Summery 2009

"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

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. See pictures of Josef and moses)

During the war in the month of January our team went to the border with Gaza to interced and prays for the soldiers and the difficult time of the war. As they traveled they stopped in different places to pray and to share with soldiers about the Lord. 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 about the work I am doing today, and to air the hotline number for the counseling. THANK YOU LORD for such a great opportunity.

A group of us went to Madonna's concert in Tel-Aviv to hand out our cards which includes the hotline number. There were about 60,000 people present at the concert. Families with their young children went as well. A local phone company paid for all their workers to go to the concert. People from the middle class socio economic group attended all the way to the upper class. Since we heard that Madonna will perform in Israel we were very concern because of the negative influence she brings. The outreach was very good. We could see where the Israelis are and we were able to pray right there for them.

Six months ago Ishai did an outreach in the city of Rishon Letzion. One woman who is a mother received the pamphlet and after reading it she decided to keep the pamphlet in case one of her daughters would need it. Her daughter, Miriam, became pregnant and her mother and father called us for counseling. It was a long process taking many conversations and calls until the decision to keep the baby was made. Praise God the parents will help their daughter and support her through pregnancy and birth. As far as the boyfriend is concerned, he keeps himself out of the picture and does not want to take any responsibility. Please pray a blessing to come forth upon this family for choosing life and for being such a support to their daughter.

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. When Liran's ex husband found out about her pregnancy, he stopped paying her alimony for his children. Liran gave birth to Shirit who is a beautiful girl and brought a great joy to the family. (see picture above)

Gili was pregnant when she 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 did not want to see her anymore. The boyfriend is also out of the picture. We continued our contact with her all through her pregnancy. A week before the birth there was reconciliation between Gila and her parents. We at Abundant Life were invited to the circumcision ceremony that took place in the yard of a family of a Jewish Yemenite ethnical background. It was so special for us to see the different customs that they have, to eat the different flavors of food and to talk to the family that was wondering who we are in the framework of their daughter's life? Later on Gila called to thank us for all the help that she received during her time of great need. (see picture of Noam during the circumcision ceremony)

Outreaches for women in prostitution in the South of Tel Aviv:

There are now four of us women traveling regularly to south Tel Aviv to minister to women who are in prostitution. We thank the Lord for raising volunteers that are interested to be part of such an emotionally demanding outreach. The police are trying to clean the area up, closing in on a lot of brothels and locating the drug dealers and drug centers. Our only concern is that if the problem is not treated, it will rise in another place. We want to thank the Lord that after a whole year of outreach in that area, we could pull the first woman from out of her difficult situation. We were able to lay hands on and pray for many of the women. We have seen 6 babies saved from abortion in that area. Many others are receiving humanitarian aid and we are going soon to bless twins that were born to a refugee from Eritrea there and others that were just born. We are going to disciple a Jewish, Israeli young woman who accepted the Lord and wants to learn about Him.

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 met her she showed 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. To our regret Olga performed the abortion. At this point she would not even communicate with us since she is so addicted and know that at this point she can not stop. We continue to go to the brutal where she is at and pray for her and plead before the Lord for salvation and a break through for her from thismiserable life that she is living. Please join us in prayer for this precious young woman.

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 her baby and not to abort. During the time we shared together, her boyfriend called from the jail and we could talk with him and encourage him as well. To our sadness Michal went back to prostitution until the end of her pregnancy. To our joy when she gave birth her mother called us for help with clothes for the baby, and we went visiting her in Dimona a city in the south of Israel. Dani is a beautiful baby boy (see picture above). It was a great joy to see her in a different environment and wanting to leave behind prostitution and raise her child. The father of the baby comes once a month to visit. He will finish his time in jail after one year. Please pray for Michal to stay strong and not to return to prostitution and for her boyfriend that God will use this time in jail to change him and his lifestyle as drug dealer.

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.

As we continue these outreaches we met another woman in prostitution who is six months pregnant and on heroin. Please pray for our contact with her and that she will be open to receive our help and counseling. Some times our meeting place is in the hospital after the woman gives birth. When we visit the woman we are able to visit the baby as well. The social worker in the hospital allows us to visit the babies and knows us.

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.

"God set the lonely in families He leads forth the prisoners with singing" ps. 68:6

The Shelter:

We now have two shelters. Sima who is working with us full time opened her home for the women as well. She received Yonit who is four and a half months pregnant into her home. Yonit has been homeless for almost two years. She has so far received help dealing with bureaucracy, intense counseling and a shelter. In order for Sima to be able to serve better we would like to ask you to pray for a larger house for her and her family. In the shelter in our home, we have taken Dafna, an Ethiopian Jew, in for a short time. Dafna is in her fifth month of pregnancy. Since she was fearful of her brother who threatened to kill her because of the pregnancy we had to think about another option of shelter for her. Praise God we found a good place for her outside of the central region of Israel. As time progressed, both Yonit and Dafna are close now to their due date and the time of birth. Dafna will return back to our shelter right after birth. She will get help in motherhood. Yonit already rented a little apartment and settled down before the birth in the beginning of January. Please pray for safe birth for both of them, for us to be able to serve Dafna in our home, and for their salvation.

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 traveled to Finland and shared in prayer groups for Israel about the message of sanctity of life and about the issue of abortion,

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.

More open doors:

Anat was asked to write a chapter in a book together with our pastor, that is written for the believing youths in Israel. The subject of the chapter is about sexual purity and abstinence. Many leaders in the land will write in this book and we want to thank God for this opportunity.

Also different youth group are inviting Anat to teach about sexual purity and abstinence. Another meeting is coming soon. It seems like many new doors are opening for us in this subject. "As I have been in this ministry for many years, the burden to warn the youth about consequences of abortion and about sexual transmitted diseases grew in my heart. It is very important to teach about the way God see sexual relationships outside of marriage.

We thank God for more volunteers that come to help. We just had a wonderful dear sister from Holland who came to volunteer in the outreaches. She was a great blessing to all of us in this ministry.

We want to thank all of you for your faithful support to us, for praying for Abundant Life, and for us as a family.

We bless each one of you with abundant blessing in the year 2010.

Anat and Ishai Brenner