Summery 2007

 

 

“Enlarge the place of your tent,

stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;

lengthen your cords,

strengthen your stakes.”

Isaiah 54:2

 

As we are coming close to the end of the year 2007 we would like to thank the Lord for all the babies that were born during the past few months. We are excited to share that since the beginning of 2007, 14 babies have been saved from abortion, thanks to their mothers choosing to keep their precious lives.  Even though the number of abortions is so high in Israel, we are encouraged by those that choose life for their babies and not death.

 

We are busy with many visits to the families, babies and mothers helping them with clothes food and furniture. Praise the Lord. When we look back to the months that have past, we can really see how the Lord is indeed stretching us wider with new things, new areas in which to be involved. Yet He is also constantly reminding us to make sure that the basis and the stakes of Abundant Life are standing on solid ground.

 

All names of the women and babies are not their real name for the sake of confidentiality.

 

First we want to share with you about the woman that is staying with us in the Shelter:

 

The contact with Gili started few months ago as she was in the middle of her pregnancy. All through this period the counseling with her was only through the phone. When Gili called and asked me to join her to labor (to give birth). She needed someone else with her besides her mother. I felt most privileged to be part of such a special and intimate event of someone's life. A week before her due date she came to stay with in the shelter. Her mother joined her to stay in our home. When her labor pain started it took 58 hours until the birth started. Gili was exhausted and it was difficult to see her suffer so much. Mary-Ann was born on the 26th of November healthy and beautiful. At the moment we are having Gili her mother and baby MaryAnn staying with us in the shelter. Their financial situation is difficult and at the moment it is not clear for them the direction that they should take. Meanwhile Gili receives on going counseling.

 

We also received Roi Ishai's nephew to come and live with us. Roi's family is in Canada but he wanted to come to Israel and to join the army.

 

Here are some of the testimonies of mothers:

 

Adi and her husband went to Tel Aviv to discuss what to do with their 4th pregnancy due to a very difficult financial crisis. The thought of aborting was on their mind. On that day we were on an outreach in Tel Aviv distributing literature against abortion. When Adi called the hotline, she shared that she received our pamphlet and as she read it she started to shake.  She was crying heavily on the phone. She said that their business collapsed and for the last 3 years they have hardly earned enough to support themselves and their 3 children.  Adi started to understand that she cannot take the life of her baby due to a financial crisis.

 

As we were asking for prayers and help in our update for them, we were blessed and surprised to hear from a women's prayer group in Canada. They started praying for her and at that prayer meeting they wrote Adi a beautiful card and collected a financial gift for the family. When we went to bring this blessing to Adi, she cried and found it hard to believe that people would care for them to pray for them and bless them in such an amazing way. What a testimony of God's love it was for her.

 

Maya is a single mother.  At the age of 19 she chose to keep her baby and not to abort. We went to the hospital to bring her back home with her baby boy, Noam (means “Gentelness” in Hebrew). Seeing her tiny apartment, we were a bit concerned with the condition of her place. We had fear in our hearts with regards to how capable she is to raise her child. With the help of "Project Moses" we could bless her with all the furniture and clothes that she needed. We keep regular contact with her and baby Noam is growing and doing well.

 

:Outreach baby

                                                                         

During an outreach in Tel-Aviv, a pregnant woman received our pamphlet. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and as we talked she shared that she is in the second trimester of pregnancy and some virus attacked the baby. She was just on her way to the hospital.  During our last conversation she shared with me that she lost her baby, not as a result of the virus but due the Amniocentesis (an examination performed through the amniotic water). She gave birth to a stillborn baby girl at 24 weeks of pregnancy. She is now being treated psychiatrically for her emotionally broken heart. 

 

Sarit has been physically abused by her husband for four years.  She ran away from home when she was eight months pregnant. She found a shelter specifically for abused woman in a city close to us. All her belongings were left in the apartment, and now she and her daughter who is a year and a half old, have to start from scratch. Sarit gave birth this week to a baby girl and will live with her mother.  We will visit her in the coming days

 

At the age of 17 Hanna ran away from home. She lives with her boyfriend in an area abounding in drug addicts and prostitutes.  Her parents will not help her in anyway until she returns home. She is now 6 months pregnant and is without medical care.  Since she does not yet have an identity card she is not able to receive any medical insurance. Her boyfriend does not encourage our contact.

 

Lea is a 43 year old woman. She already has five children and is now carrying her sixth child. Her husband wants her to abort. As we talked Lea, decided to keep the baby and to stand in the gap for the life of her child we keep regular contact with her helping the family with food begs and clothes for the young daughter they have, the birth will be in the coming month.

 

Ishai returned from two weeks of a speaking tour in Finland. Anat was not able to join him since Daniel, our youngest child, has just started his first year at school and she wanted to be with him during this transition time. "The tour was very encouraging to me. I had the opportunity to share with many groups of believers about the work we do, and the message of life in the physical and spiritual from the scriptures. I was touched by the love and the commitment of the Finnish believers to us and to the people of Israel.

 

In March we had the second international Pro-Life Conference that took place in Karei Deshe, at the Sea of Galilee. We had a fabulous time meeting with so many friends and new people who are involved in the common battle of saving lives. Ishai had the opportunity to share about the importance of going out on outreach. He led 38 people in an outreach to Tel Aviv.  It was a blessed time. One of the testimonies was about a young woman who broke down in tears about her abortion experience. Two women from the group could minister to her. To our surprise, or rather by God's guidance, the outreach ended up at a place called "Delet Petuchah." This is a government-run ministry that pays for teenagers to have abortions, and freely hands them prescriptions for birth control.

 

During the conference we could also share about the new area that the Lord called us to be involved in. This new area of ministry involves women who are sold into the sex trafficking business in Israel and around the world. Our volunteer, Maya from Finland, has a heavy burden over this issue and a pamphlet was published in regards to this problem.  Last week the first outreach in southern Tel Aviv took place, targeted at the area where the prostitutes may be found. It was a good outreach, but not an easy one. We spoke to a few policemen about the situation; we put the pamphlets on boards, prayed, and talked to a prostitute.

 

We thank God for doors that have begun to open here in Israel to share about abortions in congregations. As we were sharing, the Lord convicted many hearts in regards to their past experience with abortions and the shedding of innocent blood. We saw repentance and changing of hearts. We have seen people convicted for been passive and avoiding the issue of abortion. As a result of these happenings, Post Abortion Syndrome healing seminars are planned for the upcoming year.  It seems as though we will have to have 3 different seminars for Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish speaking women

 

The project for T-shirts to the outreaches was completed. We are now doing outreaches with the T-shirts and the hot line number is printed on the back. We see it as another way to promote the hot line number.

 

A testimony pamphlet was printed recently. This pamphlet is about testimonies of women who kept their babies in spite of all their difficulties. This is another tool for us to share about the character of this work.

 

We want to thank you for your prayers and encouragement for Anat through her three years of studies. Praise God, June 2007 was the time of graduation. Her masters degree in counseling has already proven to open doors for her in many places. Thank you Lord

 

Thank you so much for your prayers and faithful support.

 

 

Anat and Ishai Brenner