Dear friends,
It is with thankful hearts that we look with you toward Christmas and
the end of the year. As a first fruit of our sense that believers should
be actively sharing a message of peace and reconciliation in the region,
God seems to have amazingly arranged a special television broadcast on
Christmas Eve of Handel's Messiah, from the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem. The concert will be seen on one of Israel's two national channels
from 9:00 to 11:00 on the morning of Christmas Eve, and again from 10:00
pm until midnight on a channel that is seen on the Israeli cable systems
and by satellite across the Middle East, from Libya to Iran. Most importantly
(and thank God for our daughter Rebekah's Arabic skills), we've been able
to prepare subtitles in Hebrew and Arabic. It's a stunning experience
to see the musical masterpiece of Western civilization unveiled as a totally
Jewish story by the use of the Hebrew scriptures which provide the text
of each song. Please pray with us on Christmas Eve for the many in the
region who will be watching.
We're also thankful as the year ends to see that some 40 Palestinian children
have come to Israel this year for heart surgeries. Our board decided at
the beginning of the year not to turn away any children in danger of dying,
even if funds were not yet in hand. As a result the following ten children
are still without sponsors; the Israeli hospitals cover about 80% of the
cost themselves, but are still looking to us to provide $2500 per child.
We in turn are looking to God to meet us as we act in obedience to Jesus.
Please pray with us that He will provide for these children in His own
blessed and unexpected ways before the year's end.
Manar Tir, born 22 July 2000, from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
The firstborn daughter of a mechanic and his young wife, Manar had no
voice, tired while nursing, and was gaining no weight. At Wolfson a hole
between the ventricles of her heart was successfully repaired, and she
should now have a normal and healthy life. The inscription behind her
reads "I trusted in God," an echo of the messianic Psalm 22:
"He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him,
since He delights in Him!"
Doa’a Abu Teilakh, born 06 April 2000, also from Rafah. The fifth
child in her family, Doa'a was born with Down syndrome, and required urgent
heart surgery before pulmonary hypertension left her inoperable. The father
works in the West Bank with the Palestinian police, leaving the mother
to take care of the children alone in their simple cinder block home with
a roof of asbestos sheeting. She's now doing well.
Abdul Karim Fasfus, born 09 December 1999, from Khan Yunis. His name means
"servant of the Generous One." Abdul Karim was also born with
Down syndrome, and without surgery in Israel might also have been left
untreated until he became inoperable. The Israeli army allowed him into
Israel despite a complete closure in place due to the killing of eight
Israelis the previous week by a bus driver from Gaza. Abdul Karim too
is doing well now, and his family is full of gratitude for his rescue.
Mohammed Saadallah, born 09 January 2001, the firstborn child of a young
couple from Jabalya. Deeply blue at 45 days of age, Mohammed was brought
urgently to Wolfson for evaluation, and the next day was rushed in for
open-heart surgery. His condition was critical after surgery, and the
Israeli doctors worked through the night to attempt to rescue him. Mohammed
died ten days later; we visited the open and tenderhearted family afterwards,
and brought them a lily as a symbol of our hope in the resurrection for
Mohammed.
Rawan Al Aidi, born 08 March 1997, from Gaza City. This lovely and cheerful
girl had a hole between the ventricles of her heart, which needed repair
before pulmonary hypertension could develop and leave her inoperable.
Rawan had successful surgery, and with God's grace should have a long
and healthy life.
Farah Abu Quta, born 16 March 2001, from Rafah. Farah was rushed to Wolfson
where doctors discovered a critical and complex case of tricuspid atresia.
He was operated on twice in the attempt to pull him back from death, but
finally died while still in the hospital.
Samer Abu Tabak, born 24 March 2001, from the Jabalya refugee camp. Samer
was born with transposition of the great arteries, which short-circuited
her heart and sent blood back to the body before it had a chance to mix
with oxygen from the lungs. Starving for oxygen, Samer had an emergency
late-night catheterization in Israel to open a hole between chambers in
her heart and allow oxygenated blood into her system. Afterward she had
successful major surgery to switch her arteries back to the proper place.
She has a great future ahead of her!
Selmi Awawda, born 26 October 1984, from a rural area outside the Bureij
refugee camp. At age 16, Selmi had three times undergone balloon dilation
in an effort to open up a narrowing of his aorta. Finally, a visiting
specialist from the U.S. performed a complex surgery at Wolfson called
the "Ross procedure," which replaced the aortic valve with the
pulmonary valve, and replaced the pulmonary valve with a graft from a
cow. He's been doing well since.
Mohammed Hijazi, born 29 November 1999, the tenth child of a warm and
loving family in Rafah. Mohammed underwent successful, complex surgery
for repair of transposition of the great arteries, and had a pacemaker
implanted. It was one of the last surgeries on a Gaza child done by Dr.
Ami Cohen before his death. Mohammed and his parents are pictured here
at the cemetery in Israel for Dr. Cohen's burial. The warmth with which
they were received by the Jewish mourners was beautiful. Afterwards they
went to Dr. Cohen's home, where relatives were already sitting shiva,
a seven-day mourning period, in torn clothing. Dr. Cohen's parents and
in-laws quickly surrounded Mohammed and his parents. It was almost painful
to watch as these weeping, wounded spirits poured out love on this Arab
family: their joy at Mohammed's health; their hope that he would grow
to become a doctor; their longing for peace between Jews and Arabs; their
commitment to continue saving children.
Khaled Rakha, a one-month-old from a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Last month we sent him to the Wolfson Medical Center for emergency catheterization. The Israeli doctors there worked until 4:30 in the morning in an unsuccessful effort to open a hole between two chambers in his heart. That left surgery as the only means to save Khaled, and as Wolfson's own surgeon was out of the country, we transferred him urgently him to another large center where he successfully underwent very complex surgery. At this center we are asked to contribute $4500 toward Khaled's expenses.
God bless you at Christmas and into the new year!
Yours sincerely for Jesus' sake,
Jonathan Miles
Coordinator
Light to the Nations
POB 32296
Jerusalem 91000
Israel
Israeli non-profit organization 58 025 750 9.
