Operation Exodus. A ministry of Ebenezer Emergency Fund International

Transcription

1 Operation Exodus A ministry of Ebenezer Emergency Fund International Issue 2/2015 Then God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens for signs and for seasons Genesis 1:14 A SIGNAL FOR THE NATIONS A Christian ministry helping the Jewish people return to Israel

2 A SIGNAL FOR THE NATIONS INTERNATIONAL PETE STUCKEN CHAIRMAN OF EBENEZER EMERGENCY FUND INTERNATIONAL T hree and a half years ago our International Board met in Irpin, near Kiev in Ukraine. On a cold misty morning, in a building set among a copse of tall trees, we gathered around a conference table and prayed into our ongoing mission to help the Jewish people return to the land God promised to their forefathers to make aliyah, the highway to redemption and life for the Jewish people in these days. We recalled that 70 years earlier, on 20 January 1942 at Wannsee on the outskirts of Berlin, around another conference table in a building also set in a copse of trees, high-ranking Nazi officials gathered to callously plan a highway to death for the Jews of Europe. Theirs was the final solution to the so-called Jewish problem. Seventy years on Biblically, a time interval completed (see Daniel 9:2 for example) we sensed that we stood on the threshold of a new wave of aliyah. For thus says the LORD: When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place [Jerusalem] Jeremiah 29:10 Not long after we met in Irpin, civil order in Ukraine began to deteriorate. Ukraine is now partitioned and suffering military action. Across to the west, France, host to the world s second largest Jewish community outside Israel, has been shaken by cold-blooded acts of terror. The effect on the Jewish communities in both nations has been profound. 15 APRIL APRIL OCTOBER OCTOBER MARCH APRIL SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER 2015 TABERNACLES BIBLICAL NEW YEAR TRUMPETS PASSOVER PASSOVER BLOOD MOON PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BLOOD MOON PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE BLOOD MOON PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE SUPER BLOOD MOON 15 NISAN NISAN TISHRI TISHRI ADAR NISAN ELUL TISHRI Ebenezer Operation Exodus

3 Year-end Jewish Agency figures for 2014 show aliyah from war-torn Ukraine soared 190 per cent from the previous year, the highest rate of increase of any nation. This has continued. Meanwhile France, for the first time, overtook Russia and Ukraine in total number of olim. Almost 7,000 olim made aliyah from France in 2014, more than double the previous year. It is only the beginning in that country. Signs in the heavens Seventy years after Europe was liberated from the Nazi regime which brought death and destruction to the Jewish population, we have a series of extraordinary signs in the heavens: a tetrad of blood-red moons, interspersed with solar eclipses. Four lunar eclipses occur on consecutive Biblical feast days, Passover and Tabernacles, spread across two years. Just two weeks after the blood-red moon on Tabernacles last October we had a partial solar eclipse. Next came a total solar eclipse on 20 March this year, a fortnight before the blood red moon at Passover. In a total solar eclipse, daylight rapidly turns into darkness over affected parts of the earth, in some areas deep darkness. Then God said: Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens for signs and for seasons Genesis 1:14 Signs in Genesis 1:14 is a translation of the Hebrew oth, meaning sign, signal or banner. The Hebrew word translated as seasons is moed, which means season or appointed time. While season prompts us to think of summer, winter, springtime and harvest, the same Hebrew word describes the appointed times or feasts in Leviticus chapter 23: Passover, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Tabernacles etc. Only when we look at God s own calendar in this chapter can we know when a sign in the heavens falls on a Biblical appointed time or feast day. Soon, on 28 September, we will witness the conclusion of the tetrad: a lunar eclipse, a fourth blood-red moon, on the first day of Tabernacles, Israel s most joyful feast. Another partial solar eclipse will occur two weeks beforehand. A signal to Israel and the nations? The extraordinary confluence of signs in the heavens surely heralds a unique time in history, a unique time in the purposes of God, even a mighty move of God on earth. What is the portent of this signal the Lord is so clearly raising up at this time? Might He be signalling a final great ingathering of His people, of those who remain captive in exile in the nations? Is it time for their release? Are we seeing before our eyes a signal for the nations as spoken of by Isaiah the prophet? And He will raise up a signal for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel and will gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:12 Are we moving into a mighty completion of that which is already begun: the Lord assembling the outcasts of Israel, and gathering together the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth? Our response must be: to be alert, to listen, to prepare, to watch and to pray! Above: Aliyah from France. ** * PA Photos in collaboration with Sword Magazine. ** Jewish Agency for Israel. KEY WORDS Aliyah is the word for the immigration of Jewish people from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel. The word in Hebrew means ascent and is also defined as going up progressing towards Jerusalem. Olim means Jewish immigrants to Israel those making aliyah. In the singular, a male immigrant is called an oleh and a female immigrant an olah. Potential olim are those our teams contact and encourage to make aliyah. Helping His People Home 3

4 UKRAINE IN TURBULENT TIMES UKRAINE VADIM RABOCHIY EASTERN EUROPEAN REGIONAL DIRECTOR Right: Ukrainian family receiving help last Hanukkah. Bottom: Vadim (right) during the presentation of Jewish Agency appreciation certificates. The Jewish Agency reported that the number of Jews coming from Ukraine to Israel in 2014 more than doubled the number that did so in And between January and March this year there were 1,400 new arrivals, a 350 per cent increase on the first three months of M any of us never thought that 70 years after World War II we would face the real danger of another conflict on the European continent. However, we know that God is not surprised with what s going on as He is in control of everything. Thousands of Jewish people, mainly from eastern Ukraine, immigrated to Israel during last year. Many of those from Lugansk and Donetsk areas shared with us that, but for the war, they would have never moved to Israel! Despite constant shelling and bombardment, we continue to provide our support to Jewish families living in Donetsk and Lugansk. At first we evacuate Jewish families from the combat area, then arrange accommodation for them: rented apartments, boarding houses and guest houses at some local Christian churches. We need constant prayer cover for those evacuation trips as rules and permits for access to Ukrainian-controlled territory change rapidly. Also, many Jewish families need to obtain personal foreign passports to be able to leave Ukraine. Ebenezer continues to cover the cost of these passports for potential olim. For the first three months of this year we helped over 1,000 Jews to pay for their papers probably the biggest number since Ebenezer began in Ukraine. We were humbled when leaders of organisations working for aliyah, including Ebenezer Operation Exodus, were honoured with a special certificate of appreciation at the Jewish Agency for Israel annual Board of Governors meeting. A letter of gratitude from them also appeared in the Jerusalem Post. We rejoice in God s prophecies being fulfilled and for being entrusted to help His chosen people, especially in these turbulent times. We realise that we do this work only because of His grace. Please pray earnestly for our work in Ukraine. We also very much value your financial support for it. 4 Ebenezer Operation Exodus

5 HELPING UKRAINIAN REFUGEES IN RUSSIA T his past year has been an incomparable time as we have seen the tragedy of Ukraine unfold and become involved in helping those who have fled the fighting by coming to Russia. As the conflict intensified we sought to find Jewish people among the many refugees and provide aid clothes, food and other basic essentials, including accommodation and help them make aliyah. In our first visit to a refugee camp near the Ukrainian border we found two Jewish families. The first was Sergey, wife Lena, daughter Anya and son Sergey Jr. Like most of the refugees, they had small bags containing a few clothes and documents. They desperately needed help but most important to them was that we cared. Our office has received many phone calls from potential olim from towns and cities in Lugansk and Donetsk, the main areas of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, asking for advice and assistance. Others have contacted us through Jewish organisations, relatives and the internet. Those with passports seeking to make aliyah from Russia need to go to Moscow to obtain their Israeli visas. The large increase in those wanting to go to Israel before last winter set in caused the process to take much longer. But through God s grace and backed by the prayers of local Christians, we saw many problems overcome and continue to do so! Olim from Ukraine are provided with transport and accommodation during their stay in Rostov and with their travelling expenses for visiting the Israeli Embassy in Moscow. Some refugees, including a family of 16 we provided with food, chose to return to Ukraine to make aliyah. Ebenezer helps Jewish families among the many refugees in other towns and cities in southern Russia. Lena, regional representative in Sochi, writes: A large number of Jewish people have contacted me since the beginning of the year to enquire about aliyah and to request Ebenezer s assistance. I receive phone calls every two or three days and every conversation is followed by a meeting. I do not remember such a busy period before. RUSSIA LUBA & VOLODYA ROSTOV-ON-DON LEADERS Top: Refugees leaving for Russia from Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Middle: Volodya with three Jewish people in a hotel in Rostov before they made aliyah. Left: We helped Maxim go to Moscow and then return to Rostov to make aliyah. Your prayers and financial assistance enable our team to help more Jewish people flee from Ukraine, so we thank you for your ongoing support. Helping His People Home 5

6 YOU SAVED MY LIFE! UKRAINE TATIANA UKRAINE TEAM Sergei: On his way home. S ergei s parents, brothers and sisters had already made aliyah but he stayed to try to sell the family home. He lived with his wife near Donetsk, an area of intense fighting. Sergei worked in an important factory, providing the town with electricity. One day shelling started. He and his fellow workers did their best to keep it running despite the bombardment and kept watch in case there was looting or fire. Their conscientiousness cost several of them their lives. Sergei stayed as long as he dared but one day he realised it would be wiser for he and his wife to join his parents in Israel. But it was difficult to get transport out of the combat zone. Then Sergei contacted Ebenezer and our team took the couple to Kharkiv, where they were given accommodation and financial assistance before their aliyah flight. Sergei was very grateful, insisting that Ebenezer had literally saved his life! Below (left to right): Adel, Svetlana, Mikhail, Dmitry and Victoria leave for Israel. FLIGHT FROM DANGER S vetlana, husband Mikhail, son Dmitry, his wife Victoria and Mikhail s 87 year old mother Adel flew to Israel earlier this year. Svetlana writes: My husband and I are disabled, he more seriously than myself. We lived in Donetsk with my mother-in-law and my son and his wife. I was able to work and we lived a quiet life until the fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine. We hoped that it would only be for a short time but as the months and then years passed we knew we could not stay. My mother-in-law, a Holocaust survivor, was traumatised by the shelling. We turned to the Jewish Agency in Donetsk for advice. They put me in touch with Tatiana at the Ebenezer office. She explained which documents we would need and made arrangements to get us transport out of the immediate danger zone. Eventually we had our consular appointment and were granted Israeli visas. We were on our way to God s Promised Land! I cannot thank Ebenezer enough for their help. We are so grateful. 6 Ebenezer Operation Exodus

7 CHURCHES CATCH ALIYAH VISION I n the latter half of 2014 we were put in contact with several churches with a heart for the Jewish people. Many desired to become involved in the ministry and we began to consider how to develop a programme of Biblical teaching and practical training. We felt this would be in tune with the vision of Boris Vasyukov, National Director for Russia, to pass responsibility for the ministry of aliyah to local churches. An initial meeting in Novosibirsk brought together interested people from five different churches in a warm, friendly atmosphere. Ebenezer staff shared about Israel and aliyah from the Scriptures and showed several films about the ministry. This information was well received. Opportunities for sharing about the ministry opened up in several parts of our region through churches marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Holocaust Remembrance Day. This led to discussion on anti-semitism, Israel and how Christians are called to help with aliyah. We gladly accepted invitations from schools to speak about the Holocaust. Please pray for our ministry in this important region of Russia and for more and more churches to join us in helping Jewish people to go home to Israel. RUSSIA OLEG NOVOSIBIRSK LEADER AID PROGRAMMES ARE VITAL UZBEKISTAN N ina was desperate and sad. Over the past five years she had lost her grown up daughter, son and daughter in-law. Now she was bringing up her nine-yearold granddaughter, Angelina, alone. The girl needed a new jacket, winter boots, trousers, sweater and stockings things Nina could not afford on her small pension. So grandmother and granddaughter were absolutely thrilled when we provided all these things as part of our winter shoes and clothes project for needy Jewish families! Sergey and Denis were going to school in tattered clothes and ragged plimsolls because their mother, Tamara, had a low paid job. So we provided them with warm boots and jackets. Our humanitarian aid programmes throughout the year in the former Soviet Union greatly help needy Jewish people and give our teams many opportunities to share with families about making aliyah. Please pray for these projects and consider financially supporting them. ZHANNA UZBEKISTAN LEADER Nina and Angelina: Very thankful for our help. Helping His People Home 7

8 FIRST OLIM GO HOME ARGENTINA T wo Jewish people flew to Tel Aviv in March the first olim we have helped to make aliyah from our newly-opened base here. RAUL ROUILLE NATIONAL BOARD DIRECTOR ARGENTINA Top: Synagogue in Buenos Aires. Right: Raul with one of the first Jews we helped to make aliyah. Below: Ebenezer team at the base with Chinese pastors. We give glory to God and are full of gratitude to all our prayer partners as we have laboured to start the ministry in Argentina, which has the largest Jewish community in Latin America. As we sought to find a suitable base to operate from, the Lord guided us to focus prayer on an empty property in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires where the biggest number of the country s Jews are. The owner readily agreed to sell it to us and we signed the contract on 6 October the day of the Feast of Tabernacles! Close to the Jewish Agency and two Jewish schools, the building was prepared for our use with the help of Pastor Oscar Silva and his church members. Then our team, including volunteers from Mexico, started prayer-walking the surrounding streets which were full of Jewish business people buying goods. The Lord led me to one business leader to explain that we were here to assist Jewish people make aliyah. Both he and others we contacted gave us a warm welcome. With Norma Ramos, EEF Latin America Administrator, providing key help for the work to really begin, the base was officially opened on 15 December by Roger Wolcott and Heriberto Gonzales of Ebenezer s Latin American Board and Jewish Agency representatives Fabio Auben and Nicolas Sakowicz. The latter were pleased with the location of the building for helping Jewish people with documents and humanitarian aid. In the days that followed Jewish people came to us curious to know how we could help them. Others were sent by the Jewish Agency. This resulted in helping the first two olim return home to Israel. Now that our base is established, we are reaching other parts of Argentina. We recently returned from Rivera, a Jewish community established over a hundred years ago, where we were warmly received. Please pray for our work of helping aliyah from Argentina. 8 Ebenezer Operation Exodus

9 PERFECT TIMING F orty years ago the Lord spoke to Steve Lightle that one day he would go to India in His perfect time. That time came in February this year when he arrived in our country to hold 10 days of meetings in six cities. Following the recent election resulting in a new government coming to power, persecution against Christians is on the rise in India. Believers are crying out, Lord, India needs to know the Messiah now! Steve s passionate message was: You want your nation to know that Yahweh is God? Pray and send the Jewish people back to their land! The Mumbai meeting was attended by over 200 people and many pastors and believers heard and responded to the aliyah message. The seeds of aliyah for the Jewish people were sown in many hearts among over 300 people in Chenna and more than 600 in Penna. The climax came in Bengaluru where over 1,500 heard Steve s challenge to help Jewish people go home! INDIA ABE OOMMEN CHAIRMAN EEF INDIA BOARD EBENEZER AT KEY EVENTS R epresentatives of Ebenezer South Africa attended the recent South African Zionist Federation Conference. Distinguished guest speakers included Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem, and Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The following day Ebenezer hosted a stand at the very first combined Israel/ Aliyah Expo, held to inform aspiring olim on possibilities in Israel. Thousands of visitors flocked to the more than 100 stands. Hadassah Dannhauser, our regional prayer coordinator, and I handed out literature and interacted with numerous Jewish people and like minded Christians, who all expressed appreciation for Ebenezer s work, despite many Jewish people only hearing of the organisation for the first time. Highlights included special visits by Israeli ambassador Arthur Lenk and Natan Sharansky to the Ebenezer stand. They both conveyed their sincere gratitude for our aliyah work. According to the Israel Centre, many visitors at the Expo showed interest in making aliyah. SOUTH AFRICA ALIDA SCHOULTZ SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL COORDINATOR Working for aliyah (left to right): Hadassah, Natan Sharansky, Alida and Aviad Sela (Director of the Israel Centre in South Africa). Helping His People Home 9

10 EVERYTHING BY PRAYER PRAYER ELIZABETH WEBB ENGAGE INTERNATIONAL PRAYER COORDINATOR Right: Grandfather and granddaughter making aliyah from Ukraine. FROM SEEDS TO FRUIT See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7 Through the work of Ebenezer teams across the nations, the Church and Jewish people alike are hearing and seeing how the Lord is re-gathering the nation of Israel. We are blessed to be an instrument in His hands and share a wonderful message, yet it is the Lord himself who moves His people to respond and who calls His people home. We sow the seeds and pray He will bring forth the fruit! Please pray for: The many Jewish people who attended the Israel/Aliyah expo in South Africa and expressed an interest in making aliyah. Pray for them to clearly hear the Lord s call and begin the aliyah process! The several hundred Christians who attended recent conferences in India to hear how the Lord is calling them to support aliyah. Wisdom and strength for churches in Novosibirsk who are learning about aliyah and seeking the Lord s guidance about helping Jewish people go to Israel. Pray for more churches to join them and catch the vision. The relationship between our Argentinian team and the Jewish community to be strengthened and for an increase in aliyah from this region. ONE IN THE LORD Moving from one country to another has its challenges but the Lord is the constant who is bringing His Jewish people together as one nation see Ezekiel 37:19. Please pray for: The many olim making aliyah from Ukraine, France and other nations to be united and integrated into Israeli society. Pray for the Lord s help in finding employment and accommodation, and learning the language. Perseverance and strength for those who have decided to make aliyah, as the process can take a long time, and for all obstacles to be removed. Continued protection over the Jewish people and Ebenezer teams as they travel in Ukraine. Pray for the quick release of documents so that refugees can go home to Israel. 10 Ebenezer Operation Exodus

11 FAITHFUL TO GOD S CALLING E ach one of us is unique. We have individual strengths but somehow we are wonderfully united by the Giver of those gifts (1 Corinthians 12:5-6). As we meet young adults from across the world it s truly inspiring to see them offer their gifts back to the Lord in service to Him. There are three main areas of work within Ebenezer: prayer, practically supporting aliyah and working with the churches. It s a privilege to be able to connect this generation with the different areas of the ministry according to their God-given calling. Through Engage trips and events young adults are responding to the Lord s call to help Jewish people go home. Following Engage:Israel, Marcela from Mexico became involved with Ebenezer as a key volunteer at the operational base in Argentina. She writes: Engage impacted my life by allowing me to understand God s plan for Israel, and for me. Furthermore, the doors were opened for me to serve in Argentina where I worked alongside the Jewish community sharing the amazing message of aliyah. Kirie from Papua New Guinea feels called to intercession. Israel had never been that important to her until she attended the opening Global Prayer Call meeting in Sydney, Australia. My life has changed ever since, she says. Israel is now all I talk about sharing and doing more research, reading and meditating on the Word of God, and most importantly, praying for the Children of Israel. I pray that more young people in the Pacific will stand up for Israel and move in a way never seen before! The young adults have also participated in the work with the Church. Katie from the UK writes: I attended the Israel trip where God showed me how prophecy is being fulfilled in our day and since then I ve helped at events like the UK conference. I m now looking forward to Engage:Poland and can t wait to see all that God plans to do! Throughout my partnership with Ebenezer, He has strengthened and taught me and when we offer the little we have to the Lord He gives back in abundance! ENGAGE Lily (Australia), Jim (Fiji), Kirie (Papua New Guinea), Annita (Australia) and Esther (New Zealand) during Global Prayer Call in Australia. TOUR PRICE 1590 US$ * * price subject to change 20 th JULY 3 rd AUGUST 2015 for ages Find more information in: JOIN US FOR ENGAGE:ISRAEL 2015 AND EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF THE FULFILMENT OF 2,500 YEAR OLD PROPHECY

12 THE RANSOMED OF THE LORD ISRAEL IRIS GOLDMAN JERUSALEM OFFICE A nd the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10 We know the Word of God. We see clearly that the days of the hunters are at hand. We love the Jewish people, so we long for them to return home to Israel; we pray and do everything that is practically possible to enable them to do so. Indeed, aliyah is increasing, and we all rejoice. Yet here in the Jerusalem office we are deeply touched as the olim share their difficulties: uprooting from what was familiar and making new roots in a new land, albeit their ancient homeland. Such situations require sensitivity, yet they also open up wonderful opportunities for us to bring encouragement and to remind our people of the promises of God. For example, we encouraged and assisted Lou and his family from the United States. Having lost their home due to the faltering US economy, they were led to come home to Israel. Yet they struggled until they finally saw their teenage daughter and son make new roots and new friends. Thank God that we were able to encourage this family and to provide practical assistance! We recently helped Vladimir and Olga from Ukraine. They had to flee war-torn Donetsk and then went to Kiev, where they realised that they could not go back and needed to join their daughter in Israel. This couple were embarrassed to receive help, and one could see in their eyes the trauma of their recent experiences. We comforted them, encouraged them and provided practical assistance. God Himself is bringing home His Jewish people to ransom them from the nations, to give them joy and gladness, and to remove their sorrow and sighing. Let us trust Him and pray that these precious ones will soon know their God and His goodness in the Land that He has promised them! Operation Exodus A ministry of Ebenezer Emergency Fund International Ebenezer Emergency Fund International Ebenezer House, 5a Poole Rd. Bournemouth, BH2 5QJ, UK Phone: +44 (0) enquiries@ebenezer-ef.org Operation Exodus Canada c/o 135 Strathcona Ave. N. Hamilton, ON L8R 3C2, Canada Phone: office@operation-exodus-seao.org Operation Exodus SE Asia Oceania Level 2, 39 Leighton Place Hornsby NSW 2077 Australia Phone: office@operation-exodus-seao.org Operation Exodus USA PO Box 568 Lancaster NY Phone: info@ebenezerusa.org Ebenezer Emergency Fund New Zealand P.O. Box 5319, Terrace End Palmerston North 4441 Phone: newzealand@ebenezer-ef.org Operation Exodus South Africa PO Box 61887, Vaalpark, 1948 South Africa Phone: southafrica@ebenezer-ef.org Operation Exodus is an instrument of the Lord, to encourage and help the Jewish people to return to the Land of Israel from the land of the north and all the nations and to proclaim God s Kingdom purposes for their return. All articles in this publication Copyright Ebenezer Emergency Fund International May Operation Exodus is the operational part of Ebenezer Emergency Fund International. Started in 1991 with just three people, it now has representatives in 50 countries worldwide.