Well, time is running away so quickly..... where has it gone? Today is Dec 18th
and my updates are stuck in the middle of Nov somewhere.....
One of the highlights of the second half of Nov was our visit with Ani in her home.
How wonderful to have had time to connect without rush and have a short time
of prayer together. We met her husband during his lunch and rest break
from work. He has a hairdressing shop right across the road. The train stops
right outside their apartment which made it really easy to get to. Here is a pic of
his shop.....
Those of you who receive Ani's letters will know what a privilege it was for us to
be with her and, especially, to pray with her. Ani and myself first met in 2008 at
the International Lydia Conference in Jerusalem. We visited again last year and
added Malcolm to the mix.
Their apartment is right on Denia Square.... Denmark Square. There is a
monument there depicting the rescue of Denmark's Jewry.
Eric lent us a phone he had bought when their daughter was visiting.... all we had
to do was to buy minutes for it. It has been very useful.
Please pray for them ... they have a foster daughter who has miraculously found
them after 29 years. This is wonderful and although she has returned to the Lord
she is struggling because of all the abuse she has suffered over the years. She
plans to visit in February... pray that all will go well.
We continue to read scriptures in the hills, especially the Jerusalem Forest, and I
feel to play the violin. It is so strong in us that God has spoken through His
prophets long ago... but people have either forgotten what He has said or they
don't know what he said. Some don't care, some believe it's all a fairytale or
some old writings that are irrelevant for today. I know that the word of God stands
firm forever and will last beyond the ending of all else.
Do we not see events unfolding today that were promised by God many, many
years ago? The Jews returning to Israel, violence and wars, a group of people
that have no compunction in committing the most barbaric acts.
We also all know that the waves of sound emitted through speech, music ....in
fact, any sound-producing mechanism, will not cease moving until it ultimately
changes into heat energy . God said, in Isaiah 55:10-11
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there
without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to
the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My
mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And
without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Declaring the prophecies aloud in the mountains seems a little silly to some, even
to ourselves at times, but we know from Isaiah 40 that this is what we were to do
when coming here. So we have continued to do it.....
On Saturday night at El Roii we met a woman called Joanne who works for
Bridges for Peace. While we were chatting she asked what we were doing here
and we told her. She got excited and told us that she had met another couple from the States - who had been sent here to do the same thing. The area God
sent them to was Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). This really encouraged
us.
A few days later we went to do what Malcolm had felt led to do while we were still
in Canada. That was... to go and declare, pray and pray the violin in Safed. We
were led to go to a fort on the northern side called Fort Biryia where we stood
facing Lebanon on a very high hill overlooking a vast area and declared aloud the
prophecies of God. I felt very moved as I played the violin and prayed with tears
for the protection and salvation of Israel..... O come, O come, Immanuel ..... and
ransom captive Israel!
Safed is one of the bastions of religious Judaism and the seat of Kabbalism. It
has the highest elevation in that area... Galilee north of Tiberias.
A Move:
We knew we had to leave Bet Zayit at the end of the month so we had been
looking for a place to stay. As before, the Lord sharply and firmly closed a door
we thought was open and led us to apply for a place in Mezaseret-Zion.... As
always, His way was wonderful.
Our hosts are Messianic believers and have been very gracious to us. We were
invited to a shabat meal with them which was very interesting. After the meal
Daniel, the host, and I played guitar and violin together - Christian songs that we
both know.
To get to Jerusalem from here we go by bus... the stop is about 50 meters from
the gate and the journey takes about 10 mins to the Central Bus Station. From
there we can get the light rail or bus to anywhere.
The greatest thing about this move is what the name Mevaseret-Zion means. Ani
told us "Mevesseret means to proclaim or to announce and Tsion (or
Zion) means to Tsion (Zion) as in: "Announce to Zion 'Your God reigns'!"
What a confirmation of our calling here! Praise God.... His thoughts are higher
than ours!
I am sending some pics of the apartment. Our bathroom is the bomb shelter, it
has a place for air to enter when the door and window are closed. The walls are
about 15 inches thick and there us an emergency flashlight and radio kept in the
room.
So much more to tell you - will continue later. We will be home soon and I haven't
finished these updates!
Love to you all,
Malcyn