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December 16, 2006 25 Kislev 5767 Dear Praying Friends,
Many thanks to all of you that prayed for our trip to the States. It was blessed in every way. We are so grateful for the privilege to walk together through the most amazing days the world has ever seen. What a strength it is to know that we are not alone. What a joy and honor it is to share our lives and perspectives with brothers and sisters all over the world. Thank you for caring enough to read these words from our heart. We wish you all the love, joy, and peace that came to earth at the incarnation of our Messiah Yeshua.
Just two weeks ago we were with Yonit's 87-year-old mother Catherine dancing at a party. Tuesday, we received word that her mom had been in a serious one-car accident. Her vehicle skidded 400 feet in a residential neighborhood, knocked down 2 stop signs and a sizable tree, flipped over, and came to rest in front of a school play ground filled with children. She needed to be extricated from the wreck and airlifted to the hospital. It was a miracle that she was not killed on the spot and that no one was hit by the car. Within hours of receiving the news Yonit was on a plane back to the States. Great grandma Cate was admitted to the trauma unit with multiple fractures. By the second day, after all four daughters arrived, her organs and bodily system began shutting down. On Thursday, at around 6 AM, Yonit's mother passed into the presence of the Lord. In the midst of this weird horror is a testimony of the amazing greatness of God's love and mercy.
Catherine Herbert was a Catholic and had prayed a prayer with Yonit some years ago. Yet, in our hearts, there remained a question as to whether she really knew the Lord. For the past few weeks the Lord had been impressing Yonit's believing sister to once more share the gospel with her mom. For whatever reason, by the time of the accident, it hadn't come to pass.
Those that saw the accident could not believe that anyone came out of that wreck with breath in their body. With all the fractures, shock, and trauma, when the first two of her daughters arrived at the hospital, they were whimsically greeted by their mother. She was remarkably awake! Before the evening had passed, Yonit's sister had the opportunity to lead their mother to the Lord. Shortly thereafter, she began to decline and slipped into unconsciousness. As far as we can tell, through it all, she was without any pain.
How wonderful, loving, kind, and merciful is our Father in heaven! How He wants all of us to be with Him for eternity! To what lengths He will go to gather us in…even in the last moments of life! He supernaturally kept Yonit's mom alive long enough to validate her passport into heaven. Glory to the Lord of Life!
The funeral is on Saturday. Many unsaved friends and relatives will be there. Also please pray for grace and strength for Yonit and her sisters as they deal with mom's personal effects and house. Yonit is scheduled to return home on Thursday morning.
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As a result of all this, I got to share the gospel, in its entirety, with my 87-year-old mother who has not yet dealt with the issue of her eternal destiny. It was the first time she could listen to the whole story. Please pray with us for her to receive the sacrifice of Yeshua as the atonement for her sin.
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At the entrance to our dwellings there is a stand of olive trees. Some of you saw pictures of us harvesting the olives last year. The trees were beautiful with spreading branches stretching over the grove. When we returned from our time abroad we were shocked to find that the owner had radically, even brutally, pruned the trees cutting off some of the biggest branches. What had been lush and inviting now appeared cold and bare. As I wondered at this unexpected sight, it came to me that this is essentially what the Lord is doing with His body at this hour. With that thought in mind, I (Arni) would like to share with you more of my inner journey as the Lord continues to pierce my heart ever deeper.
Over the years, on several occasions, the Spirit has called my attention to certain fruit in my life that brings pain and distress rather than life, joy and peace. Though I'd accepted the fact that these issues were really present and needed to be corrected, the moments of Godly sorrow and contrition over my sin were notably short lived. In the last week or so, in the midst of a series of foundational shiftings, this matter showed up front and center bigger than ever before. As my bone and marrow were being separated, the Spirit of the Lord cautioned me not to look to the left or the right lest I miss what He wanted to do in my life. In past dealings I have paid attention to the manner in which I was being confronted and rather than giving my fill attention to what God was trying to say to me. As I considered this, my immediate response was that it was my fault that the effects of the former dealings did not go deeper.
By God's grace I had the opportunity to share this thought with a friend who gave me a different perspective on this point. Let's view our life as a grove of trees. Some are good and some need to be uprooted. Imagine that the master slated a large tree with much fruit, close to the center of the garden, for removal. Were He to just rip it out this would cause great trauma to the whole garden. So, He first prunes back the branches. With this comes a sense of relief and deliverance from the poison of the rotten fruit. But the work is not done. Later on He returns and cuts down the trunk leaving only a stump. This is also accompanied by a sense of release and grace. One more step remains to sanctify the garden. Only when the tree is uprooted will the work be complete. In this light, the reason the poison still remained after the former dealings, was not because of a wrong response on my part, but rather because God's process had not yet reached completion. What a difference in approach! What a difference in out come! The old wine of the law brings judgment and condemnation while the new wine of the Spirit brings life and peace.
Being brought to a place of brokenness and contrition is one of the greatest blessings we will receive from the Lord. Oh that we might dwell at the foot of the cross all the days of our earthly life.
"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Ps 34:18 "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Is 66:2
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Moving to the temporal realm...our stolen Van has not been found. What we'll receive from the insurance company does not even come to 5 percent of the cost of a new vehicle. A used vehicle has come to our attention that belongs to a pastor friend in Jerusalem. It is the same make and model as our former one...a VW Caravel. It has been on the road a little over four years, is perfectly suited for our needs and about one third the price of a new one. By tomorrow we will list the cost and more of the particulars on our web page under the “needs” link for anyone interested in helping us fill this need. A van is an absolute necessity for us to be able to transport our staff, guests, and equipment as we steward the Worship Center and minister throughout the Land.
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For some years we have been involved in reaching out to the young Israeli seekers. The Lord placed this calling upon us when we first immigrated in 1992. Since moving to the hills of Judea we have also had a burden to reach the people in our community. Last Sunday, our team was sitting together working through some deep issues. It was a blessed time of sharing our hearts. At the very second we came to our resting place there was a knock at the door. Some weeks before, while out walking, Brian ran into a young Israeli that recently moved to the Moshav with his wife and baby. He told them about our community. They had come looking for us. We marveled at the precise timing of the Lord and invited them in for tea. In the course of our conversation they shared with us about a recent trip they had made to Ethiopia, and that they had come to believe that the Ark of the Covenant was there waiting God’s appointed time for it to be brought back home. Whether this is true or not is not the point of this story but rather the fact that they saw the return of the ark as a mission they could devote their lives to. The Ark is all about the Presence of the Lord. They marveled as we shared that in a real way, this was the very calling on our lives...to prepare a place for the presence of the Lord and to hasten His return to Jerusalem. We were so encouraged. In His time, when all has been prepared, we will not have to go out and search for the seekers. They will come looking for us. Please pray with us for Shai and Maya and their baby. May they come to know that the Ark is not a what but a who...Yeshua ben David.
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There is not a day that goes by that we are not reminded that the crisis in the Middle East can never be solved by the machinations of human governments. Since we have written so much already we will not delineate the latest insanities coming forth from the blinded mind of carnal man. Instead, in the face of this ever-deepening darkness, we will close this letter with an encouraging word. God is at work in the body in Israel. Great things are happening amongst the pastors and ministry leaders in Jerusalem. Our unity is growing deeper and the call to take our place (along with the body in the rest of the Land) as a governmental agency in the spirit realm is being heard. Not long ago, the body in Jerusalem was know for its division. Today it is the quite the opposite. Each time we gather together, we can see how Yeshua is drawing us closer to Himself and to one another. It is a wonder to behold. Praise the Lord!
May God bless you from Zion!
Your servants… For the Glory of His Name, Arni and Yonit |