Dear coworkers,
Just a few hours after I post this letter, the long-neglected Syrian refugee baby Mohammed will start moving toward the border of Israel:
Mohammed was diagnosed already at age three months with severe pulmonary hyptertension caused by two holes in his little heart. For over a year he’s lain forgotten by all but his heavenly Father as his hopes for living ebb away.
Finally now all the permissions and visas have been sorted, but for the last week our main Israeli partner hospital Sheba has been too full with our other children to accept another child to ICU.
Enter Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem:
On Thursday they agreed to accept Mohammed at greatly reduced cost; to our knowledge he’ll be the first Syrian child to come to the gleaming new Davidson Hospital Tower. There doctors, including our longtime friend the ICU head Uri, will do everything humanly possible to still help save Mohammed. They’ll need our support in prayer.
And yes friends, in faith that the Father is opening up this relationship with Hadassah, and admittedly also with some trepidation, we went forward this week and rented the new Shevet Achim home base in Jerusalem!
And wouldn’t you know, the day after writing all the rent checks for the next year with a pounding head, I received an email from friends committing to cover all the costs: We’ve been praying for a good opportunity to give towards the Lord’s work and feel this is an area we can help in.
(I can hear some of you whooping as I write). Let’s take note of the order of things friends, we’ve seen it again and again:
1) give our future to the Lord and commit to obey his leading;
2) step out in faith (however little we have) as he leads;
3) watch him show up and provide.
Our coworkers in Jaffa are already at work this week cleaning, repairing and furnishing the new base. And just in time: Ana from Kurdistan is returning this week for cleft palate repair after her earlier heart surgery; little Dima is also coming back for closure of the hole put in her stomach by Israeli surgeons for a special feeding tube; and seven more new children have visas approved and are waiting to come for their heart surgeries.
(I can see the eyes of our Jaffa team widening as they read this). Friends, let’s get behind them in prayer, and by coming out to help them. Here’s a note received this week from one of the readers of the Jaffa community’s mid-week prayer update (subscribe here):
When I finish reading your letter, and was praying over all that was mentioned, I couldn’t help but think of all these little children as being lights sent out into the darkness. Their living testimonies of the grace of God. I pray each parent, grandparent, or other family member who comes for help with these precious children share the amazing love that Jesus has for each and every one.
May He continue to abundantly bless the work that’s being done.
Finally this week, another video to help us understand the spiritual significance of these bridges God’s spirit is building through all these things. Our friend Mike has given decades to serving Kurds and building the “Isaiah 19 highway.” If you’ve never really understood what this is all about, pour a tea, grab a biscuit, and be enlightened by this excellent 28-minute video:
Jonathan for Shevet Achim
“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133).