Inside Israel – finally a moment to write!

Hi friends and thanks for coming by for a look inside Israel today, through the eyes and heart of J of Jerusalem!  God bless you as you read and pray!  Now here’s J . . .

With all of the very big and important things that have happened here, riding the wave of another personal crisis took priority over writing and sharing first hand.  I will add a few quick comments concerning the events that came and went and are still in progress, and I will also share a personal prayer request at the end.

FIRST…Loving greetings with blessing to each of you in The Name above ALL names, Yeshua h’meshiach, Jesus Christ, Lord of lord and King of kings.  May HE Alone be glorified, and may you be blessed.

Binyamin Netanyahu, our Prime Minister, met with the leaders of Canada and America…and I did not get to comment.  I know that most of you heard him speak in America anyway, and I am thankful for all of the positive input that came from many of you.  Our Prime Minister has a gift with words, and also a very real fear of The Lord and reads and believes his Bible.  To my joy, the one thing that was reported in the Hebrew press here was that the he went to a prayer meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and, with hands laid on him, was very moved as they prayed for him to be bold, to stand with The Lord for Israel, and many other things that we also were praying for him here.  The (secular) newspaper reported that he was very moved by the prayers.  J  I wonder how many of you get such reporting in your local newspapers these days. 

Next was Purim.  I actually wrote to you about it as Purim was beginning, but got no further then the beginning.  For me, there was a change this year.  The celebrations seem (to me) more and more secular and wild…more like halloween…the witches sabbeth…and it made me sad.  It is not my favorite celebration.  We did gather for prayer thought as believers during the time of the Esther fast.  I have written about Purim each year, so if any of you wish to know something of the holiday, I would be happy to send you something from the past. 

Finally, the latest news that I KNOW many of you are receiving distorted reports concerning…the fighting going on in our South with Gaza.  As of this afternoon, since Friday, over 220 rockets and missiles have rained down in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, and surrounding areas.  Up to a million people are ducking into shelters through out the day…children are home from school, trauma centers are open.  This round of battle actually began when a top Islamic Jihad leader was located.  He had been responsible for a number of large attacks and was known to be planning a major one at the time.  Israel has a policy of targeted assignation.  For the past half a year we have been ‘swatting flies’ as drips and drabs of rockets hit southern Israel, and Israel would then shoot at those aiming  the launch.  It was decided to go after the main ‘brains’ behind the operations.  This is what you LIKELY have heard reported (as we check the foreign news media and receive chastisement from governments, it is what we are hearing): that Israel, the “aggressor and occupier” began the entire thing, although Clinton spoke out against the attacks on our south.  As of this evening there is a ‘truce’ in effect and things are fairly quiet.  Many in the south are calling on the government to enter Gaza again and finish the job that was abruptly ended by world pressure.  I do not think that will happen, precisely because world pressure is too strong.  We see what is happening in Syria and we are more quiet then much of the world.  Perhaps some of you might recall (as I wrote quite extensively about it and with much detail) the ‘Jenin “massacre”’.  It had been reported that thousands were massacred, Jenin was destroyed, dead bodies of entire families were rotting in the streets, etc.  Thankfully, we were able to FINALLY mobilize world leaders and press to come and see the truth…however by the time the truth was revealed, the damage to Israel had been done.  I am no lover of Assad, by any means, but we constantly hear reports by the ‘democratic resistance fighters…liberators’, of huge numbers killed daily and frankly, I do not believe the reporting…nor the motives of the ‘fighters’.  (notice how they USED to be called ‘rebels’, ‘junta’, ‘usurpers’ etc?  By simply changing words, the media is able to manipulate both world opinion and government policy)  May God give His children discernment!  May we seek Him for this gift of His Spirit! 

In the midst of all of this, I want to thank God for the abundant rain and snow that blessed us this past few months.  We are now having lovely spring days intermingled with wintery ones, but the trees are laden with buds and although our severe 8 year drought has not fully broken, we are encouraged and thankful.  I know that many of you have joined us here in praying for moisture, and now may you partake in thanksgiving!  He is only Faithful! 

And so…that brings me to our latest family ‘events’. 

There are several, but I don’t want to inundate you. 

I have shared some prayer requests for our youngest daughter who has been living with us.  For the past few months she had been participating in a ‘day treatment’ program that seemed excellent.  It is for adults suffering from depression, anxiety and or post traumatic stress syndrome.  She really qualified for all three.  She has now left the program and…yesterday…she and her friend left for Michigan, America to sell Dead Sea Products in kiosks at the malls there…tentatively for a year.  She told us of their decision 6 days ago, and, although it was a shock, I have to thank God for His preparation of my heart through the ministry that I received in Tel Aviv the week before. I was pleased that she made mature preparations, consulting fully with the program that she was in and all of her doctors, (you might remember her cornea transplant…).  Those of you in America are most certainly familiar with the enigma of the Israel vendors of Dead Sea products in virtually every mall across the country.  It is almost a new ‘rite of passage’ for young Israelis. Our economy, inspite of being displayed as such a strong one (which I’m sure it is) does not have the ‘trickle down effect’, as I explained before.  Young people are always looking for opportunities to work, for a time, out of the country, and to return with enough to rent their own apartment and begin a business.  They live in group houses and work 12 hours per day 7 days per week generally.  Our daughter has never been able to maintain a rigorous schedule like that.  HOWEVER…I KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY OF YOU OUT THERE WHO PRAY FOR ISRAEL AND ISRAELIS AND YOU HAVE WONDERFUL AND FURTILE GROUND BROUGHT TO YOUR DOORSTEP!  May I suggest (if you are not already doing it?  I’m SURE many of you are and know of some of you!) first, praying specifically for some…approaching some and telling them that you love Israel and are praying for Israel, invite them out for coffee, lunch…over for dinner…SHARE WITH THEM AS THE SPIRIT LEADS…He is creative and knows their hearts so I know that He can lead you.  And now that I have a daughter…and her friend there…I will be praying for God to rise up a fiery, anointed army.

At this point, I don’t even know what city they will be in.  They took a plane to Prague (Czech Republic) and from there were to take a train to Paris where her friend has Grandparents.  From there…to fly to Michigan.  Her friend does not know much about American geography.  When I asked which city they were going to I was told ‘I don’t remember the name but it’s between Chicago and Colorado…I think’.  And so…if our family is on your heart, please remember to pray for our youngest daughter in this latest part of her search for the way back to Him?  Thank you so much. 

I know that this letter is a bit different and sketchy, but may His grace translate to you blessing as you pray for His will in your own lives, the lives of your loved ones, and the world.

LOVINGLY, your sis