Shabbat with Soldiers, Report from Inside Gaza, Scary Moment in Elevator—Day 30
Updated: Nov 6, 2023
Dear …
URGENT PRAYER NEED: just as I was about to send this to Lisa for editing, we heard that another soldier who came from the base where we have been serving was wounded. We are going to head to the hospital soon. We don't have any more information. Please continue to pray for a miraculous recovery for Oded. Oded was shot several days ago. We just met him and had a picture with him two weeks ago.
We had a fruitful weekend. After delivering challah to soldiers on Friday morning, we went back to a local Moshav for dinner with about 50 soldiers. You have to understand that Shabbat dinner is the climax of the week. To be together, even without their families, and say the Shabbat blessings is incredibly meaningful.
We drove up to Tel Aviv for lunch yesterday with some friends. It almost felt normal. These were all Israeli unbelievers. We were all talking about how the world is against us. One said, “A Holocaust survivor told me that she hasn't heard such language against Jewish people since Nazi Germany.”
Another one said, “Don't they understand what proportional means? Do they really want us to murder 1400 Palestinians?”
A new friend who was invited is a reporter for one of Israel's most prominent newspapers. Understand that these are primarily left-wing Israelis that we met 18 years ago through our children’s schools. They are in double shock. Of course, the atrocities of October 7th have left us all in a traumatic state. In addition, they are stunned at how left-wing journalists, professors, and pundits have all turned against the Jewish people despite all the photographic evidence of what happened.
We arrived home in Ashkelon around 4:00 PM. The day had been completely quiet in regard to rockets. As we went to the 8th floor, Elana and I felt the building and the elevator shake. There were at least ten loud booms. As soon as the elevator doors opened, we had to choose to run to the stairwell or to our safe room inside our apartment. We chose the safe room and then heard about 10 more booms.
Last night, I was told that there were two bulletproof vests on an Army base that were paid for. I went to pick them up so that we could deliver them to a messianic soldier and one of his friends. They were donated by the Aliyah Return Center. The director, Chaim Malespin, is in the reserves and serves on a unit that focuses on Hamas tunnels. I took the opportunity to let him give what I can’t—what it's like to be a soldier inside of Gaza!
Today begins a new week. I would appreciate your prayers. Tomorrow, I am supposed to view footage with international Christian journalists in Jerusalem. I have not heard back from the government press office. They seem to find me interesting; on the one hand, I work for GOD TV, but I am also a local Israeli and Messianic. Please pray that they get back to me ASAP with my credentials.
But the reason I really want you to pray is that if I do view it, and I told you that it is quite gruesome. Images that no one should ever see will be shown. Please pray that my soul will be protected and that I will be able to be a witness to the Hamas atrocities. The footage was taken off the body cams from the dead bodies of the terrorists. Secretary of State Blinken shared some of the images he saw with Congress.
