July 21, 2005      

14 Tammuz 5765

Dear Praying Friends,

 

Blessings and greetings to you all.  How much we are depending on the grace of God.   Thankfully the logistics of packing and moving four households, an office, and the contents of two storage rooms are coming together.  Without a vision we would be really lost right now.  Daily the Spirit is instructing us on the need of the moment.  Please continue to pray for us during this time and for the six brothers that are coming from TOS in Tubingen Germany to help us move.

 

The norm in the construction industry is that nothing is ever done in the time it is promised.  We were told that the ministry house would be definitely ready by October 1st.  We (arni & yonit) had planned to live out of a suitcase until then.  Well, we are witnessing a wonder in Israel.  It appears as though it will be done close to August 1st.   The other day there were fifteen workers there at one time.  God has really touched the owners’ hearts and given us great favor with them.  Please continue to stand with us for the salvation of their whole family.

 

* * *

 

We have much in our hearts as to what things might develop into.  We cannot quite say what that will be, but the Hand of the Lord continues to be evident as we go forward.  Need we have more than that?  If the introduction is this glorious, who can imagine what the story will be like?  God is not doing all this just so we would have a nice place to live.  He no doubt has a plan for blessing that will stretch far beyond our personal borders.  We are working hard at not getting ahead of the Lord, but neither do we want to lag behind.  Our landlord has a 500-square-meter chicken coop with another two hundred square meters that he has offered as a space for the worship center.  The space is perfect.  It is totally secluded, looking out over open space.  The coop is currently filled with 4000 chickens.  He said that if we were prepared to sign a long- term lease for the facility, he would get rid of the chickens, tear down what is there, and build whatever we would need.  From the time we would start the process, it would be about two years to completion.  Every two years he replaces the chickens.  This November is the date for the next exchange to take place.  He said that if we want to build something on that spot before two years, we need to let him know in the next few months.  There is space to construct everything we had in Tel Aviv.  Personally, for our part, there is no pressing need.  However, since the offer has been made, we would like to lay it before the Lord for prayer to have His mind on the matter.

 

* * *

 

Our recent trip to Germany was extraordinary.  It is such a joy to labor alongside our German brethren.  In twelve days we covered much ground, both in the natural and in the spirit.  Every day could really be classified as a highlight.  New relationships were made and existing ones strengthened.  We sensed God’s Presence in every gathering and He gave grace, anointing, and a relevant word for each occasion.  Though the past is not to be forgotten, God’s call is to learn from and be changed by the past and to set our hearts on the future.  The essence of what we have been given to share revolves around the subjects of worship, God’s heart for Israel, a prophetic perspective on our joint past, present, and future, and a call for the “Fourth Generation” to arise and break the curse released through the holocaust.

 

Israel as a nation has no idea of its identity.  Our people don’t know what being a light to the Gentiles is all about.   We are disconnected from our patriarchal roots.  We don’t understand the spiritual dynamics of the unseen world that alone give understanding as to why the god of this world has always sought to eliminate our people.  There is an open door in the heart of Israelis to the people of Germany...especially the youth.  We believe that the Holy Spirit desires to use them to bring revelation and salvation to their Israeli counterparts.

 

The Lord has directed us to step up and intensify our work in Germany.  We have received a number of requests for meetings of various venues that we are looking forward to fulfilling.  Therefore, for the coming year we are planning a trip every three months. The dates for our next trip will be November 10-22, and the one following will be in January/February.  For more information or to schedule a visit, you may contact us directly in Israel or through our office in Tubingen.

 

* * *

 

A few months ago a delegation of fourteen from the Regional Council of Judah (the sixty towns, moshavim, and kibbutzim of which our new moshav is a part) made a visit to Germany.  They met with the Mayor and other community leaders of Wurtsburg. Our new landlord was part of that delegation.  He shared with us how loved and received by their German hosts they felt.  We found out that at least one member of the German group was a believer.  Amazing amazing!!  The regional council where we are moving and our very landlord are involved with building a bridge between Israel and Germany.  The river of God is taking us where He has destined us to be, to do what He has called us to do.  How good it is just to trust Him.

 

One of the people we met on the last trip shared that her son was having a weekend gathering for 80-90 of his university friends on August 5-7.  They were looking for a way to bring the Lord into the program.  After hearing about our work and how we came to the Lord, she felt to invite us to the party to share with the young people on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will capture their hearts.

 

* * *

 

We will be flying from Frankfurt to Singapore for a week of teaching at an indigenous Bible School.  We will begin our ministry there on the 40th anniversary of Singapore’s statehood, and end on the 9th of Av.  We plan to write more about this just before we leave.

 

* * *

 

Protests against the disengagement continue to go on. Numbers have been arrested and have been jailed.  Generally speaking, the courts are dealing with the protestors in a stern and severe manner.  The situation is distressing and volatile.  On the personal level, concerning the individual families, it is a heartbreaking moment.  The military establishment is being challenged and shaken as significant numbers of personnel, including officers, have refused to take part in evacuating Jews from the land God gave us.  The response to this has been imprisonment and possible court marshals.  The government resolve to carry out its plan is unwavering.  How much God is interested in His Land and His people.  How much God is interested in the glory of His Name.  Surely God has not now become subject to the whims or failings of men.  No one steps into God’s house and begins to move His stuff around apart from His sovereign will...and certainly not in Israel.  The date originally set for the pullout was August 15th.  August 14th is the anniversary of the destruction of both Temples...the 9th of Av.

 

This “coincidence” bears looking at.  Was the destruction of the Temple by the will of man or the will of God?  If it had happened once we might wonder.  But such an event happening twice on the same day leaves us with the conclusion that it was by the will of God.  How many would have stood by and watched a foreign nation ransack Jerusalem and destroy the Temple and not thought it to be contrary to the will and promises of God?  We believe that the same standard of judgment should also be applied to the Babylonian exile and the 2000-year dispersion.  God’s desire is that His people would live in peace and prosperity in His Land.  But yet….  We wonder if the chosen date (by the choosing of God) is meant to connect the current event with former ones.   If so, what might He be saying?  The destruction of the Temples and expulsions from the land were unthinkable events that came upon us as a result of our sin.  God’s Word declares that there are two times for us to be cast out completely, and they have already taken place.  What is happening now is in keeping with the spirit of His former deeds and not contrary to anything in the Scriptures.  As it was in former times, the righteous suffered with the wicked.  As it was with the crucifixion of Yeshua, the suffering of the righteous One pointed up the depth of the wickedness.  The families being displaced, of all the inhabitants of the Land, believe in the Bible to be the Word of God and have committed themselves to stand by their beliefs at great cost.  May God be gracious to them and visit them with the revelation of Yeshua.  May their focus and energies be directed to building the eternal Kingdom as it was towards the temporal.  Our sense is that if the disengagement, displacement, or pullout were to be stopped, it would be as a result of repentance for that which has opened the door for the enemy in the first place.  May there arise amidst all the cries a voice asking God why He is allowing this disaster to fall upon His people.  Would you stand in this gap on behalf of the people and the land?

 

May God bless you from Zion! 

 

                                                                        Your servants...

                                                                            For the Glory of His Name,

                                                        Arni and Yonit