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Blessing Brings Blessing

October 22, 2018

Jesus (Yeshua) taught us an important principle in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” The gospels also tell the story of a rich young ruler who came to Him with questions about obtaining eternal life. As part of the conversation, Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. In Matthew 25 when Jesus talks about the judgment of the nations, He says we will be judged according to how we treated the “least” of His brothers (vv. 40, 45). In fact, taking care of the needy is a constant thread in the Bible. In Isaiah 58:10–11 we read: “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”

I believe this is one of the reasons God has blessed Bridges for Peace, our team members and our faithful donors. At Bridges for Peace we reach out a hand of love to the needy in Israel every day. Many of them are new immigrants, their children and grandchildren, who have come from the four corners of the earth because their spirits heard the call of the Lord, as recorded by the biblical prophets. We also minister to many Holocaust survivors, who receive regular food gifts and visits from our Christian volunteers.

• Hannah lost her family in the Holocaust, so she was the only person to survive and start over on life.
• Rivka from Latvia ran barefoot with her family through the forest in the dead of night in a desperate attempt to flee the Nazis and reach safety in Russia. In the dark, her father was lost and all they heard was the shot that killed him.
• Rose thinks we carry sunshine into her apartment along with the food we deliver.
• Maya from Kiev lost most of her family in the massacre of Babi Yar, where 33,000 Jews were systematically lined up, shot and buried (many alive). Maya and her mother survived. After the war, she came to Israel with her 80-year-old mother; her husband, who was dying of cancer; and her daughter, who is mentally handicapped. Maya was the caretaker for all three, so she couldn’t go to language school to learn Hebrew or work. Both her mother and husband have since died, and she feels terribly alone. She also continues to care for her daughter single-handedly. Maya now suffers from a lung disease that has her hooked up to an oxygen tank and can’t leave the house much. She appreciates the visits and companionship from our team as much as she does the food. As we left her apartment, she said in Russian, “Tell the people that I say thank you for not forgetting me! Thank you that you didn’t just forget me.”

Can you imagine? The food parcels we bring across the doorstep, the time we spend sitting on shabby sofas in tiny apartments, the gnarled hands we hold as they share their hearts! This is about so much more than chicken, milk, vegetables or comfort for the elderly. Many Holocaust survivors believe the atrocities and terror they experienced were perpetrated by Christians. Now, after the hurt, it is our call and our privilege as Christians to carry sunshine with our food parcels into their small, meager apartments to bring them unconditional love, comfort and companionship, to show them the heart of God and represent you–Christians who love God and want to minister to the Jewish people.

We do it because we love Jesus (Yeshua). We give our lives to the ministry because we know that partnering with God is the most amazing privilege. In return, God blesses! Thank you for being part of our team. Together we are touching lives in deep and meaningful ways, changing attitudes of those deeply scarred by past pain and reflecting the Lord Himself in our daily actions. Your gifts to our Food Project make it possible for us to bring sunshine, encouragement and love to the least of the brothers of Jesus.

Blessings from Israel,

Rebecca J. Brimmer

International President and CEO

Photo Credit: Hannah Taylor/bridgesforpeace.com