to come home.
We are grateful that reservists everywhere came home to serve in the IDF.
We are grateful for the strength of those holding down the home front while their family members are at war.
We are grateful that Israel is more unified than ever.
We are grateful that Israelis put down signs of protest and responded to ferocious atrocity with unconditional altruism.
We are grateful for the everyday miracles of volunteers who are packing food, doing laundry, sorting donations, picking fruit, babysitting, driving, and attending the funerals of those they don’t know.
We are grateful that Israel has a remarkable network and infrastructure of communal organizations in place that were ready and able to mobilize resources and respond quickly.
We are grateful that Jews and non-Jews across the globe are expressing solidarity with Israel when it matters most.
We are grateful that the rise in antisemitism has woken us up to the reality that we must show up for each other, now more than ever.
We are grateful that college students facing antisemitism on campus are finding the voice to fight back. This war will turn them into the future leaders of our people.
We are grateful that we have the technology to reach across the ocean in real time and support those who serve and those we love.
We are grateful that Israel continues to provide a sheltering embrace for refugees and immigrants who cannot live safely and securely elsewhere.
We are grateful for the many, many new babies born during this war whom we hope will one day enjoy peace.
We are grateful for the friends who carry us across the pain.
We are grateful for the love and support of strangers.
Spiritual writer Melodie Beattie, once wrote, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” We can be sad, despondent, and struggling and still offer thanks for life’s fullness. This year, Thanksgiving is more complicated. But sometimes squeezing gratitude out of despair makes it more rich, more textured, and more deeply felt.
AND ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A LOVELY PIECE I MUST ADD:
“GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD, AND HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER”
November 19, 2023
Psalm 129 “’Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,’ Let Israel now say— “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.” The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. Let all those who hate Zion Be put to shame and turned back. Let them be as the grass on the housetops, Which withers before it grows up, With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Nor he who binds sheaves, his arms. Neither let those who pass by them say,
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!’”
Psalm 114 “When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115:1-3 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”
Psalm 119:37-42 “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness. Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord-- Your salvation according to Your word. So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.”
Greetings and blessings to you in THE NAME of The Lord of hosts, in The Name of His Precious Messiah Yeshua, Who gives us access to the throne of grace, as well as His Peace and forgiveness and cleansing and wisdom and Truth all IN HIM Who IS The ONLY Answer. May He be known, glorified and blessed…and may you be encouraged.
Today is…I think…day 44 of this war. The statistics have become a bit fuzzy: “More than” 1,200 dead from 7 Oct… 58 of our soldiers killed since the beginning of the ground operations…Last I saw there were 139 captives, but I have not seen the number re-set since the bodies of two captives were discovered before Shabbat…that would make 137 now in captivity…not to mention their agonized families…and an agonized nation sharing the pain.
I am so aware that all of the events that I have walked through for the past year and almost a half have brought me to this solitary little ‘cabin’ alone…with almost no necessary distraction or restraint on my time for prayer and being before The Lord in His Word. Although the world is all too effectively hijacking (technologically) it…people have been doing a magnificent job defending Israel’s position, situation, history, and hope. You name it, it is in print and one is able to spend endless hours listening or reading. Arguing and defending.
I came to The Lord and asked Him; ‘With all of this distracting people from prayer, should I still write these letters and what should I write?’ He reminded me instantly of what He told me nearly 30 years ago: ‘Be my witness…what you see, write. What you hear, write.’
I will attempt to leave the reporting, the explaining and the history to others and I will tell you what it ‘looks like’ around me…through my eyes.
The (physical) sky has been dramatic! Yes, it is Autumn and the beginning of the rainy season, but the ‘anger’ in the clouds… the lights in the sky, encourage me that The Lord, The Creator, The Lord of hosts (armies) IS HERE; and I feel that I can bear witness to that in what I hear from and see in people around me. [“Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His Word.” Psalm 148:8] It is so good to smell the familiar smell of wood smoke around me [a benefit of having moved to a village] as the days grow chilly, and we are reminded of the soldiers, sleeping out in the cold, and the country is busy making or securing hats and scarves, sox and gloves for them as we pray for them.
I took Gila out for her walk on Friday night and as I passed a young religious man I said ‘Shabbat Shalom’. He said ‘Ah yes! Shabbat Shalom! May we have ‘shalom!’ What will be? I lifted my hand up to The Lord and said ‘Only HE knows, and we must continue to be soft and obey and seek Him with our whole hearts.’ He said ‘Oh yes! We must…so who are you? Do you live here?’ I told him a bit of how I had moved here in June. ‘Do you like it here?’ he asked me. ‘Oh! I love it here! The people are so very warm and friendly, like family!’ He was pleased and told me that he had been born on this moshav (technically it is still a moshav) and loves it here. When he asked where I lived and I showed him he said ‘Oh, with the French people?’ (They are Finnish but the wife, who was born French Moroccan, has a thick French accent) ‘That’s right’ I answered. He immediately started telling me about other places that I should rent that I would like more in Kurdish houses. This made me smile and I understood that it was a sign of ‘acceptance’…being taken in by ‘the family.’ We talked some more and he said ‘My name is ..... It was nice to meet you.’ And it was. May each of these encounters be SEEDS until I can freely speak His Name into plowed and prepared soil…soil ready to receive and produce fruit unto salvation.
I have found people around me very much to be calling out to God. It seems to be real and with a new and broken tenderness. Some believers that I have spoken to about it have sloughed it off as worthless without Yeshua, but others agree with me that The Word is LOADED with the PROMISE that all those who seek Him or call upon Him with their whole hearts WILL FIND HIM! I went to find a verse to include here…but there are too many! It is truly a promise…HE WILL HEAR THE CRY OF THE NEEDY and I am excited for I know that He never lies and we are hearing of so many answers to those cries and they can only point to Him! I don’t believe that this is a vain fleshly hope. I am hearing all around me people crying out to God to save us, both in public and in private; Almost all conversations turn to God…and they surely did not used to.
We have been witnessing an amazing phenomenon in this divided world. You may recall that before the war, the division here was awful (as in your countries as well…all of them). The rage between right and left, religious and secular had many (including me) in tears. We had come to the brink of a civil war and the anger had become hatred. The 7th of October changed MUCH (not all) of it and surely the voices of descent have quieted down although not disappeared completely. The well know Psalm 133 begins “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” and the fruit of the unity that we have had since 7 October has produced something difficult to describe. A social media post spoke about it well through a handsome young man picking vegetables who said “They told us ‘The people need help’! So we all ran out to help the people. Then they said ‘The animals need help! [there were so many pets and farm animals stranded after the attacks] So we all ran out to help the animals. Now they said ‘The cherry tomatoes need help!’ So here we all are, picking cherry tomatoes’…and yes! This is true. The post was humorous, but so very true (they were there picking the cherry tomatoes). One industry is BOOMING through all of this and that is the local company that makes Israeli flags. They have had to hire many people to help…and I encourage you to look at photos. Almost every house in Israel (including many Arab houses) have atleast one large flag and the streets are literally CLOTHED in flags! I have seen fairly dramatic displays of nationalistic unity in the past…but NOTHING compared to this. Even the garbage trucks have large flags flying over them…the taxis…you name it. In Hebrew the word for flag is ‘degel’ and for banner is ‘nes’. Many scriptures speak of the flag and banner that is set up in The Name of The Lord marking ‘the way’…displayed because of His faithfulness… calling us to gather to it.
I just thought of something that you might not realize: The rockets being shot from Gaza are still raining upon Israel. Did you know that? In all honesty, from perhaps Thursday or Friday, there seem to be less sirens around the country, however our northern border has seen many more attacks from Hizbollah. I just checked my ‘red alert’ app, which shows incoming rockets (often a barrage of 40-50) and it showed 18 such barrages within the past 24 hours. That is way down from a week ago.
This is a hard time to be living through. Yet it is a privilege to be here for such a time as this.
The question in all of our hearts is: Is this the ‘real thing’…will THE move of His Spirit among our people, that we long for, be the result, or will hearts again grow hard and turn back? To this end we pray for God’s mercy…When judgment is ordained, He offers us a place in the gap…in the cleft of the Rock…in the valley of the shadow…to prevail. Will we prevail for mercy over judgment? Oh Lord, please! I do not KNOW…but I do know that this is REAL. It is no longer a test.
I am touched by the kindness of neighbors. Everyone wants to help. When I stand outside waiting for my ride to Kehila I have so many people stop and ask me if I need help. It is touching. I know that I told you in the past, but it has (thankfully) been awhile. When there is a funeral (and there have been woefully many lately) perhaps you remember that Jewish funerals usually take place within 24 hours of the death and people here are not buried in coffins but in shrouds. Thousands of people show up spontaneously at the funerals to support the family. These are not people who KNOW the family, but they honestly CARE and willing come to help carry the burden of pain. The same is taking place in the hospitals. [Again, I have told you before that our health system is very different here and the presence of family and friends – even around the clock- is encouraged…and this people IS FAMILY.] We have an inordinate number of young people who have lost limbs…such a difficult injury to accept. Their hospital rooms are filled with people from around the country who come to sing to them, to pray for them, to encourage and support them.
These things give the people hope and strength in the face of so much hatred, lies and death. The drawing together and giving of one’s self sacrificially is such a manifestation of The Lord’s Heart…I must believe that He is near.
I have told you about the organization ‘Latet’ (means ‘to give’) which is a food rescue program normally. Their volunteers would glean the fields and orchards, and also the hotels and restaurants as well as food shops to give to those who might lack food. With the war and the lack of farm hands, they have instead been harvesting the fields (volunteers) and paying the farmers for the goods and giving them away; a triple blessing! Once a week, since the area has been secured and there are less rockets reaching our area, we have had their trucks in our school parking area to share the abundance with the community. I have been deeply blessed by the produce, but I also enjoy standing in line with the people. Over the years, The Lord has convicted me concerning murmuring and complaining rather than giving of thanks in all situations. The Lord’s judgment against murmuring and complaining is very severe; in Exodus, He sent ‘the destroyer’ against those who murmured and complained. He has turned up the heat on my heart and I have heard myself complaining about all sorts of things. He has made it clear to me that there is no ‘free ground’ for complaining…not even concerning politics or someone else’s poor judgment…He has made it a firm ‘NO’. It is a ‘spirit’! Because He has dealt with me so firmly, I have found that complaining (sometimes disguised as ‘prudent judgment’ or ‘opinions’ or ‘reason’) hurts the ears of my heart. I’m NOT saying that I’m perfect or free of this…but I have learned to recognize it and be quick(er) to repent…my own murmuring has begun to ‘stink’ to me. I was grieved to stand in line for our FREE, freshly picked produce and hear some people grumbling…that the line wasn’t moving fast enough or that they didn’t like something. I spoke up (shy I’m not) and encouraged people to be thankful (and OFCOURSE most were) but how grievous it was to my heart. Yesterday I read the slim volume of ‘Praying Hyde’ (the biography of John Hyde). It has been a couple of years since I read it, and a particular lesson that The Holy Spirit taught him really grabbed me. He relayed about a time that he was burdened concerning the coldness of a certain pastor’s heart, so he went to prayer for him and told The Lord that he was concerned for the pastor’s lack. The Lord stopped him immediately and brought him to Philippians 4:8, 9. He wrestled with the verses and said ‘Lord…Your Word says ‘whatsoever things are true and it is true that this man is cold’. The Lord showed him that until he could also pray about what was praiseworthy in the man, his prayer would not be heard. What a powerful lesson this was for me. When I am again in the line for receiving these blessings, I will praise God for the life of each of the people on line with me.
And now I am falling asleep as I write, so it must be time for me to close. I give thanks for each one of you…for your portion…large or small…may we all just be found faithful with what He has set before us. Thank you so very very much for praying and caring. This is WAY bigger than all of us!
Lovingly, your sister here
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!’”
Psalm 114 “When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. The sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.
Psalm 115:1-3 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.”
Psalm 119:37-42 “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way. Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, For Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness. Let Your mercies come also to me, O Lord-- Your salvation according to Your word. So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word.”
Greetings and blessings to you in THE NAME of The Lord of hosts, in The Name of His Precious Messiah Yeshua, Who gives us access to the throne of grace, as well as His Peace and forgiveness and cleansing and wisdom and Truth all IN HIM Who IS The ONLY Answer. May He be known, glorified and blessed…and may you be encouraged.
Today is…I think…day 44 of this war. The statistics have become a bit fuzzy: “More than” 1,200 dead from 7 Oct… 58 of our soldiers killed since the beginning of the ground operations…Last I saw there were 139 captives, but I have not seen the number re-set since the bodies of two captives were discovered before Shabbat…that would make 137 now in captivity…not to mention their agonized families…and an agonized nation sharing the pain.
I am so aware that all of the events that I have walked through for the past year and almost a half have brought me to this solitary little ‘cabin’ alone…with almost no necessary distraction or restraint on my time for prayer and being before The Lord in His Word. Although the world is all too effectively hijacking (technologically) it…people have been doing a magnificent job defending Israel’s position, situation, history, and hope. You name it, it is in print and one is able to spend endless hours listening or reading. Arguing and defending.
I came to The Lord and asked Him; ‘With all of this distracting people from prayer, should I still write these letters and what should I write?’ He reminded me instantly of what He told me nearly 30 years ago: ‘Be my witness…what you see, write. What you hear, write.’
I will attempt to leave the reporting, the explaining and the history to others and I will tell you what it ‘looks like’ around me…through my eyes.
The (physical) sky has been dramatic! Yes, it is Autumn and the beginning of the rainy season, but the ‘anger’ in the clouds… the lights in the sky, encourage me that The Lord, The Creator, The Lord of hosts (armies) IS HERE; and I feel that I can bear witness to that in what I hear from and see in people around me. [“Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His Word.” Psalm 148:8] It is so good to smell the familiar smell of wood smoke around me [a benefit of having moved to a village] as the days grow chilly, and we are reminded of the soldiers, sleeping out in the cold, and the country is busy making or securing hats and scarves, sox and gloves for them as we pray for them.
I took Gila out for her walk on Friday night and as I passed a young religious man I said ‘Shabbat Shalom’. He said ‘Ah yes! Shabbat Shalom! May we have ‘shalom!’ What will be? I lifted my hand up to The Lord and said ‘Only HE knows, and we must continue to be soft and obey and seek Him with our whole hearts.’ He said ‘Oh yes! We must…so who are you? Do you live here?’ I told him a bit of how I had moved here in June. ‘Do you like it here?’ he asked me. ‘Oh! I love it here! The people are so very warm and friendly, like family!’ He was pleased and told me that he had been born on this moshav (technically it is still a moshav) and loves it here. When he asked where I lived and I showed him he said ‘Oh, with the French people?’ (They are Finnish but the wife, who was born French Moroccan, has a thick French accent) ‘That’s right’ I answered. He immediately started telling me about other places that I should rent that I would like more in Kurdish houses. This made me smile and I understood that it was a sign of ‘acceptance’…being taken in by ‘the family.’ We talked some more and he said ‘My name is ..... It was nice to meet you.’ And it was. May each of these encounters be SEEDS until I can freely speak His Name into plowed and prepared soil…soil ready to receive and produce fruit unto salvation.
I have found people around me very much to be calling out to God. It seems to be real and with a new and broken tenderness. Some believers that I have spoken to about it have sloughed it off as worthless without Yeshua, but others agree with me that The Word is LOADED with the PROMISE that all those who seek Him or call upon Him with their whole hearts WILL FIND HIM! I went to find a verse to include here…but there are too many! It is truly a promise…HE WILL HEAR THE CRY OF THE NEEDY and I am excited for I know that He never lies and we are hearing of so many answers to those cries and they can only point to Him! I don’t believe that this is a vain fleshly hope. I am hearing all around me people crying out to God to save us, both in public and in private; Almost all conversations turn to God…and they surely did not used to.
We have been witnessing an amazing phenomenon in this divided world. You may recall that before the war, the division here was awful (as in your countries as well…all of them). The rage between right and left, religious and secular had many (including me) in tears. We had come to the brink of a civil war and the anger had become hatred. The 7th of October changed MUCH (not all) of it and surely the voices of descent have quieted down although not disappeared completely. The well know Psalm 133 begins “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” and the fruit of the unity that we have had since 7 October has produced something difficult to describe. A social media post spoke about it well through a handsome young man picking vegetables who said “They told us ‘The people need help’! So we all ran out to help the people. Then they said ‘The animals need help! [there were so many pets and farm animals stranded after the attacks] So we all ran out to help the animals. Now they said ‘The cherry tomatoes need help!’ So here we all are, picking cherry tomatoes’…and yes! This is true. The post was humorous, but so very true (they were there picking the cherry tomatoes). One industry is BOOMING through all of this and that is the local company that makes Israeli flags. They have had to hire many people to help…and I encourage you to look at photos. Almost every house in Israel (including many Arab houses) have atleast one large flag and the streets are literally CLOTHED in flags! I have seen fairly dramatic displays of nationalistic unity in the past…but NOTHING compared to this. Even the garbage trucks have large flags flying over them…the taxis…you name it. In Hebrew the word for flag is ‘degel’ and for banner is ‘nes’. Many scriptures speak of the flag and banner that is set up in The Name of The Lord marking ‘the way’…displayed because of His faithfulness… calling us to gather to it.
I just thought of something that you might not realize: The rockets being shot from Gaza are still raining upon Israel. Did you know that? In all honesty, from perhaps Thursday or Friday, there seem to be less sirens around the country, however our northern border has seen many more attacks from Hizbollah. I just checked my ‘red alert’ app, which shows incoming rockets (often a barrage of 40-50) and it showed 18 such barrages within the past 24 hours. That is way down from a week ago.
This is a hard time to be living through. Yet it is a privilege to be here for such a time as this.
The question in all of our hearts is: Is this the ‘real thing’…will THE move of His Spirit among our people, that we long for, be the result, or will hearts again grow hard and turn back? To this end we pray for God’s mercy…When judgment is ordained, He offers us a place in the gap…in the cleft of the Rock…in the valley of the shadow…to prevail. Will we prevail for mercy over judgment? Oh Lord, please! I do not KNOW…but I do know that this is REAL. It is no longer a test.
I am touched by the kindness of neighbors. Everyone wants to help. When I stand outside waiting for my ride to Kehila I have so many people stop and ask me if I need help. It is touching. I know that I told you in the past, but it has (thankfully) been awhile. When there is a funeral (and there have been woefully many lately) perhaps you remember that Jewish funerals usually take place within 24 hours of the death and people here are not buried in coffins but in shrouds. Thousands of people show up spontaneously at the funerals to support the family. These are not people who KNOW the family, but they honestly CARE and willing come to help carry the burden of pain. The same is taking place in the hospitals. [Again, I have told you before that our health system is very different here and the presence of family and friends – even around the clock- is encouraged…and this people IS FAMILY.] We have an inordinate number of young people who have lost limbs…such a difficult injury to accept. Their hospital rooms are filled with people from around the country who come to sing to them, to pray for them, to encourage and support them.
These things give the people hope and strength in the face of so much hatred, lies and death. The drawing together and giving of one’s self sacrificially is such a manifestation of The Lord’s Heart…I must believe that He is near.
I have told you about the organization ‘Latet’ (means ‘to give’) which is a food rescue program normally. Their volunteers would glean the fields and orchards, and also the hotels and restaurants as well as food shops to give to those who might lack food. With the war and the lack of farm hands, they have instead been harvesting the fields (volunteers) and paying the farmers for the goods and giving them away; a triple blessing! Once a week, since the area has been secured and there are less rockets reaching our area, we have had their trucks in our school parking area to share the abundance with the community. I have been deeply blessed by the produce, but I also enjoy standing in line with the people. Over the years, The Lord has convicted me concerning murmuring and complaining rather than giving of thanks in all situations. The Lord’s judgment against murmuring and complaining is very severe; in Exodus, He sent ‘the destroyer’ against those who murmured and complained. He has turned up the heat on my heart and I have heard myself complaining about all sorts of things. He has made it clear to me that there is no ‘free ground’ for complaining…not even concerning politics or someone else’s poor judgment…He has made it a firm ‘NO’. It is a ‘spirit’! Because He has dealt with me so firmly, I have found that complaining (sometimes disguised as ‘prudent judgment’ or ‘opinions’ or ‘reason’) hurts the ears of my heart. I’m NOT saying that I’m perfect or free of this…but I have learned to recognize it and be quick(er) to repent…my own murmuring has begun to ‘stink’ to me. I was grieved to stand in line for our FREE, freshly picked produce and hear some people grumbling…that the line wasn’t moving fast enough or that they didn’t like something. I spoke up (shy I’m not) and encouraged people to be thankful (and OFCOURSE most were) but how grievous it was to my heart. Yesterday I read the slim volume of ‘Praying Hyde’ (the biography of John Hyde). It has been a couple of years since I read it, and a particular lesson that The Holy Spirit taught him really grabbed me. He relayed about a time that he was burdened concerning the coldness of a certain pastor’s heart, so he went to prayer for him and told The Lord that he was concerned for the pastor’s lack. The Lord stopped him immediately and brought him to Philippians 4:8, 9. He wrestled with the verses and said ‘Lord…Your Word says ‘whatsoever things are true and it is true that this man is cold’. The Lord showed him that until he could also pray about what was praiseworthy in the man, his prayer would not be heard. What a powerful lesson this was for me. When I am again in the line for receiving these blessings, I will praise God for the life of each of the people on line with me.
And now I am falling asleep as I write, so it must be time for me to close. I give thanks for each one of you…for your portion…large or small…may we all just be found faithful with what He has set before us. Thank you so very very much for praying and caring. This is WAY bigger than all of us!
Lovingly, your sister here
November 12, 2023
“Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end…. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.” PSALM 119:111-114 [forget it…just read the whole Psalm and pray it.]
May The Lord, Who made the heavens and the earth, be known, and loved and followed…and glorified. May His mercy and His ways be known and seen. May you be blessed and encouraged in all that is of Him. Shabbat Shalom.
I have lost track of the days…they blend together. We are collectively emotionally tired but strengthened as well. We check our phones to see where the last red alerts (meaning; siren; run to your bomb shelter) were sounded. There appear to be, finally, less in the south (reflecting our successes in Gaza) however more in the North (Iran using Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah) …and even Yemenite Houthi attacks on Eilat in the far south, where many, who were displaced from their kibbutzim, were put up in hotels. The war has been costly…more than 360 Israeli soldiers killed to date.
Many of you expressed surprise at the way our soldiers are fed by the citizens of the country and I thought that it is probably difficult to picture the fact that the soldiers are rotated to come home to their families every week or two…to embrace their loved ones and get showers, do laundry, enjoy family meals, and sleep in a real bed. They might be sent home for as short a period as 12 hours or for several days. They return refreshed. Some of them live within walking distance of where they are fighting…others travel by car or public transportation. The war is ‘right here’…those fighting for us are our family members. It’s very, very personal.
Many volunteers have come from around the world to join those volunteering to help keep the country running. Particularly hard hit has been our agriculture. Most ‘POPULAR’ among our volunteers seem to be 4 American cowboys (3 from Montana and one from Arkansas) who simply bought tickets and came, saying; ‘We are Christians, so we love you…and we are farmers, so we know that when a farmer is down, everyone needs to pitch in.’ It has really warmed the hearts of the nation. (I just found out that FIFTEEN actually came!) My helper (from the government) goes south one day a week to pick crops. She sent me a picture of herself in a tree harvesting olives. Many of the schools have dismissed their classes for students to go and help in the fields or in hospitals…where ever there is a need.
One day when I had watched far too many videos chanting ‘from the river to the sea…’, my neighbor sent me yet another video. I had to do a double take; was it fake? But it wasn’t and I burst out crying. Silently…reported almost no where…there were our soldiers unfurling and raising the Israeli flag…at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza! Our soldiers had fought through…from the river to the sea…in Israeli hands! They raised the flag and sang Hatikvah…our national anthem. They are moving slowly, methodically, carefully…non the less, last I had heard, we have lost 35 soldiers in the fighting with many wounded since entering the ground war in Gaza.
I wrote that yesterday. We lost 5 more last night.
Because of the nature of the attack, it has been difficult to perfectly identify many of the bodies, and there has been a need to call for the aid of archeologists to sift through the ashes and identify remnants of bodies. In Judaism, the body is considered holy, even in death, and so the identification is very important. With their help, 200 more people who were thought to have been perished were found to be bodies of terrorists and not Israelis, so the number of those killed initially has moved from approximately 1,400 to approximately 1,200. Perhaps this article will help to explain: death tolls revised down
I spoke to a brother who is very involved in hospital work and asked him how the hospitals are holding up. He told me that they are doing well…but that the rehabilitation centers are staggering…and that the emotional impact of having so many young people (soldiers) with amputated limbs is difficult. Shortly after that, I learned that a believer from the south (I think) was critically injured and lost both of his legs. He is 20 and still in critical condition. His first name is A...... for those who would pray for him.
_____________________________________
I wrote the above yesterday. Things change so rapidly. I try to remember things that I want to write about but the priorities change. Today is day 37 of the war and it is necessary to keep encouraging one another to life, strength, and to look TO THE LORD!
I just came back from a shop…sort of a general store farm style. There were a number of customers and workers and as I went to pay for my stuff, this song came on the radio. It is a song that we also sing in Kehila and speaks of the times that the Jews have been near annihilation and YET GOD saved us…He Who saved us WILL YET save us it says. EVERYONE THERE JOINED IN SINGING! It was an emotional and strengthening moment. Yonatan Razel - Vehi Sheamda
At Kehila last night, I found out that A..... was starting a ‘ministry’ of designing and producing bedrooms for all of the new orphans that we now have. A.... is a registered nurse who has worked in child cancer care for many years, but when her own second daughter was born last year, she stopped working. The Lord placed this need on her heart as she looked at the rooms of her own little girls and saw the burned homes (and families) of the new orphans. She thought about what it would be like for these little ones to have NOTHING comforting in their lives, and this new idea was born…with prayer for each of these little ones.
We prayed for each of the soldiers from our own congregation and others that we know who are fighting… praying for their spirit and soul to be guarded as well as their bodies.
My son in law w....... came by and took me out for lunch on Thursday. He has always been a pacifist and did religious studies rather than go to army. As things heated up and he understood that he may need (we pray not) to defend his family, after much counsel and soul searching, he applied for a gun license and went through weapons training. Sometimes he comes to me when something is heavy on his heart, for which I am deeply thankful. We sat in a small local Kurdi restaurant and he told me that he is not sleeping. He knows that he is responsible for his family’s safety and it weighs on him. He looks at his own 3 little girls and knows that they depend upon him. Because their village is so small, everyone with a weapon must do guard duty and he has been given the 2am shift. I told him that I would be praying for him, so last night I got up at 2am. to lift him in prayer. Suddenly at about 2:15 I heard the roaring overhead of heavily loaded planes: That alerted me to know that we were bombing in the north. When I woke, sure enough there had been increased attacks in the north and we had struck back…was it Lebanon or Syria? It has already been replaced by more current news; it is just being reported that there was a Hezbollah attack in the north severely injuring a number of civilians. How secure I am KNOWING that THE LORD OF HOSTS really IS in control!
My other son in law, ......., also blessed me last week by sending me a link to an interactive zoom lecture class that he was giving in Sderot School of Animation where he taught in the past when they were living here…and after as well (online). What a JOY it was for me to see some 200 students encouraged by his presentation…and to see the compassion in his face and voice.
Brothers and sisters…this season feels surreal…but it is VERY ‘REAL’ and how we each relate to it and walk through it (I believe) will affect the rest of our lives.
This has gotten too long for ‘a quick update’ but events around me are moving so quickly. I am deeply thankful for your prayers and encouragement. I, myself, am fine and have deep peace in my heart…and no fear.
I send my love. May your week ahead be blessed with more of Him.
Lovingly, your sister.
May The Lord, Who made the heavens and the earth, be known, and loved and followed…and glorified. May His mercy and His ways be known and seen. May you be blessed and encouraged in all that is of Him. Shabbat Shalom.
I have lost track of the days…they blend together. We are collectively emotionally tired but strengthened as well. We check our phones to see where the last red alerts (meaning; siren; run to your bomb shelter) were sounded. There appear to be, finally, less in the south (reflecting our successes in Gaza) however more in the North (Iran using Lebanon, Syria, Hezbollah) …and even Yemenite Houthi attacks on Eilat in the far south, where many, who were displaced from their kibbutzim, were put up in hotels. The war has been costly…more than 360 Israeli soldiers killed to date.
Many of you expressed surprise at the way our soldiers are fed by the citizens of the country and I thought that it is probably difficult to picture the fact that the soldiers are rotated to come home to their families every week or two…to embrace their loved ones and get showers, do laundry, enjoy family meals, and sleep in a real bed. They might be sent home for as short a period as 12 hours or for several days. They return refreshed. Some of them live within walking distance of where they are fighting…others travel by car or public transportation. The war is ‘right here’…those fighting for us are our family members. It’s very, very personal.
Many volunteers have come from around the world to join those volunteering to help keep the country running. Particularly hard hit has been our agriculture. Most ‘POPULAR’ among our volunteers seem to be 4 American cowboys (3 from Montana and one from Arkansas) who simply bought tickets and came, saying; ‘We are Christians, so we love you…and we are farmers, so we know that when a farmer is down, everyone needs to pitch in.’ It has really warmed the hearts of the nation. (I just found out that FIFTEEN actually came!) My helper (from the government) goes south one day a week to pick crops. She sent me a picture of herself in a tree harvesting olives. Many of the schools have dismissed their classes for students to go and help in the fields or in hospitals…where ever there is a need.
One day when I had watched far too many videos chanting ‘from the river to the sea…’, my neighbor sent me yet another video. I had to do a double take; was it fake? But it wasn’t and I burst out crying. Silently…reported almost no where…there were our soldiers unfurling and raising the Israeli flag…at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza! Our soldiers had fought through…from the river to the sea…in Israeli hands! They raised the flag and sang Hatikvah…our national anthem. They are moving slowly, methodically, carefully…non the less, last I had heard, we have lost 35 soldiers in the fighting with many wounded since entering the ground war in Gaza.
I wrote that yesterday. We lost 5 more last night.
Because of the nature of the attack, it has been difficult to perfectly identify many of the bodies, and there has been a need to call for the aid of archeologists to sift through the ashes and identify remnants of bodies. In Judaism, the body is considered holy, even in death, and so the identification is very important. With their help, 200 more people who were thought to have been perished were found to be bodies of terrorists and not Israelis, so the number of those killed initially has moved from approximately 1,400 to approximately 1,200. Perhaps this article will help to explain: death tolls revised down
I spoke to a brother who is very involved in hospital work and asked him how the hospitals are holding up. He told me that they are doing well…but that the rehabilitation centers are staggering…and that the emotional impact of having so many young people (soldiers) with amputated limbs is difficult. Shortly after that, I learned that a believer from the south (I think) was critically injured and lost both of his legs. He is 20 and still in critical condition. His first name is A...... for those who would pray for him.
_____________________________________
I wrote the above yesterday. Things change so rapidly. I try to remember things that I want to write about but the priorities change. Today is day 37 of the war and it is necessary to keep encouraging one another to life, strength, and to look TO THE LORD!
I just came back from a shop…sort of a general store farm style. There were a number of customers and workers and as I went to pay for my stuff, this song came on the radio. It is a song that we also sing in Kehila and speaks of the times that the Jews have been near annihilation and YET GOD saved us…He Who saved us WILL YET save us it says. EVERYONE THERE JOINED IN SINGING! It was an emotional and strengthening moment. Yonatan Razel - Vehi Sheamda
At Kehila last night, I found out that A..... was starting a ‘ministry’ of designing and producing bedrooms for all of the new orphans that we now have. A.... is a registered nurse who has worked in child cancer care for many years, but when her own second daughter was born last year, she stopped working. The Lord placed this need on her heart as she looked at the rooms of her own little girls and saw the burned homes (and families) of the new orphans. She thought about what it would be like for these little ones to have NOTHING comforting in their lives, and this new idea was born…with prayer for each of these little ones.
We prayed for each of the soldiers from our own congregation and others that we know who are fighting… praying for their spirit and soul to be guarded as well as their bodies.
My son in law w....... came by and took me out for lunch on Thursday. He has always been a pacifist and did religious studies rather than go to army. As things heated up and he understood that he may need (we pray not) to defend his family, after much counsel and soul searching, he applied for a gun license and went through weapons training. Sometimes he comes to me when something is heavy on his heart, for which I am deeply thankful. We sat in a small local Kurdi restaurant and he told me that he is not sleeping. He knows that he is responsible for his family’s safety and it weighs on him. He looks at his own 3 little girls and knows that they depend upon him. Because their village is so small, everyone with a weapon must do guard duty and he has been given the 2am shift. I told him that I would be praying for him, so last night I got up at 2am. to lift him in prayer. Suddenly at about 2:15 I heard the roaring overhead of heavily loaded planes: That alerted me to know that we were bombing in the north. When I woke, sure enough there had been increased attacks in the north and we had struck back…was it Lebanon or Syria? It has already been replaced by more current news; it is just being reported that there was a Hezbollah attack in the north severely injuring a number of civilians. How secure I am KNOWING that THE LORD OF HOSTS really IS in control!
My other son in law, ......., also blessed me last week by sending me a link to an interactive zoom lecture class that he was giving in Sderot School of Animation where he taught in the past when they were living here…and after as well (online). What a JOY it was for me to see some 200 students encouraged by his presentation…and to see the compassion in his face and voice.
Brothers and sisters…this season feels surreal…but it is VERY ‘REAL’ and how we each relate to it and walk through it (I believe) will affect the rest of our lives.
This has gotten too long for ‘a quick update’ but events around me are moving so quickly. I am deeply thankful for your prayers and encouragement. I, myself, am fine and have deep peace in my heart…and no fear.
I send my love. May your week ahead be blessed with more of Him.
Lovingly, your sister.
November 7, 2023
PSALM 114:1-8 “When Israel went out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,Judah became His sanctuary, And Israel His dominion. The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.”
PSALM 115:1-3 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy,Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases.”
2 CHRONICLES 15:1-8 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord.
To The One True God…The Creator of heaven and earth Who has given us His Messiah Yeshua – may all glory go…may He be our one fear…He is still The Lord of Hosts. Loving greetings to each of you, and thank you so very much for your prayers and love.
I began to write and then I received a prayer request that a fierce battle was raging, so I have been praying. I still have no news, but my heart is quiet, so I will continue to write as I continue to lift up our soldiers.
1 Samuel 17 contains the beloved report of David and Goliath. Verses 17 and 18 say: “Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” It was part of my reading this morning and I thought about how I USED to think ‘that was quaint’. I know that western armies have ‘kitchens’ and the like, but that isn’t so here during battle. It is as in the days of David. Right now, much of the non-fighting part of the country is engaged in food preparation and delivery. Pizza delivery for the soldiers has become tax free (I kid you not).
There are no health department inspections…there are only loving families and other volunteers making sandwiches, soups, all manner of food. Home kitchens, commercial kitchens…any free working space has become and area to ‘feed the soldiers’. My 82 year old friend, ....., used to own an amazing middle eastern restaurant. She volunteered to make food. She called me: ‘Oy! I can not do what they are asking! They want me to make the food AND to bring it to Gaza the same day. I told them ‘I can not cook and drive the same day. I can make the food today and bring it down tomorrow.’ No! They told me…I have to bring it the same day! Oy! What can I do?’
I told you in my last update about the nephew of G.... and O..i who was killed in Gaza. Because our funerals are held within 24 hours of the death, I did not hear in time to attend the funeral, but the shiva is held for the 7 days following the burial. Yesterday I took the bus into Jerusalem for the first time since I stopped working, the day before Sukkot [that seems so long ago now]. The shiva was held in a synagogue. When I found the place, the large room was filled with hundreds of young people…most of whom had a weapon slung over their shoulder. I realized that I had not been at a shiva for a young person before. In the far corner, I spotted G... and O... It was hard to digest just how few ‘older people’ there were compared with the young mourners. We embraced and talked for awhile…there really are no words and everyone knows that, and no one expects ‘the right words’, for there just aren’t any. I only stayed for a half hour or so, but during that time two older men in army fatigues came in – their presence was strong and everyone’s eyes turned toward them. They went to the Grandfather …they were official army support, assigned to comfort the grieving…it is a heavy job, but they are appreciated.
I was very tired when I left. I had walked a long way trying to find the synagogue and then I walked for another hour to an appointment with a lung doctor. When I got out of the doctor’s office, it was dark and I decided that I would take a taxi home rather than battle the bus and train and another bus. I prayed for the right driver. I didn’t feel emotionally strong enough to get an Arab driver. I was standing on the corner for quite awhile and almost despairing of being able to get a taxi, when ‘the right’ driver came by. It’s funny how you can ‘feel’ true humility in some people and it’s just so refreshing. We were soon talking about the war, our families, and life in general. I told him that I had been at a shiva earlier and he told me that he had attended 3 funerals this week. ‘How could we expect to NOT be judged when we have been fighting one another…when people want to do away with Shabbat, when we don’t respect each other and we don’t respect God’s commandments.’ he commented. We began talking about the fear of God and how we must not worship the IDF (“may God bless them”) but worship only God Who gives our soldiers the strength to overcome the enemy. Suddenly he told me shyly; ‘I believe in miracles.’ I told him that I do too and he said ‘I had a miracle in my own life’. So I said ‘Please. Tell me about it!’ He told me that last week he had driven to Rishon L’Zion (along the coast) and was on a narrow street when a siren sounded. He looked and could see no place to pull over. Rishon L’Zion is very close to Gaza so whereas we have 90 seconds to reach shelter here, they have about 20 seconds. He finally pulled over and left his car to lie down against a wall and cover his head when the rocket exploded less than 10 meters in front of him. He said that he heard the ‘pop pop pop’ (he made a sound like bullets hitting the ground) and whizzing all around him as the shrapnel struck and he called out to God who covered him and he was not hit! ‘HALLELUYAH’ I shouted from the back seat! ‘That was a miracle!’ And he took up the cry: ‘Hodu l’Adonai ki tov…ki lay olam hasdo!’ (“Give thanks to The Lord for His mercy endures forever”) we shouted over and over! It was a wonderful time of rejoicing with him and we shared scriptures and the atmosphere in that taxi was so light and joyful. He said to me ‘My rabbi once told me a wonderful secret. That God has given the Arabs a particular blessing…that they must always fight and hate one another.’ I said ‘Oh ofcourse. That is in Genesis 16:12 where God said of Ishmael: “He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Again, we rejoiced in the scriptures! It was a WONDERFUL trip home and when we arrived the price was half of what I expected…so I blessed him with double what he asked for and all that I can say my heart was so uplifted and I believe that his was as well.
It was an emotional day today…each day getting more emotional, but His Hand is so evident at every turn. As I shared, the whole country is volunteering in one way or another and there is a general ‘sweet kindness’ being shown to one another. Nobody knows what the next person might be going through so everyone is unusually sensitive. I read this headline a short time ago:
“The education ministry said it was considering suspending high school studies during wartime and shifting students to volunteer programs. "All the Israeli youth today are the State of Israel. Its routine has gone completely wrong. I am discussing the subject with officials in the ministry," Education Minister Yoav Kisch said in the Knesset…According to the Education ministry, many high school students chose to join voluntary initiatives, including babysitters, receiving evacuees in reception centers, helping the elderly, assisting less fortunate families and more…Hundreds of teenagers who speak foreign languages have taken a course in advocacy and are active in global social networks. In addition, the education ministry, in cooperation with the agriculture ministry, began to send volunteers to support Israel's agriculture.”
I am so thankful for your prayers and encouragement! I am so thankful for having the TIME undistracted for staying in The Word and in prayer. I am so thankful for the body and for His Holy Spirit! May we be THANKFUL and found not complaining nor murmuring; He has been and is only Good and Faithful.
Loving blessings from your sis.
Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, The little hills like lambs. What ails you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan, that you turned back? O mountains, that you skipped like rams? O little hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, The flint into a fountain of waters.”
PSALM 115:1-3 “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy,Because of Your truth. Why should the Gentiles say, “So where is their God?” But our God is in heaven;He does whatever He pleases.”
2 CHRONICLES 15:1-8 Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them. And in those times there was no peace to the one who went out, nor to the one who came in, but great turmoil was on all the inhabitants of the lands. So nation was destroyed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every adversity. But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had taken in the mountains of Ephraim; and he restored the altar of the Lord that was before the vestibule of the Lord.
To The One True God…The Creator of heaven and earth Who has given us His Messiah Yeshua – may all glory go…may He be our one fear…He is still The Lord of Hosts. Loving greetings to each of you, and thank you so very much for your prayers and love.
I began to write and then I received a prayer request that a fierce battle was raging, so I have been praying. I still have no news, but my heart is quiet, so I will continue to write as I continue to lift up our soldiers.
1 Samuel 17 contains the beloved report of David and Goliath. Verses 17 and 18 say: “Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” It was part of my reading this morning and I thought about how I USED to think ‘that was quaint’. I know that western armies have ‘kitchens’ and the like, but that isn’t so here during battle. It is as in the days of David. Right now, much of the non-fighting part of the country is engaged in food preparation and delivery. Pizza delivery for the soldiers has become tax free (I kid you not).
There are no health department inspections…there are only loving families and other volunteers making sandwiches, soups, all manner of food. Home kitchens, commercial kitchens…any free working space has become and area to ‘feed the soldiers’. My 82 year old friend, ....., used to own an amazing middle eastern restaurant. She volunteered to make food. She called me: ‘Oy! I can not do what they are asking! They want me to make the food AND to bring it to Gaza the same day. I told them ‘I can not cook and drive the same day. I can make the food today and bring it down tomorrow.’ No! They told me…I have to bring it the same day! Oy! What can I do?’
I told you in my last update about the nephew of G.... and O..i who was killed in Gaza. Because our funerals are held within 24 hours of the death, I did not hear in time to attend the funeral, but the shiva is held for the 7 days following the burial. Yesterday I took the bus into Jerusalem for the first time since I stopped working, the day before Sukkot [that seems so long ago now]. The shiva was held in a synagogue. When I found the place, the large room was filled with hundreds of young people…most of whom had a weapon slung over their shoulder. I realized that I had not been at a shiva for a young person before. In the far corner, I spotted G... and O... It was hard to digest just how few ‘older people’ there were compared with the young mourners. We embraced and talked for awhile…there really are no words and everyone knows that, and no one expects ‘the right words’, for there just aren’t any. I only stayed for a half hour or so, but during that time two older men in army fatigues came in – their presence was strong and everyone’s eyes turned toward them. They went to the Grandfather …they were official army support, assigned to comfort the grieving…it is a heavy job, but they are appreciated.
I was very tired when I left. I had walked a long way trying to find the synagogue and then I walked for another hour to an appointment with a lung doctor. When I got out of the doctor’s office, it was dark and I decided that I would take a taxi home rather than battle the bus and train and another bus. I prayed for the right driver. I didn’t feel emotionally strong enough to get an Arab driver. I was standing on the corner for quite awhile and almost despairing of being able to get a taxi, when ‘the right’ driver came by. It’s funny how you can ‘feel’ true humility in some people and it’s just so refreshing. We were soon talking about the war, our families, and life in general. I told him that I had been at a shiva earlier and he told me that he had attended 3 funerals this week. ‘How could we expect to NOT be judged when we have been fighting one another…when people want to do away with Shabbat, when we don’t respect each other and we don’t respect God’s commandments.’ he commented. We began talking about the fear of God and how we must not worship the IDF (“may God bless them”) but worship only God Who gives our soldiers the strength to overcome the enemy. Suddenly he told me shyly; ‘I believe in miracles.’ I told him that I do too and he said ‘I had a miracle in my own life’. So I said ‘Please. Tell me about it!’ He told me that last week he had driven to Rishon L’Zion (along the coast) and was on a narrow street when a siren sounded. He looked and could see no place to pull over. Rishon L’Zion is very close to Gaza so whereas we have 90 seconds to reach shelter here, they have about 20 seconds. He finally pulled over and left his car to lie down against a wall and cover his head when the rocket exploded less than 10 meters in front of him. He said that he heard the ‘pop pop pop’ (he made a sound like bullets hitting the ground) and whizzing all around him as the shrapnel struck and he called out to God who covered him and he was not hit! ‘HALLELUYAH’ I shouted from the back seat! ‘That was a miracle!’ And he took up the cry: ‘Hodu l’Adonai ki tov…ki lay olam hasdo!’ (“Give thanks to The Lord for His mercy endures forever”) we shouted over and over! It was a wonderful time of rejoicing with him and we shared scriptures and the atmosphere in that taxi was so light and joyful. He said to me ‘My rabbi once told me a wonderful secret. That God has given the Arabs a particular blessing…that they must always fight and hate one another.’ I said ‘Oh ofcourse. That is in Genesis 16:12 where God said of Ishmael: “He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” Again, we rejoiced in the scriptures! It was a WONDERFUL trip home and when we arrived the price was half of what I expected…so I blessed him with double what he asked for and all that I can say my heart was so uplifted and I believe that his was as well.
It was an emotional day today…each day getting more emotional, but His Hand is so evident at every turn. As I shared, the whole country is volunteering in one way or another and there is a general ‘sweet kindness’ being shown to one another. Nobody knows what the next person might be going through so everyone is unusually sensitive. I read this headline a short time ago:
“The education ministry said it was considering suspending high school studies during wartime and shifting students to volunteer programs. "All the Israeli youth today are the State of Israel. Its routine has gone completely wrong. I am discussing the subject with officials in the ministry," Education Minister Yoav Kisch said in the Knesset…According to the Education ministry, many high school students chose to join voluntary initiatives, including babysitters, receiving evacuees in reception centers, helping the elderly, assisting less fortunate families and more…Hundreds of teenagers who speak foreign languages have taken a course in advocacy and are active in global social networks. In addition, the education ministry, in cooperation with the agriculture ministry, began to send volunteers to support Israel's agriculture.”
I am so thankful for your prayers and encouragement! I am so thankful for having the TIME undistracted for staying in The Word and in prayer. I am so thankful for the body and for His Holy Spirit! May we be THANKFUL and found not complaining nor murmuring; He has been and is only Good and Faithful.
Loving blessings from your sis.
November 2, 2023
“For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations.” NUMBERS 23:9
Thank you for searching the scriptures, loving The Lord and choosing His way, which is narrow. May He be glorified and find us faithful!
The view from my small place is what I have to offer.
I have always been fascinated by weather and, whether it meant taking a train to the NYC beach during a hurricane or pressing into the typhoon winds in Bristol Bay Alaska…I was always aware of the weather. I have written here many times about having noticed that dramatic weather here, has seemed to me – often! – to accompany dramatic events. Yesterday my heart pounded as the sky turned black. It IS the rainy season (since Sukkot) but it has been dry. I have mentioned that Maoz Zion overlooks a forest and a valley and that I have a breathtaking view of Jerusalem to the left…really, I have a wonderful view all around. There was a clap of thunder as I went out to the cliff to look. The clouds were dramatically rolling and, as I said, the brooding black clouds engulfing Jerusalem were commanding. For 6 hours here in Maoz Zion we had rolling thunder, often punctuated by planes or bombs rumbling in unison. After several hours, pouring rain washed us for about an hour; wonderful buckets of it. As suddenly as it started, it stopped and again the clouds, golden, silver, black, white, rolling around…and then a rainbow! WOW! We don’t see rainbows here as often as we did in Alaska where double and triple ones were not rare. I stood there wondering if the weather was this way all over the country. S... (my upstairs neighbor from Estonia) came home. He is a video photographer and had been taping in Ashkelon. He was overcome by the devastation that he saw there…the city destroyed…but he told me that it was clear and dry. He had seen no signs of the storm. Another friend was not far away in Beit Shemesh and he also reported ‘only a few drops of rain’.
Last night I slept well, but the night before (Tues-Wed) there was very little sleep for me. It was a different kind of prayer that night; a different kind of wrestling…I felt often, in the midst, as if I were actually a soldier fighting in a tight place in combat. Eventually I slept for a couple of hours and got up to check the news. They were reporting 9, then 10, then 11, then 12 Golani soldiers killed during horrific battles in Gaza. The names and the pictures appeared. One by one I read them…looked at the pictures…thought about their families…and had to weep with them. I just pulled up this headline at random:
IDF steps up Gaza ground operation, 18 Israeli troops killed
1,400 Israelis murdered since October 7, including 332 soldiers- 242 held hostage by Hamas, four hostages released, one rescued
The headlines (and stories) change moment by moment. I do hope that you have accessed the news sites that I sent links to. It is worth taking a look several times a day…events are moving so rapidly.
Today, again, a number of countries removed their ambassadors or severed all diplomatic ties with Israel. I seem to remember Columbia, Chile, and several other South American countries as well. Jordan withdrew their ambassador (this is a big deal since we signed peace accords with them in 1994.) I can not remember them all. Most airlines have stopped flying here. Only ElAl continues flights on a regular basis. A list of companies worldwide that have come out in support of Israel was published (I will attach it), since the BDS movement has been thriving since the war began. I KNOW that you understand and stand with us in prayer and love and that a number of wonderful governmental leaders also are wonderfully vocal, but the venom running in the streets…I have no words. May it be a wave on which the Jews still in exile among the nations will finally flee home, even if we are wartorn.
Yesterday R... S.... came by with a gift for me. She was one of our patients and I have always liked her. She is my age, the only child of holocaust survivors. She said that it was only after her father died that she found that he had had another family before the holocaust, but they were all killed in Auschwitz. She told me that her father never spoke of it…so it was a shock to find out. I shared with her my testimony and would appreciate prayer for her salvation.
Today at prayer there was a request for O.. H...... ‘O..?’ I said…’What is wrong…she is a friend of mine’ (not yet a believer). ‘A.... R.... was her nephew that she raised with his two brothers. He was killed in the war yesterday.’ I did not know! ‘They were looking for people to line the streets in holding flags on the route to the cemetery.’ I sent off a quick WhatsApp to G... (O.... husband) and he sent back a picture of the black and white mourning poster with the shiva times. The amount of grieving…it is something that still seems unreal. I listen to the stories told by those working in forensics, to identify bodies still piled up (because in Israel…everyone has a name and must be identified beyond a doubt. I listened to an interview on the news with a woman from the ‘women’s burial unit’…describing how they take the bodies with such care…realizing that they will be the last person on earth to care for them…they wash them and gently wrap them in a white burial shroud…but they have never seen such mutilated bodies…nor so many. It IS traumatic. It IS necessary to keep going. It IS necessary to encourage one another.
Volunteers come from other countries to help in many capacities. I watched a video today of an American man who heard about the laundry problem (our soldiers bring their laundry home…but they aren’t going home right now so there is a ‘smelly laundry problem’. This man bought and shipped here a LAUNDRYMAT on a long truck with washers and dryers and right on the battle front he set this contraption up and soldiers lined up with their laundry! What a service! People are so creative. I just got a notice asking for anyone with any teaching experience to volunteer to fill in for teachers called to fight. The bloodmobile was camped out today with people lined up to give blood. At the food shop there are big bins for soldiers and for displaced families. I was told that hundreds of thousands of families have immediately been housed and clothed…people are just moving over and making room.
PRAYER REQUEST: We will know that The Lord has heard our prayers and had mercy on us if we survive. To survive, we MUST defeat the enemies…there IS no ‘time out’ or ‘cease fire’…this is unto the finish. Tomorrow America’s A. Blinken is arriving – our understanding is that they STRONGLY want a ‘PAUSE’ (what a politically correct word!). The pressure will be great. We are praying that our leadership will NOT GIVE IN. A ‘pause’ will only weaken us and strengthen them.
Everywhere people are praying. The western wall has been constantly full of people gathering to pray. Yes, I see so many calling on The Name of The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…not yet YESHUA…but praying that NOW, LORD.
I apologize that these letters are disjointed and not painting a complete picture. I am tired and emotions are very stretched. I encourage you to, yes, keep up with what is happening through the sites that I shared with you…but most of all … keep praying. This is perhaps…(I don’t want to sound too dramatic) the battle of our lifetime. May we be filled with The Holy Spirit and The Spirit of discernment…may we not be deceived or turned out of the straight path by emotion or sentimentality. May He give us His Spirit of prayer in our prayer closets.
I am very tired so I will not be reading this over. (I don't know why the 'formatting' got esqued, but I'm too tired to figure it out)
Lovingly, your sister
Thank you for searching the scriptures, loving The Lord and choosing His way, which is narrow. May He be glorified and find us faithful!
The view from my small place is what I have to offer.
I have always been fascinated by weather and, whether it meant taking a train to the NYC beach during a hurricane or pressing into the typhoon winds in Bristol Bay Alaska…I was always aware of the weather. I have written here many times about having noticed that dramatic weather here, has seemed to me – often! – to accompany dramatic events. Yesterday my heart pounded as the sky turned black. It IS the rainy season (since Sukkot) but it has been dry. I have mentioned that Maoz Zion overlooks a forest and a valley and that I have a breathtaking view of Jerusalem to the left…really, I have a wonderful view all around. There was a clap of thunder as I went out to the cliff to look. The clouds were dramatically rolling and, as I said, the brooding black clouds engulfing Jerusalem were commanding. For 6 hours here in Maoz Zion we had rolling thunder, often punctuated by planes or bombs rumbling in unison. After several hours, pouring rain washed us for about an hour; wonderful buckets of it. As suddenly as it started, it stopped and again the clouds, golden, silver, black, white, rolling around…and then a rainbow! WOW! We don’t see rainbows here as often as we did in Alaska where double and triple ones were not rare. I stood there wondering if the weather was this way all over the country. S... (my upstairs neighbor from Estonia) came home. He is a video photographer and had been taping in Ashkelon. He was overcome by the devastation that he saw there…the city destroyed…but he told me that it was clear and dry. He had seen no signs of the storm. Another friend was not far away in Beit Shemesh and he also reported ‘only a few drops of rain’.
Last night I slept well, but the night before (Tues-Wed) there was very little sleep for me. It was a different kind of prayer that night; a different kind of wrestling…I felt often, in the midst, as if I were actually a soldier fighting in a tight place in combat. Eventually I slept for a couple of hours and got up to check the news. They were reporting 9, then 10, then 11, then 12 Golani soldiers killed during horrific battles in Gaza. The names and the pictures appeared. One by one I read them…looked at the pictures…thought about their families…and had to weep with them. I just pulled up this headline at random:
IDF steps up Gaza ground operation, 18 Israeli troops killed
1,400 Israelis murdered since October 7, including 332 soldiers- 242 held hostage by Hamas, four hostages released, one rescued
The headlines (and stories) change moment by moment. I do hope that you have accessed the news sites that I sent links to. It is worth taking a look several times a day…events are moving so rapidly.
Today, again, a number of countries removed their ambassadors or severed all diplomatic ties with Israel. I seem to remember Columbia, Chile, and several other South American countries as well. Jordan withdrew their ambassador (this is a big deal since we signed peace accords with them in 1994.) I can not remember them all. Most airlines have stopped flying here. Only ElAl continues flights on a regular basis. A list of companies worldwide that have come out in support of Israel was published (I will attach it), since the BDS movement has been thriving since the war began. I KNOW that you understand and stand with us in prayer and love and that a number of wonderful governmental leaders also are wonderfully vocal, but the venom running in the streets…I have no words. May it be a wave on which the Jews still in exile among the nations will finally flee home, even if we are wartorn.
Yesterday R... S.... came by with a gift for me. She was one of our patients and I have always liked her. She is my age, the only child of holocaust survivors. She said that it was only after her father died that she found that he had had another family before the holocaust, but they were all killed in Auschwitz. She told me that her father never spoke of it…so it was a shock to find out. I shared with her my testimony and would appreciate prayer for her salvation.
Today at prayer there was a request for O.. H...... ‘O..?’ I said…’What is wrong…she is a friend of mine’ (not yet a believer). ‘A.... R.... was her nephew that she raised with his two brothers. He was killed in the war yesterday.’ I did not know! ‘They were looking for people to line the streets in holding flags on the route to the cemetery.’ I sent off a quick WhatsApp to G... (O.... husband) and he sent back a picture of the black and white mourning poster with the shiva times. The amount of grieving…it is something that still seems unreal. I listen to the stories told by those working in forensics, to identify bodies still piled up (because in Israel…everyone has a name and must be identified beyond a doubt. I listened to an interview on the news with a woman from the ‘women’s burial unit’…describing how they take the bodies with such care…realizing that they will be the last person on earth to care for them…they wash them and gently wrap them in a white burial shroud…but they have never seen such mutilated bodies…nor so many. It IS traumatic. It IS necessary to keep going. It IS necessary to encourage one another.
Volunteers come from other countries to help in many capacities. I watched a video today of an American man who heard about the laundry problem (our soldiers bring their laundry home…but they aren’t going home right now so there is a ‘smelly laundry problem’. This man bought and shipped here a LAUNDRYMAT on a long truck with washers and dryers and right on the battle front he set this contraption up and soldiers lined up with their laundry! What a service! People are so creative. I just got a notice asking for anyone with any teaching experience to volunteer to fill in for teachers called to fight. The bloodmobile was camped out today with people lined up to give blood. At the food shop there are big bins for soldiers and for displaced families. I was told that hundreds of thousands of families have immediately been housed and clothed…people are just moving over and making room.
PRAYER REQUEST: We will know that The Lord has heard our prayers and had mercy on us if we survive. To survive, we MUST defeat the enemies…there IS no ‘time out’ or ‘cease fire’…this is unto the finish. Tomorrow America’s A. Blinken is arriving – our understanding is that they STRONGLY want a ‘PAUSE’ (what a politically correct word!). The pressure will be great. We are praying that our leadership will NOT GIVE IN. A ‘pause’ will only weaken us and strengthen them.
Everywhere people are praying. The western wall has been constantly full of people gathering to pray. Yes, I see so many calling on The Name of The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…not yet YESHUA…but praying that NOW, LORD.
I apologize that these letters are disjointed and not painting a complete picture. I am tired and emotions are very stretched. I encourage you to, yes, keep up with what is happening through the sites that I shared with you…but most of all … keep praying. This is perhaps…(I don’t want to sound too dramatic) the battle of our lifetime. May we be filled with The Holy Spirit and The Spirit of discernment…may we not be deceived or turned out of the straight path by emotion or sentimentality. May He give us His Spirit of prayer in our prayer closets.
I am very tired so I will not be reading this over. (I don't know why the 'formatting' got esqued, but I'm too tired to figure it out)
Lovingly, your sister
November 1, 2023
PSALM 27
It is evening. We have just turned our clocks back and so it is darker at this time than it was a few days ago.The Lord is faithful in the dark and in the light, in the storm and in the calm. He simply IS faithful...He can not deny Himself. May we also stand faithful, you and I...at all times.
The war continues and increases in intensity. Fierce combat is going on and increasing in Gaza and we are praying for our soldiers and the captives...they are constantly on our minds and hearts as well as the deep anguish of those who still are waiting for news of missing loved ones or loved ones on the front lines (our back yard). A WONDERFUL THING HAPPENED YESTERDAY! We do not (of necessity!) know the details, but a young woman soldier who was taken captive on the 7th, was rescued by the IDF and returned to her family. This was such a huge ray of hope to us all! We long to see other families also giving credit first to 'God The Creator of all' as her family did. Praise God for such encouragement!
As things continue to heat up, the Houthis in Yemen, backed by Iran and similar to isis, have entered the war and have been launching long range missiles at us. Several were intercepted, but several have also hit. This is an unwanted addition, but here it is. The morale of the citizens and IDF is very high and it is doubted by no one that we will either win or be annihilated. Our eyes are on God, Who promised, Who gave, Who is faithful. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and we know that. Our eyes are on Him. May Messiah be NOW seen and NOW received. May THE SHOUT go up from the camp HE IS ALIVE! May we believers be faithful to shine HIM forth!
Lovingly, your sister
It is evening. We have just turned our clocks back and so it is darker at this time than it was a few days ago.The Lord is faithful in the dark and in the light, in the storm and in the calm. He simply IS faithful...He can not deny Himself. May we also stand faithful, you and I...at all times.
The war continues and increases in intensity. Fierce combat is going on and increasing in Gaza and we are praying for our soldiers and the captives...they are constantly on our minds and hearts as well as the deep anguish of those who still are waiting for news of missing loved ones or loved ones on the front lines (our back yard). A WONDERFUL THING HAPPENED YESTERDAY! We do not (of necessity!) know the details, but a young woman soldier who was taken captive on the 7th, was rescued by the IDF and returned to her family. This was such a huge ray of hope to us all! We long to see other families also giving credit first to 'God The Creator of all' as her family did. Praise God for such encouragement!
As things continue to heat up, the Houthis in Yemen, backed by Iran and similar to isis, have entered the war and have been launching long range missiles at us. Several were intercepted, but several have also hit. This is an unwanted addition, but here it is. The morale of the citizens and IDF is very high and it is doubted by no one that we will either win or be annihilated. Our eyes are on God, Who promised, Who gave, Who is faithful. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and we know that. Our eyes are on Him. May Messiah be NOW seen and NOW received. May THE SHOUT go up from the camp HE IS ALIVE! May we believers be faithful to shine HIM forth!
Lovingly, your sister
October 30, 2023
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.” Corinthians 3-5
BLESSED BE THE GOD…THE ONLY AND ONE TRUE GOD…GOD THE CREATOR…THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE… THE TRUTH…THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF ALL THINGS. May HE be glorified and known…touched and seen and worshipped.
War is a great sifter. The intensity…the seriousness…the moment by moment life and death reality sifts us, searches our hearts, wades in boots through the tender places of our hearts that we would rather reserve and hide.
As the fighting increases with the daily deepening of the ground war, the aerial bombings have not lessened. My neighborhood hasn’t had a siren in 2 weeks and it is amazing how quickly our systems try to ‘re-set’ to some sort of ‘normal’. I had been out all morning and agreed with a sister in Him that we are all so tired, even if we are ‘strong and courageous’…the constant stress is taking a toll on us. She took me shopping and we noted that the store shelves are really showing a difference; they are pretty bare. I got home and began checking the war progress. Last night’s violent riot in an airport in the Russian province of Dagestan shook everyone up…the videos were shocking…even more shocking than the awful demonic demonstrations around the world (yes, I know that there are also supporters and thank you to all of you!) which have re-awakened all of the memories of past hatreds…AMALEK is here and now…never again is here and now…and somehow the reality of that settles into us and takes its toll.
HOWEVER, alongside there is great brightness on many levels. On the natural level there is the endurance and resilience of the people that is so very encouraging. The kindness and yes even press toward God. There is the determination to survive, and to encourage one another along the way. There is wit. There is a humility…a ‘collective’ credit rather than one person wishing to be recognized…the credit goes to everyone. There is a seeking out of those in need.
EVERYONE is painfully aware of the hostages and their waiting loved ones…the AGONY of not knowing! This is the national burden in every heart. We are bearing the captives and their families. And everyone is bearing the soldiers…EVERYONE! I was in line at the drug store the other day and a sneezing soldier came in and I stepped aside and told him ‘Please! You first and bless you!’ and he said ‘God forbid! I always let old people go first. I won’t take your place.’ Oh my!
The hostages: There are now 239 confirmed last I heard. Two who were thought to be hostages were identified today from their brutalized remains as dead. Every other picture is of another one gone, finally identified…either a hostage or a soldier. There are so many ‘remains’ waiting to be identified. The number has overwhelmed the forensic institute. At a funeral for a fallen soldier today in Jerusalem, everyone had to lie flat on the ground and cover their heads as the rockets flew overhead.
The babies…the children…the young, middle and old people. We weep as we see interviews with parents who have lost their minds in the midst of this grief. Where will this lead? NONE OF US KNOW. We have not walked this way before. May it lead to Him. Ultimately that is all that matters. I have had more and more opportunities to share my testimony. May it bear fruit for His kingdom. Believers seem more ‘real’ and less ‘guarded’…seeking to be restored to our first love and in a position for Him to use us as He wishes.
Again, I would ask for prayer for our daughter in the Gush Etzion area of Judea. I woke up Friday night with a sudden memory of the days when isis was being fought in the area and I vividly remembered that we were told that they had planted ‘sleeper cells’! I had forgotten. Those cells were waiting for these days. Please bring this before The Lord and pray as He would lead you.
And so, this is real and all of our years of preparation … may they bring forth fruit for His glory. Thank you so much for your prayers. Thank you so much for standing. It is painful to try to write these letters now.
Lovingly, your sister.
BLESSED BE THE GOD…THE ONLY AND ONE TRUE GOD…GOD THE CREATOR…THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE… THE TRUTH…THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF ALL THINGS. May HE be glorified and known…touched and seen and worshipped.
War is a great sifter. The intensity…the seriousness…the moment by moment life and death reality sifts us, searches our hearts, wades in boots through the tender places of our hearts that we would rather reserve and hide.
As the fighting increases with the daily deepening of the ground war, the aerial bombings have not lessened. My neighborhood hasn’t had a siren in 2 weeks and it is amazing how quickly our systems try to ‘re-set’ to some sort of ‘normal’. I had been out all morning and agreed with a sister in Him that we are all so tired, even if we are ‘strong and courageous’…the constant stress is taking a toll on us. She took me shopping and we noted that the store shelves are really showing a difference; they are pretty bare. I got home and began checking the war progress. Last night’s violent riot in an airport in the Russian province of Dagestan shook everyone up…the videos were shocking…even more shocking than the awful demonic demonstrations around the world (yes, I know that there are also supporters and thank you to all of you!) which have re-awakened all of the memories of past hatreds…AMALEK is here and now…never again is here and now…and somehow the reality of that settles into us and takes its toll.
HOWEVER, alongside there is great brightness on many levels. On the natural level there is the endurance and resilience of the people that is so very encouraging. The kindness and yes even press toward God. There is the determination to survive, and to encourage one another along the way. There is wit. There is a humility…a ‘collective’ credit rather than one person wishing to be recognized…the credit goes to everyone. There is a seeking out of those in need.
EVERYONE is painfully aware of the hostages and their waiting loved ones…the AGONY of not knowing! This is the national burden in every heart. We are bearing the captives and their families. And everyone is bearing the soldiers…EVERYONE! I was in line at the drug store the other day and a sneezing soldier came in and I stepped aside and told him ‘Please! You first and bless you!’ and he said ‘God forbid! I always let old people go first. I won’t take your place.’ Oh my!
The hostages: There are now 239 confirmed last I heard. Two who were thought to be hostages were identified today from their brutalized remains as dead. Every other picture is of another one gone, finally identified…either a hostage or a soldier. There are so many ‘remains’ waiting to be identified. The number has overwhelmed the forensic institute. At a funeral for a fallen soldier today in Jerusalem, everyone had to lie flat on the ground and cover their heads as the rockets flew overhead.
The babies…the children…the young, middle and old people. We weep as we see interviews with parents who have lost their minds in the midst of this grief. Where will this lead? NONE OF US KNOW. We have not walked this way before. May it lead to Him. Ultimately that is all that matters. I have had more and more opportunities to share my testimony. May it bear fruit for His kingdom. Believers seem more ‘real’ and less ‘guarded’…seeking to be restored to our first love and in a position for Him to use us as He wishes.
Again, I would ask for prayer for our daughter in the Gush Etzion area of Judea. I woke up Friday night with a sudden memory of the days when isis was being fought in the area and I vividly remembered that we were told that they had planted ‘sleeper cells’! I had forgotten. Those cells were waiting for these days. Please bring this before The Lord and pray as He would lead you.
And so, this is real and all of our years of preparation … may they bring forth fruit for His glory. Thank you so much for your prayers. Thank you so much for standing. It is painful to try to write these letters now.
Lovingly, your sister.
October 29, 2023
“So His disciples went out and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them…”
MARK 14:16
May The Lord glorify His Name.
That verse in Mark always arrests me and reminds me that I can (and must) ALWAYS trust Him. Because if it is Him Whom I am listening to, it will ALWAYS come to pass.
Today is the 22nd day of the war and it is again Shabbat.
I have just come home from Kehila in time to listen to the news where the nation was briefed concerning what lies ahead. I will print out for you a summary of the Prime Minister’s speech from YNET and Minister of defense Gallant’s speech from Times of Israel. This afternoon the Prime Minister met with the families of the captives…the number of captives has been raised to 229.
IT IS TIME TO PRAY.
.
Netanyahu: This is a second Independence War
'In first weeks of war, we have dealt severe blow to enemy to ensure safest possible entry for our ground forces,' he says during joint presser with Gallant, Gantz; rockets fired toward central Israel during speech
"This is our second War of Independence; we are fighting to defend our homeland, and we will eradicate the enemy from above and below the ground. It will be a triumph of good over evil, life over death. This is our life's mission - my life's mission," he said during a joint press conference alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz.
"We will be victorious. In the first weeks of the war, we have dealt a severe blow to the enemy to ensure the safest possible entry for our forces on the ground, and we are only at the beginning of the path. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be tough and protracted."
He also addressed the launch of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, which he said received unanimous support from members of the emergency wartime Cabinet.
"On Friday evening, additional ground forces entered the Gaza Strip. This marks the second phase of the war. We have decided to expand the ground offensive." Netanyahu added, "We are determined to settle the score with the murderers as they deserve for the heinous acts they have committed. We've always said to the world, 'Never again - Never again is now.'"
During the press conference, a barrage of rockets was fired toward the central cities of Ness Ziona, Yavne and other neighboring communities, as well as toward the southern city of Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of rocket fire since hostilities began earlier this month.
In an earlier rocket attack toward central Israel, three people sustained light injuries. First responders reported providing medical treatment to a man in his 50s in Holon who suffered from smoke inhalation, two people who were injured while heading to a shelter in Tel Aviv and Yehud and six people who suffered shock in Kiryat Ono and Ramat Gan.
Meanwhile, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that three rocket launches from Lebanon were detected, triggering rocket sirens in the border community of Margaliot near Mount Hermon. All three rockets landed in unpopulated areas. The army said that it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response.
One rocket struck a parking lot in the central city of Kiryat Ono, igniting a fire and causing several cars to explode. Fire and rescue services reported that "the rocket fell near a residential building. The teams are engaged in extinguishing the fire and searching for casualties near the vehicles and the adjacent building."
Abu Obaida, the spokesperson of Hamas's military wing, said Saturday evening that the Gaza-ruling terrorist group would be willing to release all the Israeli hostages it holds in exchange for “emptying Israeli prisons” of all Palestinian prisoners.
"If Israel wants to address the issue of the captives all at once, we are ready, and if it wishes to break down the matter, we are prepared for that as well," he said in a statement. "The price for the large number of captives we have is emptying Israeli prisons of all the detainees."
The IDF said Saturday evening that it identified several rocket launches from Lebanese territory toward the Zar'it area in northern Israel. No injuries were reported and no damage was caused. Israeli forces were responding with artillery fire toward the source of the rockets.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of hostages or missing persons at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the base, holding pictures of the abductees and distributing yellow ribbons to drivers as a symbol of solidarity with the captives.
Earlier, after hours of intensive rocket fire into southern Israel, including the border area and the city of Ashkelon, Hamas targeted Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva in the early afternoon. A rocket landed in the southern city, causing property damage but no injuries.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that Israel began a new stage in the war late on Friday when forces entered Gaza. "The ground in Gaza shook," Gallant said "We attacked above and below ground, struck terrorists of all ranks and in all places. The orders are clear. the fight continues until otherwise ordered.
Hamas said it was trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens who were taken hostage during the terrorist attack on Israel in order to free them on Moscow's request, Russian news agencies reported Saturday. "From the Russian side, via the foreign ministry, we received a list of citizens that have dual citizenship," senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzook was cited as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency. "We are looking for those people... It is hard but we are looking. And when we find them, we will let them go."
Gallant says return of captives ‘not a secondary mission,’ warns ‘long war’ ahead in Gaza
By LAZAR BERMAN
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a press conference about the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, October 28, 2023. (YouTube screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Speaking after Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says there is not one moment he is not thinking about the hostages.
“Over the last day, we advanced to a new stage” in the war, he says. “The strength of the fire shook the ground in Gaza, and it’s different from anything Hamas has experienced since its creation.
“IDF forces are maneuvering in the relevant places, and are striking Hamas arrays right now, above ground and underground.”
“Hamas is suffering shocks it has never suffered,” he says.
Gallant says Israeli forces in Gaza are receiving all the intelligence and supportive fire they need, adding the operation is precise, lethal and extremely powerful.
Gallant says he “has full faith” in the IDF chief of staff, the heads of Shin Bet and Mossad, and the soldiers in the field.
He stresses Israel doesn’t want to expand the war, but is ready if anyone else gets involved.
Gallant also says the country is taking care of the reservists, those living near the combat areas and those who have had to leave their houses.
Turning to the hostages, Gallant says Israel is doing everything it can to bring the hostages back. “It is not a secondary mission.”
“Let’s not delude ourselves, our enemies are not looking for humanitarian solutions.”
Gallant says the harder Israel hits Hamas, the greater the chances Hamas will agree to release hostages.
“It will not be a short war. It will be a long war,” he says.
“It is us or them,” Gallant says.
here's an encouraging article about volunteer dairy farmers
The pictures did not come through. You can see them on the media links that I sent.
The number of captives was just readjusted to 230. You might ask how this is happening. My boss sent me an article by a dentist friend and (was) a patient of ours who is volunteering at the forensic center, to identify the remains of the still many unidentified bodies through dental identification. He explained that when someone is identified as dead, it also means that someone else who it MIGHT have been, is now missing.
MARK 14:16
May The Lord glorify His Name.
That verse in Mark always arrests me and reminds me that I can (and must) ALWAYS trust Him. Because if it is Him Whom I am listening to, it will ALWAYS come to pass.
Today is the 22nd day of the war and it is again Shabbat.
I have just come home from Kehila in time to listen to the news where the nation was briefed concerning what lies ahead. I will print out for you a summary of the Prime Minister’s speech from YNET and Minister of defense Gallant’s speech from Times of Israel. This afternoon the Prime Minister met with the families of the captives…the number of captives has been raised to 229.
IT IS TIME TO PRAY.
.
Netanyahu: This is a second Independence War
'In first weeks of war, we have dealt severe blow to enemy to ensure safest possible entry for our ground forces,' he says during joint presser with Gallant, Gantz; rockets fired toward central Israel during speech
"This is our second War of Independence; we are fighting to defend our homeland, and we will eradicate the enemy from above and below the ground. It will be a triumph of good over evil, life over death. This is our life's mission - my life's mission," he said during a joint press conference alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz.
"We will be victorious. In the first weeks of the war, we have dealt a severe blow to the enemy to ensure the safest possible entry for our forces on the ground, and we are only at the beginning of the path. The battle within the Gaza Strip will be tough and protracted."
He also addressed the launch of Israel's ground offensive in Gaza, which he said received unanimous support from members of the emergency wartime Cabinet.
"On Friday evening, additional ground forces entered the Gaza Strip. This marks the second phase of the war. We have decided to expand the ground offensive." Netanyahu added, "We are determined to settle the score with the murderers as they deserve for the heinous acts they have committed. We've always said to the world, 'Never again - Never again is now.'"
During the press conference, a barrage of rockets was fired toward the central cities of Ness Ziona, Yavne and other neighboring communities, as well as toward the southern city of Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of rocket fire since hostilities began earlier this month.
In an earlier rocket attack toward central Israel, three people sustained light injuries. First responders reported providing medical treatment to a man in his 50s in Holon who suffered from smoke inhalation, two people who were injured while heading to a shelter in Tel Aviv and Yehud and six people who suffered shock in Kiryat Ono and Ramat Gan.
Meanwhile, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that three rocket launches from Lebanon were detected, triggering rocket sirens in the border community of Margaliot near Mount Hermon. All three rockets landed in unpopulated areas. The army said that it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in response.
One rocket struck a parking lot in the central city of Kiryat Ono, igniting a fire and causing several cars to explode. Fire and rescue services reported that "the rocket fell near a residential building. The teams are engaged in extinguishing the fire and searching for casualties near the vehicles and the adjacent building."
Abu Obaida, the spokesperson of Hamas's military wing, said Saturday evening that the Gaza-ruling terrorist group would be willing to release all the Israeli hostages it holds in exchange for “emptying Israeli prisons” of all Palestinian prisoners.
"If Israel wants to address the issue of the captives all at once, we are ready, and if it wishes to break down the matter, we are prepared for that as well," he said in a statement. "The price for the large number of captives we have is emptying Israeli prisons of all the detainees."
The IDF said Saturday evening that it identified several rocket launches from Lebanese territory toward the Zar'it area in northern Israel. No injuries were reported and no damage was caused. Israeli forces were responding with artillery fire toward the source of the rockets.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of hostages or missing persons at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the base, holding pictures of the abductees and distributing yellow ribbons to drivers as a symbol of solidarity with the captives.
Earlier, after hours of intensive rocket fire into southern Israel, including the border area and the city of Ashkelon, Hamas targeted Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva in the early afternoon. A rocket landed in the southern city, causing property damage but no injuries.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that Israel began a new stage in the war late on Friday when forces entered Gaza. "The ground in Gaza shook," Gallant said "We attacked above and below ground, struck terrorists of all ranks and in all places. The orders are clear. the fight continues until otherwise ordered.
Hamas said it was trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens who were taken hostage during the terrorist attack on Israel in order to free them on Moscow's request, Russian news agencies reported Saturday. "From the Russian side, via the foreign ministry, we received a list of citizens that have dual citizenship," senior Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzook was cited as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency. "We are looking for those people... It is hard but we are looking. And when we find them, we will let them go."
Gallant says return of captives ‘not a secondary mission,’ warns ‘long war’ ahead in Gaza
By LAZAR BERMAN
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during a press conference about the war against the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group, October 28, 2023. (YouTube screenshot; used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Speaking after Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says there is not one moment he is not thinking about the hostages.
“Over the last day, we advanced to a new stage” in the war, he says. “The strength of the fire shook the ground in Gaza, and it’s different from anything Hamas has experienced since its creation.
“IDF forces are maneuvering in the relevant places, and are striking Hamas arrays right now, above ground and underground.”
“Hamas is suffering shocks it has never suffered,” he says.
Gallant says Israeli forces in Gaza are receiving all the intelligence and supportive fire they need, adding the operation is precise, lethal and extremely powerful.
Gallant says he “has full faith” in the IDF chief of staff, the heads of Shin Bet and Mossad, and the soldiers in the field.
He stresses Israel doesn’t want to expand the war, but is ready if anyone else gets involved.
Gallant also says the country is taking care of the reservists, those living near the combat areas and those who have had to leave their houses.
Turning to the hostages, Gallant says Israel is doing everything it can to bring the hostages back. “It is not a secondary mission.”
“Let’s not delude ourselves, our enemies are not looking for humanitarian solutions.”
Gallant says the harder Israel hits Hamas, the greater the chances Hamas will agree to release hostages.
“It will not be a short war. It will be a long war,” he says.
“It is us or them,” Gallant says.
here's an encouraging article about volunteer dairy farmers
The pictures did not come through. You can see them on the media links that I sent.
The number of captives was just readjusted to 230. You might ask how this is happening. My boss sent me an article by a dentist friend and (was) a patient of ours who is volunteering at the forensic center, to identify the remains of the still many unidentified bodies through dental identification. He explained that when someone is identified as dead, it also means that someone else who it MIGHT have been, is now missing.
October 27, 2023
“He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” PSALM 103:7
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
EZEKIEL 22:30
His WAYS He made know to Moses, but the children of Israel wanted to know only His acts. They didn’t have a capacity for His WAYS. His WAYS almost never appeal to our flesh, which does not want pain and, yes, wants recognition and the preeminence. His WAY is narrow, lowly: and He shares His glory with NO ONE.
There was a notice on my cell phone this morning that there is a current cyber attack alert concerning phones and computers. I am thankful that yesterday I sent you links to my news sources so that you can read for yourself in ‘real time’ what is happening here…for it is necessary to have facts at this time. I will refrain from adding links to my letters for now. I so deeply do not want to lose touch with my children and this is the only form of communication that I have.
R...... came to help me today…my Bituach Leumi helper who has also become a friend. You might remember that I shared my testimony with her awhile back, when her niece was going through a hard time. Today I felt pressed to share with her about the way of salvation and that included some more of my testimony. She listened deeply, but then said that she HAS peace in her heart. She didn’t say ‘no’ to Him, she just does not yet clearly see her need. It’s not my work, but His, to reveal Himself to hearts. I am praying for wisdom and for The Holy Spirit to continue to work in her.
Yesterday I walked up to the HarEl School where the farmer’s market from the south was to be held. I had actually bought cherry tomatoes and cucumbers the day before, but I felt an urgency to support the farmers. The market was supposed to be open from 15:00 (3pm) until 17:30 (5:30pm). I got there right at 3 and by the time I reached the point in line to purchase, the cucumbers were gone already. I took a box of tomatoes and gave them a donation. Everybody is so thankful and trying to do whatever they can. By the time I got home at about 4:15pm, a notice had been sent out already that they were all sold out, due to the wonderful turnout. Part of my reading this morning was in 1 Chronicles 6…the beginning of the wonderful prayer of King Solomon’s as he dedicated the temple. He said ‘WHEN there is war, plague, famine, drought… ‘for all people sin…(and these are Your PROMISES to us WHEN we sin)’ …but when they turn again to You with their WHOLE HEART…HEAR! My heart churned within me to be truly FAITHFUL…to be one who will REALLY STAND IN THE GAP FOR OUR PEOPLE AND NATION(for – woe! – it is recorded in Ezekiel 22:30 that He found NO ONE)…YET BY HIS OWN HAND HE will accomplish what He sees fit.
Tomorrow morning it will be three weeks…21 days…since this nightmare began. Where will it lead? It will lead to HIM if we turn toward Him full faced.
In the midst of all of this…this – yet another very surreal part of the path – we can not forget the captives – night and day – wondering, praying, hoping…224 people…the little children…held deep in the underground tunnels below Gaza…being told lies. We all know what it is to hear the lies of the enemy. When that enemy clothes himself with a human face and voice, OH LORD! May he not prevail in any of those precious lives. May HE Who is The Light and The Truth appear to them and comfort them.
I have been the reluctant recipient of ‘good deeds to be done’ lately. With so many volunteers, people are looking for ways to help (me too)…but it seems as if the ‘good deed’ of ‘feed the widow’ is a popular one and the knocks on my door are non stop. Praise God for such kindness, but neither my refrigerator nor my body has the capacity to consume all of these blessings. I am thankful to share them around, and so as I leave now for shabbat dinner at a friend’s house, I am thrilled to go laden with exotic dishes that I have not made.
I must close now…but again…thank you for praying and for standing firm in His Truth even when the whole world rises us …may we stay behind The Lord’s standard.
Loving blessings,
Shabbat shalom, your sis
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”
EZEKIEL 22:30
His WAYS He made know to Moses, but the children of Israel wanted to know only His acts. They didn’t have a capacity for His WAYS. His WAYS almost never appeal to our flesh, which does not want pain and, yes, wants recognition and the preeminence. His WAY is narrow, lowly: and He shares His glory with NO ONE.
There was a notice on my cell phone this morning that there is a current cyber attack alert concerning phones and computers. I am thankful that yesterday I sent you links to my news sources so that you can read for yourself in ‘real time’ what is happening here…for it is necessary to have facts at this time. I will refrain from adding links to my letters for now. I so deeply do not want to lose touch with my children and this is the only form of communication that I have.
R...... came to help me today…my Bituach Leumi helper who has also become a friend. You might remember that I shared my testimony with her awhile back, when her niece was going through a hard time. Today I felt pressed to share with her about the way of salvation and that included some more of my testimony. She listened deeply, but then said that she HAS peace in her heart. She didn’t say ‘no’ to Him, she just does not yet clearly see her need. It’s not my work, but His, to reveal Himself to hearts. I am praying for wisdom and for The Holy Spirit to continue to work in her.
Yesterday I walked up to the HarEl School where the farmer’s market from the south was to be held. I had actually bought cherry tomatoes and cucumbers the day before, but I felt an urgency to support the farmers. The market was supposed to be open from 15:00 (3pm) until 17:30 (5:30pm). I got there right at 3 and by the time I reached the point in line to purchase, the cucumbers were gone already. I took a box of tomatoes and gave them a donation. Everybody is so thankful and trying to do whatever they can. By the time I got home at about 4:15pm, a notice had been sent out already that they were all sold out, due to the wonderful turnout. Part of my reading this morning was in 1 Chronicles 6…the beginning of the wonderful prayer of King Solomon’s as he dedicated the temple. He said ‘WHEN there is war, plague, famine, drought… ‘for all people sin…(and these are Your PROMISES to us WHEN we sin)’ …but when they turn again to You with their WHOLE HEART…HEAR! My heart churned within me to be truly FAITHFUL…to be one who will REALLY STAND IN THE GAP FOR OUR PEOPLE AND NATION(for – woe! – it is recorded in Ezekiel 22:30 that He found NO ONE)…YET BY HIS OWN HAND HE will accomplish what He sees fit.
Tomorrow morning it will be three weeks…21 days…since this nightmare began. Where will it lead? It will lead to HIM if we turn toward Him full faced.
In the midst of all of this…this – yet another very surreal part of the path – we can not forget the captives – night and day – wondering, praying, hoping…224 people…the little children…held deep in the underground tunnels below Gaza…being told lies. We all know what it is to hear the lies of the enemy. When that enemy clothes himself with a human face and voice, OH LORD! May he not prevail in any of those precious lives. May HE Who is The Light and The Truth appear to them and comfort them.
I have been the reluctant recipient of ‘good deeds to be done’ lately. With so many volunteers, people are looking for ways to help (me too)…but it seems as if the ‘good deed’ of ‘feed the widow’ is a popular one and the knocks on my door are non stop. Praise God for such kindness, but neither my refrigerator nor my body has the capacity to consume all of these blessings. I am thankful to share them around, and so as I leave now for shabbat dinner at a friend’s house, I am thrilled to go laden with exotic dishes that I have not made.
I must close now…but again…thank you for praying and for standing firm in His Truth even when the whole world rises us …may we stay behind The Lord’s standard.
Loving blessings,
Shabbat shalom, your sis
October 26, 2023
“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 7:3-7
Dear Brothers and sisters, shalom.
As you know (the above verses)…The Lord defeated the Philistines, He thundered upon them and overthrew them with confusion. True repentance…true turning TO Him and not turning away…what a beautiful Lord we have and serve!
I was just out walking my dog and I was thinking about the PRIVILEDGE He has given me to be His, here at this time in this moment. I look at the preparation that He has done…and it IS ‘enough’. If I have not learned the lessons then it is only my own fault because His preparation IS sufficient and in each of our lives…and ‘the test’ comes.
This is war and it is nasty and painful. Last night’s incursion into Gaza revealed two more captives, bringing the total now to 224 in captivity (alive or dead we do not know). It is agonizing. The stories that unfold minute by minute are ripping people’s hearts out. The worlds’ reaction (generally. Thank you to all of you who are praying and seeking truth) is beyond shocking…people here can not fathom it.
I answered a letter to a sister the other day and I think that I will reiterate what I wrote to her here. I try to be very careful what I read in any media. I DO NOT WANT INTERPRETATIONS. That, I receive in The Word by the power of His Holy Spirit. I look for ‘facts’ because I feel that it is necessary and important that I be informed, but I don’t ‘MAJOR’ in knowing them or trying to figure them out. I generally do NOT read the Christian media because (as I said) I am not looking to have it interpreted. I also do not look at ‘foreign (out side of Israel) media’. I read 4 secular sources that span left and right. I ask The Lord to lead me into Truth through this. I FORGOT to tell you that our secular media (that I recommend) has some truly disgusting advertisements. (someone brought that to my attention). I admit to totally ignoring that. Please just block it out…don’t let your eyes settle on it. That’s what I have learned to do.
ynet english news
Jerusalem post
Times of Israel
Israel hayom
I am writing this because today’s stories blew me away across the board and they should be seen. Perhaps you would like to take a look throughout the day. NOT to be obsessed with it! But it is better than me picking and choosing. Please take a look. There are other good ones, but I find these give a good cross section in English. At this moment I can not stomach picking out stories…especially concerning the world response.
I have been reading about the devastation done to our agriculture and I have been concerned and began praying about it. (least we also have no food) There is no one to work the fields that are left. In the south, many farms were destroyed, as well as farm animals killed…and there just aren’t workers to harvest what is left. People have been called to just show up and work, but more is needed and I was pleased last night to get a message that there will be a farmer’s market held here in my community today to support the farmers. Praise God! I was greatly heartened and plan to go.
The stores are now showing the strain of the situation. Again, it is NOT critical but I do miss some of the products that I grew to love. Oh well, again, it is a privilege to have been trained by Him and now the tests are here. May we pass them and bring Him glory! How ARE we supposed to WALK in the times of great pressing? We are to praise Him…to be found of Him in His Peace…to be of a quiet heart and a PRAYING HEART turned to Him. We are to fear not and to be strong and courageous. We KNOW the scriptures because He exhorts us to meditate in them day and night…but then the test comes, and we get a glimpse of what is in our own hearts. Here we are Lord…glorify Your Name!
Thank you for all of your prayers for our country and our people and HIS PURPOSES to be fulfilled.
Again, I apologize for the quick, very unpolished, note.
Loving blessings.
A sister.
1 Samuel 7:3-7
Dear Brothers and sisters, shalom.
As you know (the above verses)…The Lord defeated the Philistines, He thundered upon them and overthrew them with confusion. True repentance…true turning TO Him and not turning away…what a beautiful Lord we have and serve!
I was just out walking my dog and I was thinking about the PRIVILEDGE He has given me to be His, here at this time in this moment. I look at the preparation that He has done…and it IS ‘enough’. If I have not learned the lessons then it is only my own fault because His preparation IS sufficient and in each of our lives…and ‘the test’ comes.
This is war and it is nasty and painful. Last night’s incursion into Gaza revealed two more captives, bringing the total now to 224 in captivity (alive or dead we do not know). It is agonizing. The stories that unfold minute by minute are ripping people’s hearts out. The worlds’ reaction (generally. Thank you to all of you who are praying and seeking truth) is beyond shocking…people here can not fathom it.
I answered a letter to a sister the other day and I think that I will reiterate what I wrote to her here. I try to be very careful what I read in any media. I DO NOT WANT INTERPRETATIONS. That, I receive in The Word by the power of His Holy Spirit. I look for ‘facts’ because I feel that it is necessary and important that I be informed, but I don’t ‘MAJOR’ in knowing them or trying to figure them out. I generally do NOT read the Christian media because (as I said) I am not looking to have it interpreted. I also do not look at ‘foreign (out side of Israel) media’. I read 4 secular sources that span left and right. I ask The Lord to lead me into Truth through this. I FORGOT to tell you that our secular media (that I recommend) has some truly disgusting advertisements. (someone brought that to my attention). I admit to totally ignoring that. Please just block it out…don’t let your eyes settle on it. That’s what I have learned to do.
ynet english news
Jerusalem post
Times of Israel
Israel hayom
I am writing this because today’s stories blew me away across the board and they should be seen. Perhaps you would like to take a look throughout the day. NOT to be obsessed with it! But it is better than me picking and choosing. Please take a look. There are other good ones, but I find these give a good cross section in English. At this moment I can not stomach picking out stories…especially concerning the world response.
I have been reading about the devastation done to our agriculture and I have been concerned and began praying about it. (least we also have no food) There is no one to work the fields that are left. In the south, many farms were destroyed, as well as farm animals killed…and there just aren’t workers to harvest what is left. People have been called to just show up and work, but more is needed and I was pleased last night to get a message that there will be a farmer’s market held here in my community today to support the farmers. Praise God! I was greatly heartened and plan to go.
The stores are now showing the strain of the situation. Again, it is NOT critical but I do miss some of the products that I grew to love. Oh well, again, it is a privilege to have been trained by Him and now the tests are here. May we pass them and bring Him glory! How ARE we supposed to WALK in the times of great pressing? We are to praise Him…to be found of Him in His Peace…to be of a quiet heart and a PRAYING HEART turned to Him. We are to fear not and to be strong and courageous. We KNOW the scriptures because He exhorts us to meditate in them day and night…but then the test comes, and we get a glimpse of what is in our own hearts. Here we are Lord…glorify Your Name!
Thank you for all of your prayers for our country and our people and HIS PURPOSES to be fulfilled.
Again, I apologize for the quick, very unpolished, note.
Loving blessings.
A sister.
October 25, 2023
"The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. A fire goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings light the world The earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory. Let all be put to shame who serve carved images, Who boast of idols. Worship Him, all you gods. Zion hears and is glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your judgments, O Lord. For You, Lord, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods. You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name." PSALM 97
Good morning. I asked the taxi driver yesterday 'How he is' and he said to me 'If I get up in the morning and am alive, I must be thankful.' I know that that is often a sober joke among us older people, but he wasn't older and right now here it is no joke. It was nice to talk with him. Everyone is 'real'. A social worker came to see me yesterday and I have not met her before. S.... is probably in her 40s and has a 13 year old son. She asked me if I wanted to leave the country, because she did. As we talked and shared, she told me that she was born during the '67 war. Then there was the 1973 war. Then she fought in the war of 1982 and then the two intifadas. She said 'I was born during the sirens and sirens I hear all of my life. Atleast my son has not had them from birth. I can not stand them anymore!' She told me that her mother was a holocaust survivor and told her that there is a difference between those who were born here and those who were not: that those who were born here think that there is something better for Jews outside. She said 'I see that you are still Zionist'. I told her that I believe God and I believe His plan and purpose and that I have peace in my heart. Sadly, she represents many war weary sabras. (those born here).
There are some wonderful things to report: The unity of the people is extraordinary. The volunteerism...the helping...the kindness...it is something to see. For years there has been a battle between the secular and the haredim claiming that the haredim won't fight for the country (they often study religion rather than go to the army. There is a move among the haredim to join the army and in the past 2 weeks more than 2,000 have gone and signed up to fight. This is very healing.
You know that in the past I have found that I can look at the weather here and 'suspect' what might be ahead of us. This week is expecting a strong unusual heat wave. That puts a check in my heart. We had MUCH activity from both the south and the north yesterday. Between 3-5 in the evening I asked a neighbor if there was thunder and she told me 'No...it is the bombs', which I expected, but hoped that perhaps it was thunder.
I have been having some discussions with people about news sources. I want to share with you 'my opinion' concerning what I listen to and why. I try to NOT look much at the news, but I feel that it is important to know what is happening. I VERY RARELY LOOK FOR INTERPRETATION (for that I go to the Bible) and for that reason I only go to a cross section of our own (NOT international) secular press. RIGHT HERE I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW DISGUSTING OUR ADVERTISEMENTS ARE IN THE SECULAR PRESS AND WHEN I SEND IT TO YOU, SOME OF YOU ARE SHOCKED. PLEASE FORGIVE ME...I HAVE LEARNED TO KEEP MY EYES BLIND TO THAT. I find by this - and the discernment of The Holy Spirit - I can usually come up with what really is taking place on the ground - and is not sensationalized. I LOOK TO THE LORD ONLY FOR THE INTERPRETATION.
Having said that, I want to resend a couple of links if you missed them. They are worthwhile taking a look at:
My pastor rarely speaks in English here, so this site that he just put up in English I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. It is his teaching.
https://www.youtube.com/@_HungerForGod
Also the article that I sent yesterday from Chris Mitchell...I didn't see until after that there was a video and on the video is an WELL WORTHY TO WATCH (EXCELLENT) interview with Michael Oren - a brilliant man who used to be Ambassador to the US.
FINALLY...ONLY FOR THE STRONG OF HEART...I send this with a caution...it is shocking.
It is a recording from a terrorist on the first day who took the cell phone from a woman that he had killed and called his parents to ecstatically boast how he had just killed 10 Jews and their blood was on his hands. His parents rejoiced with great joy with him. It is shocking but it is important to hear (if you can stomach it)
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-769989
their blood is on my hands
Please keep praying (as most of you are...THANK YOU!)
If anyone wants a list of the names of soldiers to pray for please ask me and I will send it.
May He lead us into Himself ...and be glorified.
Lovingly, your sister.
Good morning. I asked the taxi driver yesterday 'How he is' and he said to me 'If I get up in the morning and am alive, I must be thankful.' I know that that is often a sober joke among us older people, but he wasn't older and right now here it is no joke. It was nice to talk with him. Everyone is 'real'. A social worker came to see me yesterday and I have not met her before. S.... is probably in her 40s and has a 13 year old son. She asked me if I wanted to leave the country, because she did. As we talked and shared, she told me that she was born during the '67 war. Then there was the 1973 war. Then she fought in the war of 1982 and then the two intifadas. She said 'I was born during the sirens and sirens I hear all of my life. Atleast my son has not had them from birth. I can not stand them anymore!' She told me that her mother was a holocaust survivor and told her that there is a difference between those who were born here and those who were not: that those who were born here think that there is something better for Jews outside. She said 'I see that you are still Zionist'. I told her that I believe God and I believe His plan and purpose and that I have peace in my heart. Sadly, she represents many war weary sabras. (those born here).
There are some wonderful things to report: The unity of the people is extraordinary. The volunteerism...the helping...the kindness...it is something to see. For years there has been a battle between the secular and the haredim claiming that the haredim won't fight for the country (they often study religion rather than go to the army. There is a move among the haredim to join the army and in the past 2 weeks more than 2,000 have gone and signed up to fight. This is very healing.
You know that in the past I have found that I can look at the weather here and 'suspect' what might be ahead of us. This week is expecting a strong unusual heat wave. That puts a check in my heart. We had MUCH activity from both the south and the north yesterday. Between 3-5 in the evening I asked a neighbor if there was thunder and she told me 'No...it is the bombs', which I expected, but hoped that perhaps it was thunder.
I have been having some discussions with people about news sources. I want to share with you 'my opinion' concerning what I listen to and why. I try to NOT look much at the news, but I feel that it is important to know what is happening. I VERY RARELY LOOK FOR INTERPRETATION (for that I go to the Bible) and for that reason I only go to a cross section of our own (NOT international) secular press. RIGHT HERE I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW DISGUSTING OUR ADVERTISEMENTS ARE IN THE SECULAR PRESS AND WHEN I SEND IT TO YOU, SOME OF YOU ARE SHOCKED. PLEASE FORGIVE ME...I HAVE LEARNED TO KEEP MY EYES BLIND TO THAT. I find by this - and the discernment of The Holy Spirit - I can usually come up with what really is taking place on the ground - and is not sensationalized. I LOOK TO THE LORD ONLY FOR THE INTERPRETATION.
Having said that, I want to resend a couple of links if you missed them. They are worthwhile taking a look at:
My pastor rarely speaks in English here, so this site that he just put up in English I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. It is his teaching.
https://www.youtube.com/@_HungerForGod
Also the article that I sent yesterday from Chris Mitchell...I didn't see until after that there was a video and on the video is an WELL WORTHY TO WATCH (EXCELLENT) interview with Michael Oren - a brilliant man who used to be Ambassador to the US.
FINALLY...ONLY FOR THE STRONG OF HEART...I send this with a caution...it is shocking.
It is a recording from a terrorist on the first day who took the cell phone from a woman that he had killed and called his parents to ecstatically boast how he had just killed 10 Jews and their blood was on his hands. His parents rejoiced with great joy with him. It is shocking but it is important to hear (if you can stomach it)
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-769989
their blood is on my hands
Please keep praying (as most of you are...THANK YOU!)
If anyone wants a list of the names of soldiers to pray for please ask me and I will send it.
May He lead us into Himself ...and be glorified.
Lovingly, your sister.
October 22, 2023
"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, THOU ART GOD." PSALM 90:1
“That in all things HE might have the preeminence.”
I decided that I needed to get out for a walk earlier today. The temptation to simply stay in by myself is an old trap for me. I stepped outside the gate and wondered if I should walk to the left or to the right; should I go to Rami Levi or Super Ofir? So I prayed. I felt that I should go right, and remembering how The Lord has trained me to listen to and obey His ‘nudges’…His ‘checks’…His ‘still small voice’. I turned right and had walked about 10 steps when I heard volleys of gunshots off to the left. I stopped and listened. I thanked The Lord for His faithfulness to remind me to look to Him for even the smallest thing. It was so reassuring! The days of ‘training’ seemed long…but we are no longer training. This is the real thing. We need to remind ourselves that this is all really happening, but the grieving are abundant, so we can't forget for long.
The streets are pretty empty and until last night I didn’t realize that I hadn’t been out of my area in two weeks, since the war began. Last night I was blessed to go back to the Kehila for the first time and I was overwhelmed as we drove through Jerusalem. The last time that I was there the city was filthy with all of the dust from so much construction, and huge signs covered buildings and billboards displaying the discord in the nation and the political division. Last night, the city looked so clean and EVERYWHERE were only Israeli flags. The political signs had been replaced with ones like those pictured below. They say (ya’khad n’netzhak) ‘TOGETHER WE WILL WIN' -some add ‘Israel lives’ (am Yisrael khai) or ‘we are strong together’. (khazak be’achad) It was dramatic.
And it IS dramatic. Although we are experiencing a defining moment in the spiritual war (which this ALL is and has been all along- it has ALWAYS been a spiritual war) I can not help but look and see what is around me and try to describe it to you. I thought about how the whole world is so divided and up until 2 weeks ago, so were we... right there at the top. That changed in a moment of time and it is extraordinary to see.
I got a phone call from a number that I didn’t know. ‘I’m calling from the city. How are you doing?’ the voice asked. ‘Is there anything that I can help you with? Do you need food or medicines or someone to talk to?’ I said ‘Well…actually no, but what I do need is a place to volunteer since I don’t have a car and I don’t get around as easily as I used to.’ He said to me ‘You know what? We think that it’s time that you have done enough and we want to help you instead.’… it was quite a touching conversation, actually it is the second call that I received like that. There literally is NO one who is not volunteering. (see article below) Cauldrons of soup are boiling on stoves, food is being packed, necessary clothing and hygiene articles are being boxed…cars load them on and bring them up north or down south to the soldiers. People take on doing laundry for soldiers. Families open their homes to the hundreds of thousands of displaced families and others are taken in by the hotels. Boxes of clothing and toys stack up for them. Calls go out asking who can take care of animals that are stuck without their families. Others go to pick crops on farms where the owners are on the fighting lines. IT IS EXTRAORDINARY!
It is hard to keep away from the media. It takes a lot of self discipline to limit how much I will look at. It is incredibly discouraging to see how quickly the truth is distorted and 'the world' tells us to 'back off'...it's our fault anyway. I listened to an Arabic interview with the head of Hamas. The (Arab) interviewer said to him ‘They are calling you isis! They are asking how you could do such an awful thing…babies…children…’ He sat there calmly and looked at her and said ‘Where did you see these things?’ She said ‘Everyone can see it! It is being shown everywhere!’ So calmly he looked her in the eye and said ‘It is all lies. You are watching the Israeli lie…Netanyahu has made it all up so that he can slaughter us. It is a lie and you are watching the Israeli lies!’ My mouth fell open! Brother, sister…he could have convinced me!
Israel is surrounded by 500 million Muslims! They are angry and are eating lies.
The war on the northern border is rapidly heating up and our northern communities have been evacuated. (as have our southern communities ofcourse)
We remain poised to go into Gaza. In last night’s briefing we were told that this war is very different and it will be long and painful. Everyone is very sober but trying to strengthen one another. Again (you must be tired of me saying this) may we be found of Him in His peace, glorifying Him alone and doing only what He tells us to do…even if our part is scrubbing the bathroom. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Before I close, some people have asked if there is enough to eat. Yes. The shelves may look somewhat empty but really, we don’t ‘NEED’ all that we think that we do. We really can do with much less. We may not have our 'dainties' but we have sustaining food.
Thank you for praying for – above all – the revelation of Yeshua…to all alive; the captives, the grieving, the fearful, the strong, the weak, and even the enemy…all…we need HIM.
Lovingly, your sis
The entire home front has become a network of WhatsApp groups buzzing non-stop. Everyone is helping everyone all the time.
“That in all things HE might have the preeminence.”
I decided that I needed to get out for a walk earlier today. The temptation to simply stay in by myself is an old trap for me. I stepped outside the gate and wondered if I should walk to the left or to the right; should I go to Rami Levi or Super Ofir? So I prayed. I felt that I should go right, and remembering how The Lord has trained me to listen to and obey His ‘nudges’…His ‘checks’…His ‘still small voice’. I turned right and had walked about 10 steps when I heard volleys of gunshots off to the left. I stopped and listened. I thanked The Lord for His faithfulness to remind me to look to Him for even the smallest thing. It was so reassuring! The days of ‘training’ seemed long…but we are no longer training. This is the real thing. We need to remind ourselves that this is all really happening, but the grieving are abundant, so we can't forget for long.
The streets are pretty empty and until last night I didn’t realize that I hadn’t been out of my area in two weeks, since the war began. Last night I was blessed to go back to the Kehila for the first time and I was overwhelmed as we drove through Jerusalem. The last time that I was there the city was filthy with all of the dust from so much construction, and huge signs covered buildings and billboards displaying the discord in the nation and the political division. Last night, the city looked so clean and EVERYWHERE were only Israeli flags. The political signs had been replaced with ones like those pictured below. They say (ya’khad n’netzhak) ‘TOGETHER WE WILL WIN' -some add ‘Israel lives’ (am Yisrael khai) or ‘we are strong together’. (khazak be’achad) It was dramatic.
And it IS dramatic. Although we are experiencing a defining moment in the spiritual war (which this ALL is and has been all along- it has ALWAYS been a spiritual war) I can not help but look and see what is around me and try to describe it to you. I thought about how the whole world is so divided and up until 2 weeks ago, so were we... right there at the top. That changed in a moment of time and it is extraordinary to see.
I got a phone call from a number that I didn’t know. ‘I’m calling from the city. How are you doing?’ the voice asked. ‘Is there anything that I can help you with? Do you need food or medicines or someone to talk to?’ I said ‘Well…actually no, but what I do need is a place to volunteer since I don’t have a car and I don’t get around as easily as I used to.’ He said to me ‘You know what? We think that it’s time that you have done enough and we want to help you instead.’… it was quite a touching conversation, actually it is the second call that I received like that. There literally is NO one who is not volunteering. (see article below) Cauldrons of soup are boiling on stoves, food is being packed, necessary clothing and hygiene articles are being boxed…cars load them on and bring them up north or down south to the soldiers. People take on doing laundry for soldiers. Families open their homes to the hundreds of thousands of displaced families and others are taken in by the hotels. Boxes of clothing and toys stack up for them. Calls go out asking who can take care of animals that are stuck without their families. Others go to pick crops on farms where the owners are on the fighting lines. IT IS EXTRAORDINARY!
It is hard to keep away from the media. It takes a lot of self discipline to limit how much I will look at. It is incredibly discouraging to see how quickly the truth is distorted and 'the world' tells us to 'back off'...it's our fault anyway. I listened to an Arabic interview with the head of Hamas. The (Arab) interviewer said to him ‘They are calling you isis! They are asking how you could do such an awful thing…babies…children…’ He sat there calmly and looked at her and said ‘Where did you see these things?’ She said ‘Everyone can see it! It is being shown everywhere!’ So calmly he looked her in the eye and said ‘It is all lies. You are watching the Israeli lie…Netanyahu has made it all up so that he can slaughter us. It is a lie and you are watching the Israeli lies!’ My mouth fell open! Brother, sister…he could have convinced me!
Israel is surrounded by 500 million Muslims! They are angry and are eating lies.
The war on the northern border is rapidly heating up and our northern communities have been evacuated. (as have our southern communities ofcourse)
We remain poised to go into Gaza. In last night’s briefing we were told that this war is very different and it will be long and painful. Everyone is very sober but trying to strengthen one another. Again (you must be tired of me saying this) may we be found of Him in His peace, glorifying Him alone and doing only what He tells us to do…even if our part is scrubbing the bathroom. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Before I close, some people have asked if there is enough to eat. Yes. The shelves may look somewhat empty but really, we don’t ‘NEED’ all that we think that we do. We really can do with much less. We may not have our 'dainties' but we have sustaining food.
Thank you for praying for – above all – the revelation of Yeshua…to all alive; the captives, the grieving, the fearful, the strong, the weak, and even the enemy…all…we need HIM.
Lovingly, your sis
The entire home front has become a network of WhatsApp groups buzzing non-stop. Everyone is helping everyone all the time.
October 19, 2023
Dear praying brothers and sisters,
Things are fluid here and events are moving rapidly. So thankful that you are praying for His discernment. May we be steadfast upon The Rock, free from personal opinions and preferences, sensationalism, and the like. I think that we hear better when we are lower lower...flat on our faces. We are of His kingdom.
A couple of hours ago (more or less) there were about 30 rockets in our north from Hezbollah and Hamas both in Lebanon. They fell at the same time as a large barrage from Hamas in Gaza targeted the South and Tel Aviv. It appears that the war is now on two fronts. There were 3 injured in Kiryat Shmona in the North as their building had a direct hit.
At the same time, the troops were briefed and told that 'soon they will be seeing Gaza from the inside.' This is difficult. If you are praying for IDF soldiers, please understand the horror that they may be walking into. Also, may His Light lead them to the captives...some may be in other countries...out of Gaza already. It is also stressful on the soldiers, not knowing 'when'...being ready and then having to wait. We don't want them to lose the energy that they have now, but the unity war cabinet is being very prudent and as accurate as possible for the sake of the troops and the hostages.
Many world leaders are arriving here showing support... Presidents from the USA, Great Britain, Germany and many others. Russia and China have not. They have allied with the Arab countries and Iran.
BUT GOD...WHO IS SOVEREIGN AND LORD OF ALL, reminds my heart constantly to stand firm on The Rock and look to Him Alone.
Thank you for praying with us.
Please see the video below. Sadly it has been clipped from the one that I saw earlier today, but it is still a blessing! These are all soldiers.
IDF singing and praying Psalm 12
Things are fluid here and events are moving rapidly. So thankful that you are praying for His discernment. May we be steadfast upon The Rock, free from personal opinions and preferences, sensationalism, and the like. I think that we hear better when we are lower lower...flat on our faces. We are of His kingdom.
A couple of hours ago (more or less) there were about 30 rockets in our north from Hezbollah and Hamas both in Lebanon. They fell at the same time as a large barrage from Hamas in Gaza targeted the South and Tel Aviv. It appears that the war is now on two fronts. There were 3 injured in Kiryat Shmona in the North as their building had a direct hit.
At the same time, the troops were briefed and told that 'soon they will be seeing Gaza from the inside.' This is difficult. If you are praying for IDF soldiers, please understand the horror that they may be walking into. Also, may His Light lead them to the captives...some may be in other countries...out of Gaza already. It is also stressful on the soldiers, not knowing 'when'...being ready and then having to wait. We don't want them to lose the energy that they have now, but the unity war cabinet is being very prudent and as accurate as possible for the sake of the troops and the hostages.
Many world leaders are arriving here showing support... Presidents from the USA, Great Britain, Germany and many others. Russia and China have not. They have allied with the Arab countries and Iran.
BUT GOD...WHO IS SOVEREIGN AND LORD OF ALL, reminds my heart constantly to stand firm on The Rock and look to Him Alone.
Thank you for praying with us.
Please see the video below. Sadly it has been clipped from the one that I saw earlier today, but it is still a blessing! These are all soldiers.
IDF singing and praying Psalm 12
October 18, 2023
Dear friends,
As the country...and, indeed, the world, continue to reel through these days, praying for discernment that we are not sidetracked by sensational or simply news that is really lies, I have a personal request (even as I listen to the planes flying overhead).
My younger daughter, her husband and (children.........) returned to their home today. They have been with me for well over a week and .... (my son in law) feels that they would likely be as safe there as here. They live in Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel, but often considered the 'disputed areas' or 'the settlements'. There are many Arab villages around them (as there are here) but what makes them particularly vulnerable is that they are a very small communitie (like the kibbutzim in the South) that could be easily overrun.
I ask you to pray for their safety and mostly, for them to come to know HIM. Our daughter knew Him in the past. I thank those of you who would pray with me for them. Thank you.
You all have heard about the destroyed hospital in Gaza, and most of you have heard about the fact that the blame was first placed on Israel until the truth came out that it was actually an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired from a graveyard behind the hospital. The Arab countries and most Arab media have NOT reported the true findings, so the damage (free press...) was done and there is increasing rage in the countries around us. The days ahead of us ... are all in HIS Hands. HE IS SOVEREIGN AND HE IS LORD. Our job is to seek His Face and do what He says for HIS glory.
I'm off to bed and send you my love.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL FOR HIS HEART'S DESIRE.
Lovingly, a sister here.
As the country...and, indeed, the world, continue to reel through these days, praying for discernment that we are not sidetracked by sensational or simply news that is really lies, I have a personal request (even as I listen to the planes flying overhead).
My younger daughter, her husband and (children.........) returned to their home today. They have been with me for well over a week and .... (my son in law) feels that they would likely be as safe there as here. They live in Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel, but often considered the 'disputed areas' or 'the settlements'. There are many Arab villages around them (as there are here) but what makes them particularly vulnerable is that they are a very small communitie (like the kibbutzim in the South) that could be easily overrun.
I ask you to pray for their safety and mostly, for them to come to know HIM. Our daughter knew Him in the past. I thank those of you who would pray with me for them. Thank you.
You all have heard about the destroyed hospital in Gaza, and most of you have heard about the fact that the blame was first placed on Israel until the truth came out that it was actually an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired from a graveyard behind the hospital. The Arab countries and most Arab media have NOT reported the true findings, so the damage (free press...) was done and there is increasing rage in the countries around us. The days ahead of us ... are all in HIS Hands. HE IS SOVEREIGN AND HE IS LORD. Our job is to seek His Face and do what He says for HIS glory.
I'm off to bed and send you my love.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL FOR HIS HEART'S DESIRE.
Lovingly, a sister here.
October 16, 2023
“Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed. Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die;” PSALM 79:9-11
SHABBAT SHALOM,
How wonderful that The Lord gave us Shabbat…a gift to His creation…a tool to draw us back to Him…calm us and shelter us. Lord, YOU ALONE are good, and righteous!
REPENTANCE has gripped me…my inability to truly repent…my lack of understanding of WHAT true repentance is…my need to know…the DESPERATE need to know!
Oh, I KNEW, and I did truly repent and was saved beyond a doubt…but as I look into the abyss (and yes, it is… the abyss of this battle between the kingdom of dark and light and I seek to know HOW to pray and WHAT to pray…I feel the need for the key of true repentance – which can come ONLY through The Holy Spirit– for judgment begins FIRST at the household of God…and I may be the only one that believes that we are seeing (but NOT seeing? HIS judgment) I could go into that more deeply with someone who would ask me, but I know that this is ‘NOT’ spoken about by many others, and I do NOT want to be a tool of division.
I began writing the above two days ago. THIS IS A POOR ATTEMPT AT AN UPDATE…GRACE PLEASE!
Each day at this point is a lifetime…and many lifetimes are drawing to a close.
The reason for my silence is that our daughter,..... and ..... children, ......have come to stay with me until they feel that it is safe to go home and the situation (mat’tsav in Hebrew) is fluid and changing minute by minute. It is an answer to prayer (for which I thank you for praying!) that she and the children are with me (Y was also with us over Shabbat) and I am thrilled, but the fact that we are in two small rooms most of the day and that we all seem to have a nasty cold has made even answering what’s apps very challenging. They are all upstairs right now getting baths. My landlords have an ‘air b and b’ on the top floor of this house and have given it to them to sleep there at night as there are no tourists now. What a blessing for us and how thankful I am. ..........
The situation from my point of view:
Most of you probably know what is happening. The magnitude of the butchery leaves the people (including me) speechless and traumatized. Is there anyone who does NOT know what has been going on? Let me know and I will try to update you. Thank you for those of you who have sent me news from different believers here…but I have enough. As of today, there are over 1,300 Israelis dead, at least 126 taken captive into Gaza, and more than 5,000 have been injured. Inspite of the fact that we are pretty well flattening Gaza from the air, have cut off electricity, fuel, water, their bombs continue to fall in Southern and central Israel (including Tel Aviv). I saw a report today that Hamas has dismantled the water pipes to build bombs. The photos of beheaded people…children…infants… burned…pools of blood…simply horrors…it is difficult to fathom that this is really happening right now. People constantly say with a sense of unbelief: ‘This is really happening now’. The heartbreaking stories coming out of the destroyed kibbutzim in the south increase daily as people search in agony for their loved ones and the mangled bodies take time to identify.
The beginning of the ground advance is just starting and it is the most dangerous, horrific part of war for soldiers…and these are the children and spouses of my friends and neighbors. All out ground fighting in Gaza is what lies ahead and it won’t be in and out. The constant overhead planes and booms are preparing the way into the area. Now Hezbollah in the North has joined in, albeit still tentatively, we have already had one killed in the north and people restricted from the border areas. The Palestinians within our country are being emboldened. Our government has formed an emergency unity war government (war was, yes, officially declared) and they announced today that they are prepared to battle on all THREE fronts. (that is why my daughter and children, who live in a small village in the Judean mountains ......, are with us)
So…what does it physically look like from where I am seated:
My village is a 12 minute bus ride from Jerusalem and it is legally a ‘moshav’. It is a very patriotic village where just about everyone was or is in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) The area is governed by a local council that is deeply involved in the well being of the people. There is a WhatsApp group and at least 3 times a day we are informed about everything that is going on, injuries, needs, and given directions. Literally everyone who is able, has volunteered for something. When I walk the dogs in the morning, I see cars loaded with water, supplies, food, home cooked meals, clothes, heading either north or south to bring them to the soldiers. Anyone who is able to bear arms has been licensed and equipped. Checkpoints have been set up all around and there are armed patrols day and night. At this point, only food stores, doctors and pharmacies, and fuel stations are to be opened, but I understand more and more stores are opening as much of the economy is hand to mouth. Everyone has relatives and friends fighting. Classes and most activities are suspended. People are all checking on one another.
This is NOT like any other war in the past more than 50 years for us. It IS existential and I have been told first hand that it is worse than the Yom Kippur war. There has been and probably will be more…fighting from house to house…and that is the reality, and yes, that is scary, although I AM FEELING NO FEAR BUT ONLY DEEP PEACE IN MY HEART, I know that that does not mean that my body will not be harmed. His kingdom is one of Peace. I look at the ways that He has been preparing me: “Let go of the rudder in the storm”. “Cling to Me…for you have not passed this way before.” “Not my will but Yours”. “It is not about you…it is all about Me”. “This cup too is from Me. Will you take it and drink it down?”, the shedding of all of our possessions, the move, the timing of the forced retirement…all of this…what Love!
It is about 9 years ago already that The Lord impressed on me one morning to ‘Learn My ways in judgment’, and I began reading my scriptures noting the causes and effects of His judgments and what He expects of me in the midst. I made copious notes and was taken by surprise by the fact that His PROMISES of judgment is as abundant as His PROMISES for blessing…even for His disciples. I have prayed and watched and wondered and heard very little about such things as I watched nations polarize and fall apart, confusion, darkness, plague, natural disasters, arguing, and most grievous, the church itself leaving it’s first love and running after conspiracy theories and entertainment. I AM NOT A PROPHET! I am a sheep…and if I am wrong, God have mercy! I pray daily …I BEG Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit and a Spirit of discernment; to keep me from deception and to search me and correct me…to keep me in His Word and His closet of prayer. I fail Him constantly and have to run to Him…but this does not leave me. ALL of His promises are true and amen…ALL of them. He tells us (Luke 12 -is not what I’m looking for but can’t recall at the moment the exact verse) that although some of us will be killed, not a hair of our head will be harmed. Surely our values need to be conformed to those of His kingdom.
I have been saddened by some local believers, close friends, who have glommed on to (what I call) a ‘spiritual rumor’ that this has all happened because of the wickedness of the ‘rave’ party that was going on in the south where many (some 260 I believe?) young people were slaughtered in the first assault. ‘They were dancing around a statue of Buddha’! they say in amazement. This WICKEDNESS has been going on for YEARS…both here and around the world…rave parties, burning man concerts…Woodstock… love orgies. I am saddened that believers would want to sensationalize, and that is what it is. HOW GOD MUST BE GRIEVED BY ALL OF THE TERRIBLE WICKEDNESS that has been going on all around! Will we yet be proud to think ‘oh, it was this or that?’. In Daniel 9, we read a true prayer of repentance.
I’m sorry for going on and on. Many people have asked me how to pray. I believe that we MUST be led by prayer by The Holy Spirit Who will show us and I will leave to others the lists, but please do pray for the captives to have Him come to them…for their families, for the soldiers to be strong and courageous, for HIS WILL in every area…for the soldiers to have enough food and equipment (there are tons of initiatives right now both in the country and outside of it) to provide for the needs of the soldiers. Please pray that they are expedited and that each soldier gets what he or she needs. Thank God for all of the believing soldiers! May they be found in Him in His Spirit and be given much fruit for His kingdom in the midst of this! May they see Him in the battle! MAY HIS NAME BE GLORIFIED AND MAY HIS SALVATION BE SEEN IN THE MIDST. My daughter told me that the religious Jews are reading Zechariah and believing that NOW Messiah will come and ‘the temple’ will be built! May they READ Zechariah and SEE HIM WHO THEY PIERCED! May He be revealed NOW! [and PLEASE GOD, to my daughter and her family as well!] May God be gracious for His Great Name’s sake!
My Pastor sent out the prayer notes below, so I will include those.
Thank you SO MUCH for your love and prayers and for staying in touch! I love your notes and sweet touches! Thank you for caring! I personally am fine, SO THANKFUL THAT E AND FAMILY ARE WITH ME…albeit physically tired and in pain (a pretty normal thing for me, I have had systemic lupus for years) and have a bad cold that I PRAY does not progress into anything that needs attention. This has been my ‘normal reality’ for years anyway, but I don’t want to be an added burden on anyone at this time. (there are so many that need medical attention). Yes, please pray for the weary medical system, the broken equipment…you know…He can lead you…all of those working so hard and worrying and grieving and seeing unspeakable things. That the eyes of the witnesses would be washed with eye salve. That The Lord would be glorified and seen…isn’t that our purpose on this earth anyway. Below is from my Pastor.
2Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Dear praying friends,
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
As horrific as this war is, we continue to begin and base our prayer on the foundation of the Word of God and His promises to Israel.
If we are not careful, our emotions may get the better of us and lead us into "wild praying." "Wild" in the sense that they will be manufactured by the flesh and our emotions rather than the Spirit. These kinds of prayers may satisfy our own needs or our sense and desire for justice, but they may not reach God.
So we begin with the most significant thing that WILL COME TO PASS in the last days.
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Israel will be visited by her Messiah and brought face to face with the "One whom they have pierced." (Zechariah 12:10)
"The Sun of Righteousness" is no other than Yeshua, the Messiah, Son of God, Son of man, Son of David. "God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God." (1)
"With healing in His wings." - Note that the revelation of Yeshua to His people, their (implied) repentance (the light that shines is Righteousness), is followed by an inrushing of the Holy Spirit (symbolized here by 'wings') with healing.
With the healing reconciliation after two thousand years of estrangement between Israel and her God will come the healing and comforting of Israel's heart. She will find that she has not been abandoned but loved all along.
2Cor. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
"Father" is Source. God is Himself the source of ALL comfort. He is the source of ALL needed mercies.
Pray with us:
· Dear Lord, we call upon you to arise as the Sun of Righteousness in this hour of darkness. Shine the light of Messiah; shine forth the glory of God in the face of Yeshua upon this bleeding nation.
· May Israel see Him who IS Love, and may Israel see Him as Love crucified.
· May Israel's eyes be opened to the Wonder that Messiah is.
· May Israel's heart be broken not by terror but by the fear of God that arises in one who sees the Holy Love of God.
· Lord, we ask that You fulfill Your promises and show Yourself Great in all the earth by what You do in Israel as You bring her to Yourself.
· We pray that Your Goodness will cause the nations to "hear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.'" (Jeremiah 33:9)
· Lord, we have seen what the devil can do up to now, but we long to see what God can do!
· Show yourself, mighty Lord, Mighty to give Life, Mighty to save, Mighty to heal.
Praying for Israel at this time of war
Zooming out to the immediate verses before and after Malachi 4:2, we see the larger story!
Mal. 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Mal. 4:3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts.
As you can see, part of the package of Israel's restoration to Himself is God's dealing with wickedness in general, and for our purpose here, the unfathomable depravity of Hamas (which for all practical purposes is ISIS—ISIS flags and manuals were found on the ground where the terrorists have been.)
We prayed :
For the hostages and their families
We must resist the notion that they are beyond the help of God. That is precisely what the enemy wants you to feel so that you don't pray. God is not limited in ways and means to reach them. How often have you read stories of supernatural and divine help that captives or imprisoned hostages have received?
Heb. 1:7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
· Pray for the Lord to reach them.
· Pray for angelic protection and aid to each of them.
· Pray for God to sustain them. (Do you remember the three Hebrew children in the furnace? Daniel in the lion's den?)
· Pray for God's intervention — He can even bring their release, by Israel's army or otherwise.
· Pray for the families who know that their loved ones are in captivity.
· Pray for those who do not yet know but whose loved ones are missing.
For the families of those who died and have been massacred.
Many are left whose loved ones have not yet been identified or accounted for.
· Pray for the grace and comfort of God, both supernaturally by the Lord Himself and through those who are near and who surround them.
· Pray for the coming days as these families process what happened. Some stories are beyond human endurance to bear. The cruelty and evil are a great shock to Israel, let alone these dear ones who have lost family, even lost a whole family.
For the IDF
We pray for the IDF, which is our whole nation's sons and daughters and grandkids.
Pray for the right strategy, even genius ideas and tactics greater than the 'evil genius' of the Hamas.
· Pray for minimal causalities as the IDF goes into Gaza; the IDF will encounter a whole city set as a trap by roadside bombs, etc.
· Pray for the ongoing threat coming from Lebanon's Hezbollah.
· Pray into this Day of Rage (today), which has been called for the uprising of the Arabs in Israel and in Judea and Samaria and the nations surrounding Israel.
· Pray for the IDF's leadership.
For the government
A Unity government has been formed, with a small Defense Cabinet comprised of Netanyahu, Galant, and Eisencot.
· Pray that this Defense cabinet will succeed; there is much bad blood between Netanyahu, Galant, and Eisencot.
· Pray for good and solid decisions to be made and carried out.
Although Israel is now united by a common enemy, for now, an enormous amount of anger at this present government is accumulating beneath the surface. Evidence is mounting that the greater responsibility for this disaster lies at the feet of Netanyahu's government.
· Pray for Israel's 'day after.'
· Pray for "good shepherds," according to Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23.
Other issues:
The social media war.
A HUGE war is going on social media. The amount of venom and hatred spewed at Israel is enormous! This war is just as important as the physical war.
'Chaos' engulfs social media landscape as Israel-Hamas war shapes digital narratives
Food Supply and Demand
Although Israel does not lack in food, the supply chain is greatly hampered. Many workers in that sector (grocery chains, etc.) are Arabs, and they are afraid to appear at work. One food chain, for example, said that in one of its stores, instead of the usual 150 workers, only four appeared. This includes truck drivers, etc.
Farms in the south:
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bjbmtx8ba
Pray for the Church: Its silence is deafening!
Shabbat Shalom,
Ofer
SHABBAT SHALOM,
How wonderful that The Lord gave us Shabbat…a gift to His creation…a tool to draw us back to Him…calm us and shelter us. Lord, YOU ALONE are good, and righteous!
REPENTANCE has gripped me…my inability to truly repent…my lack of understanding of WHAT true repentance is…my need to know…the DESPERATE need to know!
Oh, I KNEW, and I did truly repent and was saved beyond a doubt…but as I look into the abyss (and yes, it is… the abyss of this battle between the kingdom of dark and light and I seek to know HOW to pray and WHAT to pray…I feel the need for the key of true repentance – which can come ONLY through The Holy Spirit– for judgment begins FIRST at the household of God…and I may be the only one that believes that we are seeing (but NOT seeing? HIS judgment) I could go into that more deeply with someone who would ask me, but I know that this is ‘NOT’ spoken about by many others, and I do NOT want to be a tool of division.
I began writing the above two days ago. THIS IS A POOR ATTEMPT AT AN UPDATE…GRACE PLEASE!
Each day at this point is a lifetime…and many lifetimes are drawing to a close.
The reason for my silence is that our daughter,..... and ..... children, ......have come to stay with me until they feel that it is safe to go home and the situation (mat’tsav in Hebrew) is fluid and changing minute by minute. It is an answer to prayer (for which I thank you for praying!) that she and the children are with me (Y was also with us over Shabbat) and I am thrilled, but the fact that we are in two small rooms most of the day and that we all seem to have a nasty cold has made even answering what’s apps very challenging. They are all upstairs right now getting baths. My landlords have an ‘air b and b’ on the top floor of this house and have given it to them to sleep there at night as there are no tourists now. What a blessing for us and how thankful I am. ..........
The situation from my point of view:
Most of you probably know what is happening. The magnitude of the butchery leaves the people (including me) speechless and traumatized. Is there anyone who does NOT know what has been going on? Let me know and I will try to update you. Thank you for those of you who have sent me news from different believers here…but I have enough. As of today, there are over 1,300 Israelis dead, at least 126 taken captive into Gaza, and more than 5,000 have been injured. Inspite of the fact that we are pretty well flattening Gaza from the air, have cut off electricity, fuel, water, their bombs continue to fall in Southern and central Israel (including Tel Aviv). I saw a report today that Hamas has dismantled the water pipes to build bombs. The photos of beheaded people…children…infants… burned…pools of blood…simply horrors…it is difficult to fathom that this is really happening right now. People constantly say with a sense of unbelief: ‘This is really happening now’. The heartbreaking stories coming out of the destroyed kibbutzim in the south increase daily as people search in agony for their loved ones and the mangled bodies take time to identify.
The beginning of the ground advance is just starting and it is the most dangerous, horrific part of war for soldiers…and these are the children and spouses of my friends and neighbors. All out ground fighting in Gaza is what lies ahead and it won’t be in and out. The constant overhead planes and booms are preparing the way into the area. Now Hezbollah in the North has joined in, albeit still tentatively, we have already had one killed in the north and people restricted from the border areas. The Palestinians within our country are being emboldened. Our government has formed an emergency unity war government (war was, yes, officially declared) and they announced today that they are prepared to battle on all THREE fronts. (that is why my daughter and children, who live in a small village in the Judean mountains ......, are with us)
So…what does it physically look like from where I am seated:
My village is a 12 minute bus ride from Jerusalem and it is legally a ‘moshav’. It is a very patriotic village where just about everyone was or is in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) The area is governed by a local council that is deeply involved in the well being of the people. There is a WhatsApp group and at least 3 times a day we are informed about everything that is going on, injuries, needs, and given directions. Literally everyone who is able, has volunteered for something. When I walk the dogs in the morning, I see cars loaded with water, supplies, food, home cooked meals, clothes, heading either north or south to bring them to the soldiers. Anyone who is able to bear arms has been licensed and equipped. Checkpoints have been set up all around and there are armed patrols day and night. At this point, only food stores, doctors and pharmacies, and fuel stations are to be opened, but I understand more and more stores are opening as much of the economy is hand to mouth. Everyone has relatives and friends fighting. Classes and most activities are suspended. People are all checking on one another.
This is NOT like any other war in the past more than 50 years for us. It IS existential and I have been told first hand that it is worse than the Yom Kippur war. There has been and probably will be more…fighting from house to house…and that is the reality, and yes, that is scary, although I AM FEELING NO FEAR BUT ONLY DEEP PEACE IN MY HEART, I know that that does not mean that my body will not be harmed. His kingdom is one of Peace. I look at the ways that He has been preparing me: “Let go of the rudder in the storm”. “Cling to Me…for you have not passed this way before.” “Not my will but Yours”. “It is not about you…it is all about Me”. “This cup too is from Me. Will you take it and drink it down?”, the shedding of all of our possessions, the move, the timing of the forced retirement…all of this…what Love!
It is about 9 years ago already that The Lord impressed on me one morning to ‘Learn My ways in judgment’, and I began reading my scriptures noting the causes and effects of His judgments and what He expects of me in the midst. I made copious notes and was taken by surprise by the fact that His PROMISES of judgment is as abundant as His PROMISES for blessing…even for His disciples. I have prayed and watched and wondered and heard very little about such things as I watched nations polarize and fall apart, confusion, darkness, plague, natural disasters, arguing, and most grievous, the church itself leaving it’s first love and running after conspiracy theories and entertainment. I AM NOT A PROPHET! I am a sheep…and if I am wrong, God have mercy! I pray daily …I BEG Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit and a Spirit of discernment; to keep me from deception and to search me and correct me…to keep me in His Word and His closet of prayer. I fail Him constantly and have to run to Him…but this does not leave me. ALL of His promises are true and amen…ALL of them. He tells us (Luke 12 -is not what I’m looking for but can’t recall at the moment the exact verse) that although some of us will be killed, not a hair of our head will be harmed. Surely our values need to be conformed to those of His kingdom.
I have been saddened by some local believers, close friends, who have glommed on to (what I call) a ‘spiritual rumor’ that this has all happened because of the wickedness of the ‘rave’ party that was going on in the south where many (some 260 I believe?) young people were slaughtered in the first assault. ‘They were dancing around a statue of Buddha’! they say in amazement. This WICKEDNESS has been going on for YEARS…both here and around the world…rave parties, burning man concerts…Woodstock… love orgies. I am saddened that believers would want to sensationalize, and that is what it is. HOW GOD MUST BE GRIEVED BY ALL OF THE TERRIBLE WICKEDNESS that has been going on all around! Will we yet be proud to think ‘oh, it was this or that?’. In Daniel 9, we read a true prayer of repentance.
I’m sorry for going on and on. Many people have asked me how to pray. I believe that we MUST be led by prayer by The Holy Spirit Who will show us and I will leave to others the lists, but please do pray for the captives to have Him come to them…for their families, for the soldiers to be strong and courageous, for HIS WILL in every area…for the soldiers to have enough food and equipment (there are tons of initiatives right now both in the country and outside of it) to provide for the needs of the soldiers. Please pray that they are expedited and that each soldier gets what he or she needs. Thank God for all of the believing soldiers! May they be found in Him in His Spirit and be given much fruit for His kingdom in the midst of this! May they see Him in the battle! MAY HIS NAME BE GLORIFIED AND MAY HIS SALVATION BE SEEN IN THE MIDST. My daughter told me that the religious Jews are reading Zechariah and believing that NOW Messiah will come and ‘the temple’ will be built! May they READ Zechariah and SEE HIM WHO THEY PIERCED! May He be revealed NOW! [and PLEASE GOD, to my daughter and her family as well!] May God be gracious for His Great Name’s sake!
My Pastor sent out the prayer notes below, so I will include those.
Thank you SO MUCH for your love and prayers and for staying in touch! I love your notes and sweet touches! Thank you for caring! I personally am fine, SO THANKFUL THAT E AND FAMILY ARE WITH ME…albeit physically tired and in pain (a pretty normal thing for me, I have had systemic lupus for years) and have a bad cold that I PRAY does not progress into anything that needs attention. This has been my ‘normal reality’ for years anyway, but I don’t want to be an added burden on anyone at this time. (there are so many that need medical attention). Yes, please pray for the weary medical system, the broken equipment…you know…He can lead you…all of those working so hard and worrying and grieving and seeing unspeakable things. That the eyes of the witnesses would be washed with eye salve. That The Lord would be glorified and seen…isn’t that our purpose on this earth anyway. Below is from my Pastor.
2Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Dear praying friends,
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
As horrific as this war is, we continue to begin and base our prayer on the foundation of the Word of God and His promises to Israel.
If we are not careful, our emotions may get the better of us and lead us into "wild praying." "Wild" in the sense that they will be manufactured by the flesh and our emotions rather than the Spirit. These kinds of prayers may satisfy our own needs or our sense and desire for justice, but they may not reach God.
So we begin with the most significant thing that WILL COME TO PASS in the last days.
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Israel will be visited by her Messiah and brought face to face with the "One whom they have pierced." (Zechariah 12:10)
"The Sun of Righteousness" is no other than Yeshua, the Messiah, Son of God, Son of man, Son of David. "God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God." (1)
"With healing in His wings." - Note that the revelation of Yeshua to His people, their (implied) repentance (the light that shines is Righteousness), is followed by an inrushing of the Holy Spirit (symbolized here by 'wings') with healing.
With the healing reconciliation after two thousand years of estrangement between Israel and her God will come the healing and comforting of Israel's heart. She will find that she has not been abandoned but loved all along.
2Cor. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2Cor. 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
"Father" is Source. God is Himself the source of ALL comfort. He is the source of ALL needed mercies.
Pray with us:
· Dear Lord, we call upon you to arise as the Sun of Righteousness in this hour of darkness. Shine the light of Messiah; shine forth the glory of God in the face of Yeshua upon this bleeding nation.
· May Israel see Him who IS Love, and may Israel see Him as Love crucified.
· May Israel's eyes be opened to the Wonder that Messiah is.
· May Israel's heart be broken not by terror but by the fear of God that arises in one who sees the Holy Love of God.
· Lord, we ask that You fulfill Your promises and show Yourself Great in all the earth by what You do in Israel as You bring her to Yourself.
· We pray that Your Goodness will cause the nations to "hear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.'" (Jeremiah 33:9)
· Lord, we have seen what the devil can do up to now, but we long to see what God can do!
· Show yourself, mighty Lord, Mighty to give Life, Mighty to save, Mighty to heal.
Praying for Israel at this time of war
Zooming out to the immediate verses before and after Malachi 4:2, we see the larger story!
Mal. 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
Mal. 4:2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Mal. 4:3 You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts.
As you can see, part of the package of Israel's restoration to Himself is God's dealing with wickedness in general, and for our purpose here, the unfathomable depravity of Hamas (which for all practical purposes is ISIS—ISIS flags and manuals were found on the ground where the terrorists have been.)
We prayed :
For the hostages and their families
We must resist the notion that they are beyond the help of God. That is precisely what the enemy wants you to feel so that you don't pray. God is not limited in ways and means to reach them. How often have you read stories of supernatural and divine help that captives or imprisoned hostages have received?
Heb. 1:7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
· Pray for the Lord to reach them.
· Pray for angelic protection and aid to each of them.
· Pray for God to sustain them. (Do you remember the three Hebrew children in the furnace? Daniel in the lion's den?)
· Pray for God's intervention — He can even bring their release, by Israel's army or otherwise.
· Pray for the families who know that their loved ones are in captivity.
· Pray for those who do not yet know but whose loved ones are missing.
For the families of those who died and have been massacred.
Many are left whose loved ones have not yet been identified or accounted for.
· Pray for the grace and comfort of God, both supernaturally by the Lord Himself and through those who are near and who surround them.
· Pray for the coming days as these families process what happened. Some stories are beyond human endurance to bear. The cruelty and evil are a great shock to Israel, let alone these dear ones who have lost family, even lost a whole family.
For the IDF
We pray for the IDF, which is our whole nation's sons and daughters and grandkids.
Pray for the right strategy, even genius ideas and tactics greater than the 'evil genius' of the Hamas.
· Pray for minimal causalities as the IDF goes into Gaza; the IDF will encounter a whole city set as a trap by roadside bombs, etc.
· Pray for the ongoing threat coming from Lebanon's Hezbollah.
· Pray into this Day of Rage (today), which has been called for the uprising of the Arabs in Israel and in Judea and Samaria and the nations surrounding Israel.
· Pray for the IDF's leadership.
For the government
A Unity government has been formed, with a small Defense Cabinet comprised of Netanyahu, Galant, and Eisencot.
· Pray that this Defense cabinet will succeed; there is much bad blood between Netanyahu, Galant, and Eisencot.
· Pray for good and solid decisions to be made and carried out.
Although Israel is now united by a common enemy, for now, an enormous amount of anger at this present government is accumulating beneath the surface. Evidence is mounting that the greater responsibility for this disaster lies at the feet of Netanyahu's government.
· Pray for Israel's 'day after.'
· Pray for "good shepherds," according to Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23.
Other issues:
The social media war.
A HUGE war is going on social media. The amount of venom and hatred spewed at Israel is enormous! This war is just as important as the physical war.
'Chaos' engulfs social media landscape as Israel-Hamas war shapes digital narratives
Food Supply and Demand
Although Israel does not lack in food, the supply chain is greatly hampered. Many workers in that sector (grocery chains, etc.) are Arabs, and they are afraid to appear at work. One food chain, for example, said that in one of its stores, instead of the usual 150 workers, only four appeared. This includes truck drivers, etc.
Farms in the south:
https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/bjbmtx8ba
Pray for the Church: Its silence is deafening!
Shabbat Shalom,
Ofer
October 8, 2023
Although I experienced a quiet night where I am (except for the noisy militia - may they be blessed for guarding the village), the strong fighting continues in the south, and the personal stories emerging from there are horrific. Many older people have likened this to the 1948 war of Independence. So many are weeping for their family members, kidnapped in front of their eyes...children, spouses, parents...begging to find their loved ones; having watched them dragged off into Gaza.
But even beyond that...another woe!
Hezbollah is sending rockets into our north. Our armed forces, already overwhelmed in the south, now have a northern front with Iran pulling the strings.
Everybody who can, has been called to fight.
Thank you for continuing to pray for my daughter and family. She is texting me every few hours so far that they are safe.
PLEASE LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD YOU IN PRAYER, FOR PRAYER WE NEED.
(I personally am at peace and not anxious)
But even beyond that...another woe!
Hezbollah is sending rockets into our north. Our armed forces, already overwhelmed in the south, now have a northern front with Iran pulling the strings.
Everybody who can, has been called to fight.
Thank you for continuing to pray for my daughter and family. She is texting me every few hours so far that they are safe.
PLEASE LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD YOU IN PRAYER, FOR PRAYER WE NEED.
(I personally am at peace and not anxious)
October 7, 2023
AMOS 3
I do not want to start this letter with this scripture but it keeps coming to me…I can’t even write it out. Hopefully it’s just ‘coming to mind’ for no reason.
Greetings brothers and sisters, HE IS STILL GOD AND RULER OVER ALL! I have no doubt and I hope that you also have no doubt. MAY HE ALONE BE GLORIFIED! May we be sharpened and before Him Alone.
I want to write this update now. I am not sure if we will have electricity or the ability to communicate as this war is different. They are saying that there has been nothing like this since 1973 – the devastating Yom Kippur war. As of now (I am listening to our local news as I write) they are reporting over 250 Israelis killed, over 1,100 injured…and many (the number is NOT being announced although I know that there are people saying that they know…the government told us that the numbers are NOT accurate, even thought I know that there are some believers giving numbers) …many civilians and soldiers have been captured and taken hostage into Gaza.
Olga came over for dinner last night and before she left, we prayed that we would sleep well. Lately I have been waking up at 2am. The Lord answered that prayer and I woke up at 6am, thanking Him for the wonderful sleep… however I kept hearing strange ‘booms’. I wondered if my neighbor was dropping items. I took Gila out and looked toward the west. Boom after boom filled the air. A neighbor came out and we looked at one another…’that knowing look’. I went back in and checked the news…yep…just after 6am the first bombs were fired from Gaza. 2,500 bombs. I turned on my air raid alert app. It didn’t stop flashing. Usually, the Jerusalem area is not targeted until the END of a war, but by 11:00 I had been directed to the shelter 7 times with atleast one direct hit (thankfully no one injured) in my small village. Each time, the bombs were very close. There is a shelter 2 doors away from me, but when it was open, I saw that there are many steep steps inside going deep underground and I am choosing to stay in my bedroom and pray.
I am not thinking about writing, and this is not ‘flowing, but I want to send out facts as I know them, and prayer requests.
The communities in the south around Gaza are being devastated. At the start of the attack, the border fence between Israel and Gaza, was bulldozed down and terrorists overran the south…they also entered the country by sea and hang gliders. They attacked (I believe) 22 communities in the south, burning houses, kidnapping and killing from house to house…breaking windows and entering homes and killing entire families. It took an extremely long time before security forces could get to them. It was a nightmare in the eyes of the entire country.
I am including 3 local news websites that I usually go to, to try and glean ‘facts without interpretation. Ynet is a translation of a Hebrew newspaper, The Jerusalem Post serves the English speaking community and Times of Israel is left wing…however reading the 3, I can usually figure out what is going on. I offer them to you as my ‘tool’. I TEND TO NOT LOOK FOR INTERPRETATION. (As I write, I am listening to the 8pm news in English and an Israeli General is giving the report. It is very sobering, but it is good to be listening to an update by a General)
In my new, small community, I have been getting announcements all day on my whatsapp. A local group has formed. The message went out asking who has weapons to please report. There are volunteers forming checkpoints at the entrances to my area and others to drive through as ‘watchers and helpers.’ Everyone is volunteering for everything.
There has been a general call up of all reserves.
That is what I have to report at the moment.
These are some concerns that I have:
Those of you who have been here on a trip have often commented that you were surprised at how close Israeli and Palestinian towns (NOT Israeli Arabs, who are Israeli citizens…but Palestinians, WHO ARE NOT ISRAELI CITIZENS) are to one another. In these Palestinian towns, the mullahs have been inciting their people over the minarets to destroy nearby Israeli villages. This is serious. An uprising from within … Please…my daughter Elena and her family live in such a community in Judea…I am asking for prayer for them. Please pray for them.
MANY believers have been called up and are now fighting and we are asking for them. Do you want names? There are SO SO many, but I will ask for Natanel, Marco, Ben, Gabriella, Liora, Nir, …Oh I can not think of them all…hundreds! AND then there are all of those soldiers who DON’T know Him! Thank you for praying!
The people in the South are traumatized and being slaughtered….
Hezbollah in the north is a serious concern. A battle on all sides is a horrible possibility. Iran is involved in this.
We have been a violently divided country. We need to unity to not be temporary…but real and enduring.
We need more blood donations.
Thank you for praying. I’m sorry that this is such a poor update.
I have no fear, but only peace in my heart.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
ynet English news
Jerusalem Post
Times of Israel
My Pastor Ofer's update :
Shabbat Shalom, to each of you,
We sent the following bulletin to our congregation. You may want to see how we are praying and perhaps join us in prayer.
I am including a link to a bulletin in Ynet news. It will give you a picture of the gravity of the situation.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rysg8i0l6#autoplay
******
Dear Kehila Shabbat Shalom,
We all woke up this morning to the sounds of an attack from Gaza. Rockets were fired, and terrorists infiltrated in several places.
Greetings brothers and sisters, HE IS STILL GOD AND RULER OVER ALL! I have no doubt and I hope that you also have no doubt. MAY HE ALONE BE GLORIFIED! May we be sharpened and before Him Alone.
I want to write this update now. I am not sure if we will have electricity or the ability to communicate as this war is different. They are saying that there has been nothing like this since 1973 – the devastating Yom Kippur war. As of now (I am listening to our local news as I write) they are reporting over 250 Israelis killed, over 1,100 injured…and many (the number is NOT being announced although I know that there are people saying that they know…the government told us that the numbers are NOT accurate, even thought I know that there are some believers giving numbers) …many civilians and soldiers have been captured and taken hostage into Gaza.
Olga came over for dinner last night and before she left, we prayed that we would sleep well. Lately I have been waking up at 2am. The Lord answered that prayer and I woke up at 6am, thanking Him for the wonderful sleep… however I kept hearing strange ‘booms’. I wondered if my neighbor was dropping items. I took Gila out and looked toward the west. Boom after boom filled the air. A neighbor came out and we looked at one another…’that knowing look’. I went back in and checked the news…yep…just after 6am the first bombs were fired from Gaza. 2,500 bombs. I turned on my air raid alert app. It didn’t stop flashing. Usually, the Jerusalem area is not targeted until the END of a war, but by 11:00 I had been directed to the shelter 7 times with atleast one direct hit (thankfully no one injured) in my small village. Each time, the bombs were very close. There is a shelter 2 doors away from me, but when it was open, I saw that there are many steep steps inside going deep underground and I am choosing to stay in my bedroom and pray.
I am not thinking about writing, and this is not ‘flowing, but I want to send out facts as I know them, and prayer requests.
The communities in the south around Gaza are being devastated. At the start of the attack, the border fence between Israel and Gaza, was bulldozed down and terrorists overran the south…they also entered the country by sea and hang gliders. They attacked (I believe) 22 communities in the south, burning houses, kidnapping and killing from house to house…breaking windows and entering homes and killing entire families. It took an extremely long time before security forces could get to them. It was a nightmare in the eyes of the entire country.
I am including 3 local news websites that I usually go to, to try and glean ‘facts without interpretation. Ynet is a translation of a Hebrew newspaper, The Jerusalem Post serves the English speaking community and Times of Israel is left wing…however reading the 3, I can usually figure out what is going on. I offer them to you as my ‘tool’. I TEND TO NOT LOOK FOR INTERPRETATION. (As I write, I am listening to the 8pm news in English and an Israeli General is giving the report. It is very sobering, but it is good to be listening to an update by a General)
In my new, small community, I have been getting announcements all day on my whatsapp. A local group has formed. The message went out asking who has weapons to please report. There are volunteers forming checkpoints at the entrances to my area and others to drive through as ‘watchers and helpers.’ Everyone is volunteering for everything.
There has been a general call up of all reserves.
That is what I have to report at the moment.
These are some concerns that I have:
Those of you who have been here on a trip have often commented that you were surprised at how close Israeli and Palestinian towns (NOT Israeli Arabs, who are Israeli citizens…but Palestinians, WHO ARE NOT ISRAELI CITIZENS) are to one another. In these Palestinian towns, the mullahs have been inciting their people over the minarets to destroy nearby Israeli villages. This is serious. An uprising from within … Please…my daughter Elena and her family live in such a community in Judea…I am asking for prayer for them. Please pray for them.
MANY believers have been called up and are now fighting and we are asking for them. Do you want names? There are SO SO many, but I will ask for Natanel, Marco, Ben, Gabriella, Liora, Nir, …Oh I can not think of them all…hundreds! AND then there are all of those soldiers who DON’T know Him! Thank you for praying!
The people in the South are traumatized and being slaughtered….
Hezbollah in the north is a serious concern. A battle on all sides is a horrible possibility. Iran is involved in this.
We have been a violently divided country. We need to unity to not be temporary…but real and enduring.
We need more blood donations.
Thank you for praying. I’m sorry that this is such a poor update.
I have no fear, but only peace in my heart.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!
ynet English news
Jerusalem Post
Times of Israel
My Pastor Ofer's update :
Shabbat Shalom, to each of you,
We sent the following bulletin to our congregation. You may want to see how we are praying and perhaps join us in prayer.
I am including a link to a bulletin in Ynet news. It will give you a picture of the gravity of the situation.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rysg8i0l6#autoplay
******
Dear Kehila Shabbat Shalom,
We all woke up this morning to the sounds of an attack from Gaza. Rockets were fired, and terrorists infiltrated in several places.
- Please pray for the people of those towns most affected; they are paying the highest price.
- Please pray for the political and military security establishment that they will know how to respond best.
- Please pray for Israel amid one of the most severe political/social crises since its founding.
October 5, 2023
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said…” JOHN 7:37-41a
Greetings, sisters and brothers, from Maoz Zion…a stone’s throw from the city on the hill, chosen by God Almighty, The Creator, as the place where He would put His Name. May HE be seen and known and recognized and adored. May He be blessed and glorified, and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Today is Thursday the 5th of October. Even though I now live outside of the city, the sukkahs are full of happy families and friends, joyful children and the smell of ‘mangal’ (grilling meat) fills the air. It has been an INTENSE week! Yesterday was the Jerusalem march which includes the much loved march of the nations, organized by ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem). Although the Jerusalem march, which is 68 years old, is organized by Israel, the largest and most anticipated part is the Christian representation. This year (according to our local news) there were over 3,000 participants from more than 90 nations. Many of them march in their ‘native’ dress and dance under banners blessing Israel. Trinkets are tossed to the delight of bystanders, and in the past, when E and I would attend, we have watched with wonder how this display of love softens the hearts of the hardest and most skeptical. One year we were standing alongside of several families who were sort of mocking the Christians and suddenly the man beside me saw a leather jacket on one of the marchers. Somehow, the marcher in the jacket was moved to take that jacket off and give it to the man. I cannot explain well what I saw…but I saw GOD soften the heart of that man and his family…I SAW his heart change. I believe that that one small sacrificial act changed all who saw it forever. So much happens in small corners…in hidden quiet corners that bring much glory to God. And, yes, there is also hoopla…but God is greater!
And the march is really one of the sideline events in this wonderous week.
On Tuesday was the blessing of the Kohenim…the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:23-27) given to the people by those who are aware that they are from the priestly line. https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Synagogue_Blessings/Priestly_Blessing/priestly_blessing.html#loaded
Many people gather to receive the blessing. Daily the streets are packed out with a variety of tourists from all over the world, religious Jews taking part in various activities and secular Jews also coming from around the country to participate and to tour the city during this wonderful season, to ‘come up to Jerusalem’ as all of the tribes were commanded…to sit in sukkahs and to share. It is truly a wonder. It’s also a …balagan!
Last Thursday was my last day at work. That’s right…I’m officially retired as there are not many places that wish to hire a 78 year old, nor do I really want to train for a new job. Traveling to work that day, I got off of the bus early to walk past places that I might not walk through again. Emek Refaim is a colorful, rather artsy, neighborhood street with many restaurants and small shops. All of the restaurants put up sukkahs for their clientele to eat in during Sukkot. Well…I got to watch a 5 (?7maybe?) Arabs trying to put up a Sukkah outside of a restaurant. (Most of the modern sukkahs -although not all- are sort of snap together metal ‘modules’) Now THAT was a funny sight! ‘Balagan’…total confusion…a mass of many things happening at once. Watching them scratching their heads and trying to figure it out just tickled my funny bone and was an appropriate last walk to work. But, yep…the word ‘balagan’ would be my best effort - trying to describe Jerusalem during the fall feasts…more and more as they approach the climactic finish.
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood…” [in the temple] …He came to participate…for so it was commanded. Tonight begins ‘the last day…the great day of the feast.’ Beginning this night and through tomorrow…the Hoshana Rabba…the people gather again at the Western Wall of the temple (the Kotel) and pray for RAIN…the outpouring of the physical water…but also the outpouring of The Spiritual Water as shouts of ’Hoshana!’ fill the air and we remember that Yeshua said on that day to those people crying for the heavens to pour down…that it had INDEED poured down and HE …THE LIVING WATER…WAS STANDING IN THEIR MIDST! Psalm 69:23 “Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.” David had prayed, actually cursing the people…and thus it still is. HE stood in the midst and they did not recognize Him, for their eyes were darkened. He still stands in the midst…The Living Water…and we are still praying for the veil to be ripped off of all eyes…that HE may be seen in the midst and known! Romans 11:26-29 reminds me constantly to pray with fervency… “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Again…we see a graphic picture of God’s plan before our eyes…and with longing we await the fulfillment and the outpouring.
All has not been ‘well’ during this season of the fall feasts. On the holiest, most awesome day on the Hebrew calendar, Yom Kippur, there was hatred and dissention in the streets of Tel Aviv when a prayer service became a political, idealistic battle ground. For me and many others, it was heartbreaking to see. The political schism has filled the air with hateful rhetoric…yet the commanded feasts continue. I remember a wonderful series of messages that my Pastor gave us about ‘Looking away unto Him’. He spoke of Daniel opening his window 3 times daily to pray, looking away toward Jerusalem, even when the penalty for doing so was that he be thrown into the lion’s den. He spoke of Elijah, seeing the blue sky but KNOWING that rain was coming, putting his head between his knees to pray (looking away from the sky, unto The Lord) UNTIL…the answer came.
I remember another time when we sat in our little sukkah and things were not well…although the attacks were from outside rather than inside. It was during the intifada as we tiptoed or ran between bombs and bullets…and yet the command came to sit outside in flimsy shacks and REMEMBER that it is GOD Who is our protector, our tabernacle, our ALL. It was a bit surreal as we sat there under our date palm roof covered with flowers and fruit and listened to the bombs…but we SAW they sky and beyond that, to our LORD and the peace of KNOWING THAT HE WAS LORD OF ALL really did fill our hearts and I remember thinking of the verse “The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.” He COMMANDS us to sit in flimsy booths and to REMEMBER and to REJOICE! Perhaps next year someone will help me to build a sukkah. For now, I will sit in other people’s and REMEMBER and REJOICE.
And…it’s not over yet! Starting Saturday night (I THINK) IS Simchat Torah…the joy of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). It celebrates the completion of the yearly cycle of the reading of the Torah. There will be dancing and singing in the streets around the Torah scrolls. I find it a joyous time. This is NOT a ‘commanded feast’ but it has hooked along…and I don’t mind at all.
It is funny how a stumbling block works…it is simply ‘there’ and the stumbling is our part. I used to have a ‘cartoon’ on my refrigerator that illustrated: “The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is how high you lift your feet.” To me, this was very profound. And perhaps, it still is. If you are like me, you ‘beg’ God for His Spirit of discernment and to be kept from deception …that we not get sidetracked into bunny trails. To my understanding, NOTHING that He has given is given to trip us up, but to grow us up. There are those here who are saying that we must not rejoice because of the mess that we are in and because ‘the religious’ are making a mockery of it. BUT THE LORD SAID TO REJOICE…before Him, and unto Him I will rejoice, for HE commanded it. Others are caught in the ‘Jew/Gentile’ snare. I council you to buy of Him GOLD tried in the fire! If you are a gentile and joining in with the commanded feasts will be a snare or a stumbling block to you or someone around you, or (GOD FORBID!) a source of ‘pride’? Refrain from outward displays. Whom we are called to be, that is who we are! May we each walk in the FREEDOM of HIS SPIRIT to obey and follow Him as He leads us…BUT GOD FORBID THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING OUR FLESH OR ANOTHER SPIRIT! And this is a real snare and concern seemingly prevalent in the body today.
Well, the flavor of this letter suddenly turned while I wasn’t looking! We live in ‘narrow days’ and walk on ‘narrow path’, BUT GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL! May we be found following Him! It’s funny in a way, but being rather dramatically stripped of everything that made up my life until now…I have found that it was NEVER about me at all…but that it is ALL ABOUT HIM! May we be found of Him in His Peace, which is such a safe and wonderful place…the pearl of great price…worth it all.
God bless you and keep you and make His Face to shine upon you and give you His Peace.
Lovingly, a sister here.
Greetings, sisters and brothers, from Maoz Zion…a stone’s throw from the city on the hill, chosen by God Almighty, The Creator, as the place where He would put His Name. May HE be seen and known and recognized and adored. May He be blessed and glorified, and may you be encouraged and blessed.
Today is Thursday the 5th of October. Even though I now live outside of the city, the sukkahs are full of happy families and friends, joyful children and the smell of ‘mangal’ (grilling meat) fills the air. It has been an INTENSE week! Yesterday was the Jerusalem march which includes the much loved march of the nations, organized by ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem). Although the Jerusalem march, which is 68 years old, is organized by Israel, the largest and most anticipated part is the Christian representation. This year (according to our local news) there were over 3,000 participants from more than 90 nations. Many of them march in their ‘native’ dress and dance under banners blessing Israel. Trinkets are tossed to the delight of bystanders, and in the past, when E and I would attend, we have watched with wonder how this display of love softens the hearts of the hardest and most skeptical. One year we were standing alongside of several families who were sort of mocking the Christians and suddenly the man beside me saw a leather jacket on one of the marchers. Somehow, the marcher in the jacket was moved to take that jacket off and give it to the man. I cannot explain well what I saw…but I saw GOD soften the heart of that man and his family…I SAW his heart change. I believe that that one small sacrificial act changed all who saw it forever. So much happens in small corners…in hidden quiet corners that bring much glory to God. And, yes, there is also hoopla…but God is greater!
And the march is really one of the sideline events in this wonderous week.
On Tuesday was the blessing of the Kohenim…the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:23-27) given to the people by those who are aware that they are from the priestly line. https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Blessings/Synagogue_Blessings/Priestly_Blessing/priestly_blessing.html#loaded
Many people gather to receive the blessing. Daily the streets are packed out with a variety of tourists from all over the world, religious Jews taking part in various activities and secular Jews also coming from around the country to participate and to tour the city during this wonderful season, to ‘come up to Jerusalem’ as all of the tribes were commanded…to sit in sukkahs and to share. It is truly a wonder. It’s also a …balagan!
Last Thursday was my last day at work. That’s right…I’m officially retired as there are not many places that wish to hire a 78 year old, nor do I really want to train for a new job. Traveling to work that day, I got off of the bus early to walk past places that I might not walk through again. Emek Refaim is a colorful, rather artsy, neighborhood street with many restaurants and small shops. All of the restaurants put up sukkahs for their clientele to eat in during Sukkot. Well…I got to watch a 5 (?7maybe?) Arabs trying to put up a Sukkah outside of a restaurant. (Most of the modern sukkahs -although not all- are sort of snap together metal ‘modules’) Now THAT was a funny sight! ‘Balagan’…total confusion…a mass of many things happening at once. Watching them scratching their heads and trying to figure it out just tickled my funny bone and was an appropriate last walk to work. But, yep…the word ‘balagan’ would be my best effort - trying to describe Jerusalem during the fall feasts…more and more as they approach the climactic finish.
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood…” [in the temple] …He came to participate…for so it was commanded. Tonight begins ‘the last day…the great day of the feast.’ Beginning this night and through tomorrow…the Hoshana Rabba…the people gather again at the Western Wall of the temple (the Kotel) and pray for RAIN…the outpouring of the physical water…but also the outpouring of The Spiritual Water as shouts of ’Hoshana!’ fill the air and we remember that Yeshua said on that day to those people crying for the heavens to pour down…that it had INDEED poured down and HE …THE LIVING WATER…WAS STANDING IN THEIR MIDST! Psalm 69:23 “Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually.” David had prayed, actually cursing the people…and thus it still is. HE stood in the midst and they did not recognize Him, for their eyes were darkened. He still stands in the midst…The Living Water…and we are still praying for the veil to be ripped off of all eyes…that HE may be seen in the midst and known! Romans 11:26-29 reminds me constantly to pray with fervency… “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Again…we see a graphic picture of God’s plan before our eyes…and with longing we await the fulfillment and the outpouring.
All has not been ‘well’ during this season of the fall feasts. On the holiest, most awesome day on the Hebrew calendar, Yom Kippur, there was hatred and dissention in the streets of Tel Aviv when a prayer service became a political, idealistic battle ground. For me and many others, it was heartbreaking to see. The political schism has filled the air with hateful rhetoric…yet the commanded feasts continue. I remember a wonderful series of messages that my Pastor gave us about ‘Looking away unto Him’. He spoke of Daniel opening his window 3 times daily to pray, looking away toward Jerusalem, even when the penalty for doing so was that he be thrown into the lion’s den. He spoke of Elijah, seeing the blue sky but KNOWING that rain was coming, putting his head between his knees to pray (looking away from the sky, unto The Lord) UNTIL…the answer came.
I remember another time when we sat in our little sukkah and things were not well…although the attacks were from outside rather than inside. It was during the intifada as we tiptoed or ran between bombs and bullets…and yet the command came to sit outside in flimsy shacks and REMEMBER that it is GOD Who is our protector, our tabernacle, our ALL. It was a bit surreal as we sat there under our date palm roof covered with flowers and fruit and listened to the bombs…but we SAW they sky and beyond that, to our LORD and the peace of KNOWING THAT HE WAS LORD OF ALL really did fill our hearts and I remember thinking of the verse “The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.” He COMMANDS us to sit in flimsy booths and to REMEMBER and to REJOICE! Perhaps next year someone will help me to build a sukkah. For now, I will sit in other people’s and REMEMBER and REJOICE.
And…it’s not over yet! Starting Saturday night (I THINK) IS Simchat Torah…the joy of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). It celebrates the completion of the yearly cycle of the reading of the Torah. There will be dancing and singing in the streets around the Torah scrolls. I find it a joyous time. This is NOT a ‘commanded feast’ but it has hooked along…and I don’t mind at all.
It is funny how a stumbling block works…it is simply ‘there’ and the stumbling is our part. I used to have a ‘cartoon’ on my refrigerator that illustrated: “The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is how high you lift your feet.” To me, this was very profound. And perhaps, it still is. If you are like me, you ‘beg’ God for His Spirit of discernment and to be kept from deception …that we not get sidetracked into bunny trails. To my understanding, NOTHING that He has given is given to trip us up, but to grow us up. There are those here who are saying that we must not rejoice because of the mess that we are in and because ‘the religious’ are making a mockery of it. BUT THE LORD SAID TO REJOICE…before Him, and unto Him I will rejoice, for HE commanded it. Others are caught in the ‘Jew/Gentile’ snare. I council you to buy of Him GOLD tried in the fire! If you are a gentile and joining in with the commanded feasts will be a snare or a stumbling block to you or someone around you, or (GOD FORBID!) a source of ‘pride’? Refrain from outward displays. Whom we are called to be, that is who we are! May we each walk in the FREEDOM of HIS SPIRIT to obey and follow Him as He leads us…BUT GOD FORBID THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING OUR FLESH OR ANOTHER SPIRIT! And this is a real snare and concern seemingly prevalent in the body today.
Well, the flavor of this letter suddenly turned while I wasn’t looking! We live in ‘narrow days’ and walk on ‘narrow path’, BUT GOD REMAINS FAITHFUL! May we be found following Him! It’s funny in a way, but being rather dramatically stripped of everything that made up my life until now…I have found that it was NEVER about me at all…but that it is ALL ABOUT HIM! May we be found of Him in His Peace, which is such a safe and wonderful place…the pearl of great price…worth it all.
God bless you and keep you and make His Face to shine upon you and give you His Peace.
Lovingly, a sister here.