Text Box: Personal News Richard has finished his Educational Psychology and Public Speaking classes. Both of these classes have given a refreshment and solid base for where G-d is now leading us. More on that in a little bit. Health issues are on a plateau. Richard has had a final evaluation and permanent impairment rating from both the Workers Compensation doctor and an Independent Medical Exam doctor. They have listed him with a permanent partial impairment of between 5-10% He is on a permanent restriction per the doctors to not lift over 40 pounds. Trying to get this through the head of a driven man who is called to the L-rd’s service as well as liking to camp and fish requires prayer... Each day after yard work or the like thereof he pays for the efforts made. We are convinced that the L-rd is not done with the healing process yet. Next month Richard has mediation with the EEOC and the employer who let him go after his injury on the job. Then there is still the legal aspect that continues on the Workers Compensation claim. What a whirlwind of activity, and rules that don’t seem to make sense. Richard figures G-d is softening his heart more as he can now truly relate to disabled people and the road they walk. BIG NEWS G-d is moving to have us start a congregational worship service as a foundation for our work supporting believers in Israel. The “coincidences” of this being what we are supposed to do has been amazing to watch. Richard will be meeting with the pastor who has been a large influence on our lives for the past 18 years and hopes to receive his blessing and maybe even have this event be a planting from that congregation that has been so important to our development over the years. Since our re-entry into American lifestyle has been so very challenging, (injury, unemployment) we were wondering how we were going to support our daughter through her last year of college. Richard was praying for a well paying job. Well, G-d answered in His own way. We will be house sitting for 1-2 years and have a break on rent money. Next was the question of how we were going to find musicians for a new worship service without taking from the congregations we know and love. We walked into a grocery store (macolet) and were amazed to make the re-acquaintance with a dear neighbor and friend with whom we had lost track about 12 years ago. At her son’s recent wedding, (who used to play in the yard with our daughter), we (“coincidentally”) met her brothers who have a worship band. They are interested in our Saturday morning worship, and …! Then, when Richard was filling the pulpit of a different congregation as a guest speaker, a generous woman offered to let us use her very large home to start our congregational service on Sabbath morning—! Wow! We did not plan any of this. G-d moves and we follow. Now we have to figure out where we are going to get the funds for a Torah scroll and the prayer books (siddurim). Might there be any benefactors for this need out there? Please drop us an email. Roseanna will be coming soon for a visit before her last year of college begins in Israel. We have not seen her since having to leave Israel in October of last year. Yes, I am SO excited! And while all this is going on we continue raising funds to send to our brothers and sisters in the L-rd in Israel who desperately need our help. It’s quite odd that a Jew in Israel can openly believe in a pagan god such as Budda and hardly receive the raised eyebrows about it, but to let it be known that one believes what the Jewish prophet Isaiah spoke about—?! Hoo boy! We are still being led to folks who need a helping hand over there, and that is exactly where you come in. Well done (kol ha kavod) to those whose hearts are moved to assist. Shalom! Lisa

Standing Strong

A Messianic Jewish Congregation with an outreach to Believers in Israel

 

Looking for more of my Israeli photographs? Click on this link.

 

Favorite Photos,
Text Box: Tending a beloved’s grave on Veterans Day. The wind was blustery and chilly. Text Box: Gorgeous peonies! Text Box: A summertime view near Pike’s Peak in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Text Box: Going down a red dirt road in a Colorado National forest. The scent of pine fills the air. Text Box: This is a part of the same forest, still recovering from the Hayman forest fire of nearly 6 years ago... Text Box: A ranch south of Denver. Text Box: The season of weddings. Text Box: ...and last, but not least, below: Richard overcomes his arachnophobia by holding Rosie, a tarantula at The Butterfly Pavilion. I guess this gesture, in some small way, makes amends for the tarantula that showed up in our first Israeli kitchen late at night..and was decisively dealt with by Richard—!