Dear friends,
Some have written to ask us what's happening here. The good news is that
in the midst of conflict our opportunities to love our neighbors are only
expanded.
A week ago a baby boy named Fadi, from Gaza, died in an Israeli hospital
following two heart surgeries. The family earnestly requested that we
return Fadi for burial that same day, as is the custom for both Muslims
and Jews. As Palestinian ambulance drivers are at present not willing
to enter Israel, I went myself to the hospital. Confusion over Fadi's
details led to a delay of over an hour in obtaining his death certificate.
Finally I was given his body in a small box and drove him down to the
Erez crossing into Gaza, arriving just at nightfall. The Israeli soldiers
were surprised by our appearance, saying the Palestinian authorities had
not notified them as required. But after another wait of over an hour,
we were allowed through. Fadi's family, waiting on the other side, were
genuinely touched by this small gesture of respect. Several hours later
an attack on Israeli soldiers at this crossing point left two dead and
several injured.
And thank God, our friend Hava Katz and I were able to repeat the trip
this week, this time to deliver a beautiful baby boy named Mohammed to
his family in Gaza after a successful heart surgery. "What a blessing!"
Hava exclaimed after seeing the joy on the faces of the father and grandfather
who came out to meet Mohammed and his mother. We were given a platter
of Gaza sweets as a sign of their thanksgiving. God willing we'll be visiting
them at their home in Gaza next week.
You may also have noted this week that Israeli soldiers captured their
most-wanted fugitive, a man named Marwan Barghouti from a village near
Ramallah. He had been the leading promoter and organizer of violence against
Israelis over the past 18 months. A footnote of grace to the story is
that Karim, pictured at left, a baby boy from Barghouti's own clan, has
also been in the Israeli hospital the past month, in preparation for lifesaving
open-heart surgery arranged through another non-profit group with whom
we cooperate.
With thanksgiving for your interest, prayer, and support,
Jonathan
