March 2009
March 2009,
Dear friends,
"May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13
Indeed, we know that only the God of Hope can make us overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit in the difficult situations that we are facing; as we continue to go in to the streets with the different types of outreaches and bring the message of HOPE through our MESSIAH.
The year 2009 started with loads of work. Many calls came to the center through the advertisement of the hotline number in the newspaper; babies were saved from abortion, and new contacts with many women in prostitution were established. We were able to reach out to more refugees with humanitarian aids and Bibles in the area of South Tel-Aviv.
Counseling through the hotline:
Rinat received the number of the hotline from her friend who saw our number in the newspaper. She called the evening before going to the hospital for the planned abortion. Rinat is a single mother with two children and has economical stress and struggles. As counseling progressed it seemed that Rinat needed encouragement and emotional support. At the end of the counseling she decided to keep the life of her baby. Later on as we visited her, we learned that she herself was an unwanted child. All her life she has been struggling for her place in this world and for acceptance. To our surprise we discovered that her friend who gave her our hotline number was a woman who kept her baby through our counseling four and a half years ago, she gave birth to a baby boy whose name is Michael and who is four and a half years old today. Thank you Lord.
Liran is a pregnant woman, who read the leaflet from the outreach, and as a result called for help and counseling. She decided to keep her baby but needed help and encouragement. We met her in Tel Aviv, ready with food bags. Her family rejected her and does not want to see her anymore. The boyfriend is also out of the picture. Thank God for a good woman she met who was willing to let her live with her, and is taking care of her. Her due date is next week. Please pray for Liran for a safe delivery, and to become a victorious single mother with her child.
Outreaches for women in prostitution:
Olga grew up in a believing home. At the age of 16 she ran away from home, and met a man who took her to south of Tel-Aviv were she started using drugs and got involves in prostitution. Today she is 21, regretting that she did not listen to her mom in the days of her youth,
Olga is pregnant now and using heroin. As we meet her she is showing interest to go to rehabilitation and start to change her life style; yet there is a controlling man in the background who provides the drugs for her, who is also the father of this baby. Please pray for us as we continue to meet Olga and also her boyfriend. Pray that the Lord will draw her back to him, and for the health and safety of the baby.
Michal got involved in prostitution at the age of 15; it was an easy way for her to get money in her poverty. After 3 years Michal broke the cycle of prostitution. The day we met her she was visiting a friend who is still in prostitution. Michal received our card and looked at me asking how we can help her because she is pregnant. Her boyfriend is in jail and the financial situation is difficult. It was an amazing time when you know that it was a divine appointment. As we shared and counseled her she decided to keep the baby. During the time we shared together her boyfriend called from the jail and we could talk with him and encourage him as well. Please pray for Michal to stay strong in the midst of this crisis, for her boyfriend to break through the addiction with drugs and for the safety of the baby.
Shadia is an Israeli Arab. Her father is a drug dealer and since she was young he was giving her drugs, her father also sexually abused her. She is now addicted to drugs and in prostitution. When we saw the cuts in her hand we asked her what happened, Shadia said that she tried to kill herself after her second abortion. This beautiful woman pierced our heart and we became her friends. She loves to read and we are able to bring her books about the Lord. Please pray that the Lord will use these books and our contact with her to meet HIM and get saved.
Did you know that 80 percents of women in prostitution are victims of sexual abuse?
That prostitution is not a job; it is a place that one ends up as a result of being a victim.
Special Outreaches:
Our team went to the border with Gaza during the war in the month of January. As they traveled they stopped in different places to pray and to share with soldiers. The Lord filled them with joy and peace all through the day. We were able to stand in the gap in prayer for the people in the area that was hit in the war.
Other outreaches against abortion are taking place through out the Land of Israel. In every big city the hospitals perform abortions; the hospitals are strongholds for shading of innocent blood. We combine these outreaches with going first to the hospitals to pray and then to the center of the city to hand leaflets against abortions. Please pray for many divine appointments with women who are in unwanted pregnancies, and pray for us as we are facing heavy spiritual warfare at home and at work.
On the international women's day there was a special program in the national Israeli Defense Force radio. The program was about abortion and it's affect on the woman. Four women were interviewed including Anat. Out of the four women three were suffering from Post abortion syndrome. For me (Anat) it was a great opportunity to share about my own abortion experience and its effect on my life. This was a great opportunity to bring up the issue of abortion and it's consequences on the body and soul. The woman who interviewed was very sensitive to the subject and to all the women. She also gave me the opportunity to share what I am doing today, and to air the hotline number for the counseling. THANK YOU LORD for such a great opportunity.
Overseas tours:
Our week in England was very special. This tour came by a divine appointment. We shared in six different places and there were meetings where the effect of the message of shedding of innocent blood lead to a deep time of prayers.
We want to thank the Lord for the beautiful hospitality and love that was poured on us in England.
In May we will travel to Finland and we ask you to pray for this tour and especially for our four kids who will stay at home.
The documentary film that was made by the Polish public TV will be completed this week. The film is about Ishai and Sima, his sister, as second generation of holocaust survivors, their salvation, and the ministry of Abundant Life. Please pray for this project. Pray for the message of life in the physical and the spiritual; and that reconciliation will continue through this process.
P.S All names of women are alias names for the sake of confidentiality.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for us in this work.
Love and blessings,
Anat and Ishai Brenner