Prayers of the Saint's are Working: Ami Update

We want to thank you for your prayers for Ami, the Jewish Israeli teen who last Thursday, March 20, was critically injured by a bomb that was disguised as a Purim gift package. Many of you have written and asked for more details regarding how Ami and his family are faring, as well as wanting to understand the circumstances that might lead someone to devise and carry out such a horrendous act.

Ami's family is extremely grateful for the love and care that the world-wide body of Messiah has extended to them throughout this past week. Ami's physical progress is generally improving, however, there are still some major concerns, such as one of his lungs being collapsed and full of metal bolts. Doctors have operated on his right eye and saved it, thanks to their skill and the power of prayer.

Initially, Ami had been placed in an induced coma, but he is now fully cognizant and having to fight through the physical battle. He, as well as his family, are also fighting through the emotional and spiritual battles that accompany an event such as this. For Ami, processing the trauma has only begun. He's had only a couple of days to begin dealing with what must be a flood of emotions coursing through him, with the physical evidence to survey, as well as the pain that must seem to come from every square inch of his body.

Ami is having trouble sleeping because he is having flashbacks of the explosion. His blood-pressure is high; he has a fever and the pain is increasing as they slowly reduce his medication. Besides the much needed prayer for Ami's ongoing healing, we need to pray that no anger and bitterness will take root in his precious young life or in the hearts of his family.

A Brief History:

Ami's father is a pastor of a small congregation in the Jewish city of Ariel, located just inside what many refer to as the West Bank. Ami's mother is a Jewish believer and most of the congregation is Jewish. However, as we shared in the original update, much of his father's ministry has been to Muslims and he has been blessed to have led many to a life set free through Y'shua (pronounced Y'sua by Arabs). Because of his work among the Muslim Arabs, Ami's father and the others that serve alongside him have over the years been subject to beatings and retaliation by members of the Muslim community.

Ami's father and the congregation have also impacted the Jewish people within their own community and have been blessed to see Jewish men and women come to know Y'shua as their Messiah.

"Missionary" is a derogatory term in both the Jewish and Muslim world, so much so that most Believers here in Israel completely avoid using this word. The Rabbis have convinced the general population that anyone living in Israel who believes in Y'shua is a "missionary", even if you are an ordinary citizen working a normal job and not involved in any evangelical activity.

It's fairly safe to say that most, if not all, secular Jews do not condone any type of violence toward Jewish Believers in Y'shua; even most religious Jews would probably agree as the Torah does not allow for such deeds. However, most religious Jews are convinced that if a Jew believes in Y'shua, he is no longer a Jew and his soul is condemned to hell.

For centuries, certain Jews have been able to reflect upon many acts of persecution leveled against them by those who called themselves "Christians". This has tended to inflame their feelings of betrayal when one of their own becomes a follower of the "Christian" Messiah.

Over the last couple of decades, the believing community in Israel has been subject to periods of harassment and violence at the hands of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish/anti-missionary groups. The most common types of aggression has been tire slashing; fire-bombings; intrusions into places of worship; protesting outside of the homes of Believers; posting pictures of Believers on walls, in pamphlets, through the mail and the Internet; slander; cursing; spitting; and video taping of Believers in public places. All are meant to intimidate and humiliate.

In recent years, these Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups have been outraged by Ami's father's openness in sharing his love of Y'shua and they have used some of these tactics against the members of this congregation. Eventually, Ami's family was able to convince the local police to set up a surveillance camera to help determine who was involved in this harassment. Because of an image captured on this camera, the police now know who left the Purim gift package at the front door of Ami's home. The investigation of this atrocity has been referred to the Shabach, Israel's internal general security service. They have determined that the perpetrator is connected to a radical Jewish religious group. Thankfully, the authorities are working to apprehend the perpetrators.

Judith has asked me to be the point person in Israel to be sure your donation goes where it is needed. Our goal is to prayerfully and discerningly help those in need.

We will continue to do our best to keep you updated on Ami's recovery and on the welfare of his family.

Again, many thanks for your prayers,
Lisa

Donate to "Lydia" World Outreach Project: Contact lydiaproject@michaelroodministries.com

Sudanese Refugees UPDATE

Eilat: 2ND REPORT - African Refugees Find "Shelter" in the Holy Land
Brief history of the current refugee issue in Israel

Over 7,000 Sudanese and North African refugees are currently living in Israel. Almost daily, men, women and children make their way across the Egyptian/Israeli border, usually with only the clothes on their backs. Many of these refugees are Sudanese, from both Christian and Muslim religious backgrounds, who have fled the Dafar region of Sudan after their villages were attacked by Sudanese government-backed militias intent on subduing the non-Arab population.

The African refugees fled their war-torn countries only to find that the other North African nations were also mired in poverty and beset by racial and ethnic issues. Eventually, the refugees made their way to Egypt, but the situation was deplorable there as well and many were forced into slave-labor situations.

Rumors of work and the hope of better treatment by the Israelis entice the refugees to pay Bedouins (nomadic Arabs) to smuggle them across the Sinai Desert to the Israeli border, where they then make a run for the border fence, sometimes while under fire from Egyptian soldiers. All too often we hear reports of refugees being captured or even shot by these Egyptian soldiers, sometimes right before the eyes of shocked Israeli soldiers just across the border.

After having made their way into Israel, the refugees sit and wait for Israeli soldiers to pick them up and take them to local desert cities. Some, especially the men, are often taken to a camp outside of an Israeli prison until their fate is decided.

If the refugees can make their way north into Tel Aviv, they can apply at the United Nations office for official "Refugee" status. With this status, the Israeli officials cannot deport them to Egypt or to other African countries where they would face certain imprisonment or death for fleeing to an enemy nation, as Israel doesn't have diplomatic relations with some of these countries.

The Shelter, a true refuge to those in need:

Many of these refugees find themselves in the southern-most Israeli city of Eilat and are guided to The Shelter, a youth hostel that also serves as a ministry center providing care to those in need.

Over 200 refugees are currently being assisted by the staff and volunteers of The Shelter, who are doing their best to meet the physical, medical, emotional and spiritual needs of these people who have suffered so much while making their way to Israel.

What an opportunity for us as Believers to walk out the Torah showing our love and caring heart by helping The Shelter meet the pressing needs of these refugees.

The objectives of The Shelter's outreach to the refugees:

· Short-term goal - To take care of the immediate needs of arriving refugees.

· Long-term goal - To build relationships and give assistance that will help the refugees to make their way in Israel without long-term reliance upon such assistance. The staff of The Shelter has found that the Sudanese refugees tend to have a desire to be independent, which is making this long-term goal easier to achieve.

Projects at The Shelter currently helping to achieve the objectives of the outreach to the refugees:

· Providing food, clothing, housing, and medical assistance; many refugees arrive sick or injured from their harsh journey.

· Assistance in finding jobs, initially within the local hotel industry.

· Pre-schools for the younger children and after-school programs for the older children.

· Tutoring for the school-aged children and English lessons for adults, which greatly increases their job opportunities and pay scale.

· Practical support for cultural adjustments such as Hebrew language lessons, cross-cultural education, and financial planning. Having lived a day to day existence in refugee camps, the refugees must now adjust to living in a modern economic environment and learn to budget their minimal paychecks to purchase food and pay bills.

· Counseling, spiritual care and discipleship through The Shelter and the local congregation. Some of the refugees have arrived here in Israel as Believers, and at least nine more have come to believe in Y'shua.

Obeying a Biblical mandate:

It is difficult to put into words the tragic world of a refugee, especially those from Darfur and other areas of war-torn Africa who have suffered murder, genocide, rape, and loss of home and identity. The personal stories we've been told and the accounts that we have read are overwhelming; many of the refugees have no idea where their close or extended families are, or if they are even still alive.

The staff and volunteers at The Shelter in Eilat work tirelessly to meet each immediate need, while still keeping the long-term objective of helping these wounded people stand on their own as strangers in a foreign land. It takes approximately 2,000 shekels ($575) a month, usually over a period of about four months, to support each family until they are able to begin to make their way on their own.

Biblically, Israel was instructed to care for and treat justly the foreigner and sojourner in their land; remembering that they, too, were once strangers in a foreign land. It is still unknown how the Israeli government will deal with the refugee situation; however, it is a blessing to assist the Jewish believers in the Land as they fulfill the command of the Lord.

For more information please email lydiaproject@michaelroodministries.com

Tragedy Strikes a Fifteen Year old Believer In Israel

It is so surreal, we were just talking about the needs in this area and the religious persecution Believer are facing. Then it it's close to home, a young boy of fifteen opens his father mail

I spoke to Judith tonight about the Pastor's fifteen year old son that was injured when a package meant for his father exploded in his arms. Judith and I, wanted you to send out a prayer and support request for his family. Right now their focus is just on the fifteen year olds immediate medical situation which is grave, but the initial shook is wearing off of the rest of us in the believing community and we are seeing that they will need practical financial assistance.

The hospital is a distance from their home so there will be expenses of living away from home during these critical days. Also, they really don't have a home to live in right now. The apartment was severely damaged by the blast. So powerful was the blast that three stories down car windows were blow out. The Lord's arms were around Ami, it is amazing that his vital organs were not destroyed by the shock waves of that size of a blast.

It is a miracle this fifteen year old is alive, but he is in very serious condition. Today was a series of more surgeries to try and save his eyes and limbs. So far he has only lost a few toes and one lung was damaged.

All of our children here are on alert to not open or even touch unknown packages or bags. Whoever sent this package to this home meant for it to kill someone. This Believing community like other believing communities has received much harassment in recent days from Ultra Orthodox Jewish groups. Cameras were even installed at the home by the police because of this harassment. There is also the possibility (although slim because Arabs have no access inside of the West Bank settlement) that it was the work of fanatical Muslims because of David's work to bring Muslims to faith. Either way, it was clearly a message to all of us in ministry here and we are taking precautions. My daughter said that he is a sweet fun-loving kid--very active, especially in his youth group and community. This family will need prayer and financial help.

Blessings,
Lisa Rhodes
lydiaproject@michaelroodministries.com

Ami's Recovery From Purim Package Explosion

Three weeks have now passed since Ami opened the Purim package that exploded in his arms. His recovery continues to be marked with amazing miracles that have the doctors stunned and speechless. With a little help Ami has even taken a few steps. That in itself is a miracle!

In reality Ami's battle to fully recover is still huge. Making it through each day is proving to be a painful and exhausting experience. He has now had extensive skin grafts that are taking well, but the healing and scabbing process causes severe itching. The doctors continue to reduce his medication so that his body will strengthen and to prevent dependency and addiction.

We are told that Ami is still getting only limited sleep because of the waves of pain he is experiencing. His moaning and screams at night are taking a toll on his parents also.

Please pray and intercede for the peace of Y'shua to give rest to Ami's body and comfort to his family as the Great Physician continues to bring healing.

Many of you have asked how we can help Ami and his family in practical ways. There are still expenses for travel and the parents are living away from home while Ami is in the hospital.

The apartment is being cleaned up and repaired, windows replaced,
etc. . . Ami's family are finding themselves in an interesting situation. Because the police believe the perpetrators are a radical Orthodox Jewish sect they are treating the bombing as a criminal act and not as a terrorist act. If they considered it national terrorism, the government would assist with the cost of repairing their home. As things stand, they may not get any assistance.

Thank you for lifting Ami and his family before the Lord.