Seventy years ago, on January 27th, 1945, Russian soldiers approached the gates of Auschwitz and were astonished. One recounted, "We saw emaciated, tortured, impoverished people. We could tell from their eyes that they were happy to be saved….
Three weeks ago a terrorist-produced instructional video hit the internet. It taught how to conduct individual acts of terrorism by slashing innocent Jewish People in crowded, everyday settings within Israel. Yesterday morning, a 23-year-old West Bank Palestinian did just that in Tel Aviv.
When you think of Ethiopia, you might not picture the city of Gondar. A Westerner expecting sun-blasted flatlands finds instead a medium-sized city of rolling hills, trees, and the ruins of past wars.
Shalom. Yes, that is our greeting to you, but it’s also something we want to highlight in this Prayer Update. Our Global Ministries Team and volunteers will be traveling to Woliso, Ethiopia for our medical outreach from January 30 through February 8. The shalom of Yeshua is a deep need there.
Children with reddened eyes smile, despite the pain. Men and women with leathered faces look out with blank expressions, drained by their poverty. People hobble on makeshift crutches made from tree branches. The elderly, bent over and with cloudy eyes, are helped around by family or neighbors.
This week, the world has seen the viciousness of the Islamic State at work in the cold-blooded assassinations of journalists and police officers, and the deaths of several hostages in Paris.
This has been a tough week. The horrible terrorist attacks in Paris have the world on edge, and our hearts go out to the families, co-workers, and fellow countrymen of those assassinated. The mindset of Islamic terrorists is increasingly disturbing as their violence around the world escalates.
As the 9th of Av Approaches, Keep Israel in Prayer
As Tishah B’Av approaches, we sense an even greater urgency to be focused on praying for Israel and the Jewish People worldwide. Tishah B’Av refers to the ninth day of the Hebrew month Av, and is from sundown on Monday, August 5 to sundown, Tuesday, August 6 this year.
