Faithful friends from Singapore recently gave us some posters for our new offices, my favorite says: CARE . Shared pain halves the pain. Shared happiness doubles the happiness.
I can't think of any words that better characterize our work in these summer months. The counselors and staff have rejoiced over the many new babies and have weathered the storms and trials together with the pregnant women and new moms. Because many of the trials are due to financial difficulties, it is our joy to be able to actually alleviate some of the problems through the practical assistance of Operation Moses.
It has been a very exciting and busy summer because EIGHT NEW BABIES were added to the Be'ad Chaim family! Two boys were born in the beginning of the summer, one in Jerusalem and one in Beer Sheva. The rest of the summer brought six baby girls born all over the country, from Kiryat Shmoneh in the north, a kibbutz in the Galilee, the southern coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, and Jerusalem. Very exciting for me personally was that two of these babies were born the same week and in the same hospital as my first grandchild! Made visiting the new moms very simple!
It is always an awesome experience to see God turn around seemingly impossible situations and bring blessing. I met "O" when she phoned from the hospital after collapsing during her pregnancy. She was homeless at the time and had no idea how to continue her life or how she would care for her baby. God brought many caring people into her life and a few weeks before her baby girl was born, she had settled into a rented apartment and had paid off some serious debts. The day before the birth, the baby's father came back to her and is now taking an active role in raising his daughter. The couple is talking about marriage and a wonderful future together as a family. Shared happiness – doubles the happiness!
Another one of our young moms gave birth last winter to twins. "L" is a very lovely new immigrant and a very caring mother. Like "O", God sent many special and generous people and organizations to provide for many of her needs, but "L" was in an abusive and dangerous situation. We were able to participate in helping her leave that situation and to begin a new life for herself and her children. Shared pain - halves the pain.
These are just a couple of examples of our work this summer. At the end of this newsletter, I am including the story written by a new mother in Beer Sheva. I think that you will be encouraged by the determination and courage of this young woman who chose life for her baby.
We give thanks that this week the 25th new baby package was delivered by Operation Moses since the beginning of the program last January. Every eligible new mom and baby receive within days of birth a full baby room including bed, chest of drawers, stroller, bath filled with many wonderful items for the baby, food, diapers, a thick blanket for the mother, and a special gift basket of creams and soaps for the mother. Mothers are often overwhelmed with gratitude and more than once, the counselor and mother have cried together with joy and thanks. The mothers look forward to receiving, through the adoption program, a monthly supply of diapers and baby food during the baby's first year. Often the new moms comment that the monthly visit of the counselor is as precious to them as the financial assistance that they receive.
We thank God for this wonderful ministry and ask you to prayerfully consider participating. Donation checks to Operation Moses should be written directly to them, and mailed to Operation Moses, P.O. Box 5320, Rishon Le Zion 75151.
Several weeks ago during a prayer meeting, the counselor told us about a phone call that she had received on a Sunday morning.
The woman phoning said something like this: "Hi, I am at the bus station on the way to my appointment to have an abortion, and I received this flier. What can you tell me about abortion?" At the end of the conversation with the counselor, the woman said: "You know, I 'm not going to that abortion appointment, I'll just go home."
We thank God for using our obedience to save lives.
Counselors' Training: During the last week of July, Amnion, from Pennsylvania, USA, provided a wonderful weekend training session for counselors. The excellent speakers talked on topics of listening skills, family counseling, abstinence issues, counseling men, the importance of team support and prayer and many other vital topics. More than anything, we felt the love of the Amnion group and were encouraged to share the Love of God with our clients. One of our counselors commented after the weekend that she was overwhelmed by the gentle spirits and love demonstrated by the teaching team.
Young Adult Seminar: Amnion also spoke to the young adults on the issue of purity in relationships. The young people were encouraged to keep our relationship with God as our focus and build our relationships on His foundation. Amnion was invited to return in the Fall of 2008 to do a more intensive weekend retreat.
One of the local television cable networks will soon air a documentary on various aspects of pregnancy. We were invited, for a very fair price, to do a five minute advertising spot in conjunction with the program. Our ad will be broadcast each time the documentary is aired, a total of 8 times. The initial interview will be done this week and the filming during the first week of October. Several of the new mothers have agreed to share their stories on air. We pray that we will be able to make a very clear statement for Life.
We thank God for the beautiful new offices only two doors down from our old location! The new office is much more spacious and there is now room for our growing ministry including the ultrasound machine, the website master, a warm reception area, counselling room, prayer room, etc. We welcome you to come and visit us !
- Office Dedication on October 11th at 18:30 in our new office, 8 Hillel St., third floor. Please join us if you are in Israel!
- Teen Prayer and Sit-In for Life sponsored by Succat Hallel. September 30th and October 1st in Jerusalem, October 2nd and 3rd in Tel Aviv outside of an abortion clinic. Please pray for these young people who have a heart for the pro-life work. May their care be contagious!
- Dr. Ney, well-known author, will be giving a series of lectures in October on the topic of healing after trauma/abuse, starting on the evening of Sunday the 28th and ending on Wednesday the 31st. Call Rose-Marie for more information on 04-8553836 or 054-4914017.
- National Conference weekend of December 14, 15 at Moshav Yad HaShmonah.
- Blessings on the new mothers and their babies, especially for those in complicated situations
- Effective outreach and for "more workers in the fields"
- Strength, wisdom and patience for the counselors, especially with challenging clients
- The growing work of Operation Moses - both for finances and for the deliveries
- That the television spot will touch many hearts and save many babies from abortion
- Protection and blessing on the teens as they pray and silently protest abortion
- Wide use of the ultrasound machine, for many clients, without legal complications
- Creativity for the webmaster so that our website will touch many
Don't believe them, don't listen to anyone....
In September, 2006, I discovered that I was pregnant. I was living in the south with my boyfriend.
The relationship between us went downhill from day to day and I decided to leave him without warning. In October 2006, Friday night, I ran away from him with the help of my neighbor and went to my grandmother's house in the center of the country. I lived with her two months and didn't tell her that I was pregnant.
In the 14th week of my pregnancy during a routine check-up, the doctors told me to abort the fetus because they had seen in the ultrasound that the heart and the brain were not developing like they should and maybe the baby would die right after birth. I didn't believe the doctors and I wasn't willing to give up my baby for any price. I went to several private doctors in Jerusalem and after a series of tests, the doctors told me that everything was okay and that there wasn't anything to worry about. The pregnancy was fine.
I started working in the supermarket as a cashier. I wanted to make a little money because I knew that if my family would find out that I was pregnant then I would have to leave the city and start my life over alone.
At the end of November, my mother and grandmother found out that I was in my 19th week of pregnancy. The whole family started to be uptight because of the embarrassment that I, a single girl, was pregnant. Because they wanted to erase this stain, they started trying to convince me to do an abortion. For an entire week, the entire family pressured me to abort so that they would not have to deal with the shame and embarrassment.
My mother and grandmother went to a gynecologist who was a family friend and asked him to give me an abortion in his private clinic. They were willing to pay any price. The doctor told them that he was absolutely not willing to touch me because I was in an advanced stage of pregnancy and was wasn't willing to take the risk. The doctor referred me to "Kaplan Hospital" and told me that they would help me. I tried to find a way not to go but in the end, I went to "Kaplan", paid for and met with the medical committee and I left. I returned home and told my mother that I'd been to the medical committee but that they didn't consent to the abortion because the baby was too big and the pregnancy too far along. But that same evening, my grandmother found a private doctor in Rishon L'Zion who was willing to do the abortion.
This doctor told us to go to a clinic in Tel Aviv where they would do the abortion for 18,000 shekels (about $4,500). My grandmother was willing to pay any price.
The doctor, though, changed his mind and asked only 600 shekels from my mother for him to talk to a social worker of a hospital in the Tel Aviv area so that I could get permission this time from the medical committee. He had a personal connection with this social worker. My mother agreed, paid him the money and that night an appointment was made with the medical committee and for an abortion.
The day before the meeting with the committee, I argued with my whole family and I told them that I wasn't able and wasn't willing to abort my child. I knew that if I would let them convince me that I would regret it for the rest of my life.
That same night, after the argument, everyone was sure that I was going to the committee with my mother. I phoned my friend in the south and told her everything and asked her to take me away from my family because I had to run away. An hour later, my friend arrived with her partner and took me to their house in the south.
From the day that I left my family, I'm not in touch with them. In May 2007, my beautiful and fabulous daughter was born. The daughter who brought light into my life. The daughter who gave me the greatest joy in my life.
Don't listen to the doctors or anyone who tries to persuade you to abort.
The decision is in God's hand not their hands!
( "N"'s baby is now 4 months old and N's relationship with her family has been totally healed. She and her little daughter are now reunited in love with her mother, grandmother and others in the family... ss)
Thanks so much for your care, your faithful prayers and your generosity. We wish you a wonderful, happy and healthy new year.
Many Blessings,
Sandy ShoshaniJerusalem Coordinator
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