WITH MAN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT WITH GOD
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. (MATTHEW 19:26)

EAR SURGERY RESULTS

Yesterday was the first day of the Israeli school year, and true to fashion, Ami had a double appointment in the Ear, Nose and Throat Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital. He was able to go to school for 2 hours, and then we picked him up and went straight to his appointments.

First, Ami had a hearing test, and then an appointment with the surgeon who had operated on Ami's ear. All of this took much patience and waiting on line for three hours, but in the end, we found out that the surgery was 100% successful and Ami's has had significant improvement in his hearing. The numbers are 20 decibels improvement in the left ear, if that means something to someone. We told the surgeon, "Thank the Lord, and thank you!" We told him that we had been told there was only 60% chance of success that the operation would succeed, and he said

We are so grateful to the Lord and to you for praying with us! There was one down side to the visit, however. The surgeon showed us on the hearing test that he has loss of hearing high tones which he says will never improve, in other words, permanent hearing loss in that range. He said a hearing aid could improve that, and when he mentioned it I saw Ami's reaction, on his face and body language, saying: Forget about it!

We don't receive those diagnoses, because we know that "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible", (Matt. 19: 26) And when the Body of Messiah is praying in unity, nothing can stand in God's way! On the way home we were listening to one of the CD's that Joel Rosenberg's sons gave Ami, (Ami was really touched by the gift.) One of the songs on the new Newsboys CD says , "He's a builder, restorer and redeemer". That encouraged us at that moment, because the Lord has certainly been that and more in our lives since March 20, 2008.

PLEASE PRAY

We would very much appreciate your continued prayer for complete restoration of Ami's hearing. We remember other predictions, like - he will never be able to run as fast as he could before, or jump as high. The other day in basketball practice, Ami came in first in a race, after four months of no physical activity at all! He consistently either wins or comes in second in races in gym class in school, and he also jumps higher than ever before!

Please pray for complete restoration of the left hand as well. He is doing well with that, is training hard at basketball which should help, and needs to continue with his exercises. He said, "it's been harder getting back in shape this time in basketball. I must be getting old!" This spoken from the mouth of a seventeen year old. Indeed, Ami was out of practice for four months, but he managed to grow another centimeter during that time. He now is 1.98 meters or 6 feet 6 inches and has to stoop down to walk through the door!

Please pray for the court date, September 5th. We're hoping that the trial will begin on that day. I will, God willing, update you as soon as possible after that date because we are usually very busy with media interviews afterwards. Please pray that we would honor the Lord in these interviews.

Yours in Messiah

Leah

AMI UPDATE

This article appeared today on Ynet.co.il:

http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3946310,00.html

Teitel deemed fit to stand trial

New psychiatric evaluation contradicts initial evaluation which determined that 'Jewish terrorist' is mentally ill. 'Teitel was responsible for his actions when he committed them,' district psychiatrist rules
Aviad Glickman

A psychiatric evaluation submitted to the Jerusalem District Court determined that "Jewish terrorist" Yaakov (Jack) Teitel, who was indicted for murdering Arabs and attempting to hurt Prof. Ze'ev Sterhell is fit to stand trial and was responsible for his actions, Ynet learned Monday.

This evaluation contradicts an initial evaluation submitted to the court three months ago, which stated that Teitel's mental state may not allow for trial to proceed. He was later sent to a different hospital for another evaluation.

Teitel has been hospitalized at the Magen hospital for the past three months, and a hearing on his matter is expected to take place next week.

His lawyer, Attorney Asher Ohayon, said in response to the new evaluation: "We will study the evaluation and respond to it as part of the court discussions.

After the first evaluation was submitted, Teitel said upon entering the courtroom, "I don't know if I'm insane. I don't recognize this court's authority."

Teitel was indicted in November 2009 on 14 different counts. The 37-year-old resident of the settlement of Shvut Rachel was indicted for the murder of Palestinian taxi driver, Samir Balbisi, in June 1997, and the murder of a Palestinian shepherd a few months later. He was also charged with laying an explosive device next to a Palestinian home near the West Bank settlement of Eli.

The indictment also charged that Teitel attempted to poison Palestinian residents of an isolated village near Eli. He was also indicted for attempting to murder Ami Ortiz, the son of a Messianic family living in Ariel, when he sent an explosive device disguised as a Purim gift to their home. In addition, he was charged with placing a bomb next to Prof. Zeev Sternhell's home.

PLEASE PRAY

We are happy that the trial will be able to proceed. Thank you for praying in this direction.

We will be in contact as events unfold. We had a wonderful visit today from Joel Rosenberg and his lovely wife and children who are all here, visiting Israel. They had a meeting with our Mayor, Ron Nachman, and then came to our house to touch base and for lunch. We love hearing Joel's interesting stories, and we were able to share with the family some of the strange and wonderful things that happen around here as well.

Please keep on praying for truth to be revealed in the court case. Thank you again for standing with us every step of the way.

In Yeshua,

Leah

This is a must see video especially in light of the controversy over the building of an Islamic Center on Ground Zero in New York City.

Muslim Demographics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU&feature=search

2 Chronicles 7:14

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

AMI NEWS

Ami has continued to heal from his operations, and is back in basketball practice. He was released from all of his therapies for his hand, and continues to do exercises on his own. The surgeon said that as far as he is concerned, the hand surgery was a success. The question is if Ami is satisfied. Ami said that he is satisfied. He has range of motion and strength in the hand he didn't have before. We will go back to the ear surgeon on September 1st.

In the meantime, Ami is getting ready for the new school year which will be his last year of high school. Because he will not be inducted into the army because of the injuries he sustained, we are praying about what to do after he graduates. In Israel, all 18 year olds are inducted into the army, both male and female. Girls serve for 2 years and boys for 3. It is a big hiatus in the lives of these young people, and some don't survive as Israel is in a constant state of war, if not cross border than within our own borders.

All of my children served in the army in different capacities, and two were combat soldiers. Ami didn't want to serve if it wasn't in a combat unit, and he was able to get a release from army service as he wasn't eligible for combat duty because of his injuries. I can't say that he was happy, it is deemed an honorable thing to serve in the IDF and it is a common experience that all Israeli youth share. It causes them to mature in a very short time, and to take responsibility. There have been studies done on the fact that so many start up businesses succeed in Israel that become successful international businesses because of the army experience and background.

Ami's heart desire is to continue with basketball on a more professional level and to study. Please pray for open doors and direction.

COURT CASE

Our next hearing in the Jack Teitel case is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2010. Please pray that a decision will finally be made on whether he is able to stand trial at this time. The waiting is hard but the long period of testing is also highly irregular according to our lawyer. He spoke to two court psychiatrists who told him that having Teitel in the hospital for over 6 months for testing by the court is unheard of. We appreciate your prayers for right judgement, and for the trial to begin.

LAST DAYS WEATHER

There's much going on in Israel at this time, and of course our main worry is Iran, which is not only a threat to our country, but to the world. We need to be praying for our country's leaders because no matter who they are and what they believe, the Lord can speak to them and give them Light and Wisdom. We need to prepare our hearts for whatever will come upon this earth.

Israeli's are interesting people. Whenever we talk about the climate changes in the world, I tell them that I beleive we are experiencing "last days weather". They readily agree and many say that it is because of our sins that the world is falling apart! It gives good opportunity for discussion. There is so much happening at this time, but it will wait for another update.

We appreciate you and the fellowship that we share in the Messiah!

In Yeshua,

Leah

Shalom to all! Two days ago, as missiles were being launched from Gaza onto Israeli territory in the South, and a sniper attack was being carried out by Lebanese soldiers against IDF soldiers in the north, we went back to the hospital with Ami for a check up. Three weeks have indeed passed since Ami's ear operation, and yesterday we went back to the surgeon who removed all the bandages from inside the ear. He said that the hole is closed and all looks good!! However he cautioned us that we still have 3 weeks to wait for a final conclusion - the process is not completed yet - and so Ami still has to be very careful. We go back in 3 weeks for a hearing test and another examination - and so we continue to pray for total success! Ami had been feeling that itching in the ear which signals healing, and so we knew that prayer was again moving the hand of God to heal. Thank you for faithfully standing with us yet once more.

Ami's therapies for the recovery for his hand have also been progressing well. We have only one more check up with the occupational therapist as she said he no longer needs their help, and the physical therapist has released Ami to work alone and to continue with the exercises which he has recommended. We'll go back in one more month for a final visit to that clinic as well, because it is being closed down! Unknowingly we were able to get in on the last days of treatment in this particular rehab center! The doctors who were managing it took keen interest in Ami's case and worked on both of his hands to instruct him how to work towards greater strength and flexibility. We are grateful for every bit of grace and favor that is continually poured out through all of our situations and difficulties.

COURT CASE

We are still in a holding pattern concerning the trial of Jack Teitel. The trial has not begun yet because of the psychiatric testing, and we are left to pray and seek as to what the Lord would have us do during this period if anything! In the meantime we are waiting and praying daily for Teitel and his family. My contact with his wife's sister is very limited although we see one another each week in Weight Watcher's, but she seems very wary of me. Nothing is ever in vain, and we have learned that we need to take every situation one day at a time, because the Lord is always working, even though our ability to see it is limited!! To us, it's as if He works behind the scenes , but in reality, it is in full view of heaven's hosts and to the glory of His Name and Kingdom alone! Praise the Lord!

In the case of Chaim Pearlman, suspects are continuing to be arrested, questioned and released, all members of the Kach movement who are followers of the now deceased Rabbi Meir Kahane. (Website on Kahane - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbi_Meir_Kahane)

One Rabbi that was arrested and interrogated was the author of the book "King Torah" which we've spoken about before - which condones the killing of the Jews' enemies by regular citizens, and even the murdering of their children. This exactly mimics the Koran, which also condones the killing of Islam's enemies' children as they will one day grow up to be enemies as well. So......... what is the difference? We have recognized for many years now that the demonic spirit of radicalism is the same across the board - hatred and murder, and it matters not if the person is Jew or Gentile. In the same way - the same Lord is the Lord of all, and it is He that we worship.

Romans 10:11-13

11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."[a]12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

FLORIDA VISIT

Last but certainly not least - my visit to my mother in Florida was very good, my sister and myself were able to speak about many important things, to laugh together and just enjoy being together. We were also blessed by a lunch date with my Mom's brother and sister, and their families, and it was the highlight of our trip. We miss our family in the U.S. very much, and when we can be together it is a rich experience for us.

Thank you for continuing to pray for us and Israel.

In Yeshua,

Leah

Shalom to everyone - There are two important links that I think would be worth your while to look into - one is an article in a Jewish online magazine called "The Tablet". It is a comprehensive article about Jack Teitel. We spent much time with the reporter and he did an interesting and enlightening job on the background and person of Teitel. The link is:

http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/32679/tytell/print/

The next link is to another excellent video by our friend Chaim Goldberg of the Maoz organization concerning the Beer Sheva court case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHgDXtcyCko

CHAIM PEARLMAN

In my last update I wrote, concerning the postponement of the hearing - "We pray that what needs to be brought out into the light will be revealed, because we believe that the Lord wants to do something bigger than what we can see at this time."

The next day Chaim Pearlman was arrested. He is accused of murdering at least two Palestinians in East Jerusalem in 1998 and wounding others. He is a member of an ultra- right wing outlawed organization called the Kach movement whose founder was Rabbi Meri Kahane. Pearlman has been arrested on minor misdemeanours in the years since the murders. He was very smart though - when he began to be visited by the Shin Bet (Israeli secret service) in the months before his arrest, he had the feeling he was about to be apprehended, and so he secretly recorded the meetings. He recorded 20 hours of alleged conversations with Shin Bet agents, and if nothing else, to us they have revealed a certain modus operandi which is exactly the same as the secret services dealings with Jack Teitel, and interesting similarities between Teitel's and Pearlman's activities..

Teitel murdered two Palestinians in 1997

Pearlman murdered at least two Palestinians in 1998

Teitel was interrogated by the Shin Bet on his involvement and released because of lack of evidence. This happened in 1997. Upon his return to Israel to make aliyah in 2000, he was again interrogated by the Shin Bet who asked him to be an informer of the far-right radical Jewish factions. He agreed, but later ties were cut because of lack of cooperation on his part.

Pearlman was interrogated in 2002 by the Shin Bet in connection with the murders that he carried out, but couldn't be arrested because of lack of evidence. He was offered money in order to become an informer of the same, but later on ties were cut because of lack of cooperation.

Twelve years passed until Teitel was arrested during which time he committed the rest of his violent crimes, including two attempted murders (one of which was planting a bomb in our house resulting in the critical wounding of Ami), and a string of other violent attempts on people's lives. During that time he collected a large weapons cache, ostensibly taught himself to manufacture bombs, got married and had 4 children.

Twelve years passed from the time Pearlman allegedly carried out his murders until he was arrested during which time he was active in right-wing radical groups and activates, got married and had 3 children.

Teitel was held in the Shin Bet's prison for several weeks after his arrest. He was denied access to a lawyer and a gag order was placed on the arrest details.

Pearlman is being held in the same prison, also has been denied visits by his lawyer but the judge denied the gag order request. Because of this, and because partial contents of the secret tapes were released to the press, we have this information.

A secret letter was delivered to the judge by the Police and Shin Bet in the case of Jack Teitel when we took the police to court to get back our confiscated security camera hard disc.

A secret letter from the same security agencies has been delivered to the judge presiding at this time over the Pearlman case.

MEDIA WAR

The Pearlman case is confusing to the Israeli public, as no one knows who is telling the truth-Pearlman or the Shin Bet! All we know is that there is always more than what meets the eye, and we are questioning more each day why Teitel has been hidden away in a mental institution for the past six months, with postponement after postponement by the district court psychiatrist, and why we haven't had the full cooperation or information sharing of any government legal or security service since the bomb went off in our house on March 20, 2008, critically wounding Ami.

Here is a link to an article concerning the Pearlman case:

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mess-report-shin-bet-challenged-by-cases-of-jewish-terror-1.302009

AMI NEWS AND PRAYER REQUESTS

Ami still suffers, and will live with consequences of Teitel's criminal act for the rest of his life on earth. The question as to what was behind all of this will be coming forth we believe, and we ask for prayer for the strength and wisdom to deal with it as it does. Please continue to pray for full recuperation for Ami from the two operations he just went through. Today we visited the ear surgeon who confirmed that there was no swelling or infection in the ear, and in two more weeks the bandages will be removed from inside the ear and we'll be able to see the results. Ami is suffering from headaches which radiate from the bottom of his neck into his head. He also has had constant ringing in his ears since the explosion, which the doctors have said will probably never disappear. We don't receive those diagnoses, because we know that the Father's divine plan for Ami is to glorify Himself with complete restoration despite all the odds. Thank you for believing with us, and for loving us the way Yeshua commanded us to love -

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:34-35

Yours in Yeshua,

Leah

Ami is recovering slowly from the operation, sleeping well, and eating as well as he can as he can only manage soft foods. The whole left side of his head and face hurt! But he's not a complainer, and is resting quietly, cooperating with all that needs to be done, and just waiting for it to all to pass, as by the grace of God, it always does. He thanks you all for your prayers, he said he is grateful that so many are praying for him after all this time! This situation has opened his heart and mind to other's suffering, and he realizes that there are many who pray faithfully for him that carry their own burdens of pain and suffering as well.

ANOTHER POSTPONEMENT

We were informed today by our lawyer that the hearing scheduled for tomorrow to determine Yakov Teitel's ability to stand trial has been postponed again by the psychiatrists until the beginning of September! There could be many reasons for this, but at any rate it is clear that the court psychiatrist is continuing to re-evaluate. Our lawyer said that the term - "psychotic state" which is what the psychiatrist has determined that Teitel is in, is like the flu in psychiatric terms - something that comes and goes, easily. All we can do is wait - since God is always working, we will give Him the glory and assume that it is all in His hands, and that no matter what the plan or scheme of the enemy of our souls, all things will work together for good. We continue to pray for Teitel and his family's salvation, for our lawyer, the judges, the families of the other victims, and all concerned with this case. We pray that what needs to be brought out into the light will be revealed, because we believe that the Lord wants to do something bigger than what we can see at this time.

In Yeshua,

Leah

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

We arrived at the hospital this morning at 7:30 AM, having risen with the birds at 6:00! Ami was one of the first taken into the operating room, but not before we were visited by the surgeon who in essence told us that if he had been the one to schedule this surgery, he wouldn't have scheduled the operation to be done with local anaesthetic, but would have chosen to do it with full anaesthetic - coming in from behind the ear which is much more painful and a much harder operation to recover from. He said that if the hole where the ear drum used to be is too big, he will send Ami home and schedule the other operation for several months from now.

Ami was wheeled in, and David and I began to read the Bible form our laptop - he was listening to an online study of the book of Revelation with earphones, and I was reading Matthew at the same time - Chapters 8, 9 and 10. As I began reading of all the healing miracles that Yeshua performed in His earthly ministry, my faith began to build - and I became confident in my spirit that the operation would take place. We read, listened and prayed, and after about an hour, I asked the operating nurse who came out for a minute if Ami was being operated on and she confirmed that he was. An hour and some more after that - the surgeon emerged and spoke to us. He said that the operation wasn't easy, but that he was able to repair some of the fine bones in the ear that had been damaged, and the hole was covered! He said that it remains to be seen if the flap will take hold of some of the edges - but here again, we know that with prayer all things are possible! He said that he is confident that Ami's hearing will be good if all goes well.

Thank you all for praying - and when you think of him, please to continue to pray for the next 3 weeks, as after that the bandage will be removed, and we'll see the results. Ami is staying overnight in the hospital - our 23 years old son Natan is staying with him, bless his heart. Ami should be released tomorrow morning, God willing. He is in a lot of pain, he said this has been the most painful operation he's gone through -but he's been sleeping for hours, and so this is good. My daughter lives about 10 minutes from the hospital, and before the operation Ami already asked her to make different kinds of soft foods for him which she prepared and delivered.

COURT DATE

We'd appreciate your prayers also for the next court hearing which will take place this Wednesday, July 14th, when hopefully the final evaluation of the psychiatrists will be presented and the judges will make their decision as to whether Jack Teitel is sane enough to stand trial at this time. We have so much going on at the same time that we are putting it all into the Lord's hands completely. We appreciate you so much for standing with us in all these battles - and truly the battle is the Lord's! (2Chron. 20) The battles are raging all over the world, and we need to stand for truth and battle in prayer and unity as soldiers of Yeshua.

SOME SCRIPTURES FROM MATTHEW 8, 9 AND 10

Matt. 8:-2-3

2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." (an interesting way to pray!) 3Yeshua reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

Matthew 8:8-13

8The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10When Yeshua heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

13Then Yeshua said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

Matthew 8:14-17

14When Yeshua came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."

Matthew 9:10-13

10While Yeshua was having dinner at Matthew's house; many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

12On hearing this, Yeshua said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

The chapter goes on and on with one healing after another, miracle after miracle - and my heart was thrilled and challenged to believe afresh and commit my life anew to this wonderful, miracle working Savior who loved us so much, that he Himself became a man and died on a cross, the blameless lamb of God, because it was the one and only way according to the plan of God from the very beginning, that we could be saved.

And then on top of everything, in Chapter 10 He makes his followers co-workers and partakers of the authority with which he did all these things........

Matthew 10:1

1He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Hallelujah!

Leah

Praise the  Lord - all is going forward in the strength and might of the Lord!  Ami was  able to start Occupational Therapy this week and immediately was fitted for a new brace that stretches the thumb away from the hand so he will have maximum movement and flexibility of the joint  He will need physical and occupational therapy at least once a week in two different locations  for about 2 months.  The physical therapist that the Lord led us to is working not only on the thumb, but on the restoration of strength in the whole hand.  It is really an answer to prayer.  Ami has very unique bone structures in both hands, and this therapist has taken an interest in improving the movement and strength in both.  What favor from the Lord! Both therapists are encouraged with the strength and movement that there already is, and are looking forward to helping him to further improve both.

EAR SURGERY 

Besides the daunting therapy schedules, he will be undergoing the left ear drum restoration this Sunday, God willing.  We went today to the post-op check up and to sign forms, etc.  The surgeon who did the first surgery is an older man who is very fond of Ami, tussling his hair, etc.  However, he wasn't going to be able to perform Sunday's surgery, and so he tried to convince us to put the operation off yet another couple of months so he could do it!!  We really didn't feel that this was what the Lord wanted, and so another surgeon who is vey accomplished, who just completed a fellowship in the U.S. in some complicated neurological ear surgical procedure will probably be the one to operate. Another  doctor who checked Ami in for the surgery checked  the right ear that was operated on one year ago.  He said that the job is so perfect you can't tell that there was an injury to the ear at all!! Thank  you Lord for the miraculous answer to prayer on the right ear drum.  All the doctors say that the operation on the  left ear will be....."tricky" to coin their words, as there doesn't appear to be much of a rim for the new ear drum to grab onto, it was all so badly damaged.

Please keep Ami, the surgery and the surgeon in your prayers this Sunday - the surgery will take place in the morning sometime between 7:30 AM and 12 noon our time, depending on the order of patients that they choose - sometimes they leave the more difficult surgeries for last.  Then Ami  will be staying one night in the hospital and we'll be able to bring him home the morning after - we also have film crews and others visiting  throughout the week, and then I will God willing be travelling to the U.S. for just one week for my mother's 88th birthday.  I will be going alone, please pray for travelling mercies and for the Lord to touch my mother's heart, and for her salvation.

A SPECIAL VISIT

We had a wonderful visit last month from our friend William J. Murray and his wife Nancy for only a few days.  He spoke in our Shabbat meeting, and gave a very sobering message.  Bill is the CEO of the Religious Freedom Coalition, an NGO which works in Washington, DC to protect Biblical values in our laws and government, and to help persecuted believers around the world.  He shared with us that the U.S. government is broke and borrowing large sums of money every minute of every day to finance their wars overseas.  They  borrow from their  enemies in essence - from China, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and although as a nation the U.S. used to be the world's police force, or watch dog, they no longer have the say they once did or the clout, because they are at the mercy of those lending them millions every day.  I encourage you to check out his website - http://www.rfcnet.org/news/default.asp The RFC has helped us with our legal fees very generously.  We are grateful for their love, support and prayer.
 
IN CLOSING 

Ami's schedule will be daunting for the next couple of weeks - please pray for healing of the operation, the scar from his latest surgery - the ear operation, the physical and occupational therapy, and of course total recovery, especially for full restoration of strength in the left hand.  Please pray for success in the ear drum restoration, that even though  that yet another miracle of restoration will take place.  Please pray for grace for Ami as the recovery from this operation was long and painful the last time.
Thank you for praying, for your wonderful emails of encouragement, and for sharing  your prayer requests with us -

In Yeshua's love and fellowship,

Leah

2 Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah.
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
-Psalm 3:2

I haven't been in touch in a very long time but you have all been on my mind. I wanted to share with you what has been happening with Ami - as you know he had his 13th operation - reconstruction of his thumb joint, and he is now in a hand brace and needs physical and occupational therapy. Eight days ago the pin that was holding the joint in place after the surgery in which a tendon was transferred to the joint was removed. We knew he was in trouble when as he sat on one of those stretcher like beds in the treatment room, the nurse brought in a pair of household pliers - the type you use to take a nail out of the wall, and placed it on a piece of sterile paper next to him! It was very painful, and took him at least an hour to recover from the procedure which was done without any local anaesthetic. But we are slowly getting the therapy that he needs, unfortunately it has taken longer than we wanted, and will criss-cross with the ear operation on July 11th. This will be the 14th operation which is an ear drum replacement - we have not been given good odds for this operation as the doctor said that the hole is so big, there is only a 60% chance that the graft will "take". A year ago the right ear was operated on and recently we did a hearing test and almost all the hearing in his right ear has been restored - that operation was given an 80% chance success rate and it was 100% successful- and we know that we serve a mighty God who never falters in any of His promises so we are praying for yet another miracle in the left ear!!!

TRIAL UPDATE

As you know, Jack Teitel has been deemed by the court district psychiatrist to be in a psychotic state at this time - meaning that he wasn't necessarily in that state when he committed his crimes, but at this time he is and therefore unable to stand trial. A hearing was set for early June in which the judges were expected to either accept or reject this evaluation. If they had accepted it, Teitel would be admitted to a psychiatric hospital and treated until he would be stable enough to stand trial, which entails an undetermined amount of time -it could be months or years. However, before the hearing took place, the psychiatrist asked for a postponement until July 14th - which the State prosecutor says is a good sign. In other words he is still being evaluated. We would appreciate prayer for full recovery from Ami's hand operation and success with the ear operation - and for Teitel to not be able to get away with a temporary psychosis plea so the trial can get underway already since this is a precedent setting case in Israel, and so believers in Israel will not have to live in fear of a similar attack happening to them.

I had an interesting encounter in my weight watchers group - I thought I recognized a new woman in the group, who was always sitting with the group that comes from the settlement that Jack Teitel is from. After the meeting, I approached the woman and asked her if she was Rivka Teitel's (Jack's wife's) sister - she is. We spoke about the situation, and she mentioned that her family feel as if they are his victim's also, that they weren't raised to hate and really knew nothing about his activities. She mentioned that her own daughter suffered a stroke (she must be very young), and her husband was in a shooting attack at around the same time as the attack in our home occurred. I believe he was blinded in that attack.

BEERSHEVA UPDATE

I'm sorry that I didn't report to you last month that the Beersheva case has ended with a decision by the judge against the Messianic believers, and the demand that they pay the legal fees of the defendants. Here is an excerpt from Howard Bass from the end of May, 2010:

Shalom Brothers and Sisters,

A verdict has been handed down by Judge Iddo Ruzin in our lawsuit filed against the Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yehuda Deri, and against the anti-Messianic organization, Yad L'Achim. The judge did exactly what we have been praying and hoping . . . that he would not do! Judge Ruzin has determined that the two defendants are innocent of any wrong-doing concerning the events before, during, and after 24 Dec 2005, and that we did not produce sufficient evidence to prove any personal liability on their part in our civil suit against them.

Judge Ruzin has ordered that we pay graded percentages of our claims against them for violations of Israeli law, attorneys' wages for their clients' defense, and the five appearances in court for the trial, for a total of approximately 155,000 ILS ($40,200). This miscarriage of justice is a sad commentary on the state of affairs, and should be seen, too, as a wake-up call to all who care for truth and righteousness.

We express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of you for your encouragements, prayers, praises to God, and financial contributions throughout this lawsuit to date. We believe, with many of you, that we were led by the Lord to enter into this lawsuit, and we have sought to honor the name of Yeshua. We believe that at least in this latter regard, we were successful: even the judge in his decision referred to the Lord as "Yeshua", and not by the acronym commonly used by many in this land. We understood from the outset that there was a risk involved in taking these particular defendants to court for what we still know they are liable.

We always believed, and still believe and accept, that the verdict is from the Lord, and it is for us to discern what He is saying to us through it.

Glory to the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel.

PLEASE PRAY

We ask you to pray for continued wisdom, strength and supply for Howard and Randi Bass and Kehilat Nachalat Yeshua in Beer Sheva. They are stalwart soldiers for the Lord, and real servants of the Lord and the Body of Messiah in Israel.

We have been enjoying visits from many friends from around the world - we will be quite busy this whole month with many commitments but I will write after Ami's operation. From our past experience, there will be a bandage inside the ear for 3 weeks, which when it is removed, will reveal whether the operation succeeded. Prayer is vital at this time.

Thank you for your prayers and love,

Leah