Tuesday, May 21
The town of Ariel on the West Bank of Israel
Today we had the privilege of meeting a family who had willingly yielded their lives, experienced great persecution and suffering, and counted it all worthwhile to continue to be God's witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
We went up a twisted staircase in a home on the West bank in Israel, after a day spent traveling within Samaria. There, we met David and Leia Ortiz, who had answered God's call to be His witnesses in Israel in 1985, and had been on location ever since. The joy of the Lord was evident on David's face, as he shared with us the trials and miracles, sacrifices and victories they had experienced in sharing the gospel with both Orthodox Jews and Muslims for the last 34 years in their region. Many times, David would be in dangerous scenarios sharing the gospel, while his wife waited at home with their five children. She found strength in constant intercession.
Their greatest trial came in 2008, when they received a gift basket on their doorstep, during a large Jewish holiday where it was customary to share such packages. David and his wife had unexpectedly stepped out, so it was their 18 year old basket ball star son Avi, who opened the basket, detonating a bomb which was intended for his father. David and Leia walked us through the agony of those days, and the way God met them in the midst of the darkness, grief and despair. While having every earthly reason to leave the area with her family and never look back, the Lord spoke His Word to Leia, that He planned for them to remain their as His witnesses, and that He would miraculously sustain them and use this event to bring many to Himself. It was God's grace alone which helped Avi to not only live through this horrific attack, but to make a miraculous recovery, which would be shared on national and international news, along with the story of his parent's willingness to forgive his attacker (an ultra-Orthodox Jewish terrorist). Such miraculous forgiveness put the love and power of Jesus Christ the Messiah on full display.
I was humbled by being with these evangelists who had experienced great persecution and sacrifice for the sake of the gospel, and who remain on task, through the highs, lows, and everything in between. Leia suffers from progressive MS, and I was convicted about my complaining attitude, as I thought of her cheerful service, amidst the difficulty of climbing those flights of stairs every day. Sometimes I have an unconscious expectation, that when someone is doing great things for God, the "least God can do", is go easy on them/give them the best of circumstances/spare them from the griefs and trials. Yet all of my least favorite tools of His, do indeed put the glory of God on display, showing that all that is done is through the power of God, not man.
You can read more of their story here: http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/2161/I_bring_the_gospel_to_the_terrorist_that_could_kill_my_son
We went up a twisted staircase in a home on the West bank in Israel, after a day spent traveling within Samaria. There, we met David and Leia Ortiz, who had answered God's call to be His witnesses in Israel in 1985, and had been on location ever since. The joy of the Lord was evident on David's face, as he shared with us the trials and miracles, sacrifices and victories they had experienced in sharing the gospel with both Orthodox Jews and Muslims for the last 34 years in their region. Many times, David would be in dangerous scenarios sharing the gospel, while his wife waited at home with their five children. She found strength in constant intercession.
Their greatest trial came in 2008, when they received a gift basket on their doorstep, during a large Jewish holiday where it was customary to share such packages. David and his wife had unexpectedly stepped out, so it was their 18 year old basket ball star son Avi, who opened the basket, detonating a bomb which was intended for his father. David and Leia walked us through the agony of those days, and the way God met them in the midst of the darkness, grief and despair. While having every earthly reason to leave the area with her family and never look back, the Lord spoke His Word to Leia, that He planned for them to remain their as His witnesses, and that He would miraculously sustain them and use this event to bring many to Himself. It was God's grace alone which helped Avi to not only live through this horrific attack, but to make a miraculous recovery, which would be shared on national and international news, along with the story of his parent's willingness to forgive his attacker (an ultra-Orthodox Jewish terrorist). Such miraculous forgiveness put the love and power of Jesus Christ the Messiah on full display.
I was humbled by being with these evangelists who had experienced great persecution and sacrifice for the sake of the gospel, and who remain on task, through the highs, lows, and everything in between. Leia suffers from progressive MS, and I was convicted about my complaining attitude, as I thought of her cheerful service, amidst the difficulty of climbing those flights of stairs every day. Sometimes I have an unconscious expectation, that when someone is doing great things for God, the "least God can do", is go easy on them/give them the best of circumstances/spare them from the griefs and trials. Yet all of my least favorite tools of His, do indeed put the glory of God on display, showing that all that is done is through the power of God, not man.
You can read more of their story here: http://evangelicalfocus.com/world/2161/I_bring_the_gospel_to_the_terrorist_that_could_kill_my_son
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