Merry Christmas!

I’m so sorry to be sending this out this time of the month, maybe you will have time to read it after your festivities are over!  I’ve been a bit busy the last few weeks and have much to share. 

I will begin with news from Israel. Please be praying for the peace of not just Jerusalem but the entire country. Over the last few weeks rockets have been shot into the southern part of Israel once again.  So far no one has been killed that I have heard of, but I did hear of a girl being injured when one hit near her school.  It’s only God’s grace that has kept it from being any worse. 

Last week a tour guide went for a hike with her friend in a “forest” outside Jerusalem, where I have actually gone on several occasions. The two of them were attacked by some Arab young men who stabbed the tour guide in the chest as well as other places, she played dead until they left and then managed to get to an area where people saw her and called for help. She has been recovering in a nearby hospital; it’s a miracle that she survived.  Her American friend was kidnapped by the men and later found, but she did not survive.  

I believe I mentioned a while back that the religious leaders in Israel fasted and prayed for rain, but did not receive the immediate response of rain like they did last year.  Weeks later the worst fire in Israel’s history (since 1948) broke out in Haifa and raged for days, in spite of help from a number of countries.  During that time I spoke a Jewish friend of mine and he said when they called for the day of prayer and fasting for rain he felt in his spirit that they would not receive the rain in the timing they were thinking. He also felt God say that He was going to send His judgment before he sent His rain.  A few weeks later when the fires broke out he knew that what God had said was what he was watching happen.  Several days into the fire the rains finally began (I believe it began on the night of the 5^th of Dec., which was during Hanukkah).  The rains came in an overabundance, causing flooding issues in the southern parts of Israel as well as in Haifa where they had major mud slides due to the fires.  In the northern part they had some large snowfalls!  The rain did come, but at a great cost. It is better to repent for real, rather than to make an outward show of something that isn’t even in your heart. God sees the heart and judges or blesses according to what He sees there, it is arrogant to think He can’t see what’s in our heart and can be fooled by our outward behavior.  I hope that we won’t see a repeat of this anytime soon.  Pray that there be a change in the hearts of the people.  Things like this also cause me to look into my heart to see if there needs to be any changes there too.  I pray that America will learn a lesson from Israel’s mistakes, because we are heading to far worse if we don’t.

Now for some happy news! I am actually writing this email from England where I am spending the Christmas holidays with my FIANCE and his family! Yes, you heard me right! On the 4^th of December Mark proposed on the Mount of Olives and I accepted, hopefully we will be having a wedding in the States in 2011. For those of you who don’t know, I met Mark a year ago in Israel at a friend’s wedding.  We have spent the last year getting to know one another and our families and all I can say is it has been a very good year!!!  I pray that you all have a very Merry Christmas with lots of great memories to cherish for years to come.  Hope to see you all sometime in the New Year!  Hugs to all of you!


~Lydia

Prayer Requests:

1.        For wisdom for us as we look into the legalities of marrying someone from another country.

2.       For continued financial provision

3.       For protection of our brothers and sisters in Israel

Photos:

1.       Mark and me just after he proposed

2.       Winter in England!