"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
We made it to Tel Aviv and spent our Thanksgiving organizing and packing hygiene kits, clothing, preparing food and taking it down to the local park for the weekly homeless feeding Calvary Tel Aviv organizes. It has been a blessing to come under the leadership of the missionaries serving here in Tel Aviv.
We were surprised to see how many Sudanese refugees live homeless in Israel. My eyes were opened even more to the difficulties these refugees face trying to make their way to safety. A local pastor shared with us that only 1 out of 3 refugees who try to make it to Israel actually make it. Apart from the difficult journey, they run the risk of death. One threat they face is kidnappers who take them solely for the purpose of selling their organs on the black market. They also face the threat of death from being shot crossing the Egyptian/ Israeli border where Egyptian solders shoot to kill. Many refugees make it to the border with bullet wounds. One man that we talked to asked us to pray for him to see his family again, it was heart breaking to see his pain as he left quickly wiping tears from his face.
These are the people our missionaries serve on a weekly basis. This morning God reminded me to respect and esteem those we have come to serve because of their work. Please pray for the Apples and missionaries that serve alongside them. Please pray for the refugees, that they would discover the love God has for them and come to place all their hope in Jesus. One sudanese brother in the Lord by the name of Immanuel, had a heart for God, and wanted a Bible. He said of all their group only 5 of them are believers. We gave him a Bible and prayed with him encouraging him to teach the refugees the gospel and the word of God. Please pray for Immanuel! We hope to see him at church service at Shabbat.
We thank you for your prayers and pray that your thanksgiving is blessed, above all full of gratitude to God for the abundance of grace He has bestowed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment