June 24, 2016

First of all, we are all well, praise the Lord, God has been very good to our family. Ami is 23 and this past May he graduated from college in the U.S. He was going to a school in Florida, and it was very challenging for him to study on a college level in English. His major is Psychology. Even though he was on the basketball team he never actually played in the games very much, I think his injuries really did affect his game when it came to the level that sports are played in the U.S., but he was required to practice and do everything else the team did, and it was a major commitment requiring hours of practice a day. In his senior year he quit basketball in order to concentrate more on his studies!  He graduated well, and overall worked very hard and enjoyed his time there. After graduating he got a job in Florida as a case worker, working with the families of children who have been removed from their homes by the State because of abuse and neglect. It is a very challenging job, he works with the police, the courts and a very rough segment of the population. The job can also be potentially a little dangerous at times in some "bad" areas of town, so we appreciate prayer for safety.  It can also be very emotionally challenging for the case workers, so prayer would be appreciated for that,also. In the future he would like to get his Masters degree but he has to  know in which direction he wants to go with Psychology, if at all.

Ami in the last couple of years has been  honestly dealing with some of the hard issues with God resulting from the incident. He has been left with a level of disability, low level pain in his left hand, slight hearing loss, and of course the ever present scars that cover his body. He still has all that shrapnel in his body and eyes, and he doesn't know how that will affect him physically in the future....however he has no bitterness or residual trauma, he is an emotionally healthy and vibrant person, has many friends who adore him, and is a mature, dependable and balanced guy, and we are grateful for that.

David and I were able to attend his graduation, after which we took him on a trip around Florida visiting family.  Most of our family on both sides are living in Florida, so that is good for Ami as well.

At this time, he won't be returning to live in Israel, as he wants to complete his education in the U.S. He is dealing with all of these issues and hard decisions, plus the calling on his life. He has been left with a very big responsibility before God and all of this he is dealing with.

We are very proud of him and all his accomplishments.

As for the rest of the family, we have been blessed by children returning to the Lord, getting married to godly spouses, and many, many other blessings plus the challenges and battles that go on this life as we go forward to continue to share the Gospel with whomsoever will. In the past few years, the Lord opened up the opportunity to help 250 very elderly Holocaust Survivors in Ariel with distributions of food, clothing and of course Bibles and Gospel literature. We have worked on both the social and spiritual level, have seen at least five come to the Lord. But many are reading and dealing with the question of whether Yeshua really is the Messiah!

In the past few years we have also been functioning as the chaplains to the Israel branch of Jews for Jesus. Our congregation is also growing by the grace of a God, and the outreach to the Palestinians continues as well. They continue to face impossible challenges in their lives as believers in the areas under Palestinian control, but continue to grow in the faith and to share with others. An unprecedented number of women are coming to the Lord now, in one village there are a group of 17 who believe and meet together underground of course. This has been a work of the Holy Spirit, and the believers who are there are functioning as a Body, and it has all been a sovereign work of God.

This is an overview,  thanks so much for praying for us. David and I have also faced some health issues, but we are pressing forward as even though we are getting older and feeling it :) yet the work is expanding. Thankfully the younger generation is stepping up and beginning to take responsibility and so this is wonderful.

We have many opportunities to share about the bomb hidden in a Purim package that was delivered to our home in 2008 and that changed our lives forever.  The prayer that continually went up for our family over the  following three years is one of the most vital parts of the testimony and we are forever grateful for each one that prayed for Ami and our family.  The Lord has answered those prayers in many amazing ways, and our family has come through and continues to battle through to victory by the grace of God.

Together with you in the Messiah,

Leah

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