Category Archives: Israel

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 —‫

‫Blessings, grace and mercy to you in His Presence…The Presence of The Lord Yeshua, Jesus Christ, The Son, The Messiah, The fullness of The Glory of God.  May He be blessed and praised and worshipped. For He Alone is worthy.

‫  Thanksgiving is celebrated today in America, but the giving of Thanks, offered up to God, is not unique to America.  I do so thank my American upbringing for this most lovely of holidays, in the way it was intended and the message that established it.  THANK YOU LORD…FOR YOU ALONE ARE WORTHY AND YOUR MERCY ENDURES FOREVER!

‫     We in Israel have been given abundant commandments and opportunity to set aside special times to give thanks, yet Thanksgiving is one of the American holidays that we personally (and many others from America here) still observe.  The reactions of Israelis hasn’t changed much through the years and I always find it, well…forgive me…but ‘cute’.

‫     “You are ordering a WHOLE turkey??  WHOLE?  Do you know how BIG they are?”

‫ Yes, a WHOLE turkey has to be ordered a week ahead of time. 

“Is it THAT time of year again?  Hodyah’ (giving thanks to God) and you have a holiday, right?  And WHY IS IT ON A THURSDAY? Don’t you have to wait until Friday?” (Shabat)

‫    The turkey arrives and, of course, there is no room in my refrigerator, but the butcher wants to know how I have an oven big enough to COOK it.  Even after 22 years, the poor bird is … well… “butchered” in the most colorful meaning of the word.  Israelis are NOT used to eating a whole turkey so you can buy legs, or skinless boneless breast, or a neck, but no one seems to know how to – well – just pluck and clean a WHOLE one. So I get it with lots of extra feathers, patch worked skin on SOME places, and a bit of a torn leg, but I’m thankful to have it.  Even at THAT price!

“How can anyone EAT all of that meat?”  I am still asked at the checkout.  Another checker pipes up “Oh!  I know what that is.  It’s for an American holiday called THANKSGIVING!” She is really proud of herself and beams with knowledge.

‫    I love it!.

‫    But Thanksgiving of course, has not much to do with turkey, although my husband remembers the year that the closest we could come was a skinless breast and a chicken draped over it for the drippings).

‫  It has to do with our God’s mercy which endures forever…even in judgment.

‫

With fires raging across the entire country, I stop to wonder.  I know that some of you do not read the news so you may not know that countless fires are being fought with some 75,000 or more people evacuated. The tally changes constantly.  It is complicated.  After our first good rain, we have had no more.  Easterly winds have dried out the land and water sources to a troubling degree.

But then incredibly strong winds began to blow for a week already.  The first fire seemed to have been started by negligence, but it became an opportune time for arson attacks.  I believe that it was in the Haifa area (Haifa is now declared in a state of emergency) that there were over 40 fires set simultaneously beginning what became a wave of deliberately set fires across the country.  Fire fighting planes from Greece, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Italy were offered immediately.  The Palestinians sent in 4 fire fighting teams and there are negotiations under way to bring in a special US one of a kind firefighting plane.

‫      But to my heart, the questions include more then who, and how, but why?

‫    Many years ago now I was praying and I do believe that The Lord spoke to me.   He showed me that Allah is the “god of deserts and dry places,” whereas GOD…THE ALMIGHTY GOD…IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE…THE ONE WHO PRODUCES FRUIT AND LIFE.  It shocked me and I began to look.  Sure enough the Moslem nations were desert nations.  If you look at a satellite map of our region, you will see one green area and indeed, the line separating the Arab and Jewish areas is called “the green line.”  But this should not be strange to us.  After all, it WAS The Lord who said in Isaiah 35:1-4

‫“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord ,The excellency of our God. Strengthen the weak hands ,and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear !Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”

‫I had been reading in 2 Samuel 21 about when famine was in the land, and David, the man after God’s Own Heart, sought The Lord as to WHY?  The Lord showed him that there was a wrong done to the Gibeonites with whom (through presumption) Israel made a treaty in Joshua 9.

‫   So, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?  God FORBID that I too should be presumptuous because I don’t know.  Is it a warning to us from The One who sends the rain on the just and on the unjust?  Is it a strengthening of the demon-god Allah?  I DO NOT KNOW. But I know to ASK Him and to SEEK His Face AND to pray earnestly for discernment and not follow any vain imaginations of my heart.

‫Psalm 24:1,2 states:

‫ “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.

^‫ For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.”

‫I DO know that the earth (ALL of it!) is The Lord’s and that He established it upon the waters, so I am praying that in spite of our clear [except for sand and smoke filled] skies, I am praying for the mercy of His water to rain down upon us and put out the fires.  I am also praying for Him to turn our hearts and eyes to HIM both for help but also with hearing ears and DOING HEARTS, to follow Him.  And to pour out the Living Water of His Spirit and His Fire.

WE are not worthy by any means, but the world basically knows of His promises to this land and this people, so I pray, “LORD!  For YOUR GREAT NAME’S SAKE save this people and reveal Yourself to the nations!”

HOW THE NATIONS NEED HIM IN THIS FEARSOME DAY IN WHICH WE LIVE.  WHAT OPPORTUNITY FOR HIM TO GLORIFY HIS NAME.  Today, Lord?  Pour out Your Spirit?

‫     On this generation…and on the next and next.

‫                Blessings from Jerusalem, with Love,

your sister J in Yeshua

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 —

Dear brothers and sisters,

May The Lord be glorified and blessed and may you be encouraged and blessed because of Him.

As I was walking to work in the early morning on the day following the US elections, I found myself praying with great fear about the use of words − my use of words in particular.

My prayers were interposed with some of the MANY scriptures about THE WORD:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” “In the beginning was The Word and The Word was GOD and The Word was with GOD…””For The Word of God is quick and powerful, sharper then any two edged sword…” the engrafted Word which is able to save your soul …receive The Word…keep The Word…abide in The Word…The Word was choked…The Word fell by the wayside…The Word bore fruit…”

They just kept coming.

Think how many WORDS we are hearing all the time.  Some words are used so skillfully − strung together to give comfort and press people higher. Some are harsh and cruel and instigate anger. Some are Truthful and some are lying and it is just all so confusing.  Words, flung around, influencing hearts, minds, actions.  What happens when we believe a lie?  What happens when we reject a Truth?  AND worst of all − the way that we use words can INFLUENCE someone who believes a lie or rejects the Truth!

All of this was pouring into my mind and out of my mouth in prayer, a cry of sorts. I thought of people who have written to me and told me that I write well and should consider writing a book. And I thought back to how this writing of mine began and has proceeded forth in the world of words.

It seems to me that I have loved words since I was very young. That in one form or other I was always looking for Truth.  It took a LONG time to find Him!

When I was in high school, I would spend my lunch break in the school library reading through the unabridged dictionary (no…I never got to the end). I remember well coming up to the word “ergo” which meant “therefore or hence.” Armed with this new word, I proceeded to use it in class after lunch and was laughed out of class.

But I loved words and listened as people argued and so often I wondered if they were from different planets and why no one really LISTENED or could understand the other.

Things became MORE interesting as my husband is profoundly dyslexic.  Words mean less than nothing to him.  Our second daughter came along and I watched how profound audio dyslexia affects communication and I became even MORE impressed by the power of words.

I will not go further in this description but my despair at the thought of the world ever communicating one to another made the impact of The Living God also being The Living Word… oh so much more important to me!

It also holds over my head a genuine fear of misusing what some have graciously called “my gift with words.”

When a person uses words well, he can very easily mislead people, particularly if he speaks with authority.  We have an easy prime example (because history has already judged him, I feel free to use his name) in Hitler.  His speeches, I am told, were hypnotically persuasive.

But we have a BETTER Word.

I was deeply blessed by hearing the same confession by each of my early Pastors.  NONE of them felt that they had any gift of speech or natural ability with words, and they approached their calling with fear and trembling and relied with full dependence upon The Holy Spirit to anoint them and speak through them.  They were the greatest examples that I could have had, and The Lord has continued to bless and challenge me by gifting me with such men of God. I am still convinced that my Pastors have been His very best.

So, Lord, what do I do with the gift of words that You gave to me?

After the US elections, I did listen to many of the speeches.  Before the elections I did not hear locals speaking much about them. Here they were viewed as so aggressive and arrogant on all sides, and I chose not to focus on them as well.  But AFTER the elections the talk was passionate on all sides.  So I thought about the use of words as I listened to each one.

No doubt about it, Obama is a good speaker.  PLEASE!  I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT CONTENT, TRUTH ETC…SIMPLY HIS USE OF WORDS…excellent.  If I were a young idealistic academic, there would be no question. I would be persuaded.

Words!

With smooth words:

Jeremiah 12 says “Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you.”

Psalm 55 says …”The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.”

In Romans 16 we read “…and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Words can be a stumbling block for me, too. So I turn quickly back to my prayer” “Oh Lord!  I don’t KNOW my own heart!  Please guard me from using persuasive, smooth words to deceive, manipulate, distort in any way or to convince someone to see something my way.  PLEASE TAKE THESE WORDS AND USE THEM FOR YOUR GLORY ONLY! YOUR KINGDOM COME YOUR WILL BE DONE! ‘

And I mean it.

The Lord told me, “What you see, write.  What I show you, write. Be a faithful witness.”

I WANT to be, but am I?  Examine my heart Lord and lead me in Your path!

During the bloody awful second intifada, when the buses were blowing up daily, the Clintons came to Jerusalem.  Bill Clinton spoke to the public at the Convention Center and I watched the proceedings on TV. His wife, Hillary, had gone to Gaza and Ramallah that day to meet with Suha Arafat (Arafat’s wife).  Hillary Clinton stood with Suha Arafat  in a nursery school.  Her eyes were full of love and pity and she nodded in agreement as Suha told her (and the international cameras) that Israel was poisoning their water and giving them aids.  Later she appeared with Bill at the convention center.  He appeared very warm toward us there and he asked for anyone who was close to someone personally or related to someone who had been killed in the current intifada to please stand up.  There was a moment of silence and then the entire huge crowd stood as one body and he was visibly shaken and brought to tears.  I will never forget how his wife stood beside him, uncomfortable, like a stone filled with hate, NOT toward them, but obviously toward us.  It was a shocker to see and I never forgot it.

At work following the elections, as I said, people started to react, really quite emotionally.  Many more were relieved then I expected, but we have a number of patients who are professors and they are generally quite liberal.  As we spoke, I reminded these professors of that visit during the intifada.  One said that he didn’t have any memory of their visit, but another stopped and lowered his head and said “Yes, now I remember. Thank you for reminding me. I had forgotten that.”

Each of them stopped and thought about it and thanked me for reminding them.

The power of words. What a responsibility!

Perhaps the current situation will cause American Jews to finally make aliyah. May my family be among them. God can use anything to bring about His purposes.

And as we pray for the situations both near and far in our own nations and others, thank you for praying for this nation and people.  May we pray His Heart for His glory and look away to Him, not fixing our eyes on the situations that shake all around us and seem to demand our attention.

He said to Martha: “Only one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that better part.” Looking unto Yeshua, sitting at His feet.

May you each be encouraged and blessed.

Lovingly,

your sister J

The Shuk in Jerusalem

It was HOT.  Very hot and sunny.  We live in a desert, although it has bloomed and blossomed in a joyful display of His fulfillment of His promises. Yet it is still hot during the long dry summers.  But when summer ends it − ENDS SUDDENLY!  Wind, a clap of thunder, a cloud and the winter rainy season has begun.

I was blessed to be preparing my morning coffee beside an open window as the wind picked up and suddenly I heard the sound of rain.  The fresh smell of a summer’s worth of dust being washed away filled my senses with joy.  ANOTHER example of the great faithfulness of The Lord. Perhaps the most basic one which has been set before our eyes: the seasons and the morning and the night. I too often take it for granted as they shout His Name before the eyes of every living creature.  They speak so openly of His TIMES and of HIS order. Surely the time is shorter then when we first believed.  As winter FELL suddenly and summer was no longer here at 4:30am the other morning. So the TIMES will roll away suddenly.  SUDDENLY IT WILL ALL BE CHANGED…

But He’s left us “the map” and it is accurate, even in THIS season that we live in now.

I don’t get many emails (and I’m not so great at answering them in a timely manner lately for which I apologize) but I DO get them from diverse people and places, and judging by what I hear, this is surely a time of perplexity and desperation in many places.  We can say all sorts of things, but none of us have known a world in which America was not a wealthy and relatively secure power to reckon with and one way or another it has effectively acted as a buffer against much of the world’s evils, even though her hands were not always pure.  We all know that it is ONLY in God we can trust, hide, believe, and that all breath is from and through Him, but being confronted by the thought of the actual demise of America as we know it − no matter WHO is elected − is a sobering thought to think through.

It seems to me that the U.S. is already painfully divided in much the same way that Israel and Judea were divided (see 2 Chronicles 11) as God’s Hand of judgment began to be displayed.  I read a comment recently that this U.S. election is really, at its heart, all about Israel and at first I pooh-poohed it, but the more I thought about it I wondered. Because I DO see that truly as the times wind down, yes Israel IS at the center with Jerusalem. And yes, we need to understand God’s Heart toward this nation and people if we will stand in these days, as arrogant as that may sound. It is scriptural.

Many years ago, some 40, I heard Campbell McAlpine teach on “God’s ways in judgment.” Although at the time it was most assuredly “days of God’s outpouring and refreshing.” The Holy Spirit checked my heart to HEAR and LISTEN and TAKE IT TO HEART.   I did. So as I have read my scriptures throughout the years since then, I have asked Him to teach me and, well, it just all became so evident because it all is so clearly laid out in His Word.

From beginning to end we see His blessing and His judgment − both on His enemies and His elect. Surely in all of the prophetic books highlighted by the Revelation of John, we learn of the strait and narrow path through, which is the ONLY way.  I find the word strait fascinating.  In English, it sounds just like “straight” but it doesn’t mean the same thing at all.  If a path is straight, like a line, it is easy to follow – everything in the same direction – a lot like the Law really.  But the Bible says “STRAIT is the way and narrow is the path.”

VERY interestingly, some of the modern versions have actually changed the word there to straight. But “strait” means difficult, troubled, the word “constraint” is derived from it and the word “strait jacket” − a jacket that restricts, restrains a person and is a place of great stress and difficulty.  In waterways, the straits are narrow but turbulent and dangerous…and yet the only way through.

That is what the very sudden falling of winter upon us reminded me of.  “Keep to the center of the strait and narrow path and major in HIS majors ONLY.” 

And so, as tempting as it is to fix my eyes on the U.S. elections, our local upheavals and other events in the world that are dramatic and my flesh would just LOVE to express my opinion on these, HE has been clearly telling me to fix my eyes on HIM alone because only HE can lead me through if I keep my eyes on Him.  So rather than “the prophetic time table,” He is telling me to major in loving my brother and neighbor and obeying in faith and trusting Him for everything no matter what, praying without ceasing preferring my brother above myself and waiting for HIM to say, “Go” or “Stay.”  Yep!  I still have NOT attained to these most foundational fruits of His Spirit.

Perhaps you are like me?  Or perhaps your fruit is ripe and good.  But in these letters He told me to “record what I see… and tell them.”

And so I was on the train on Friday and did see a most interesting sight.  Across from me sat a couple with their son, a family that looked as if they were perhaps royalty in Saudi Arabia.  The man and his son were dressed in long white robes and wore ornate turbans on their heads.  The woman was dressed in a full black burka or niqab (a niqab is the veil where there is a slit for the eyes to show and her eyes were beautiful)  An Israeli Arab sat beside me, also across from them, and gave the little boy candy and toys to the embarrassment of his very modest parents.

When I saw that they did not speak Arabic as it is spoken here (the Israeli Arab had to speak to them in English), I wondered what country they were from and how they decided to be touring in Jewish Israel. Indeed it was an unusual sight.  I noted that their faces were peaceful and relaxed, light hearted, not at all like the faces of Arabs that I am used to seeing nor was it the look of “counterfeit peace” that was always seen on the face of Osama bin Laden and so forth.  It seemed as if the entire train was watching them with open curiosity.

The same day, one of our patients came to the office.  I have a strange relationship with this woman.  She is an extreme radical liberal, originally from Switzerland many years ago.  She hates Israel and being Jewish and says that God is a myth.  Nonetheless, she likes me.  She wonders what makes me tick and since it is Him, we continue this interesting relationship.  “Shalom Nora, you have been away a long while,” I greeted her.

“There IS no shalom, not here anyway,” she shook her head in disdain but continued, “Yes, I have had a most INTERESTING and REFRESHING trip.  I have just spent 3 weeks in Iran.”

I lifted my eyebrows. “Iran?  How in the world…”

She cut me off. “Well, you know I also have a Swiss passport.  Everything that you hear about Iran is lies.  It is WONDERFUL there!  It is a marvelous country and all that we hear is lies.”

I WANTED to ask her if they hear the “Truth” about Israel, but I held my tongue. I DID pray silently for HIS response and His purposes.  So we went on small talking and I wondered where it will all go.

The recent UN ruling that Israel has no historic connection to Jerusalem has depressed the country.  What IS a lying spirit exactly and how does it wield so much power?  It really doesn’t matter because Heb 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. “

So I believe that STANDING in THE TRUTH of The Lord − no matter WHAT the world is saying − is the way to fight the power of all lying spirits, even those from Iran (Persia) and from humanism and from Islam and from every other direction.

With the holidays over, our streets are back to normal.  I no longer know what normal is, however our apartment building is shockingly peaceful and clean since our upstairs neighbor, Valarie, has moved.  Sleep is oh so sweet and the lack of oppression brings to light the reality of the impact of the two and a half years of harassment that we suffered through her. SIX TIMES she called the police on us at night.  My heart still pounds when someone knocks on the door!  I am only sorry that she did not receive deliverance in Him.

I had a dream about her recently, that she came to my door and hugged me and told me that she was free in Him and we wept together.  I continue to pray for her.  Meanwhile 2 sisters, students at the local music academy, have moved in and they seem lovely.   It is hard to believe but apparently all of that noise and filth was her doing, for it is no longer here.  Thank You Lord for Your purposes and Your victory in that battle.

Thank you for baring with me – and such a long winded letter.  My heart just gets too full and bursts out on paper.  May it only be for HIS glory!  I must admit to missing you all.  Lovingly, your sister here.

The Shuk in Jerusalem

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Shalom.

I greet you with deep love, because of Yeshua Who planted His Love in us and continues to teach us what Love is and how to give it and receive it.  I will share further down why this became so clear to me this week. And why you, the body – the miracle of His creation – encourages me so much.

May HE ALONE be glorified and blessed and may you be blessed and edified!

It is THAT TIME’ of year again.  I wondered why the train, the bus, and the STREETS were SO CROWDED that I could hardly move.  But it wasn’t just crowds.  It was FAMILIES.  Big families and small, secular and religious, a father with three kids, Grandparents with several, a young family with ten – all together.  “LOOK! RUN OVER HERE! HERE IS THE BRIDGE!” a father shouted to his 3 short people, who looked very confused.

“WHERE??” they asked.

“Oh well, you missed it.  Let’s go look at the driver.”

They made their way to the front of the train and I chuckled thinking that people who don’t ride the train never realize how SHORT that bridge really is.

This is IT. The two weeks before school begins when the kaytinot – or ever present year around Israeli camps and clubs and activities come to a screeching halt and there are two intense weeks of FAMILY TIME.  Kaytina is not quite like anything I have seen in any other country. It is not really optional because it is what EVERYONE does.  It is enriching. Maybe science, music, swimming, sport, reading – there are endless options. It is often subsidized (in other words, NO one gets left out because they can’t afford it). It is fun and safe and besides all of the parents are working.

I watched two Grandparents in their upper 70s at least, trying to maneuver the bus passes for their 4 small Grandchildren, who were SO excited to be going to the zoo with Saba and Savta (Grandpa and Grandma).  Saba and Savta looked EXHAUSTED already and they were just beginning the journey.  Another woman said, “Ah, Mil-oo-eem.”

I burst out laughing.  I had never thought of Grandparent duty in Israel as mil-oo-eem but it surely is.  Milooeem is our armed services reserve duty.  It’s the older soldiers who have a regular job most of the year, but they get called once a year or during a war or crisis for a few weeks to don those uniforms and dust off their skills, to help defend the country until around the age of 50.

Yep!  Grandparents are definitely milooeemniks.  Some parents can take off from work for all or part of these two weeks, but not all.

When it comes to the train, I must admit to enjoying the training that goes on in religious families.  They are known for having VERY large families and of course, a train ride is too expensive to take often with a full tribe, but it does make for a wonderful special outing.  Now that I’m older, I see their young ones snap to attention and jump out of their seat to give it to the older person.  There is a sign (only in Hebrew) on the buses that quotes from Leviticus 19:32 “You shall rise up before the gray headed, and honor the face of the old man…”

It is not just the religious but many who are just plain helpful.  Last night I was squished on the train and getting a bit bruised up.  I had a shopping cart with me but was wedged in by a double baby stroller alongside of a single baby carriage.  A young woman got up and said, “Come here.”

But I told her that I had my cart and couldn’t get through.  Immediately some young soldiers lifted my cart above everything and the sea parted again. I was sitting safely in a seat, thanking God and asking Him to give me eyes to see always these kindnesses and then to pass them on.

Eyes to see are a blessing in the physical as well as the spiritual.  A blind lady was also at this busy stop when I got on.  An older lady and a young girl both eyed her to see how best to help her maneuver the crowd.  While we watched, her smartphone informed her the train would come in another 3 minutes. She made a phone call to a service of some kind and told them where she was and which car she was going to be in and when the train would come.  “Could someone please meet me at the stop and bring me there?” she asked.

I was again touched that such things were available so that she could be free to move about.  The two strangers, one young and one older on either side guided her on to the train where she immediately was given a seat, one of her angles at her side where they chatted easily.  Coming from America, it always strikes me here that handicaps elicit no embarrassment at all, either from strangers nearby who may need to lend a hand, nor by the one who might need help. Life is life and this is just how it is.  There is a pronounced lack of self-consciousness, which I find delightful.

It’s not only the children who are on tee-oo-leem (tours) during these last summer days.  I was at the shuk this afternoon and our new soldiers were there.  Young and strong and full of energy in their new uniforms. A major part of their training is to totally tour the country, north, south, east and west.  They get to fully know the history, both recent and ancient, the geography, the different populations including cultures and religions and the sensitivities of each group.  There must have been a hundred of these handsome, lean, tanned faces as old men and ladies stopped to bless them and young children looked on admiringly. They toured the shuk, a place that has known more than its share of attacks and is unique for its wonderful mixture of populations, Arab and Jew,  working side by side and shopping side by side.

This is what a summer’s day in Jerusalem looks like as summer draws to a close.  I made my way to a doctor’s appointment and saw a most unusual sight. On a main, narrow two-lane street, one lane was blocked by a line of BUSES.  This was a TWO way street, mind you. Perhaps 10 or 15 city buses were simply parked and empty.  Shivta’? (strike) I asked a bus driver, lounging near the bus.  He smiled, “Nope.  They needed buses to take the kids so we volunteered.”

What a line of buses had volunteered!  They were parked in front of a religious school. I wasn’t sure exactly what he had said they were going to do, but it had a happy feeling to it.  When I got to the end of the road, I saw that the police had actually volunteered the buses by pulling them over and asking them to join.

Immediately I remembered going down town to check our mail in our tiny remote village in NW Alaska when a policeman called me over and said, “We need a jury.  You are number 9.  Head over to City Hall.” And that was that.

This is a light letter although the things that are swirling around me are not light.  I think that is how life really is. Even in times of war, the sun rises and sets and believe it or not, flowers bloom and birds fly.  Daily life goes on as we stand beside graves that we did not expect and carry grief that we could not fathom.

In my own life right now, my husband left for the village that he is from in Alaska on Wednesday. Since I haven’t heard otherwise, I assume he is having a wonderful time.  He was joined by our grandson and son-in-law yesterday, I believe.  I am praying for them all to have a life changing exchange with The Lord and that this trip will impact them for HIS GLORY AND PURPOSES.

Our younger daughter is TRYING to sort through things somehow and be able to move out of their house within a week and into her sister’s home. They plan to return to Israel after 4 years with 3 suitcases each, period. She (who is more than 6 months pregnant) is really struggling to know what to bring.  They plan to arrive here on the 7th of Sept and move in with us until they are able to get an apartment.

My husband arrives home the night of the 3rd and I am trying to baby-proof and rearrange the apartment to allow them to be at home here.  I am not naturally great at these logistics anymore, and with my neighbor upstairs, I have to be very careful about making noise.  These are all small things, but I personally believe that how I am steward of the time and strength and resources He provides for me, all play a role in how I stand before Him. And after 40 years plus, I am still standing on behalf of my family before His throne, as well as this nation and people. Just like you, the myriad of things He entrusts us to pray for. So I am concerned that I am found to be a faithful steward.

As I said before, this is a rather light letter, a picture that I hope you can enjoy.  But our purpose is so completely to enjoy HIM and build the Body, sustaining one another through prayer and edification and building up the body and worshipping HIM, FOR HE ALONE IS LORD.

God bless you and encourage each of you.

Lovingly,

your sister J