Trips to Sderot

I do apologize for not posting anything the past few weeks. Gall stones in the bile duct causing the liver and kidneys to cease functioning; turning yellow like a squash; an ERCP; lapriscopic surgery to remove the gall bladder, etc. etc., kept me from posting the blog for awhile. Minor inconveniences. God is gracious and full of compassion. Now I am "back in the saddle again."

On Tuesday, June 2nd, we headed back to Sderot to bless the families that are traumatized by Hamas shooting kassam rockets from Gaza just one kilometer away. I took a few photos of a typical trip. Below is one of the five families that we blessed Tuesday. The husband recently lost his job when the factory where he worked was closed. They are expecting their second child in September. In January, during Operation Cast Lead, their home was destroyed by a kassam rocket. They were down to their last few shekels when Christian Friends of Israel (us) drove down from Jerusalem to bless them with many shekels to help them through this difficult period. They were extremely grateful. With a background of the "flowing living water", this is the couple along with Jacki from New Zealand and Varya from the Ukraine, who is my co-worker and translator. "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:38.

This is CFI just as I was leaving around 8am. For the past two months, the Municipality of Jerusalem has removed our walls and shortened our landscaped front yard to build a bigger street and walking path for a new apartment building just west of us. CFI rents the building from the Municipality so there is no need to complain. No one would hear us.

Here I am going down HaNaviim (The Prophets) Street headed west to Highway 1.

While at a stop light, I leaned out the window to take a photo of the "string bridge" located at the entrance to Jerusalem on Highway 1. The design is to be like David's Harp.

As we approach Ashdod, there is a lot of road construction taking place. Ashdod is a port city and there are a lot of container shipping and industrial trucks in the area. This the same Ashdod on the Mediterranean Coast where the Philistines brought the Ark of the Covenant when they captured it. Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 1st Samuel 5:1.

The south exit to Ashdod close to the train station. Varya lives near Tel Aviv and rides the train to Ashdod where we pick her up and then continue further south to Sderot. Ashdod is where the statue of Dagon kept falling down before the Ark of the Covenant. When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god." 1st Samuel 5:7.

Just a few kilometers south of Ashdod is a another coastal city of the Biblical Philistines, Ashkelon. These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 1st Samuel 6:17.

Sderot from the highway. Gaza would be behind me when taking this photo.

Elementary school in Sderot with a cement canopy built over it to protect from the kassams.

All bus stops in Sderot have a dual purpose as bomb shelters.

An apt building that we would visit while the "desert blooms" outside. The wilderness and the desert will be glad,And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;Like the crocus ... Isaiah 35:1.

This is another family that we visited in early May. The young man has spent most of his childhood with the knowledge and fear of kassam rockets. Yet he would still like to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), like his big sister, in some capacity. The IDF is looking for a special position for him.

A young, Ethiopian mother without family that we visited and blessed with some shekels and a Tanach. I asked her "if she came to Israel from Ethiopia during Operation Solomon." She said "yes." Here is a brief description of what made Operation Solomon unique: Operation Solomon set a world record for single-flight passenger load on May 24, 1991 when an El Al 747 carried 1,122 passengers to Israel (1,087 passengers were registered, but dozens of children hid in their mothers' robes). "Planners expected to fill the aircraft with 760 passengers. Because the passengers were so slight, many more were squeezed in. Two babies were born during the flight.

Another family we visited where the young kids were playing Israeli Monopoly.

A young, Orthodox father reading his prayer book or Tanach while the kids are playing at the "caterpillar" playground.

I thought this little girl walking behind her ema (mother) was very cute with her pacifier. Perhaps little children growing up in a war-stricken area like Sderot are permitted to be kids just as long as they want to be.

A lively football (soccer) game at school. If the Color Red alarm were to sound for an incoming kassam rocket, those young kids would be inside within seconds. They know what to do.

We work very closely with Sderot's Ministry of Social Affairs. Since this conversation was taking place in Russian, I made myself useful by taking a photo.

One of our visits in April was to a family in Ashkelon. Notice how the families try to "bless us" by always offering something to drink or eat. Many times when you say "No, thank you", they don't hear it. "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:9.

In April, we made one trip up north to Kiryat Shmona to visit a family where the husband had been wounded by a katuysha rocket launched by Hizbullah from Lebanon. From their living room window, you can see the mountains of Lebanon. When a katuysha rocket is fired at Kiryat Shmona, you have three seconds to take cover. The family told us that many times you hear the explosion first, then the warning siren. Three seconds is not a lot of time.

Springtime tree getting ready to leaf out.

Tractor working on the new walls at the front door of CFI.

Weeds growing along the roadside of Highway 6. God likes the weeds of Israel.

Old Glory flying in front of the Inbal Hotel just down the street from the King David Hotel. Probably a senator or congressman visiting.

My favorite schwarma stand in The German Colony. Potatoes are delivered early in the morning at many small restaurants in Jerusalem. Very similar to the milkman or mailman. Then the potatoes are sliced, fried, and become "chips" for your schwarma or falafel. There are no dogs roaming the streets to bother the potatoes until the shop opens. Only cats.

An EMT vehicle. Many of Jerusalem's streets are narrow and crowded. A motorbike or motorcycle can wiggle his way through the traffic fairly easily.

Figs growing in front of my neighbor's window.

Just oustside the entrance to my apartment building.

Geraniums on my patio doing well.

Close up from my patio.

Again.

Ditto.

Early sunrise view from my patio. The direction would be towards the Old City and the Mount of Olives about 1-2 miles away. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly " Amen Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20.