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Happy Rosh Hashanah (New Year) 5778

It’s that time of year again!

Happy Rosh Hashanah (New Year) 5778

The ancient biblical Fall feast times are upon us again beginning with the Feast of Trumpet (Yom T’ruah). In more modern times the feast has also been recognized as Rosh Hashanna, the Jewish New Year. This year, the Feast begins on Wednesday evening at sunset in Jerusalem and marks the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar as the Holy month of Tishri.
The significance of the Shofar blowing is seen as a sacred preparatory calling of the souls of believing Israel to wake up, repent and prepare for their pilgrim journey up to Jerusalem in order to appear before the Lord’s presence during the High Holy-days which follow.

Furthermore, the blowing of the Shofar, begins a ten day period known as “Days of Awe” lasting until Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement when God’s people weep and fast in repentance for 24 hours.

The Feast Of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah is also viewed as a day of judgment — where God’s people examine their lives for sin, and then have the following ten days to make peace with those whom they have hurt, or broken promises with especially with the Lord. It is the time to cast away sin, as symbolized by the traditional act of Tashlich (‘to cast’) in which people visit a body of moving water and cast bread crumbs into the water, a tradition originating from the words of the prophet Micah…

He will turn again, he will have mercy on us; he will subdue our iniquities; and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)

Finally, the Feast Of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah has also traditionally been linked to the resurrection of the dead. Perhaps Yeshua had the Feast of Trumpets in mind when he spoke of Israel’s gathering unto Himself in Math 24.

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of the Shofar, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt 24:31)

 

May your New Year be blessed with love and Sweetness!

 

A Very Special Soul: Please meet the late Leon Greenman

 

Leon Greenman was the only Englishman to be incarcerated in Auschwitz. For more than half a century after his release, he dedicated his life to Holocaust education and was passionate in his pursuit of telling the truth about the Nazi death camps.

Emerging from Buchenwald when it was liberated by the Americans in April 1945, Greenman entered mainstream life bearing the physical and mental scars of torture, imprisonment and hard labour – and a prison identity number, 98288, tattooed on his arm. His Dutch wife and toddler son had been exterminated by the Nazis and Greenman returned to London with nothing but willpower and determination.

His strength lay in his conviction in humanity: he was confident that if people knew what had happened in the camps, they would commit themselves to preventing a repetition of the Holocaust. This belief took him to schools, colleges and conferences and he spoke to hundreds of thousands of people; he was appointed OBE for his work in 1998. “Young and old alike must learn about the Holocaust as warning against the dangers of racism,” he said. “There is no difference in color or religion. If I had survived to betray the dead it would have been better not to survive. We must not forget. Please do not forget.”

Greenman changed people’s lives with his words. For him, the camps and the fight against racism was not a history lesson but rather a battle for today to prevent a repeat of history.

It was this strength of mind that had helped him survive six concentration camps and a 60-mile “death march”. Yet, as a British citizen, he should never have been taken prisoner. But, with no passport, he had no defense. Greenman had given his passport to a neighbor in Rotterdam for safety as the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940 had restricted Jewish rights. When he asked for it back, he discovered that his friend had burned it out of fear. Greenman had pondered taking his wife Else back to Britain before war broke out, but the Munich Agreement of 1938 had reassured him of their safety.

 

Update about little Anna

Hi Bradley,

Sorry it’s taken me so long to update on Miss Anna. She is doing very well!

Anna helping to paint her room

The botox injection and stretching the leg under anesthesia was successful in the operating room and she was in a brace for three days. However, as usual, her skin would not tolerate the brace. We had hoped her skin issues (marks easily and immediately turns into wounds) would resolve once chemo was behind her….they haven’t. The prosthetic people tells us they’ve NEVER had a childlike Anna who can’t be put in braces without causing injuries in all their years of working with kids.

She developed a large blister on the bottom of her surgical foot. Not only did she have to skip the brace, she hasn’t been able to put on a shoe or use her NuStep machine (which is to help straighten her leg) as it would turn into another open wound if used. It’s taking over a month to heal, but it is healing without an infection or a wound.

As you can see by the pictures—helping Mom paint the master bedroom while Dad was on a trip with the boys—she’s all smiles and remains our happy little bundle of sunshine. She’s working hard to reduce her sugar and calorie intake, drink lots of water and do the best she can in her wheelchair.

We thank you all so much for praying for her. She is cancer-free and actually very healthy….

God Bless, we hope you are all doing well, too.

Joy Payton

 

Bait haYeshua Drug Rehab center at FZS warehouse

First of all we want to thank you our precious friends for your prayers. Thank you for your love, support and encouraging words.

Tel Aviv – day and night

It is said that Tel Aviv is the city that never sleeps. Many of our rehabilitants come from there. They have literally lived on the streets. We usually go there at day time to look for desperate people who are ready to let God change their lives. We talk with them on the streets, offering the hope of Yeshua to the most desperate and downtrodden…

 

Drug addiction exploding in Israel

At the moment we have men from totally different backgrounds in the rehab center. One of them is Amir who is from Muslim Arab Bedouin background. Others are Russian Jews who have immigrated from the former Soviet Union. The combination of different backgrounds is on one hand quite challenging and on the other hand also rewarding. We have felt that God has called us to reach out to the Arab people as well. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation… so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Eph 2:14-15).

 

Bait haYeshua Drug Rehab at FZS warehouse center

We want to thank you our dear friends in all corners of the earth for your prayers. We want to remind you that you are a very precious part of this ministry with your love, encouraging words and prayers. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

Oleg Vilinsky
Pastor, Director Beit Hayeshua

 

Sierra Leone, Africa

This in from Alphajor…

 

Hello Brad. Thanks for the copy of bill off-loading of the first container form IAT England. I and pastor Michael are communicating closely about development of the Container we are at work here to have our duty free clearance from the ministry of social welfare Gender and children’s Affairs. I have been talking with the consignee. I and Mariam decided that we will print banners and T Shirt and organized food logistics for our organization members. And also for those who will take part in the distribution. It will be on this fund sent. Extend out worm heart thank you to all those who put their penny in putting smile on our flood victims face. Love always. May God continue to bless your ministry and Family in Jesus Name. Please extend our thanks to Roger Oakland hope to see you guys soon.

Yours in Christ

Alphajor and Mariam

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Myanmar Update

Dear beloved in Him,

I just would like to write about the ministry update of 1st and 2nd quarter of Bryce Home five in Myanmar. We praise God for allowing us to enjoy His blessings according to our need. Bryce Home five has now been running for seven years with the sponsorship of various people under the ministry of UTT and FZS.

I have a chance to go to my native village to as I could have preached four times and encouraged some widows with the Word of God to whom I make some help since the year 2007 in memory of my mom who had nurtured me with challenging words during her life. By the end of March we moved to the new rent. And we have our children attended the salvation camp during 12-17, April as it was a time Myanmar Government to conduct the Water Festival. Our children enjoyed listening the Word of God and singing praises to God in the church where we conduct the salvation camp. We invited some Burmese people who never heard of the Gospel.

Thus we enjoyed God’s goodness even that all of our children have passed their school exams of 2016-17 academic year. This year we have our children’s education that 1 grade ten, 1 grade eight, 5 grade seven, 2 grade six, 1 grade five, 1 grade four, 1 grade three, 1 grade one and 1 KG class etc.

We also would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all who take part in the ministry of Bryce Homes program.

We pray for you all. God bless all for His glory.

Yours in Him,

Habakkuk

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Outreach in Beslan, Russia

Meet my friend, Laima.

When she was just 9 years old, Laima Tochinova was held hostage in her school’s gym by terrorists for three days in September, 2004. More than 1,000 men, women, and children were held hostage during the Beslan terrorist attack, and more than 300 people – mostly children – lost their lives. Miraculously, Laima was one of those who survived. But as a child trying to deal with the horror of what she experienced, after the terrorist attack Laima would draw pictures of the terrorists, and then light them on fire – in an attempt to try and get vengeance upon them for how they had hurt so many children.

Laima is now 22 years old, and is studying in the medical field. When I visited her again last fall, she told me that she wants to help people, and feels that – having survived the terrorist attack – she was saved to become or do something. Externally,

Laima said her health is fine, but that she has some problems internally. And yet, as she shares in this writing, she refuses to give up living. Laima is an inspiration to me, and I’m grateful to The Lord for His hearing the prayers that I and my friends have prayed for her and the people of Beslan over the years. It is beautiful to see her progress and growth! If you would like to share any words, thoughts, or well wishes with Laima, please email them to me at: [email protected]

 

 

“Why should I live?”
By Laima Torchinova

The terrible event that occurred in my city changed the destinies of very many people: some broke down, some lost the sense of living, and some stopped believing in God. But I have a totally different experience…
　
Finding a cross under my feet in the gym, I immediately felt His Presence: the Almighty is with me – He will help me. Life was divided into Before, and After. And I can say with certainty that what happened to me opened my eyes.

Life is the very best thing that could happen to us! It is so sad that a person needs to be a hair’s breadth from death in order to understand why they live. I often see people who fall into depression because of every little thing… people who want to end their lives by suicide. I so want to go up to them, shake them by the shoulders, take them to the “City of Angels” (this is the name of the Beslan cemetery in which most of the victims were buried), and say: “That’s what universal grief means, for which people are shedding tears for the second decade! Everything else is nothing; dust!”

I am grateful to the Lord for saving my life. I’m grateful for the fact that above my head, there is a peaceful sky – and that in my glass, there is always cold water. (Many of us hostages were dying of thirst as the terrorists refused to give us water.

The exclamation mark in the sentence, “Never give up living!” – I already put it there long ago.

Afterwards, Taimuraz and Raya graciously treated us to a very nice lunch in a local restaurant Madina’s husband – Alan – was able to join us, and that was also my first time meeting him; they just got married a few years ago, and the last time I had been in Beslan was in 2007… Madina was only 16 or so then.

 

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support to FZS Ministries that make these outreaches possible!