We all desire to hear Jesus say to us:
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things…Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21) To know we will experience blessed joy in his presence for all eternity is an awesome expectation to grasp with our finite minds, but his Word is true! Our compassionate action in looking after orphans, widows, and the poor in their distress, many of whom are Holocaust survivors, is evidence of what our Lord has asked us to do---for Him! Your continued partnership with us is greatly appreciated in caring for those desperately crying out for help in Israel and the former Soviet Union.
I recently spent some weeks in Israel involved with our affiliate ministry, Helping Hand Coalition. Here are two examples of the many personal encounters I had with people in great need:
We visited Olga S., a Holocaust survivor who invited us into her small Haifa apartment to sit with her so she could share her personal history. She was raised on a Jewish kibbutz (a collective Jewish settlement, esp. a collective farm) in the city of Krem, Ukraine. She said, “When the Nazis came upon us, all the residents of the kibbutz quickly ran for their lives in a desperate attempt to keep ahead of them. Bombs from planes were exploding all around us as we frantically ran non-stop.”
As she continued, I noted her voice going faint with broken words and a heavy heart in memory of having to watch her two brothers’ drop dead from trauma and utter exhaustion. She said, “Due to the unrelenting Nazi pursuit, there was no time to bury them…just a quick goodbye to my brothers’ dead on the side of the road!” Imagine carrying such a horrendous memory with you for the rest of your life! She continued, “We managed to escape to the Caucasus Mountains where we worked very hard in extremely cold weather with little food. All the women from our kibbutz survived during the war, but only two of the men were left.” Olga moved to Israel in 1994 and lives all alone.
Her handicapped son is in a doctor’s care in Hedera, and so she travels daily by bus with the little food she has to cook for him and herself. Her apartment screams of poverty that is almost devoid of furniture, with no cooking appliances or homey things. Her pension is 2000 shekels per month ($535), and after paying for utilities and medicine, little is left for food. We left her with our love, parcels of packaged food, fresh meat, and shekels, promising to return each month.
In our continued visitation to those in need, we traveled to Bet Horan, a Palestinian area outside of Jerusalem to meet up with a Palestinian Christian on the highway. We communicated by cell phone for some period of time before we knew exactly where he was hiding. Finally, he emerged from behind a group of trees running toward us with a quick jump and slump into the backseat of our car. Many years ago he had a vision of Jesus and thus committed his life to Him. This began his path of being persecuted by Palestinians for becoming a Christian. He was wearing a neck brace due to back and neck injuries from attacks on his life from his brothers and neighbors. His house was broken into by people who destroyed his stove, refrigerator, knocked out his utilities, and then fire-bombed it. As he shared his daily experiences of constant persecution, it was evident he feared for his life, and therefore, I have withheld his name for security reasons. He is 47 years old, distressed and depressed, with no money or potential for getting a job. Feeling his life was over, we prayed with him, encouraged him, gave some necessities, and will regularly meet with him, bringing food parcels, some shekels, and Jesus’ love. As quickly as he appeared, he disappeared behind the same trees.
Jesus said, “
The poor you will always have with you…” (Matthew 26:11) This is so true, and thus Scripture compels us to be compassionate and generous "kids of the Kingdom" towards those in need. However, there is no denying that time is slipping away for Holocaust survivors due to their age and health issues from all they endured from diabolical hands. Your prayers and faithful giving is enabling us as a team to touch many in need with the love of Jesus. Please give generously to bring some dignity, joy, and sunshine in the few years they have left.
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