“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified” (Isaiah 61,1-3).
This wonderful prophecy from Isaiah relates to Jesus - Yeshua. Jesus came and proclaimed good news to the poor. He bound up the brokenhearted and proclaimed release to the captives. He comforted all who mourned and healed all who came to Him. He gave them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and festive garments instead of a heavy spirit. All those he healed and helped became happy and remained forever grateful to Jesus. However, since Jesus is not visible in the world at the moment, He wants to work through us. We are His hands and feet and can do the same things He did. There are also sad people around us who are in need, whom we can help and comfort. We also have plenty of opportunity in our project Streams of Blessing to help people in need and make them happy.
This month I visited L., his wife and their four-year-old child, who were in a difficult financial situation. Two years ago they immigrated to Israel from Russia, hoping for a good life here. However, shortly after arriving, L. suddenly fell ill with a very rare disease and became an invalid. He could no longer work and pay his rent. When he turned to us, we helped him pay his rent and prayed for him. He was very grateful to us. Over time, his health improved and he began to learn a trade. When his wife started working, she suddenly broke her toe and could not continue working.
Now they were having great difficulty paying their rent and turned to us in their distress. I visited them and gave them a check for their rent. They were both very grateful, showed great hospitality and invited me to visit them again when I come to Ashdod. We enjoyed a special time of fellowship.
I also visited G., a Jewish woman in Ashdod who was struggling financially as a single mother of three children. Her life is not easy as her son is autistic and disabled. She needs very expensive dental treatment, but because of her small income and her many debts, she is unable to pay for it. When I visited her, I gave her food vouchers and she was very appreciative and showed hospitality.
Just as Jesus came and comforted the sad and made them happy, we have the opportunity to comfort the grieving and make them happy again. It is a beautiful and fulfilling work that we could not carry out and continue without your support. Therefore, I would like to thank you very much for your donations and prayers! You enable us to help many people in need and thereby gladden the heart of Jesus, who very much wants to help these people. Thank you so much! May God bless you abundantly and give you much joy and fulfillment in your life!
Viktoria Muller, Project Supervisor