Emotional and Spiritual Health

Download PDF Version Here

Dear Friend,

I started a letter in mid-November, but events have kept me from ever finishing it up. I feel as if there’s been a flood of things which demand immediate attention but which keep me from what’s most important. I’m sure you’ve experienced this kind of pressure at times and you know how wearying it can be.

Thankfully, we’ve been able to fix a leak in the upstairs bathroom. The leak had caused damage to Elishua’s old room, so we cleaned and repaired it, and moved Roni in. All the girls had been together up until then, so it’s been organized to be Leeya and Shir’s room. We survived initial negotiations with our fellow apartment owners and a contractor regarding the total replacement of our building. Unfortunately, the options are not satisfactory to anyone, so there are further negotiations and some rather difficult, big decisions ahead of us.

The real challenges, however, are the emotional ones. In November the grandgirls were invited to a birthday party where they watched the film “The Wild Robot”. Leeya ran out sobbing into Heidi’s arms, “The bird didn’t say ‘goodbye.’ I didn’t get to say goodbye to mommy.” Roni began crying inconsolably in her fourth-grade class which was singing a song about those who’ve died in wars, “They (her classmates) don’t understand how sad the song is! When people die, they never come back.”

Up in the mountains near Karlsrühe, enjoying the snow!

In December we received a psychologist’s report diagnosing Roni as being on the Autistic Spectrum. While it did not come as a surprise to us, the details of the report were difficult to absorb. And while it will mean that she will receive help in the area of social interaction and emotional understanding, it will also mean making further changes to accommodate her needs.

Also our personal emotional and spiritual health has been a challenge. Hannah has been ready to help out when we need back-up and also took care of the girls so that we could attend the “Preach the Word/Shepherd the Flock” conference sponsored by The Joshua Fund. The conference brought together Messianic leaders from around Israel for three days of teaching and fellowship. For us it was a wonderful break! And we found a babysitter for other occasions like for our weekly family counseling meetings.

We took the Christmas/Hanukkah break to visit Elishua in Karlsrühe, Germany. Being in a new culture with no friends isn’t easy, especially as he deals with his emotions. Thankfully, he has found an evangelical congregation that provides English translation. We were able to visit and enjoy their Christmas Eve and Sunday morning services. We connected with a number of the people there, met some of the leaders and are grateful that Elishua has found a faith community. We were to be able to assist him in moving from temporary university housing into a permanent apartment while there. The grandgirls loved seeing him and he them.

Josiah was convicted of murder (without Special Circumstances) in early December and is scheduled for a pre-sentencing hearing on January 29th. As those most effected by Dasha’s murder, the court asked that we be interviewed regarding the impact on the grandchildren. The interview was very difficult emotionally, reviewing the past almost two years and the devastation that Josiah’s actions have had on all our lives. It is also difficult for him as he prepares what he will say to the court and anticipates what he will hear there.

Dasha’s murder brought to the surface intense emotions that were ignored by Hannah, Elishua and Noah following the murder of Abigail twenty years previously. While they have been working through them, it has become a matter of primary focus at present. It has been encouraging to see the progress that Hannah and Noah have been making through their personal and our family counseling times. But it also remains an intense concern and focus of prayer.

At Beit Eliyahu, services continue to be well attended. People seriously seeking God and their Messiah are joining us on Shabbat on a regular basis. Nof, a young woman who was displaced by the war, is one who recently expressed faith in Yeshua as her Messiah! There are others, many of whom have connected with us as a result of visiting the iGod website and interacting with the Israelis who follow up with them online.

But as leaders we’ve been attempting to engage our congregation more in prayer and our home groups. We started the year during Yom HaKippurim with a day of prayer and fasting led by several of our young adults. While this and Shabbat services have been well attended, we struggle to get 10 to 12 to join us in prayer on Monday evening.

Damage from a missile that landed a few blocks from us.

The number of our Home Groups have grown, but a lot who are signed up for one of these groups rarely attend. It seems that many are experiencing a soul weariness. The pressures of the war (physical and emotional) can at times be overwhelming and the need for supernatural strength is evident in the lives of many.

The young adults group added a couple of new leaders.Fellowship is a main focus for many, but the leaders view it as a key part of our congregation’s discipleship efforts. Messages and discussions have dealt with forgiving others, developing personal vision, and knowing God’s will in making decisions. The young adults seem to be responding, with about 25 in attendance at the meetings.

As you continue to pray for us, please be asking the Lord to:

• Comfort the grandgirls as they each understand the loss of their mother and father more. Shir is only now understanding that her mother is never coming back while Leeya struggles with partings. Roni is working on the interaction of good and evil in our lives.

• Provide the right learning environment for Roni as we begin to tackle the communication and social understanding issues she faces.

• Give Hannah, Elishua and Noah the emotional strength to continue working through the barriers they are facing.

• Continue to lead and direct our congregation as it grows with spiritual and emotional health individually as well as a community.

We appreciate your faithful prayers on our behalf. The Scripture’s promises for rest, strength and peace are made real in our lives as you intercede on our behalf. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Yours in the Messiah,

Phil and Heidi