Dear friends,
I'd like to share with you from my heart about the good works I believe
God has prepared for us in these days.
All the world is watching as civil government carries out its role of
punishing the evildoers behind the Islamic terror attacks in America.
Yet there is another level to this conflict; one British official acknowledged
the limitations of military action by saying, "You can't fight an
idea." Truly this battle is about ideas, about beliefs. This is a
spiritual conflict, which means this is the work of the Church.
Believers in Israel are on one of the front lines, in the heart of the
Arab and Islamic world. I believe that God is calling us to move forward
into that world on two fronts:
1) "Bless those who curse you." By obeying Jesus through acts
of mercy and reconciliation, we can release the fragrance of Messiah into
the Islamic world.
This morning I visited little Khaled in the ICU following his eight-hour
heart surgery last night. This unknown one-month-old Palestinian baby
from a forgotten Gaza Strip refugee camp is receiving the world's best
medical care in an Israeli hospital.
Khaled's grandmother, who is with him in the hospital, rejoiced with
moistened eyes as she talked about the value her neighbors are putting
on his life. The Israeli medical staff also seems moved and challenged
to be part of the rescue of Khaled.
Khaled is approximately the 160th child to come from Gaza for heart surgery
over the past five years. With God's help we are also starting to coordinate
surgeries for West Bank children, and hoping that Israel may soon be a
blessing as well to children in Egypt and Jordan who might otherwise die
untreated. The Israeli medical centers bear up to 80% of the costs themselves,
and some funding for the balance seems to be coming available from the
Israeli and German governments and an American relief organization. We
are still in need of $50,000 to cover all the emergency cases we have
referred so far this year.
2) "Proclaim liberty to the captives." Our precious Muslim neighbors
are sincerely attempting to serve God according to the light available
to them, yet their media contain non-stop incitement and hatred. Part
of bridging between Israel and her neighbors means letting them hear other
voices. As a first step we've helped to produce a short TV spot which
is now airing by satellite across the Arab world. It features the verses
about love from 1 Corinthians 13 against a backdrop of the recent terror
attacks, starting by addressing false claims of martyrdom with "Even
if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
As God allows, we would like to produce more such programming from Jerusalem.
The Christian-owned satellite channel is willing to give us air time.
Please write me if you'd like a sample videotape with English subtitles,
which could be shown to help release funding for production costs.
To help coordinate our work in these two directions, I believe the Lord
has led us to relocate to Jerusalem. We have rented an historic building
on Prophets Street which in 1872 was the first children's hospital in
the land, and hope to use it for volunteer housing (including my family)
and offices.
Pictured here is our crew starting the renovation work one month ago,
first by cutting up the fallen trees so we could enter the courtyard!
Today finally painting has begun, and we hope to move in after another
week. Please note our new address below.
As the disciples found when they faced a crowd of five thousand with a
few loaves and fishes, God may ask us to take a risk to see His glory
revealed. We are stepping out in the belief that the works I've described
for you are on God's heart for such a time as this, and we covet the prayer
and involvement of God's people.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Yours sincerely for Jesus' sake,
Jonathan Miles
Light to the Nations
POB 32296
Jerusalem 91000
