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March 9, 2007 19 Adar, 5767 Dear Praying Friends,
The air is warming, birds are singing, the grass is greening, and the flowers are blooming. Our mountain home and ministry center is surrounded by such visible signs telling us that the Israeli winter is nearly past. With a sigh of relief and deep gratitude in our hearts, we sense also that a deep winter of our soul is at an end. This season of ours began in the spring of 2005 with the closing down of the worship center in Esther House and our move out of Tel Aviv. Though we didn't fully understand the why's and wherefore's, knowing God was directing the events kept us from drowning emotionally. Being supernaturally led to and planted in the hills of Judea was a great encouragement in the midst of a whirlwind of change. We expected that the ensuing year would be a low-key time of transition. That period has turned out to be more like two years, and the degree of change has also been far greater than we had imagined it would be.
God has brought about a closure to the events and activities of the past seven years. In January 1999 we began the renovations of Esther House and construction of the worship center. In December 2006 the team and community that came together to manage that facility was dispersed. In January 2007 Esther House was sold to an Israeli real estate developer. This is one of those moments when all we can do is marvel with partial understanding and shake our heads in total amazement. Concerning our earthly ministry, the seven years are in some ways like a loop; but from the perspective of our heart and soul, it has been a time of growth and deliverance out of a weight of wounds and carnal hindrances that constituted a driving force that shaped much of our lives.
Two weeks ago, seven years from when the old walls of Esther House were being demolished to make way for a messianic center, we had a week of tearing down inner walls. Walls of fear, barriers of blindness, bastions of pride, wells of pain, mistaken expectations, and missed understandings were uncovered, healed, and removed through the ministry of a dear brother guided by the Spirit of God. Thank you all so very much who prayed for us while we were in the States. We never imagined the blessing God had prepared for us.
Between the sin living in our mortal flesh and earth life's wounds to our heart, soul, and spirit, without God's presence and healing we would remain enslaved in wretchedness, forever echoing Paul's cry in Romans 7. No matter how much we desire or try, we just can't run well with a broken leg. We need to take responsibility for and accept the consequences of our actions. However, God has not given us to live under blame and shame but to love and accept ourselves as we are. Broken yet beautiful. So we return to Israel freer, more whole, more in touch with our heart, more enlightened and encouraged, yet limping and leaning on the Lord more than ever. There is much more to say about the ministry we received in the States. We want to heartily recommend it to any and all. Please feel free to write us on the subject and we'd be glad to share more of the specific content.
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Over the last three months, while having been apart from active public ministry, the gifts and support of our friends and partners have not waned. We are so grateful and humbled that our God and our friends have neither hidden their faces nor withheld their love and support during this time. We cannot thank you enough.
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Music has historically played a significant role in movements of change. The fires of revival, revolution, and change have always burned the brightest in young hearts. Many (ourselves included) believe that the born-again Body of Messiah in Israel is destined to release an end time prophetic cry that will impact the Body of Messiah, the religious establishment, and hungry hearts in search of living bread, both inside and outside the Land.
As a ministry we've had a desire to in some way lend a midwife's hand to the young believers God is blessing with music for their generation. Our present facility, as did our former one, has a space designated for rehearsal/recording. A Jerusalem 24/7 worship ministry with whom we are in close connection, Succat Hallel (“Tent of Praise”), has been in need of a recording studio to do the very thing that was in our heart. This anointed new sound has been showing up in numbers of youth and others that have been manning their worship and prayer watches throughout the week. It’s a marriage made in heaven.
Commercial studios are expensive. They rent by the hour. One cannot comfortably sit there and wait on the Lord with the clock ticking. There is much pressure to be ready to go beforehand and go go go when you get there. We believe that the Spirit desires to bring forth cries, groanings, songs and sounds coming out of spontaneous worship, prayer, and intercession. We are thrilled at the thought of having a part in providing a place people will have the freedom to put the studio clock away just like in the Tabernacle. And functioning on a freewill offering basis makes the facility available to so many more. In addition to that, having places on site for the musicians to stay during the creative process will do much to raise the quality level of their output...not to mention being surrounded by nature. Please pray with us for all the details to be ironed out, the right plan for the construction of the sound booth, and for the materials to finish the soundproofing.
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Have you been following the events in Arad over the last few years? It involves one of the most extreme situations of persecution against Messianic believers in a long time. Arad is situated on an ancient east-west trade route near the southern tip of the Dead Sea at the edge of the Negev desert in the Judean wilderness. We are attaching a link to the full story of what just happened there for those of you that have not yet heard it. The link The Arad Battlefront is to the web site of a good friend that does an awesome job of presenting current news pertaining to Israel in digest form and also highlights from the periodic newsletters of a wide spectrum of solid Israeli Messianic ministries. The short version is that a local group of ultra-Orthodox Jews have been violently harassing a small group of believers. At times the protestors demonstrating around believers’ homes have numbered around 700.
We are convinced that there is more here than meets the eye. Arad appears to be a remote little city surrounded by desert founded in 1962. The enemy is going to great lengths to attempt to rid the area of believers. This scene reminds us of a Frank Peretti scenario (for those of you familiar with his books). Arad has long been a new age center. Some consider it the new age capital of Israel. It also holds an attraction to artists and creative types. Recently there was a move to make it the international headquarters for the Dalai Lama, which was thwarted due to opposition by the Chinese government. These are not just chance occurrences. In things of the spirit world, it is often the case that the sons of darkness are more aware of spiritual realities than western-minded children of light. The enemy's concern for this place is a sign that there is something special about it. We have sensed that Arad is a spiritual portal. As such it has dynamics similar to Bethel, where Jacob slept and saw angels ascending and descending. A friend that lives in Arad strongly confirmed what we have been wondering. Several times, as recently as two weeks ago, prophetic intercessors have shared that they saw Arad to be a spiritual portal.
Please take this all to the Lord in prayer. We are concerned that this matter will not be passed over. It is not about coming against the enemy but rather seeing Arad fulfill its prophetic destiny. God has a strategy and we need to get it from Him. Please share with us anything you receive from the Lord in prayer. We should add that following the demonic uprising in Arad, a similar thing happened against the body in Beer Sheva. Our guess is that there is a spiritual connection.
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An important event is taking place in Germany next month organized by our friends at TOS Ministries in Tubingen. It is a March of Life commemorating the Nazi death marches along the Swabian Alps that ended at the Dachau death camp in Munich. We believe that this event will have significant repercussions in the spirit realm. We personally testify to the fact that through the conception and planning, this gathering has borne the handprint of God. The Lord had given us a word about the spiritual significance of Munich. When I called my friend in Tubingen to tell him about it, he responded by telling me that he had just been impressed by the Lord to call for this march, which ends in Munich on the eve of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day. We plan to take part in the event. You can access the web site for details and information at: www.marchoflife.org.
* * * As we leave Purim and head toward Passover, let us remember that in spite of Haman, Pharaoh, Hitler, and Ahmadinejad, Yeshua sits on the throne of David and will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Let us rejoice and be glad, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!
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This is where our letter to you ended as of the end of the day on March 8th. It was an awesome day. It was arni’s 60th birthday. It was a breakthrough day. What we wrote you above concerning the opening of the new studio we account as an important step forward in the Kingdom of God.
It started out as an unusual day. Through a glitch in the system, our email accounts were locked up and none of us were able to send or receive email.
We spent the evening sharing the burden of our hearts concerning Germany and Israel with a group of German youth. It was a great time. We got home at 11 PM to find that our house had been broken into. All of our clothes had been pulled out of the drawers and dumped onto the floor, jewelry boxes emptied, cash stolen, our mattress overturned, and arni’s office and yonit’s prayer room ransacked. The thieves made a real mess. The living room was virtually untouched, which leads us to conclude that it was not harassment, but a real robbery. Both of arni’s computers and yonit’s laptop were stolen, along with our digital camera, Palm Pilot, cellphone, and some other electronic devices. They were after money, jewelry, and small electronics. Thankfully, Jon and Leanne’s little dog is fine and two expensive guitars were untouched.
For arni, it means the loss of his contacts, his files, and essentially his entire office -- things that are irreplaceable. All the emails that were sent to arni before March 8th were lost. It would be great if those of you that sent notes on the 6th or 7th could resend them to arni’s e-mail: arni@emmausway.org.
For anyone that has sent arni an email and is waiting for a response, please resend your letter.
Since arni’s entire address book has been lost, it would really be a blessing if you could just send him an email with your name in the subject line so he can rebuild it.
As far as we can tell, there were no signs of break-in. It looks like they walked right in the front door. The house is somewhat secluded, which to this point was a great blessing. Please pray with us for wisdom, protection, and the recovery of at least arni’s main computer.
It’s almost 3 AM and we’re both about out of steam. We’ll keep you up to date as things unfold. Thank you so much for walking with us on this journey—it’s a blessing to know you’re there.
Our closing thought can’t help but be a reflection on the great things God did during the day of arni’s birthday and the devil’s apparent displeasure. We can’t help but be encouraged.
May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit
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