"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." 2 Samuel 22:31

This has been a landmark verse in my walk with the Lord since its beginning, 33 years ago.

It is amazing to reflect on the way that He has led me. Each one of us has an individual and personal "way", or set of life circumstances, which are designed to guide us into the destiny that He has designed uniquely to fulfil His eternal purpose in us.

As I just finished this sentence, my daughtercalled me to share an example of this - she is at a crossroads in her teaching career (special education) and needs to make a decision which will affect her future. This crossroads is causing her to have to draw closer to the Lord and to seek His wisdom, as there are many facets involved. Please pray for Chen, (pronounced with the Hebrew "chet" ), to take refuge in God and His Word for her direction in life. She has a heart for teens at risk.

AMI NEWS

We had an appointment this week with Dr. Yafe, who is one of the best hand surgeons in Israel. Ami has been blessed to have her as his surgeon, as there are several in Tel HaShomer hospital, but I have noticed that the top doctors and surgeons are the ones taking care of Ami, as his case has touched their hearts - all of them! We thank Yeshua for the favor He has given us.

Dr. Yafe wants to help Ami, and her rather crusty, professional exterior cracks when she sees him to reveal genuine caring. What always impresses me about the doctors at this stage of Ami's recovery is that they ask him what he wants, and what is bothering him the most. In other words, what are you willing to live with, and what further pain are you willing to go through in order to progress further!

Ami told her that the lack of movement of his left thumb is holding him back, and she explained to us that the joint at the base of the thumb has been compromised causing the thumb to not be able to stay in joint. When she held the thumb in joint with her hand, then he was able to reach over to his fifth finger with it, but when it slips out, he doesn't have range of motion. She said that they will build up tissue around the joint so it can stay in place, and he will have a nail holding it in place for 3 weeks. When the nail is removed, then he will have therapy to strengthen the hand.

We've learned, after every definitive statement made by doctors to say - God willing!And to commit it all to prayer. God willing, Ami will have surgery and it will go as planned, but above and beyond that, we pray for healing and for the Lord's continued miracles as we pray my son through to complete recovery. Dr. Yafe also mentioned that it might be possible to do the hand and foot surgery at the same time, depending on many factors,
such as whether or not Ami will have to use crutches after the foot surgery. Also, Tel Hashomer hospital is huge, and when you're talking about combining two different departments into one operation, it can be a little tricky, but this is not too difficult for our God! Can we prayer for the Lord's will for these operations, and that if Ami doesn't have to go under full anaesthesia twice, so be it.

The fifth finger of his right hand was completely curled up after the blast. A piece of shrapnel had been removed from the base of the finger, and he has a big scar there. Initially it was thought that the tendon was damaged, and there was consideration to operate on it and try to improve it's use. However, it never bothered Ami, and as he has exercised and recovered, it has slowly, very slowly, uncurled. When Dr. Yafe checked it she said - it's perfect! Hallelujah!

Ami has very different bone structure in his hands anyway, and his very long fingers are naturally not straight, so all of this has been a challenge to determine what needs to be done, and what doesn't need to be done. Being that they are Ami's hands, and he uses them every day, he has been very clear on this subject. He also told Dr. Yafe that the pain in his left hand is getting less, and so we say Thank you Lord for that as well!!

LESSONS THROUGH SUFFERING

Thank you, prayer warriors, for not giving up and not getting discouraged in prayer concerning the pain in Ami's left hand. The pain has been the biggest obstacle in Ami's recovery. It has been the Highest mountain that he has faced, and he always said that if it wasn't for the pain, he could have progressed even more quickly.

Personally, seeing my son suffer excruciating pain has been the hardest thing to deal with in this experience. Recently, a "daughter in the Lord" whose 3 year old daughter is diabetic expressed what I have felt daily since Ami was so critically injured. She said, Ïf only I could suffer in her place". There are still unanswered questions concerning the journey we were thrust into last March, 2008. However, we have seen that "only Goodness and Mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives"(Psalm 23:6). Circumstances are not the bottom line in our lives, rather the immutable promises of God, and He uses every circumstance for good in ways far beyond what we could ever imagine or hope for (Romans 8:28).

May we rise above our circumstances today as we trust the Lord to fulfill His promises.

Yours in Yeshua,

Leah