Update From Sderot 1/9/11

Well I guess I’m behind on updating you all so I better get this “Update” finished. The month of December was a whirlwind of activities, visiting friends, and of course the holidays. Hopefully things are normalizing for all of you as well.

It was such a blessing to have a bounty of wonderful fellowship last month, as so many friends came to visit and serve with us. It is always a blessing to have English speaking friends come, but when those friends can also communicate with those whom we serve because they speak Hebrew and Russian also, it is nothing short of an answer to prayer. Very special thanks to all of you who came to visit and to serve the families of Sderot. You were a great source of encouragement and refreshing from Ha’Shem. Todah rabah!

Speaking of answers to prayer, the work of building our shelter has finally begun. I woke up a few days ago to the sound of a back hoe clearing trees and moving dirt. Although the construction often takes months, with frequent water and power outages, we are nevertheless very thankful that we will soon have a safe room. Baruch Hashem!

We are once again seeing an increase in rockets and mortars here. It is only one week into the New Year and we have already seen a total of 17 rockets. List of Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, 2011 - Wikipedia ... The number of rockets fired into Israel since the last cease fire has now reached 501, so much for the “peace process”.

Yesterday mortar fire injured three agricultural workers, one of them seriously, when four mortar shells fired by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza landed in a nearby kibbutz. The seriously injured man has been hospitalized for shrapnel wounds to his chest. I know you will join me and the people of Sderot as we remember these men and their families in prayer.

Well as 2010 is now behind us, we look forward to all that the Lord will do in the coming year; both in us and through us. As 2010 becomes a memory I can’t help but think about the many times Ha’Shem commanded the children of Israel to “remember” the works of His hand in their lives; to remember all that He had done on their behalf. King David said, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all you have done; I ponder the work of your hands” Ps. 143:5. As we enter 2011 may we draw strength and encouragement as we “remember” His faithfulness in our lives. Blessings!

Update From Sderot 12/13/10

Shalom Haverim,

It is Sunday here, the weather is cold and stormy and I have spent the entire day in my jammies. How absolutely wonderful that has been. I highly recommend it. And added to that is the fact that sweet, red, and delicious strawberries are in season here… what a wonderful gift.

Storm winds have been blowing through much of Israel since late yesterday, with 10 cm. of snow falling on Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. Wind and heavy rain with snow also expected on the upper peaks of the mountains in the Galilee region. Sandstorms have been blowing in our area since yesterday and rain is expected to appear later in the day.

The high winds make the rocket launches difficult and dangerous for those in Gaza so it has been quiet since the winds began late yesterday. The current count so far this month is ten mortars with some damage to a home on a kibbutz and an Israeli man hospitalized after injury from a mortar on December 8^th.

As to the ministry; I shared before about the beautiful handmade blankets Deanna a volunteer had brought with her. Well we recently had some other friends visit from the States, who brought a suitcase full of baby clothes. It seems like there is always someone having babies here. In the past two weeks we have made several home visits to families either expecting very soon or who have just had precious little ones. It is such a joy to be able to bless them with a few baby things and a warm blanket.

On one such occasion, we went to the home of one of the families we provide with food. The brand new, first time grandmother of triplets was so excited she couldn’t sit still. And how cool it is that with all those blankets to choose from, I was able to find three matching ones for the triplets (two girls and a boy).

The unexpected gift of a few simple baby things and a warm blanket give us the opportunity to tell them about the wonderful believers back in the States who simply love Israel and want to bless Ha’Shem’s children. But even more importantly we get to remind them that Ha’Shem loves and cares for them.

Ha’Shem shows me more and more each day that this ministry is so much more than just distributing food to the poor. There are daily opportunities to share in their lives; the births, the death of a love one, the everyday struggles of life and relationships allows us an opportunity to remind them of Ha’Shem’s love and faithfulness toward His children. It allows us to share about His character and heart. The everyday business of running the storefront gives us the opportunity to teach our volunteers about the need to operate the storefront with Godly principles which glorify Him.

This all serves to remind us that sharing His truth does not require great skill or vast knowledge on our part, but instead requires only the willingness to have Him be part of every conversation with those He has put in our lives.

This Christmas may you see and know anew how great His love is toward you... Love so amazing.

For unto you is born this day… a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

Update From Sderot 11/30/10

Thought you might find the following interesting. It was recorded a couple of weeks ago at Calvary Chapel Albuquerque. The guest speaker is Joel Rosenburg and he explores the critical issues facing the people of the epicenter (Israel and her neighbors).

As radical Islam threatens Israel with annihilation and replacement theology threatens to delegitimize Israel, we as believers must be grounded in the Word so that we may be able to understand the times we are living in and be able to distinguish between the truth of Ha’Shem’s Word and the false misinformation that is out there.

http://www.calvaryabq.tv/live/?ServiceID=864 Are the Jews the Chosen and Why Does it Matter?

http://www.calvaryabq.tv/live/?ServiceID=865 Were the Jews Given the Promised Land and Why Does it

matter?

http://www.calvaryabq.tv/live/?ServiceID=866 Why Does the World Hate Israel and the Jewish People and

Why Does it Matter?

http://www.calvaryabq.tv/live/?ServiceID=867 Does God Love Israel's Neighbors and Why Does it Matter?

http://www.calvaryabq.tv/live/?ServiceID=868 How Can the Church Bless Israel and Her Neighbors?

On the lighter side, Hanukkah begins tomorrow and preparation for this year’s Hanukkah party for the children of Sderot continues. Yesterday we picked up all the wonderful decorations that were made for us by local kindergarten children. The festive decorations will cover the walls and hang from the ceiling of the large room where the party will take place.

Hanukkah is an eight-day festival commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian tyrant Antiochus and his army. Called the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the tiny cruse of oil which burned for eight days. Today this holiday is a reminder to us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and need to keep our light, the light of Yeshua, shining brightly so that we may be a light to the nations and to am Yisrael (the people of Israel).

Traditionally, Hanukkah has many meaningful customs. Every year, starting on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, (December 1^st) the Jewish community begins its eight-day celebration. The day focuses on the hanukkiyah, the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah. The usual menorah, like the modern symbol of the State of Israel, is seven-branched. Eight branches remind us of the eight-day miracle of oil; and, the appropriate numbers of candles are kindled each day. The ninth branch (in the center with four branches on either side) stands out. It is used to light the other candles and is called the shamash (Hebrew for "servant"). The menorah is lit after dark, usually in connection with a festive meal. The phrase; Nes gadol haya sham (A great miracle happened there) is the common Hanukkah greeting.

I am hoping to be able to video record the party activities so I will post the clip when it is finished. Wishing you all a Happy Hanukkah. Shalom.