Dear Friends:
SHALOM. Just as quick as 2010 came to a close with Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s, I’m sensing 2011 is already on the fast track. I’m imagining a continued rocky road for America and the world. Just as assuredly as the poor will always be with us, the Bible tells us trials will be a part of our lives:
We must through many tribulations enter the Kingdom of God. Acts 14:22 (cf. John 16:33; II Thessalonians 1:4-5) However, it’s also a time of great opportunities for the advancement of God’s Kingdom!
Tiny Israel has its share of trials as many nations seek to annihilate her from without and within. There are also the occurrences of natural disasters. In December 2010, a teenager from a Druze village in the Carmel Mountains finished smoking, and while still burning carelessly, flicked his cigarette into dry terrain and went off to school. A little later, a pilot flying over the Haifa area observed a small burning fire and immediately made a call to the fire department. When they arrived, they found an inferno with extremely high winds spreading an uncontrollable consuming fire. Finally, four days later, it was squelched, but sadly 37 men and women were burned to death: Jews, Arabs, and Druze. Seventeen thousand people were evacuated from their homes, 250 houses were consumed, countless animals perished, and 5 million of the 8 million trees became charcoal. The fire was the worst in Israel’s history! With the nation still in shock, another catastrophe took place 5 days later. There had been no rain for 9 months, when suddenly, an extremely devastating storm hit Israel…the worst in 50 years! The water level in the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) now stands at 213.98 centimeters below sea level; still some five meters below its full level (16 feet).
TWO TERRORIST ATTACKS ON BELIEVERS IN JESUS---First,
The Jerusalem Post newspaper (December 19) reported: “The police investigation is still underway into the attack that wounded Givat Ze’ev resident Kay Wilson, an olah (naturalized Israeli citizen) from Great Britain, and killed her American friend Kristine Luken, as they were hiking in the wooded hills west of the capital. Wilson had her hands bound, and she was stabbed pretty badly in the upper part of her body. The obvious intention was to have her killed.” Christ Church in Jerusalem’s Old City said, “She (Kristine Luken) had an infectious love for God and a great admiration and love for the Jewish people and the Holy Land.”
In a second incident, the
Daily Israel reported that “On December 29th, Rita Tager and Sarah Gasiorowski were attacked by two Arabs on the highway near the village of Baka al-Gharbia, near Caesarea/Hadera. Both victims were immigrants, one from the former USSR and the other from the United States. According to Rita, a Russian Israeli woman, “they both miraculously escaped death”. They were on their way to Nazareth to take part in the New Year event organized and sponsored by Helping Hand Coalition. Two Arabs crashed their car into the rear end of Rita’s car. “They had an iron rod, broke our back window, and pulled us out of the car by our hair and shouted that we were going to be killed. If it had not been for two bystanders, soldiers and the boarder guards, we would not be alive today!” The Arab police tried to write it off as a normal car crash, and refused to show Rita and Sarah the driver’s license of the two Arabs. The attackers suddenly raced off without anyone knowing where they had gone. There is an ongoing investigation into the incident of assault and negligent conduct by the police officers from Baka al Gharbia.
Helping Hand Coalition is our affiliate organization in Israel; Rita is an Executive Manager, and Sarah Gasiorowski is the wife of Executive Manager, Luke Gasiorowski. Saved by a Miracle!
Israel’s survival continues to be apocalyptic with a rogue nuclear nation like North Korea, and potentially Iran, who have a given evil propensity to destroy her. However, God will not allow any of these nations to succeed! Indeed, calamity in Israel and throughout the world will increase in intensity as we near the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah. Therefore, we must stand firm, remain faithful and patient as God tests and refines His people for that great and awesome time when we will stand lifting our heads towards the clouds as our redemption draws nigh!
(cf. Luke 21:28)
Halleluyah, here is some welcomed good news about Israel. For some years now, there has been much interest in biblical prophesy regarding the discovery of oil and natural gas in Israel. The
Haaretz newspaper, on December 29, 2010 headlined: Largest natural gas reserve discovered in Israel worth approximately $95 billion – more than 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas discovered off Haifa shore in joint U.S.-Israeli drilling operation.
The Wall Street Journal, in a December 30, 2010 article headlined: BIG GAS FIND SPARKS A FRENZY IN ISRAEL. However, this can be a mixed blessing for Israel: The advantage of a financial blessing versus the disadvantage of a reason for her enemies to invade her for the spoils. Lebanon is already making a stink for some rights to it as they attempt to lure companies to explore their nearby waters.
My last trip to Israel just a little over a month ago was not a run-around of frenzy, but instead a rewarding, busy time of ministry activity. No sooner had my plane landed in Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, when I found myself in a taxi headed for the Gospel Café to be greeted by one of our directors of Helping Hand Coalition, Sebastein Petrone. One hour on the ground, and I was already immersed in ministry. Sebastein had prepared the space for 15 leaders of various Holocaust survivor organizations established throughout Israel. Their meeting agenda focused on planning special meetings and events for the coming year. These special events range from groups of 50-1500 Holocaust survivors and World War II Veterans and Partisans. Our God’s Grace International affiliate organization in Israel, Helping Hand Coalition, sponsors and facilitates these events. Afterwards, we provided a luncheon in their honor, sat down to eat with them, and then drove some home with a return to the facility to do the clean-up.
Later that day was spent at a soup kitchen run by Olga, my ex-office manager of our Messianic Jewish congregation in Moscow, Russia. She buys all the food from her personal money and cooks it at the facility. They serve about 40-50 Holocaust survivors each week. I had a marvelous time of reunion talking with her about all the wonderful experiences of ministry we had together during those early years of planting and establishing Shomer Yisrael Congregation. The congregation is our "mother" congregation of others we have planted in Russia, and it is still thriving today, about to have its 18th birthday. Olga’s husband Lonya is the main guy who organizes our food distribution in Russia of free food given to us from five major food companies in Russia. With still more day left, we visited four Holocaust survivors in their apartments to spend some quality time with them, and helping with a small gift of subsistence money. We finished at 8:15 P.M. And this was just my first day "fresh" from the airport, immersed in our ministry of compassion.
The projects and programs we are conducting in Israel include: Israeli volunteers who are Believers in Yeshua, as well as groups of Christians coming in to serve from other countries; special events from 100-1500; restaurant functions for 50-100; food parcel distribution; medicine, blankets, personal visits, etc. The goal is to love and honor them with compassion of "special" treatment of warm hands and broad smiles, instead of the memories of the horrific inhumane treatment they endured in the past. They are seeing and experiencing unconditional Christian love! For many, they are seeing Jesus in a different light for the very first time---all through the love of God with mitzvot (good deeds) that they understand can only come from HaShem (The Name) through His servants!
God has blessed us with such an awesome responsibility at such a time as this! We have been given the privileged ministry of caring for so many of His Chosen people who are down trodden and often forgotten; Holocaust survivors, widows, orphans, as well as others, like the Sudanese refugees who have fled for their lives to a place of welcome and safety in Israel. We thank the many of you who have joined us in partnership to honor God in lifting up His Name in all that we do for His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom. If you have not been a part of this blessing in blessing others, please consider the time…it is ripe for harvest as we see the Holy Spirit moving upon His people.
Please help those who have so little with your gifts of Tzedakah (charity). Whether it is $5,000, $500, or $5, it will make a difference in lives needing a loving touch. A gift of any amount will enable us to bless those who desperately need to hear from God’s people that our God cares! Thank you for your gifts.
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As always, all overhead and administration expenses for God’s Grace International are 100% paid by its founder. Any gift from you goes fully to God’s work.
Have a blessed new year ahead with abundance from above.
