I awoke in the middle of a cold winter night and was too warm and comfortable to go back to sleep, knowing that Arad’s 3 homeless guys were somewhere cold and miserable. The next mourning I told Lura about my sleeplessness and that on real cold nights I may have to open the chess club for the homeless, meaning that on such nights I would have to sleep there with them.

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Lura didn’t like the idea of me thinking about working day and night! She immediately came up with a Holy Ghost solution. She said, “Why don’t we buy them sleeping bags?”

Yah; that was the perfect answer! The 3 homeless guys happen to be Russian / Jews. Winters in Arad compared to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Siberia, etc. is nothing! These guys could make it!

Well, that winter we purchased sleeping bags and the guys are alive to tell about it.

Anyhow, yesterday a Bedouin homeless friend of ours showed up at the storefront. We haven’t seen him for about 1 ½ years. If fact, the last time we saw him, he was picked up off the streets and placed in a mental home outside of Beersheva.

We used to visit him, until one day he escaped and eventually showed up at our door. A week or so later, he was apprehended by the police, and that was about 1 ½ years ago.

Well, it was wonderful seeing him again! He extended his right hand, which I ignored giving him a big bear hug instead. We had a cup of coffee, just like the good old days. He managed to somehow ask me if I had an old blanket that he could use!

That was yesterday; and today Lura and I went out and purchased 2 sleeping bags, one for our friend and one to keep on hand.

Partners! In the past we have given this man a Bible in Arabic. He expressed that he could read, but could not see the fine print so we ended up giving him a pair of Dollar Store reading glasses.

Well it looks like we will have to fix him up again this year: a sleeping bag, a Bible, a pair of Dollar Store glasses, and the Gospel.

P.S. In the past, this very same Bedouin was not allowed to eat at the soup kitchen behind us, because it’s a ministry for the Jews (Jews only)!