Our friend David from Gaza, who is a student at the Bible College and getting a degree in Christian theology, left Bethlehem to visit his mom and little brother in Ramallah (his dad is still in Gaza). While on his way back he was caught at a checkpoint with expired permission to be in the West Bank and has been in prison for over a week now. Although he was traveling from one Palestinian area to another (both within the West Bank) he was arrested and is now being held in a jail cell in near Hebron awaiting a decision from the court to see if he will be allowed to return to Bethlehem to continue his studies or if he will be returned to Gaza, blacklisted, and never able to leave from Gaza again. If he returns to Gaza, his life may be in danger there.
David is a passionate Christian who will tell anyone and everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ. This was not acceptable to some Muslims before he left and it won’t be welcome if he returns. Nevertheless, David will share the love of Christ, even if it means death - just as it has for others. David represents many people of Gaza who have left, their permission expired, and have not been able to make it back to Gaza. The frustrating part of all of this is that these are all Palestinian areas that we are speaking of here (Gaza & the West Bank). Yet, the Israelis have set up internal checkpoints within the West Bank to restrict travel between Palestinian autonomously controlled areas such as Jericho, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Ramallah.
We are not allowed to visit David, but we have sent a care package to him that his attorney (a Palestinian Christian who serves on the college’s board) was hopefully able to deliver. We included a small Arabic New Testament with the Psalms (thank you Gideons), letters of encouragement, and, of course, some snacks. We hoped that all of these items were allowed in, but we weren't sure if the Bible would be. We had told the attorney that if these items are not able to be given to David then to please give them to the soldiers and to the other prisoners if possible because we are sure that David would have shared with them anyway.
We also sent a separate small care package for the soldiers there at the prison. We know from talking to many of them and from reading some of their testimonies (found in "Breaking the Silence") that many of them would rather be somewhere else and many times would rather not be in the army at all. There is universal conscription (all men and women must serve in the IDF as soon as they are 17 or 18 years old - whenever they graduate from high school). Even if they do want to be there, that is not necessarily a bad thing and they also need to be loved regardless.
Our friend David is physically imprisoned but many of those imprisoning them are also imprisoned themselves - imprisoned in the army, imprisoned by hate, imprisoned by fear, and imprisoned by the wrong they have done (as we all once were before Christ). By showing the love of Christ to them, hopefully they will find the freedom found only in Jesus Christ – freedom from the wrong that they have done, freedom from hate, and freedom from fear. With Christ, soldiers will have a new purpose in the army to not only serve their country, but to first and foremost serve their God. The soldier will have the freedom in Christ to be a compassionate soldier who makes a lasting difference in the lives of many.
Please pray that David will be able to return to Bethlehem to finish his semester studying Christian theology. Pray for the others from Gaza that are in the West Bank "illegally" who live in constant fear of being caught – fear that restricts their daily lives. Also, pray for a more just peace between Israelis and Palestinians that will allow basic rights of travel within the Palestinian territories.
David is a passionate Christian who will tell anyone and everyone about the Lord Jesus Christ. This was not acceptable to some Muslims before he left and it won’t be welcome if he returns. Nevertheless, David will share the love of Christ, even if it means death - just as it has for others. David represents many people of Gaza who have left, their permission expired, and have not been able to make it back to Gaza. The frustrating part of all of this is that these are all Palestinian areas that we are speaking of here (Gaza & the West Bank). Yet, the Israelis have set up internal checkpoints within the West Bank to restrict travel between Palestinian autonomously controlled areas such as Jericho, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Ramallah.
We are not allowed to visit David, but we have sent a care package to him that his attorney (a Palestinian Christian who serves on the college’s board) was hopefully able to deliver. We included a small Arabic New Testament with the Psalms (thank you Gideons), letters of encouragement, and, of course, some snacks. We hoped that all of these items were allowed in, but we weren't sure if the Bible would be. We had told the attorney that if these items are not able to be given to David then to please give them to the soldiers and to the other prisoners if possible because we are sure that David would have shared with them anyway.
We also sent a separate small care package for the soldiers there at the prison. We know from talking to many of them and from reading some of their testimonies (found in "Breaking the Silence") that many of them would rather be somewhere else and many times would rather not be in the army at all. There is universal conscription (all men and women must serve in the IDF as soon as they are 17 or 18 years old - whenever they graduate from high school). Even if they do want to be there, that is not necessarily a bad thing and they also need to be loved regardless.
Our friend David is physically imprisoned but many of those imprisoning them are also imprisoned themselves - imprisoned in the army, imprisoned by hate, imprisoned by fear, and imprisoned by the wrong they have done (as we all once were before Christ). By showing the love of Christ to them, hopefully they will find the freedom found only in Jesus Christ – freedom from the wrong that they have done, freedom from hate, and freedom from fear. With Christ, soldiers will have a new purpose in the army to not only serve their country, but to first and foremost serve their God. The soldier will have the freedom in Christ to be a compassionate soldier who makes a lasting difference in the lives of many.
Please pray that David will be able to return to Bethlehem to finish his semester studying Christian theology. Pray for the others from Gaza that are in the West Bank "illegally" who live in constant fear of being caught – fear that restricts their daily lives. Also, pray for a more just peace between Israelis and Palestinians that will allow basic rights of travel within the Palestinian territories.
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David (in the baseball cap) along with our other friend Joseph (also from Gaza) teaching us arabic during our first few weeks here. They also showed us around the town, helped us find out much needed information, welcomed us, and were wonderful friends to us when we had none.
David, thank you for these updates. This is exactly what we need to hear. I pray Isaiah 19, from the middle of that chapter until the end. This is powerful! If you have the time, tell me what you think. Our love to you both. May God allow David to be released & the soldiers be feed spirtually. May God bring you through your travels without problems. We are praying for Misty's Mom. Hope to see you both in the near future.
ReplyDeleteBev Tighe