Words Are Not Enough

October 30, 2005

Golda is only about 4’10” (1.46 meters) tall, and the “sons,” who are well over six feet (1.83 meters) tall, tower over her. She jokes about how much they eat and then, on a more somber note, says she doesn’t know how they would survive without the help they receive from our food bank.

Sonya, an immigrant from France, writes, “Thank you very much because you helped me when I really needed it, and, when you gave to me (abundantly, I have to say) the bags of food; in fact, you gave to me something else too—hope, comfort, and love. Thank you again and thank you for your difficult work and your love for the whole people in Israel, mainly people in distress.”

Golda and Sonya are only two out of the more than 25,000 who receive food from us on a monthly basis. As I write this letter, I see their faces in my mind. I remember the hugs I have received and the words of gratitude. How I wish you could experience the same.

As I sit at my desk, I bow my head and ask the Lord, “How can I communicate with our friends around the world the ministry and needs of the Bridges for Peace food bank?” Words seem inadequate to communicate love, smiles, hugs, and happy children. Words cannot convey the heartache that our volunteer staff encounters daily. How can words express the anxiety we see in the eyes of immigrants who wonder how they will be able to feed their families this month, while studying Hebrew, and looking for jobs? Can my words convey the despair of parents whose children don’t have enough to eat?

The statistics are frightening. Twenty-five percent of Israelis live below the poverty line. Nearly one in three children live in poverty. This is an unbelievably high number, but it doesn’t put a face onto their very real tragedies. You can’t see, from a number, a child who doesn’t want to go to school because she’s ashamed of her clothing or doesn’t have the books for her classes. A statistic doesn’t portray the despair of Sarah—severely wounded in a terror attack, in which contaminates entered her wounds, causing cancer and making it impossible for her to work. When she came to us for emergency help, she was at risk of becoming one of the increasing numbers of homeless in Israel.

A Difficult Job

Our Christian staff members meet Israelis with desperate situations all the time. Their job is very difficult because they cannot meet all the needs. Operation Ezra Israel Programs Director Pieter Marais is frequently leading our staff in prayer for an increased food budget. In recent months, we have seen less giving for the food project, limiting our distribution of food. Pieter is the one who has to turn people away every week because there is simply not enough money to meet all the needs. “It is heartbreaking to turn them away. Some of them are old and so tired we give them chairs to sit on,” he says with a sad look in his eyes.

Daily, we receive heartbreaking requests from individuals and organizations. We have to turn away many of them simply for lack of funds. We are careful with our spending, working on a shoestring budget with volunteer workers to insure that more funds can be used to minister to the people. But, there are so many more that we want to touch with Christian love and care.

With the exception of a few Israeli team members, the Bridges for Peace staff in Israel have left family and homes in other lands to come here and minister to the people of Israel. They are literally giving their lives for the Lord and His call. Living in rented apartments, at a much lower standard then they enjoyed in their home countries, they are blessed in reaching out and touching the people of Israel.

Be a Part of Our Team

Although you probably will not be able to join us as volunteers, you can be a vital part of our team through your prayers and financial support. As you thank the Lord for the blessings He has bestowed on you, please remember His beloved family, the Jewish people. As God brings His covenant people back to Israel, He has given us the awesome privilege of helping provide for their needs.

“What does it profit my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead” (James 2:14–17, NKJ).

Your gift shows the love of Yeshua (Jesus) in a tangible way, which speaks much louder than words. Please give generously so that more can be blessed with food and love.