Ministry Report April – FZS Delivering to The Quarantined
“Blessed is he who considers the poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. (Psalm 41:1)
Dear Friends of FZS,
We send this new update within the restrictive confinement of quarantine… And yet, despite the current changes and inconveniences we all are facing during this global crisis, we found a way to continue our aid distribution outreach here in Jerusalem. Fortunately for us, as For Zion’s Sake Ministries is a registered non-profit humanitarian aid organization in Israel, we have been granted special permission to deliver food and medicine to those with special needs, such as single moms, the elderly and those who are physically challenged. We are taking full advantage of this “freedom” as we have launched a new home visit ministry, making daily deliveries to the contacts that have been given to us by social workers and word of mouth. What a wonderful way to share the love of Yeshua in both word and deed!
(Please be sure to scroll down for important information at the end of this report!)
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Along with diapers and other hygienic goods we had the bakery next to us graciously donated bread for this project, as they are emptying their stock before Passover begins next week. Sometimes we can only leave the package by the door, as some people are afraid to have any contact with outsiders, in fear of contamination. Nevertheless we can see happy faces through windows and voices behind doorways, saying how thankful they are that we came to bless them.
We have also established a special FZS-hotline that we have published in the local newspaper, for people to call us if they have emergency needs so that we might follow up immediately if possible.
Below are some of the people we visited this week under quarantine:
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L: Sacha and Rachel are a young immigrant family with a small child from Moldavia. Sasha is currently serving in the army. They were both very grateful for the delivery of bread and diapers for their son and even baked us a cake to say thank you!
M: Lilian and her husband have recently immigrated from Ukraine. Lilian had an operation on her leg, and they just moved to a newly rented apartment.
R: Margarita and her husband have also recently immigrated from Ukraine. They sent us a text while we were on other deliveries: “Thank you very much! The bread is very tasty!”
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L: Marina is a single mom with two small children. She’s unable to work at the moment because of the Coronavirus. The family lives with Marina’s elderly mother.
M: Esther is a single mom of 2 boys, whose husband left to return back to Russia. They’re struggling to make ends meet.
R: Luda lives with her husband who can’t work due to back problems and receives disability insurance. Luda also recently became unemployed as the hotel she was working at has closed due to the Coronavirus.
Luda told us she was going to share the bread she received with her next-door neighbor who is an elderly woman and her physically challenged adult son.
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L: Yehuda and his wife immigrated from the Moscow region a couple of years ago and are now pensioners, surviving on a meagre income.
M: Oksana was very glad that we remembered her and came to visit her. When we met Oksana, she mentioned that she was wearing the clothes she received from our warehouse. Oksana became disabled after having suffered a car accident. She lives with her husband and daughter in a small apartment.
R: Gulnara, a lonely 72-year-old widow who continues to work as a caretaker so she can pay her rent.
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Passover packages for the needy
We were also recently blessed with a donation to specifically distribute Passover gift boxes for 40 additional families in Jerusalem. The gift boxes will include: Matzah, grape juice, tuna, oil, rice and other savories, which we will start delivering next week during Passover. We will then continue our home delivery ministry after Passover ends with fresh bread supplied from the bakery next door to our distribution center.
Upper Room Building Project
The Upper Room building project is still in progress, however, the construction work has slowed down greatly as some of the workers are unable to travel because of the quarantine. Please continue to pray for the project to be properly completed and for the final decisions on the kitchen and bathroom designs and appliances.
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Seed Storage Update (Professional vacuum packing machine needed)
We are currently deciding on a professional vacuum packing machine to produce 10kg bricks of wheat seed. Please pray for wisdom in choosing the right machine. At the moment we have narrowed our decision down to 3 choices:
1. Purchase in Israel – which can be expensive, but easy to service
2. a German made machine imported from Europe – very expensive but good quality
3. Import from China ourselves, at half the price in Israel – This is the least expensive option, but most risky.
Shipping to us would take approx. 4 weeks until arrival at our warehouse.
We are trusting the Lord to provide the funds needed for this machine.
We have already ordered 5 tons of organic Israeli wheat locally. This is literally the last seed available until the next crop which will be ready some time June. Our supplier is also planning to order 50 more tons which should be ready in a few months and will be considerably less expensive. The seed we are purchasing now can be kept for many years if vacuum-packed and stored correctly.
Join Us Live On Shabbat
Every Friday night on Shabbat, at 6pm (Israel time) we invite you to join us live via ZOOM video conferencing as we are currently going through the Book of Revelation. If anyone is interested to join our virtual congregational service, please contact Bradley at [email protected].
Thank you very much for your faithful prayers and support for the work of the Lord here in Jerusalem! Please also be in prayer for all of the Lord’s provision in the different outreaches we are involved with!
May the LORD bless and keep you!
וישמרך יהוה יברכך
Bradley Antolovich,
International Director