Thank you for your love and support throughout the 2011 year!!! 

We recently began reading Bible Stories from these awesome kids books I got in Hebrew, 101 Stories of the Bible.  What’s great is that all of the stories are in Hebrew and come with beautiful illustrations.  I had enough to give each child a book to take with them as well, so if they wanted to read at home they could.

And here comes the encouragement: 

She told me that her son just loves the book and spent all that night reading the stories. He told her it’s very important to memorize and learn all the stories (which I never said to them) but it was just so cute.  The kids also have classes at their school about the Tenach (Old Testament) so he told his mom that it woud  help him in school.  She was happy that he was actually excited about reading something.

Then today I asked him how he is liking the book, and he began telling me about all the stories he has read so far….. which was pretty much the whole book!

And this totally made my day… Never underestimate a children’s book

With the kids out of school for the Sukkot holiday, we decided to do something unique, non-traditional, and just plain yummy over the break…. we hosted a Sukkot Sushi Outreach!

Thanks to the help of the some of the YWAM team, we introduced the kids to the deliciousness of the Japanese culture. Most of them have never tried sushi, let alone made it themselves. We taught them how to make it, how to use chopsticks, and most importantly, how to eat it!

A wonderful time was had by all, and at the end of the day we had some of the cutest, satisfied customers in all South Tel Aviv! It was fun to do something different, and enjoy the holiday together…

 (Full collection click here)

photo courtesy of Craft Hope

This year, thanks to the idea from Craft Hope, we are reaching out to YOU to help us make this year’s Help Portrait Tel Aviv Outreach even better than it’s ever been!  This can be an opportunity for YOU to give back during the Christmas Season to those who are less fortunate.  

Most of the children who we work with live in extreme poverty, and do not own toys or dolls of their own.  When I saw Craft Hope’s idea of making Sock Monkey’s for children in Texas, I immediately thought, “What a great idea for our kids this Christmas!”  

Sock Monkeys are so easy and cheap to make that ANYONE can do it! All you need is a pair of socks! This is a project the whole family can make together, a chance to give a gift to children who have nothing.

SO HOW CAN YOU HELP???

• It’s easy! Just make a monkey or two (or 3 or 4……)
• Get together with a group of friends and make a whole family of monkeys….
• Get your church involved and participate as an outreach…..
• Spread the word!! The more monkeys we receive, the more monkeys we can give!

COMPLETED MONKEYS:

This is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference for a refugee child this year, and show God’s love in a practical way! Let’s SHINE this holiday season through some Sock Monkeys

When I was little girl my mom always made us fun, amazing cakes, accompanied by gifts and friends we had invited.  We would play games, eat cake and ice cream, and have a special celebration… Birthday’s were always a special event.

But imagine turning 8 years old and never having celebrated your birthday with a party,  not enough money for a gift, or no friends to invite over.  This is the story of many of the refugees children living away from their home countries.

When her brother told me it was her birthday I immediately decided to do something for her.  I made cupcakes and a special “mini cake” for her.  I got her a couple of small gifts and headed over to her house for her birthday party.  It was only her family and I, but we all had a great time.  No, we didn’t play any games and there weren’t piles of gifts, but there were lots of smiles.

I have been to MANY birthday parties over the years, but this one will go done in history as one of my most special….

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Before I started working with Eritrean’s I had never heard of Injera either, but I’ll let you in on a little secret…. it’s amazingly delicious!!!

Injera is a staple in Eritrean and Ethiopian food and is an incredible 3 in 1: food, eating utensil, and plate! (pretty cool, huh?) It’s a large flatbread made out of teff flour, but with a spongy texture. The teff is mixed with water then allowed to ferment for a few days before cooking.  It can be eaten alone or also with various foods and stews.

During Friday’s Feed My Sheep Outreach, I was welcomed to a unique surprise: one of the women was busy making Injera…. but not just a couple Injera… 600 Injera!!!

Her 20 year old son was getting married the next day and she was preparing for the Wedding Feast, a preparation that would take her about 6 hours that night!

Pouring out the flour mixture into the heated pan

These bags are filled with Injera

Peeling off the finished Injera

I’ve eaten Injera several times, and each time it’s been delicious! I especially like it as a “dipping utensil” to accompany the other rich foods Eritreans love to eat, but I stil can’t fathom having to make 600 of them in the 90 degree weather heat! Now that’s cultural dedication!

The moment I heard Chris Tomlin’s song, I Will Follow, I knew this was going to be the basis of my new video.  The song is incredible, and it just spoke to me in an intimate way.  The words are exactly how I feel about my calling and work here in Israel. Enjoy and thanks for following along on my journey as I follow HIM….

Where You go, I’ll go

Where You stay, I’ll stay

When You move, I’ll move

I will follow You

Who you love, I’ll love

How You serve, I’ll serve

If this life I lose, I will follow You

Approaching the shelter I had no idea what to expect, but honestly what I saw was even more extreme that I could possibly imagine.

The “shelter” is actually a block of tiny apartments, filled with bunk-beds, one-burner cookers, a sink, and many women and babies.  Each room holds 4-5 women, along with their babies and sometimes older children as well.  There is a communal bathroom area for all of them to share, which I haven’t have the pleasure of seeing yet. All of this sounds completely inhumane, but yet for these women, these living quarters are actually a blessing (considering the alternative of being homeless.)

I already knew some of the women from Food Distribution, so when they saw me coming their smiles, hugs, and kisses broke the ice for those who didn’t know me.  All the women were extremely open and welcoming, and were genuinely thankful for the food we brought… and while the food was something they physically needed, what they really needed was to see that someone cares about them.

As I left the compound, pulling our empty carts, smile on my face, and eating oranges one of the women gave me… I couldn’t help think this one thought:

We are blessed to bless others

Something I need to continue reminding myself daily….

**We go out every Friday afternoon, weather permitting, 16:30… If you would like to join us (South Tel Aviv) and help distribute food, please contact us!

The Biblical Zoo is special because they host all the animals that you can find in the Tanach (Old Testament)… and they even have a Noah’s Ark for the kids to come inside, watch a short film about the story of Noah, and of course buy ice cream and snacks. (I’m pretty sure Noah had to eat while he was on the ark, anyways)

Here are a few pics from our day… the whole collection can be found on our Shine facebook page: