Shabbat Shalom
Dear Family,
I am very sorry that this is the first Shabbat Letter since we arrived back here in Israel. Things since we have returned have been good, but very challenging for Callie and me. Our trip back to the States was amazing, and we were so blessed to be able to see many of you. We were blessed in so many ways and we came back to Israel very refreshed. Our entry back into Israel was another story entirely. Callie and I were both sick and jet-lagged for the first week we were here. As soon as that was over, we received the news from our doctor that Callie has gestational diabetes. We had no idea what that in-tailed, so as you can imagine, we were both stunned by the news. It took us both a while to get through the shock, but with the help of family and our doctor, we are in a very good place now to walk out the rest of this pregnancy. Please pray for us and our baby. Since it was caught early, and it is being treated appropriately, there is no reason why our boy shouldn't have a completely normal birth. Having said this, we still covet your prayers concerning this matter.
There is always a lot going on here in Israel, but we have been experiencing relative calm for a while now. The Obama Administration has had way to much to do domestically to try and leverage something in this part of the world. On one hand that is good for Israel, because the unrealistic expectations placed on Israel by this administration were to the detriment of both people groups involved. On the other hand, Iran continues on in its quest for nuclear weapons, but now without America's strong voice of opposition. It seems like the West is now believing in the inevitability of a nuclear Iran and are doing nothing to hamper the efforts by this extremist nation. Please pray that Israel would have wisdom and fortitude to face this growing problem. It seems as though the world is say to Israel, "this is your problem, you can deal with it."
I have been amazingly blessed by being married, that I feel like I could talk for days about it. The Lord has given me a wonderful woman who constantly reminds me of the grace and compassion that God has stored up for us. She reflects these things to me each day and I am so very thankful for it. I have also found out just how helpless being married can make me feel. I am sure many of you men will chuckle and say, "Just wait until your son gets here!" Yes, I am aware that there will be many things that I will realize as soon as my son arrives, but that does not take away from the lessons I need to learn right now when it comes to feeling helpless. This is one thing that I know terrifies all men. Men are fixers and we are convinced that there is always a way to fix a situation with the right action, word, or idea. When there is a problem, we believe that there is always a solution we can bring to the table. In reference to a family, this notion of a solution comes from our God given feeling to provide for and protect them. It comes from a good place, but can have some horrible results if applied to every situation. The truth of the matter is, there is an answer to every problem. The solution is the Lord Yeshua Himself. HE is the Word of the Lord made flesh, so it would follow that every problem man has can be solved, if Yeshua is allowed to breath on it a little. We all need to live this reality more in our lives. There are so many problems that men and women face that sometimes we can get lost in them. God has given us skills and talents to solve some of these problems, but others must be taken care of through a total reliance on Him. I want so much much to not feel helpless in the face of a problem my family faces, but this is something the Lord uses to bring me to my knees. God gave us our mind and the gift of the Holy Spirit to grasp the truth of His Word. However, in the end there must be the realization that we don't ever bring forth the solution on our own. We are allowed to PARTICIPATE in God's perfect solution. It is about time we acknowledge this truth, and stop believing that we can fix things on our own. I pray this blessed you as it has me.
In Yeshua,
Devin and Callie
I am very sorry that this is the first Shabbat Letter since we arrived back here in Israel. Things since we have returned have been good, but very challenging for Callie and me. Our trip back to the States was amazing, and we were so blessed to be able to see many of you. We were blessed in so many ways and we came back to Israel very refreshed. Our entry back into Israel was another story entirely. Callie and I were both sick and jet-lagged for the first week we were here. As soon as that was over, we received the news from our doctor that Callie has gestational diabetes. We had no idea what that in-tailed, so as you can imagine, we were both stunned by the news. It took us both a while to get through the shock, but with the help of family and our doctor, we are in a very good place now to walk out the rest of this pregnancy. Please pray for us and our baby. Since it was caught early, and it is being treated appropriately, there is no reason why our boy shouldn't have a completely normal birth. Having said this, we still covet your prayers concerning this matter.
There is always a lot going on here in Israel, but we have been experiencing relative calm for a while now. The Obama Administration has had way to much to do domestically to try and leverage something in this part of the world. On one hand that is good for Israel, because the unrealistic expectations placed on Israel by this administration were to the detriment of both people groups involved. On the other hand, Iran continues on in its quest for nuclear weapons, but now without America's strong voice of opposition. It seems like the West is now believing in the inevitability of a nuclear Iran and are doing nothing to hamper the efforts by this extremist nation. Please pray that Israel would have wisdom and fortitude to face this growing problem. It seems as though the world is say to Israel, "this is your problem, you can deal with it."
I have been amazingly blessed by being married, that I feel like I could talk for days about it. The Lord has given me a wonderful woman who constantly reminds me of the grace and compassion that God has stored up for us. She reflects these things to me each day and I am so very thankful for it. I have also found out just how helpless being married can make me feel. I am sure many of you men will chuckle and say, "Just wait until your son gets here!" Yes, I am aware that there will be many things that I will realize as soon as my son arrives, but that does not take away from the lessons I need to learn right now when it comes to feeling helpless. This is one thing that I know terrifies all men. Men are fixers and we are convinced that there is always a way to fix a situation with the right action, word, or idea. When there is a problem, we believe that there is always a solution we can bring to the table. In reference to a family, this notion of a solution comes from our God given feeling to provide for and protect them. It comes from a good place, but can have some horrible results if applied to every situation. The truth of the matter is, there is an answer to every problem. The solution is the Lord Yeshua Himself. HE is the Word of the Lord made flesh, so it would follow that every problem man has can be solved, if Yeshua is allowed to breath on it a little. We all need to live this reality more in our lives. There are so many problems that men and women face that sometimes we can get lost in them. God has given us skills and talents to solve some of these problems, but others must be taken care of through a total reliance on Him. I want so much much to not feel helpless in the face of a problem my family faces, but this is something the Lord uses to bring me to my knees. God gave us our mind and the gift of the Holy Spirit to grasp the truth of His Word. However, in the end there must be the realization that we don't ever bring forth the solution on our own. We are allowed to PARTICIPATE in God's perfect solution. It is about time we acknowledge this truth, and stop believing that we can fix things on our own. I pray this blessed you as it has me.
In Yeshua,
Devin and Callie
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