Monthly Archives: July 2016

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Once again, it’s time to hear from our sister in Jerusalem about what she is witnessing there as a believer in Yeshua. Put your prayer shawls on and pray for Israel and Sister J. Now here she is —

Beloved, friends, sisters and brothers, greetings in The Name of our Lord Yeshua, Jesus.  May He be glorified and blessed and may you be edified and blessed…Only The Lord can take small portions of bread and fish and make them enough.

As I write to you, it looks as if Jerusalem is in a lock down and maybe under siege.  It is definitely a great grief. An outbreak of the cancer in the world today spreading everywhere in all of its various forms − be it this sin or that and this crime or that and this war or that − the source is the same.  It’s taking the form at this moment of the gay pride parade, which insists that they must march through JERUSALEM too.  THANKFULLY, this is NOT too big for The Lord Who hears our sighs and grief-filled cries for His city to become a PRAISE unto HIM in all the earth.

One year ago today at the parade, a young girl was stabbed to death by a religious Jew stirring great sympathy in the general public, many of whom are there today to support the parents and to stand against such hate.  It is a VERY deep rift as being a people under the first Covenant and the fullness of the Law. Those who are particularly zealous for the Law do look to emulate Phinehas, who, if you remember the account in Numbers 25, was greatly esteemed for killing the couple caught in gross sin in the camp as God’s judgment fell.  His act stayed the judgment of God.

I will only say that both the spirit and the emotions in the city right now are volatile. I search for The Holy Spirit’s Heart in the midst.  What a time we live in!  WHAT A RESPONSIBILITY TO PRAY!

This morning Ahuva died and she is being buried as I write.  I asked for prayer for her such a short time ago and this morning as my boss read to me the day’s notices concerning our patients that we receive on the computer, he said, “Ahuva is in hospital again…and…she died this morning!”

He was in as much shock as I was as the words spilled out of his mouth surprising him.  I gasped, ‘No!’

She was 61 and her daughters, Bat El (daughter of God) and Ma’ayan Nissim (a deep clean spring of water or miracle) are just 33 and 31.  The 3 lived together as the girls are both still single.  I had seen her last on the 11th when her lung was bothering her.  She pulled toward me and I said, “Oh Ahuva, I want to hug you but I am sick and I don’t want to infect you.” So I didn’t.

And sick I was!  For the first time in 20 years I was really sick with a plain old germ − sort of strep throat and bronchitis together. So I stayed home in bed for the next week and didn’t call her in the hospital where my boss sent her, suspecting a blood clot following the cancer surgery on her kidney.  I prayed for her, but the cancer moved so quickly. She had just been diagnosed but it had spread to her lungs.  She had been so scared and I said to her, “We each have just today.  Please don’t waste it being afraid.  Go out and look at the beauty…” And she did.

But I did not get to the hospital to share Yeshua. The One Who is our Peace, with her and I can only lay it before Him and leave it there.

What a gift this life. How precious. A reflection of His Love for us. He takes us on a journey, NOT to find ourselves but to LOSE ourselves and be found in Him.

Ok…enough!  I will get on…the train with you.

After a week in bed, reality hit me between the eyes as soon as I got downstairs to the train station in front of my apartment door. “Train delay due to security reasons.  There will be delays. 18 minute wait.” It is what the moving electric sign said in 3 languages.

No doubt about it, the train would be crowded and it was.  This was Sunday morning when the soldiers who have been home for Shabat travel back to their bases with their huge backpacks full of a week’s worth of freshly washed clothes and inevitable snacks and homemade goodies.  Thankfully, a young person got up to give me their seat. Yes, this is the way it is done here.  There are even signs saying: “rise before the elderly” on buses.

“H’Shem tishmor aleyhka hi’al!’ (The Lord watch over you, soldier!)The woman beside me said to the group of soldiers standing in front of us.

Everyone nodded.  They thanked her shyly, appreciating the prayers and sloppy love of the nation; their parents and siblings and children.  I still love watching fathers traveling with their sons on the train or bus to the central bus station and giving them a big hug and kiss and their big strong boy/man for the week.

I needed to stock up on whole oats so went to the grain vendor and dipped the scoop into the sack.  As I did I heard him describing an event.  I looked up and caught his eye. “What happened?” I asked.

“On the corner of King George and Yaffo, a te**orist  (sorry, it’s a catch-word on internet) with a belt was caught trying to get on the train!”

That’s 2 blocks away from the shuk and that is why the train was stopped.  He went on. “They blew up the e*plosi*es and it was a huge boom!” His adrenalin was flowing.

“Thank You Lord!”  we both agreed.

I’m sure that you know that we are not known for being politically correct (incredibly liberal, yes, but politically correct − not!) here in too many ways.  All of our security people and actually, all of our population, are well trained in reading body language and noticing suspicious actions.  This young man had been unusually nervous and several people had alerted the security guards. It was a Druze (like Bedouin, related to Arab) police officer that approached him and became the hero of the hour.

Going for my weekly blood test, I greeted all of the lab technicians. “Ma nish ma?  Ma shlom hem?” (‘what’s new?  how are you – or more accurately translated, “how is your peace?”)

There is a lovely display of the traditional mixture in Israel working together there. Very secular Russian immigrants, very religious middle eastern Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druzim, immigrants from France, all working in harmony as is so well displayed in all of the medical profession here.  It never ceases to bless me.  I was greeted by Oria (Light of God). “Hi!  My daughter had twins,” she beamed.

“Brachot rah’bot,” I answered (many blessings).

We spoke about the blessing of the thwarted attack and the abundant shifts going on all around us, the sad events in France, the boldness of Brexit, our political events, the extreme moves in Turkey and the upheaval all around us. It is amazing how much you can talk about in the short time that a blood test takes.  But thankfully it ALWAYS ends with uplifting joy. “What a blessing to know that Elohim takes care of us all and is watching over us.  He is just so good.” 

I must admit that I ENJOY going to our lab.

It had touched me that the Arab beggar who has come to me for nearly 20 years now, said the very same thing.  I found myself concerned about him and praying for him in the extreme heat spell awhile back.  He and I are the same age and I know that he isn’t feeling very well.  I hadn’t seen him for a week and when he finally came in I asked him how he was and told him that I had been concerned for them.  He also said, “h’Shem tshmor alenu.” (God watches over us) and I thought about that:  Yes, He DOES care for those who can’t care for themselves, the simple, the broken, the sparrow, the Arab and the Jew.

As I returned home from my first outing on my still unsteady legs, with some hot pita and some basic fruit and vegetables everyone on the train was saying, “God bless those Druzim police.  That could have been awful, but God watched over us.”

May The Lord add His touch to this offering out of physical weakness.  I miss you all…your fellowship is sweet.  May we be a blessing together to Him Who is the All in All.

Lovingly,

your sis J