A Father's Hands

Today my husband and I were walking along a beautiful Promenade. Israelis and Palestinians alike use this area. We often see people of both races there on our daily strolls. Today, it was delightful to see a precious Palestinian father walking along with his three sons. Two of his sons were older but there was one that was quite young. He was unsure on his feet. The father happily ran along behind him...a bit awkwardly...but joyfully keeping stride with his toddler. He was smiling as he chased the wee one along...with one hand in front of him to catch him from falling. It reminded me of our Heavenly Father...joyfully keeping up with us as we barrel along...ready to keep us from falling if we will allow Him. Pray for this Palestinian man, that he would come to know our Heavenly Father who is ready to keep us from falling...and able to right us when we do.

Posted by HL

Samaritan Passover Sacrifice

We joined the Samaritan people yesterday for the sacrifice to begin Passover. There are only about 650 Samaritans left. Some of them live south of Tel Aviv in Holon and the rest still live on Mt Gerizim above Nabalus in the northern West Bank.

On the top of the mountain there are extensive ruins of a temple dating from the 6th century BC. It offers a beautiful view of Nabalus and surrounding area. We could just make out the area around the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman.

Around 6pm we gathered to watch the preparations for the sacrifice. Inside a fenced area the Samaritans gathered. Men in white; women in red. All the men had their heads covered – many wore a fez, many others wore baseball caps. We watched from bleachers; others crowded around the fence.

Most of the men gathered around a trench where the sheep were waiting. To one side were the elders; some of them dressed in bright robes. To the other side were the women although they mingled in with the men on occasion. When the ceremony started there was a welcoming of special guests in both Hebrew and Arabic. Then the men chanted for a long time – the two groups of men never quite together. It sounded a bit like Hebrew, but it may have been Aramaic. As the men chanted, the women talked. The louder the men chanted, the louder the women talked. (To be fair there were many of the men talking, too.)

Right at sunset, one of the elders chanted something (a prayer?) and the sheep were slaughtered. We couldn’t actually see that because of the crowd. As the blood drained into the trench, the men greeted each other with a kiss. One group in the corner kept up the chanting. Then they started butchering the sheep. Some of the men had poles about 4 meters long and they prepared to skewer the sheep. There were several pits in which fires had been built. The sheep were roasted on the poles in the pits. We left at 8 pm just as they were putting the sheep in the fires. We understood they would be eaten immediately.





One observation that I made was that the sacrifice did not seem to be a high and holy moment. It was more of a carnival atmosphere. Of course, more that a thousand on-lookers didn’t help, but this was a large family gathering and they were glad to be together. This was a joyous occasion, but there did not seem to be much reflection on the meaning of the sacrifice.



Lord, may this people come to know the Lamb that was slain for all.

Jesus said to the woman “An hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.

I found additional information about Samaritan on the web.

PL: Palm Sunday

I had the privilege of worshiping with a church in Bethlehem on Palm Sunday. It is always a joy to be with this congregation; their worship is so energetic and genuine. The pastor preached from Mark 11 – the event know as the Triumphal Entry.

Verse 13: Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf. He went over to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

Figs ripen in late summer. (And the figs in Jerusalem are delicious!) It always seemed unreasonable that Jesus expected to find fruit in the spring. The pastor asked the congregation what Jesus should have found on the tree. “Dafur” was the unanimous answer. It seemed like everybody knew about dafur but me. I learned later that dafur is a special Arabic word that means unripe or new figs. The dafur comes first and then the green leaves. Over the course of the summer, the dafur ripen into those delicious figs. According to the pastor, dafur taste even better than ripe figs. So even though it was early for ripe figs, there should have been dafur on the tree that Jesus and his disciples found in Jerusalem.

Of course, we want to have full-grown spiritual fruit in our lives. The time from green fruit to ripe can take longer than we’d like and it can’t be rushed. If we aren’t being the person that makes the green fruit possible and aren’t doing the things that allow it to ripen, we’ll never experience the ripe fruit. We shouldn’t worry about the fruit; it is the dafur that should concern us. If we are being and doing as God’s Word instructs us, the Holy Spirit will ripen our fruit. When it ripens it will be a pleasing fragrance and delicious just like the Jerusalem figs.

HL: A visit to Omri Camp

Today was a great example of using the resources available to our team. Our team on the West side of the Jordan River is small. We wrote an email to all the workers in our area asking if anyone would like to join us in a once a month project. We were pleased to get several who want to help the Pal team sporadically. We are so blessed ! Today we had four women who took a craft project into a women's center.
The ladies were already gathered for a lesson in the Kor'an. One of the ladies noted that the spirit seemed heavy when we entered. Her Arabic is very good and she noticed a few of the women quoting sayings (Kor'anic) that we don't normally hear on a daily basis. But the women were all very welcoming and delightful. Although we weren't able to verbally share our hearts. YOU know how many prayers were said during our time with them. We did a craft project that turned out really well and ate cake and drak juice together. We visited for a long while. We were invited to their homes. Palestinians are so loving and welcoming!!! We look forward to future visits in months to come. We especially look forward to when we can visit in their homes where we can actually share in a more natural setting.

PL: A mounment to the Lord

We were privileged to worship with the Gaza Baptist Church today. A guest read from Isaiah 19:19-25. This passage describes the “King’s Highway” It is worth a reading if you aren’t familiar with it. Verse 25 says, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance”. It was verse 19, though that caught our attention:
“In that day, there will be an alter to the Lord in the heart of Egypt and a Monument to the Lord at its border.” Gaza sits on the border between Egypt and Israel. Even in the midst of turmoil, it is exciting to see what God is doing in the lives of Believers in Gaza. There truly is a Monument to the Lord on the Egyptian border in the lives of these dear Brothers and sisters.

Outside the church it is hard to find any good news in Gaza. One friend said the people he talks to only see black before them. There have been some food shortages – flour and bread especially, but the border was opened a few days ago for food to enter. We were told that out of the last 70 days the border for goods had only been open for 10. No exports are allowed. We bought 6 kg of strawberries for 10 sequels; that translates to 16 cents/pound. Our good fortune means misfortune for the strawberry farmers who can’t export their crops. While we were there we heard at least 10 “booms”. Our friend said this was shelling from Israeli tanks. It is done in retaliation for rockets fired by Palestinians. There are very few foreigners in Gaza these days. It isn’t unusual for me to be asked where I’m from, but today it seemed that everyone I met asked me. They all welcomed me heartily. Our relief project continues. The food the team delivers is more needed and more appreciated than ever before.

The Christian Bookstore remains closed, but they hope to reopen this week. So continue to remember them in your prayers. The authorities have done some investigating, but are no closer to knowing who has made the threats.

Food Distribution in Shoukba

On Thursday I went with our Palestinian partner to distribute food in Shoukba, a village of about 4500 near Ramallah. Like many of the villages in the area, it is set on a hillside. Our little car would hardly make it up the steep inclines. T
At the first house we stopped by there were three young men working on a car - all three unemployed. One many was 32 years old with four children. He had worked in Israel before the closure. The other two were in their early 20s and still single. They wanted to get married, but with the situation who could think of taking a wife. The next house up the hill we found a young man still asleep at 11 A.M.. He was a barber, but only opened his shop in the evenings; not enough business to bother opening the shop in the morning. One mother told us that when her children went to school that morning she had nothing to feed them. Without exception the residents were hospitable and gracious.

PL: Jerusalem Spring

It is definitely springtime in Jerusalem. Just 10 days ago it was cold and rainy and we may yet have some more winter. But spring is on the way. The brown hills have turned green. Almond trees are blooming. Poppies and cyclaman dot the hillsides. These lambs were outside my backdoor this afternoon. They belong to a neighbor, Abu Ala'. There were 7 lambs and about 10 adult sheep. The lambs range in age from a week to month. The smaller ones in the picture are a week old and are part of a set of triplets. All doing well. As I approached to take this picture, they shyed away and started to climb the hill. Abu Ala' stated making a clicking sound and they stopped, turned around and, in spite of the danger (me), they came back down the hill. Even at just a week old. They knew his click.

Wow. I've heard all my life the verse, "My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me" (John 10:27) Now, I've seen it in action.

May we all be as obedient to our Shepherd.

GM: The rest of the story

Last Monday, our team met before the game to discuss our strategy. I gave our player the opportunity to apologize to the coaches and to the team. After his apology, I took a moment to comment on why we permitted him to return to the team. "God has forgiven me for the many mistakes I make in my life. He has given me a second chance. We want to extend the same kind of grace and forgiveness to this player as well." We ask you to pray that this act of grace will cause our players to consider the forgiveness given by God. Pray also that we will continue to set a positive example to our players.

PL: A Threat

There is a very serious situation developing in Gaza. We felt like our friends and others concerned for Palestinians would like to be alerted.

Late on Friday night, Feb 3rd, a bomb was placed at the door of a Christian bookshop on the main square in Gaza. It blew down the doors, but did not do much additional damage. The shop was closed and no one was injured. Although it was very alarming to those who work for the sponsoring organization, at the time they felt that it was most likely a personal grudge.

On Sunday, the 12th, unknown masked gunmen, distributed leaflets in the area stating that the first bomb was just a sample of what was to come if the shop did not close and all activity of the organization stop. The threats were very specific and serious.

Many friends have written expressing concern because of the elections and the recent demonstrations against the Danish cartoons. This incident does not seem to be related to either. It does show the state of anarchy that Palestinians now face in Gaza.

Following are exerts of a letter written by the director of the sponsoring organization:
He said the society’s workers in Gaza and elsewhere in the region are “calling upon the Lord and claiming the blood of Jesus” for protection of the society and its neighbors in Gaza.

“(We call) upon the Church through all of you to lift us up before the Lord. We want to hold in balance trust in the Lord and His protection, not giving in to the threats of the enemy (and, at the same time,) an attitude of responsibility towards the safety of the team and our Muslim neighbors, who are terrified by this threat ….

“Please pray for us,” he asked. “It is test time for our ministry in Gaza."

After the first bombing, "Neighbors came around and expressed their dismay at what happened. Romans Chapter 8 came to mind ('All things work together for good to those who love God'), and I encouraged the team to take hold of it. Satan's tool is to terrorize, but Christ's Spirit is a spirit of peace, love and sound mindedness. This love is our security, and we're committed to let it flow freely and unconditionally so others can taste and see how good the Lord is.

"The situation in the Palestinian areas is turning into chaos. We are not deterred, but rather much more committed to be what Christ wants us to be. It is at such dark times when the light is most needed. It is our responsibility to present the way of Christ: Love your neighbor and love your enemy."

He asked for prayer "not only for the Palestinian church as a threatened minority, but as God's tool to bring His light to the Palestinian people. We want to focus on active and responsible presence, not just survival."

We echo his requests for prayer. The Christian community in Gaza is small. This threat affects them all. Pray especially for the leaders and workers of this organization. As our friend says, may the church "be God's tool to bring His light to the Palestinian people."

GM: A lesson in forgiveness

Last Friday, my basketball team was playing a game. One of the players on my team got really mad and stormed off the court saying he was quitting the team. (He struggles with his attitude) He and I talked about it after the game and he still decided to quit the team. I said the decision was his to make. Yesterday, I received a call from our team mom who said our player wants to come back. She said he would call me to see if I would let him come back. I called the commissioner of the league and asked her what my responsibilities were. She said, "it is your decision, and I will support whatever you decide." I told her about my relationship with God and how I receive grace and forgiveness for my past and ongoing mistakes. Because of what I have been given, I will also extend this to my player. When my player called and asked about coming back, I told him the same story. Next Monday, my player will come to the game, prepared to apologize to me and to the team. I will also share this story with them. Please remember me as I have this opportunity to share.

PL: Morning and Night

The Headline this morning reads: Hamas Election Victory Shocks World”. Me, too! They say. “All politics is local”. (Tip O’Neil wrote a book by that name; was he the first to say it?) There has been a growing dissatisfaction with Fatah, the ruling party. Palestinians’ lives in Gaza and the West Bank have steadily gotten worse. Fatah is seen as corrupt – politicians and government officials getting richer while ordinary people go hungry. There is no rule of law. There is fighting within the party… the list of complaints is long. On the other hand, Hamas has provided services like clinics and kindergartens. They are trusted because they are “religious”. So, I think (is it just hope) that this election is mostly about food and jobs and a normal life. Of course, you’ll see on TV victory celebrations by the hard line supporters of Hamas, but I think that most people were not so much for Hamas as they were fed up with Fatah. I guess time will tell.

As I was reading from Isaiah this morning I was thinking about the election. (I probably wasn’t doing either very well.) A verse jumped out at me. Isaiah 21:12: The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night…”. Wow! Victory in the midst of defeat; hope in despair. I believe that God will ultimately use this situation to bring more Palestinians to faith in Jesus. That is the morning; His light will dawn. But we will have to live through the night and it may get pretty dark. This is a great Romans 8:28 situation. Aren’t we glad we know who holds the future!

I would ask that you pray especially for Palestinian Christians. This is a very fearful time for them. Pray for the Believers who reach out in the name of Jesus to their Muslim neighbors. They could be facing more severe persecution. Pray for Palestinian and non-Palestinian Christian workers. Ask for God’s wisdom and courage… and protection, too.

PL:What's wrong with Gaza

I was in Gaza last week - a week before the election. Election posters, billboards, & flags where everywhere. There seemed to be less tension in the air than the last time I was there just before the Muslim feast - Eid El Adha; maybe it was just me. I've ridden with Yousef, the taxi driver, many times so I guess he could tell me things he wouldn't say on the street. He didn't think much of the election... You can't trust them. The politicians will tell you anything to be elected. (Some things don't change wherever you go.) As we were leaving he was pointing out the things that were wrong with Gaza. I just listened. To climax his sermon he said, "The biggest problem is that everybody just does what they want. There is just no order. Nobody follows the law." I have to admit that IS a problem, but it was hard to take his words seriously ... because we were going the wrong way down a one way street. An American friend said once, "There are no traffic laws in Gaza; only traffic suggestions."

Today is the parlimentary election. Pray that men and women of courage and wisdom will be elected who will lead the Palestinian people toward peace.