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| Our eyes are on You Lord! |
It is said that a picture is worth a 1,000 words. Today's blog will have many pictures. We want to share this experience with you as best we can, and pictures tell the story better than we ever could. We pray you can feel the heart of these boys as we did, and love & pray for them as if they were your own.
Tuesday we had the honor and privilege to deliver supplies to soldiers in the south near Gaza. It was quickly put together to meet the current needs at the commander's request. A van-full of CFI volunteers, along with one of our founder/directors (Sharon Sanders) travelled to Tel Aviv to pick up the order from our supplier.
We would be delivering 400 packets to an Engineering Corps just outside of Gaza. The packet included a towel, t-shirt, underwear, socks, a card with our contact information & a prayer, and a personal postcard from us.
Front of the card that has our CFI contact info: The heading says, "We are with you!"
The back has a prayer for the soldiers.
The personal postcard we had made below says the following:
Dear Soldier
This gift comes from the supporters of Christians from the Nations
To say thank you for all you give to protect Israel,
The God Given Land of Promise.
We love you and salute you and pray for you,
We are so proud of you, as your own parents must be.
For The Lord your God goes with you, to battle your enemies for you, to save you. (Deut. 20:4)
CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
We also had the privilege to assemble the last 50 packs before we left on our journey.
Good thing we brought the big van!
This is our main supplier of equipment for the soldiers,
wishing us well before we head toward the battlefield.
But first - a code red rocket siren goes off in the Tel Aviv area. We all head to the safe place of the building - the stairwell, until we hear the blasts of the rockets being taken out by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system. This alert, around 10:30 am Tuesday, was the one that had a rocket hit not far from us, near the airport - this caused quite a stir, as you know, shutting down the airlines in and out of Israel.
After the all clear, we get ready to leave, but not before meeting these soldiers on their way to Gaza. We were able to encourage them and pray for them before heading out on their mission. And for Linda, these brave young warriors were the beginning of many recipients of hugs this day.
About 45 minutes down the road - parallel to the Mediterranean Sea - we were at the Israeli city of Ashkelon, the city just to Gaza's north, where many of the rockets have been
directed these past few weeks (months, years...).
We began to see military vehicles everywhere we went.
Then the next code red rocket alert went off, although we didn't hear the siren.
We did, however, see the Iron Dome take out one of the rockets.
Once we turned to continue east, we could see Gaza covered with smoke in the distance.
Once we again turned south to continue in the direction we needed to go, we were stopped by a road block. Apparently there had been a "security situation" (possible infiltration) and they weren't letting most people through. Knowing we'd made it this far and weren't going to turn back, we contacted our supplier, who had the commander call and talk with the soldiers at the road closure.
In the meantime, while we were awaiting permission to continue, a soldier came to the military vehicle ahead of us with a slight head wound.
One of our volunteers, Frank, is a retired surgical nurse, so he asked if he could take a look at the injury. The soldier was concerned that he may have a concussion, and Frank encouraged him that he'd be okay.
Once the commander explained who we were and where we were headed, the soldier at the road blockade gave us directions another way to get to our destination.
We met the commander at a gas station off base, and we followed him to the army base. We were very impressed that when we arrived, those guarding the base wouldn't let the commander on base without full procedure of checking identity. Normally, he would arrive, they salute, and you're on. But now, with Hamas terrorists wearing IDF uniforms, they cannot be too careful.
As you will see, we're out in the middle of no where.
These temporary bases are set up like MASH units.
The soldiers begin to congregate when they see our arrival.
They listened very intently as we shared why we have come.
And are very appreciative of our support of them.
Jim spoke with a soldier for an interview to share through CFI.
We shared our love & encouragement with as many as possible one-on-one.
They have been here for two weeks. This is where they eat, sleep and carry on throughout each day.
We were blessed to be able to hand deliver some of the packets we brought.
They were so grateful, they asked us to take their picture.
Giving thanks.
With much appreciation, there were many hugs to go around.
We shared with them that they are younger than our own daughter (25), and that they are like sons to us. As many as possible received a hug, being told the hug was from their mothers (who could not be there themselves to do so). Look how young these boys are. When told our daughter was 25, they began telling us their ages, 18, 19, 20, 21.....our hearts were overwhelmed. It was not long before they were coming up to Linda to receive hugs, not waiting for her to come to them.
A few soldiers stayed for a group photo.
Every time we visit an army base, they are so kind and generous. It's like they can't accept they we came to bless them, without blessing us in return. This soldier went to bring us each a cup of cold water. We didn't want to accept their supply of water, but they insisted.
And then it happened.....the Coca-Cola truck arrived!!
We were honored to help these brave warriors unload their delivery of water, Coke and iced tea.
Happy guys! What more could you ask for on the battlefield - clean underwear and a Coke! :)
Love this! Carrying a box of tea while drinking a Coke.
This was another base not far away that would also receive the packets we delivered.
They didn't want us to leave, and we didn't want to leave either! So after unloading the shipment of drinks, we were invited to join a few soldiers under a shade tent.
We spent quite a lot of time talking with the boys. They expressed how they felt about the situation with us, and we shared our thoughts with them - always trying to encourage them. Many thanked us for "risking our lives" to come see them. We also gave away as many Psalm 91 cards as we could. They willing received them with sincere thanks.
We believe it was a good reprieve for them, to break up the monotony of the days.
We also let them know we were praying for them. And that as Christians, how grateful we are to the Jewish people - where would we be without being told about the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?? And also that we know that without them - the physical guardians of this God-given Land, we could not be here, we would not be safe. We thanked them for being our protectors. For being willing to put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
Friendships form quick.
Sharon was able to have great discussions; sharing her heart, and the heart of CFI. And we can tell you, from what they told us, they do not want a cease fire. They know the price being paid, and their hearts are heavy with the loss of their fellow warriors, and still they feel it would be a defeat to not fulfill their mission. They know that if Israel was to stop now, it would only be a matter of time before we would be in this same situation again.
We stayed for a long time having talks with with different soldiers as they would come and go. If there was one question that was difficult to hear, it was when one brave warrior asked, "How does America see us?" What we wanted to say was - who cares? - but instead we encouraged them that while it may not seem like the government is supportive, most of the citizens are behind them, believing in them, and praying for them.
Even though they were in no hurry to have us leave, we realized that we must go and let them rest. They had gone to bed at 2:30 am, and awakened at 6:00 am - that was a good rest they said! However, when one of the soldiers took the camera, he got these photos of these sweet young men sleeping.
They really listened to what we had to say, they wanted to know what we thought of them and their mission. These soldiers know what the media has to say about them, and they really, really need encouragement. They believe in their heart that what they are doing is right, but they need others to know it as well. We always tell them that we not only believe that they are right - but righteous - in defending the Land God gave them, just as thousands of years ago, they are the modern day "David's army." They don't take this lightly when we tell them this.
While we were at the base, most notably while we sat talking, cannon fire could be heard in the distance. At one point this helicopter flew overhead. They said it had probably brought a wounded soldier out of Gaza.
When it was time to leave, the GPS showed where we were at - in the middle of nowhere. :) Hungry and ready to eat lunch, we headed north.
More army vehicles and temporary bases.
They know we are friends - we wouldn't be down here if we weren't! :)
We were not far from Gaza City (in the background).
Wanting to support local residents, we chose to eat lunch here, about 2 miles from the Gaza border.
A bull is a good symbol to know there is food inside. :)
Several medic trucks & tanks.
Waiting for our food. There were only soldiers and reporters at this establishment. What we realized while we were enjoying our lunch, was that we were inside the firing zone. To our east, Israel was firing cannons over our head at Gaza to our west. Every few minutes you could hear (and feel) the cannons going off. It almost sounded like someone kept slamming the door.
This precious young boy was our "waiter". He was so proud to be helping us. He would stop by every few minutes and ask if we needed anything, and if everything was good. He said the food was "delicious, just for us." :) He also asked if we liked the chips (french fries), when we said they were great! He said, "I made them!"
Along with a nice tip for our friend,
we left him one of the Psalm 91 cards which he promptly began to read.
As we continued north, we began to see signs for many of the towns
we continually see listed on the code red rocket alert app.
The towns around Gaza have lived with rocket fire for many years.
In these towns close to the border, there are bomb shelters everywhere.
Especially at public places like playgrounds and bus stops like the one below.
The white building in the very middle is an "add on" bomb shelter to a home.
From there, we continued north back to Jerusalem. For the five of us on this journey we had an amazing adventure that will not soon be forgotten, nor lived up to. Nothing can compare to what we experienced that day. We never once felt unsafe, knowing God was with us, and was directing our path. Each one of us would do it again in a heartbeat. And we may get a chance....
Psalm91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
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