Dear Friends,
July has been one intense month! But a good one at the same time. Difficult is not necessarily bad! God has been using this time in numerous ways to stretch and grow me. I've been learning so much about living in His grace and trusting Him. Here are a few of the highlights from this month:

- Mohammed recieved his first heart surgery which went so well that the doctors preformed a second surgery the next week! This second surgery had originally been scheduled for a year after the original surgery if Mohammed survived the first surgery at all! Mohammed has been discharged from the hospital and is continuing to recover here with us at the house in Jerusalem. If all continues to go so well, he'll be heading home within a couple of weeks! PRAISE GOD!

Mohammed in ICU - right after surgery

Mohammed during recovery

Mohammed and his dad after the second surgery

For Mohammed's full story follow this link: http://www.shevet.org/mohammediraq/

- This month I also found myself in the hospital as a patient for about a week and a half! I was admitted to the emergency room with lower back pain and later had acute respiratory failure due to atypical pneumonia in both lungs. I stayed in the ICU for a few days until my breathing was regular and was discharged soon after. It was quite the experience! But I can definitely say that God worked in the midst of it.

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My mom actually ended up coming to Israel when I was transferred from the ward into the ICU. The good part is that it allowed us to spend a few days in Jerusalem together after I was discharged.

Mom and I at church and on a bus in Jerusalem

Mom at Jaffa Gate - Old City

View of part of Jerusalem

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This I recall to my mind,therefore I have hope.

Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "

The LORD is my portion," says my soul,"Therefore I hope in Him!"

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

-Lam. 3:21-26

Sunday, June 28
Hard to believe how quickly these last few weeks have flown by! It's hard to describe all that goes on here at Shevet as things tend to change continuously each day bringing adventure and drama of it's own! God has been teaching me about the value of working in unity with others, choosing to trust, and being jealous of my times with Him.
Things have stayed very busy as we have had eight children and their parent or grandparent living with us here in our house in Jerusalem. One of the children (Hamza) is recovering from surgery and will be going home soon. Six other children are awaiting surgeries which will all happen in July.

(Me with some of the mothers and children living with us)

In the midst of all of the busyness, there have also been some very difficult and tragic circumstances with several of the children here. One little girl (Varen) was inoperable due to the complexity of her heart condition and a couple of days ago she went home to Iraq with her mother. This was an especially hard situation as everyone had expected that Varen would be operable and going in for surgery which made the reality a shock. Medically speaking, Varen will only live for a few more years. But - all things are possible with God! Please continue praying for this beautiful little girl and her family.

(Picture: Varen and I at the screening in Jordan) (Video:Varen before she went home to Iraq)
More sad news came when we heard that Mohammed from Gaza had died at home after a long struggle of doctors trying to resolve the problems in his small body. He had been in the pediatric ICU for several months after recieving heart surgery with his mother faithfully staying at his side. Finally, Mohammed had been sent back home to Gaza as the doctors had exhuasted all possibilities for effective treatment. Several days after returning home, his little body finally gave out.

Although we were all aware of the possibility of losing Mohammed, it was still very difficult to say goodbye when he finally died. Please keep praying for his family and especially his mother!

(Me holding Mohammed's hand - Mohammed and his mother right before returning to Gaza)

Hamza

(Hamza, Mohammed, Akram, and I)

June 4-8, 2009

Thursday, June 4
Today we visited Hamza in the hospital! He is recovering so well. When we first entered his room he looked up, flashed us a bright smile, and then promptly got out of bed and sat down in a chair next to us. Mohammed was with us and could hardly contain his excitement as he presented Hamza with the gift of a watch that was identical to his own! As soon as Hamza put his new watch on, I walked outside with Mohammed and several of the other patients' mothers and had a little picnic.

(Picnic time!)

After our picnic, Hamza, Mohammed and I met up with Justin (Shevet Achim staff) and Akram in the kids' activity room at the hospital. There we made some amazing clay creations! We had a great time visiting and look forward to Hamza hopefully getting discharged from the hospital in the next few days.

(Akram making a clay hippo while Justin and Mohammed play a game.)

Monday, June 8

Hamza was released from the hospital today and got to come home with us to Jerusalem! Yeah! We celebrated with cake and Kurdish dancing!

(Mohammed and I dancing while Esther and Akram's mom look on)

(Akram bowing to Mary! Mohammed and the rest of us all had a good laugh!)

(This is what we want people to think)

Back row: Esther (volunteer for a week), Akram, Mohammed's father, Justin (staff),and Mohammed

Front row: Mary (staff), Akram's mother, Me, Hamza, Hamza's grandmother, and Donna (staff)

(This is a lot closer to the reality)

Goran & Lucy (Rebecca too)

(Affectionately overpacking copious amounts of dog treats)

There once was an interesting fellow
His favorite color was definitely not yellow
He always would cry out, “Foood! Fooood!”
Yes, I know, a typical dude
But any way, as I was saying –
At times, yellow is left where Lucy is playing
Yet his depth of affection knowing no end
Goran gladly cleans up after his friend
A leash, a bed, a toy, a treat
Golly – that life’s hard to beat
From what I know – she’s got it made
Her beck and call would be obeyed
The fluffy, small poof ball returns the devotion
With whimpers of love to portray her emotion
Between the two, the bond is deep
Without each other, each would weep
I heard a rumor, perhaps it's true
They’d cry so hard, they’d both turn blue
Blue is the shade of a Wal-mart cart
So I hope the two will never part

That is all… oh.. no wait -

P.S. Sometimes Rebecca feeds Lucy.
P.P.S. Sometimes she feeds Goran too…. sometimes….
P.P.S. Dear Rebecca - I love you more than Lucy. Don't tell Goran or he might not speak to me again.

Jordan Heart Screening

(First meeting - me with a patient who will eventually recieve surgery and her mother)

Monday – Wednesday, June 1-3

On Monday we traveled to Amman Jordan where we met 30 Iraqi Muslim children and their parents who had come for their children to receive an echocardiogram. The “echo” determined whether or not each child’s heart defect was repairable with surgery. The first evening we met them was an orientation time during which we explained the process of the heart screening and possible heart surgeries. We also shared several Bible stories with them and then Esther (a volunteer from Jordan) and I led some worship songs in Kurdish and Arabic. At the end of the evening, we all shared a meal and spent some time laughing, talking and playing with the children and their parents. As we got to know the families, the depth of their need was made so evident. It’s hard to get more tangible than holding a blue baby or more real than having a parent tell you that you are their child’s last hope.

(Me, two other volunteers, and a woman who came to have her unborn baby's heart checked - everything went well and the baby is healthy! PRAISE!)

With these needs on the forefront of our hearts and minds, we started the heart screening the next day at 6:30am. It turned out to be an incredible experience that didn’t end until past 1am! My primary job during the heart screening was to get each child’s weight, height, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure before they went in to see the doctor in the next room for their echocardiogram. Although it seemed like an easy enough task, with small children it proved to be rather difficult at times.

(Vareen listening for my blood pressure! Vareen and her mother are now with us in Jerusalem for Vareen's up coming heart surgery. Vareen's info. page: http://www.shevet.org/vareen/)

(Checking Vareen's weight....not much!)

My other job was to sedate the younger and more rambunctious children and babies so that they would sleep during the “echo”. This also proved to be rather difficult at times as most of the children were not too keen on the idea of drinking odd tasting medication out of a syringe. But by the end of the day I had successfully sedated about a dozen babies!

(Cardiologist - Dr. Tamir performs an echocardiogram on a sedated little boy.)

(Dr. Tamir worked tirelessly throughout the break and paused here breifly to eat a banana with a little friend!)

Overall, the day brought an intensity of both joy and heartache as some of the children were told that they didn’t even need and operation while others were told that they were inoperable. The few who were inoperable have heart conditions that are irreversible or too complex for surgery which means that they will go back to Iraq and, medically speaking, die within the next couple of years. But our God is a God of miracles – that is the truth that we have and continue to pray over each of them.

(A young man who does not need heart surgery! - We had prayed for a miracle for him the day before and saw the goodness of God's mercy after his echocardiogram.)

(Playing music while the families wait to hear the results of their childrens' "echos". The little girl pictured is inoperable and flew back to Iraq with her mother. Keep praying!)

For more details of the day, what our team did, and more pictures, check out the Shevet Achim website: http://www.shevet.org/screening/

(Happy to hear that they are operable and will probably recieve surgery within the next 6 months.)

(After echocardiograms - families waiting to hear when their children will recieve heart surgery.)

Saturday May 30, 2009

Today is the Sabbath which has brought a much needed time of rest.

This morning we attended Christ church and then later today talked and prayed about the current situation in Jordan and preparations for a heart screening in Amman, Jordan this week.

Tonight 30 children and their escorts flew into Amman from northern Iraq, in preparation for heart screening by an Israeli cardiologist on Tuesday. We have all been up praying and waiting to hear that the families arrived afely in Amman! There was a complication that with paperwork that was causing some concern for a while so it is a huge praise that not one of these families had to turn back at the airport.
P.S. Tomorrow is Pentecost! We've been focused on this celebration of the Holy Spirit - please join us in praying for a new outpouring within Shevet Achim and Jerusalem in general!

Through Jaffa Gate into the Old City

Walking to church through the Old City

Christ Church

(Mohammed [and no...it's not Daleena])

Friday May 29, 2009
After some work in the office this morning we got to go to the Jerusalem zoo with Mohammed and his father and Akram and his mother! We all had a great time!

(Rebecca and Goran as monkeys)

(Akram and Mohammed having fun with the tree!)

(Donna and I trying to imitate the weird face the bear made)

(Imitating elephants! - Mohammed's father, Mohammed, me, Rebecca, Akram's mother)

Prayer Requests:
- Miraculous healing for baby Mohammed from Gaza
- Grace for families, patients, and staff traveling to Jordan for heart screening

Thursday May 28, 2009

Busy day today! Did some financial work in the office then met Erica (Shevet worker from Bethlehem) at the post office and we went down to the Old City for a while before going to get some shekels changed into Jordanian dinar for the heart screening that the team will be doing in Jordan next week. Did some more work and then helped prepare for the picnic dinner that we brought to share with the patients’ and their parents at the hospital tonight. Guran and Rebecca (Shevet contacts in Iraq who are currently in Israel), cooked Kurdish food for the families who were so excited to join with us and enjoy a meal on a little patch of grass outside of the hospital. Jonathan had asked me to bring my guitar so I did and played a bit while everyone ate and then we joined in singing an Arabic song about the holiness of God.

(Picnic with Gaza mom's, my friend Brenda from Uganda, and other Shevet staff)

While at the hospital we also visited the patients of course!

- Akram was discharged today - yeah!!! Our picnic was partially celebrating that fact! He and his mother will be living at the Shevet house for a few days. Akram's story: http://shevet.org/akram/

- Hamza is doing so much better! After a close call, he is now in stable condition in the intermeddiate ICU and progressing rapidly! Hamza's story: http://shevet.org/hamza/

(Rebecca [Shevet contact in Iraq], Hamza, and I)

-Shadi is also doing much better which is such a blessing! And he was so smiley today! He will be discharged soon and come back in 6 to 12 months for an additional heart surgery.


Wednesday May 27, 2009

Another hospital visit today:
- Baby Mohammed from Gaza ( http://shevet.org/mohammedhamdan/ ) is still in very critical condition. Doctor's are saying that at this point there is little hope for him without a miracle. The first time I saw him in the ICU he was completely sedated but today he was awake and moved his small arms as much as he could although he is very weak and in arm restraints to prevent self injury. He gazed intently at me the entire time I stood beside him talking to him and stroking his tiny arm. He didn't have the strength to cry but a single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked up into my eyes. Please continue to pray for him and for the salvation of his mother!

- Harvey's surgery went well and he is currently in stable condition. His mother Brenda is also doing much better and has a lot more peace!

- Rajab, the emergency case from Gaza, is also doing extremely well! You can read about his current status here: http://shevet.org/rajab/

(Rajab, his mother, and me)

- After visiting with the hospital patients, Alex and I took Raged (who had just been discharged) and her grandmother to the Gaza border to go home again! The full story and picture taken of Raged here: http://shevet.org/raged/

Tuesday May 26, 2009
- Did some errands in Jerusalem today and got slightly lost attempting to return from the post office and the bank. But it turned out to be a profitable exploration and I soon found my way again!
- Continued in some office training for finances. I’ll be handling the Shevet household finances for a while; keeping track of receipts, expenses, and how quickly all of our shekels are being used, etc. Also learned more about keeping food supplied for staff and families as well as other household needs.
- Went grocery shopping in the Old City with Mohammed (and David (another Shevet worker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvQ4OS-H3qA ). It took a while and Mohammed got rather tired so I ended up giving him a piggy back ride!

- Started learning some worship songs in Kurdish! Apparently I am now the "resident musician" so I've been leading worship during our team meeting and Bible study each morning, usually sing randomly with the kids througout the day, and often lead singing at night too. I'm excited that God has given me so many opportunities to share and enjoy music and worship with others!

Emergency Case from Gaza

Monday, May 15th: Tonight I was able to visit the hospital for a second time to meet a mother and her son Rajab arriving in an ambulance from Gaza for an emergency heart surgery.

For the full story including additional pictures and video Jonathan and I took that night, please follow the link: http://shevet.org/rajab/

While waiting for Rajab to be stabilized Jonathan and I went throughout the hospital visiting the patients sponsored by Shevet Achim and getting the latest updates on their health status. I was also able to spend some time visiting with a young woman from Uganda whose six week old son Harvey had been rushed to Tel Aviv for emergency heart surgery through another non-profit organization called Save a Childs’s Heart:
(http://www.saveachildsheart.org/265-2086-en/Sach.aspx ).

I had met Harvey and his mother on my previous hospital trip and gotten to converse with them a little. This time as I came into the hospital, Harvey had already undergone one out of his two heart surgeries and was in the ICU. His mother had been sitting alone in a chair in the waiting room all day and into the night to hear how his condition was and whether or not he had been stabilized. I was able to listen to her story, her frustrations, and her fears. We prayed together and then she began asking me about the work that Shevet Achim does. As I explained to her that we help Muslim children she became very puzzled and then asked: “But you are a Christian right? Why is it that you would help a Muslim? I don’t understand. What makes you do this?”
I was able to talk to her about the love of Christ and explain that we love Muslims because Christ loves Muslims! We talked a little more and I made it a point to check on Harvey in the ICU later. So far his condition is stable and his first heart surgery was successful – praise the Lord!

Mohammed Plays Guitar

Arriving!

Hello all! I have arrived in Jerusalem and hit the ground running full speed ahead! I can already see that this will be a crazy next few months!

Friday, May 22:
My plane landed in Tel Aviv where Jonathan Miles, the director of Shevet Achim met me. We then immediately head off to a hospital in Tel Aviv where several kids sponsored by Shevet Achim were receiving treatment and surgeries for heart defects.
At the hospital we met up with Guron and his wife Rebecca, the Iraq liaison for Shevet Achim. There were some surgery complications with Hamza (http://www.shevet.org/hamza/ ) one of the Shevet children, so we stayed at the hospital with Hamza’s grandmother for a few hours waiting to hear if his status would change.

While at the hospital I was able to get a brief tour of the pediatrics unit, including the pediatric intensive care unit, and meet several of the other patients sponsored by Shevet Achim including Akram (http://shevet.org/akram/ ) who beat me in a game of Uno during our visit! During the process of losing the Uno game, I learned how to say several colors in Kurdish: green – saos, blue – sheen, red – sur, and yellow – zur!

After our visit at the hospital in Tel Aviv, we left for the Shevet Achim headquarters in Jerusalem. As soon as we arrived there we met up with a couple visiting from Egypt and Jonathan offered to drive them through Bethlehem and invited me along. So I ran inside, put my bags upstairs, and then got back in the car and we went driving through Jerusalem and Bethlehem for a few hours. My head was just about falling off my shoulders by the time we got back to Shevet Achim! Then we all had dinner and I was able to meet several of the other staff members.

Saturday, May 23:
Today was the Sabbath and I had the pleasure of walking down to Christ Church in the Old City to attend a Messianic Jewish church service in the morning. I was also able to walk around both the Muslim and Christian quarters of the Old City for a brief period of time and observe social interactions within these two cultures.

Sunday, May 24:
I spent a large portion of today with Mohammed (http://www.shevet.org/mohammediraq/) playing, dancing, singing, and laughing as his ridiculous antics! He is definitely the charmer with a huge mischievous grin and a rambunctious twinkle in his eye. His scheduled heart surgery date has been delayed so he will be living here at Shevet for another week and I look forward to getting to spend more time with him!

I also attended my first staff meeting today and had a bit of training! It sounds like I will be doing mainly office work, house work, and family care for the first month that I am here. The children going in for heart surgeries live at the Shevet Achim facility, along with their families, before being admitted to the hospital. Depending on the amount of people staying here at one time, that entails a lot of work! I will be doing anything from writing up grocery lists, cleaning the house, financial paperwork, watching children, and helping to transport patients. After the first month I will probably be focusing a lot more on hospital visitations, transportations, and family support at the hospitals.

The adventure has officially begun!