July 2004 Update
FAMILY MINISTRIES
“B” was young mother with three children. Her husband was deeply involved in a gambling habit. His gambling led him into other terrible things that took the family down with him. He ended up in prison where Anis met him. As Anis shared the Lord with him, after 3 months, he asked House of Light to visit his wife and children. From the very first visit we saw the lack of order, discipline, and complete disarray in the household. The wife shared about the tremendous difficulties they went through as a family. The couple was at that time under the threat of divorce. We brought teaching about Jesus to the children. We worked with them for two years. The wife and children began to come to meetings at house of light even though she was from quite a distance away. Knowing it was her lifeline, we made sure she was able to come by providing transportation. As she came to know the Lord we got to know her better and at the right time felt we could take her to meet her husband in prison. We understood that she needed both spiritual and psychological help. She began to receive Christian counseling. Previously her husband had threatened her consistently and treated her shamefully. After receiving the counseling and teaching she slowly began to understand better how to relate to him in wisdom and grace. She was able to agree to meet with him once he was out of prison. The divorce proceedings were stopped. She even invited him to come back home for a trial period and together they decided to move out of the community where they had such negative influences upon them. They are now working at solutions under supervision and she and the children continue to make progress in the Lord.
Another family with whom we work is one where the husband is a drug addict. House of light has worked with them for 8 years and supports them in every way, both practical and spiritual. The wife and children come to House of Light meetings and are closely attached to it and growing in the Lord. During this time the children grew up spiritually and physically. We sent the children to music lessons. They pay for their own music lessons through cleaning of vehicles that we have helped them to set up so they would learn to work and be responsible and productive. They continue in Kings Kids to this day. The 14 year old daughter we saw she had a gift with working with young children. We sent her for training as an assistant to a children’s worker. She finished with excellence. The mother also underwent Christian counseling which we arranged for her. She is now convinced that the Lord is able to deliver them completely from all the problems including those of her husband and his drug habit. Even the father has thanked us for what we are doing with his children. He admits that he is in a bad situation personally and unable to help them. Please pray for each of them.
Premarital Counseling
The House of Light staff are involved with premarital counseling for young women. Many of the young women who come to House of Light have received no counseling from their parents and so they turn to us. We give them Christian training on how to be a good wife and mother, providing them with books and cassettes. Thus we are able to help prevent many marital problems before they start. To our great sorrow many young couples, even believers, in recent years have experienced a breakdown in their marriages. They have a lack of guidance and do not turn to others for help. This underscores the importance of premarital counseling.
Family Camp
Recently we held a family camp for needy families where the father is often absent and involved with substance abuse. The camp was held is tents with 33 adults and children. The theme of the camp was how to be a living stone, with specific application on how to be a living stone in daily life regardless of the circumstances. Our focus was on training the adults to teach their children so that the whole family can be an example and a light. In one of the families that attended, the husband is crippled, and the wife constantly complains about his disability and his lack of assistance in the home. Suddenly following the teaching, the husband began to help out at the camp. Instead of sitting around he began working like everyone else. This is just one small example of the way that spiritual support and the love of God can give people love and strength beyond themselves. The father of another family who are Lebanese, and who suffers with many psychological difficulties and who is receiving psychological counseling, came and confessed how wonderful he feels when he is among Believers because of the way he and his wife and family are accepted and embraced. The camp was a blessing even to non-participants who were in the area. At the end of the camp the facility director came to us and said that the camp had been such a good testimony that they would like to offer us the opportunity to come next year for several days at no cost!
PRISON MINISTRY
After the regular visits to prisons across the country of the last 4 years we are seeing progress among a number of the inmates in their spiritual growth and learning. House of Light brings them spiritual books and training materials as well as helping with many of the practical needs that we can supply according to Israeli law. Some of the prisoners have begun meetings in the prison on their own even when we are not present. A number of the prisoners are progressing in learning to such a degree that one is even taking Bible College by email. With all the problems and wickedness in the prisons they are faithful to contact me by phone every evening for prayer and building up. One of the inmates, we will call him “S”, killed his father because of drugs, after one year of meeting with him he has confessed his sin, and corresponded with me by mail, asking me to teach the youth not hold hatred in their hearts. This is an encouraging indication of the power of the Light of Jesus to pull people like this out of the darkness. House of Light also cares for the wives and families of the inmates. Anis and Nawal visit them and strengthen them in the Lord. We take them to Christian meetings in their home towns and assist them in practical ways, especially the provision of food which is often lacking because the man of the house is incarcerated and the women must be at home with the children.
One of the big prayer requests is for the 358 foreign women who are in prison for being in the country illegally. We need to bring them the New Testament in seven different languages this month. In addition to that there are 115 men in the same situation that we are reaching out to. Some of these are stuck in the prisons because they do not have the money to pay for the transfer fee back to their home countries and their government is not taking responsibility to assist them. House of Light is assisting a number of these with this financial challenge.
When we go to visit the prisons, we often go as teams consisting of both Arabs and Jews, followers of Jesus who work together in the ministry, in teaching, with worship, handing out teaching materials and practical supplies.
YOUTH MINISTRY
Youth Leadership Training
“A” was a difficult child at home. His mother asked us how can you stand him when he came to our meetings He was always distracting and bothersome in the meetings. He came at age 17 to the Kings Kids classes. The Lord gave us special insight into him, and much patience. He was from a difficult home. We worked with him for three years helping him to break his bad habits and training him. As he made right choices we began to see leadership potential in him and began training him to lead other youth. We got him involved in music training and worship leadership, and classes for youth leadership. He finished with excellence. Today he is a youth leader with a Christian organization in the country. The patience, love, and guidance under the Lords direction took a youth who had no sense of value and changed him into someone who is making a difference in other lives, giving his gifts and being a light. This is our call and challenge at House of Light.
We are currently working with 8 youth that we are training for leadership. We are preparing the future generation for ministry.
Kings Kids news
Our next Kings Kids camp and outreach is Aug 2 – 14. There will be around 45 participants, including Arab and Jewish Israelis, as well as Palestinian youth. Please pray for the Lord’s protection on all the youth, and for wisdom and anointing for the leaders. This will be the first year where we will be performing in the Old City of Jerusalem and on the West Bank. There can be many complications so we do request special prayer. But we are committed to honoring the Lord and witnessing to the power of the Gospel through our unity.
RECONCILIATION MINISTRY
We continue to work constantly at building the bridges of love in the Body of Christ between Arabs and Jews. Among the numerous activities is a monthly prayer meeting that brings together, Arabs, Jews, and expatriates. October 23 we will once again have the “Gathering in the Forest”. This gathering, which is now being called “One Flock”, brings together the Arab Christian and Messianic Jewish congregations of the Galilee for worship, teaching, and fellowship.
Nov 30th – Dec 2 Jewish and Arab pastors and ministry leaders of the country will be gathering together in the semiannual meeting to pray and seek the Lord together. Please keep these very important gatherings in your prayers. This is the first year that the Arab and Jewish leaders are meeting together rather than in separate groups
FAMILY NEWS
Rajaa is completing her studies this year and will be going into a year of work and ministry.
Ranna has already completed her course work and must now complete her thesis. She and her husband Zaher continue their work with university students. They recently had a break in at their home. The thieves made away with a lot of their valuables. Please pray for them in their ministry and that the theft will not weigh on their spirits.
Naim continues with his leadership at House of Light among the young adults. His wife Irene is also at the final paper stage of her studies. Our little grandson Anis, who is two years old, began attending a day care program. We love to see him pray before he eats or goes to sleep. He loves Christian videos.
Our Dutch volunteers continue to faithfully serve with us in the way Jesus leads.
We will soon have two young men as volunteers with the youngsters as well as office work.
Pray that the Lord will give us, Anis and Nawal, wisdom and direction in leading the ministry of House of Light and with the people among whom we serve.