Shalom!
What's most important? Where do I start? So much has happened!
First, let me be clear: we evangelize! We give the Good News to whoever will listen! This is our reason for living- to glorify Y'shua and spread the news of the Kingdom of God. The devil hates us, but God loves us and that's all that matters
This evening, Steve was passing out literature and Eddie was filming when a drunk orthodox Jew began harassing Eddie and tried to grab his camera. He hit Eddie several times and Eddie pushed him back. The police arrested Eddie and are holding him in jail and confiscated his camera. He will be arraigned tomorrow before a judge. Nothing was done to the orthodox Jew. Steve was also arrested although he told the police that the orthodox started the whole thing and hit Eddie. I called the U.S. Embassy and they said they would send someone to see Eddie tomorrow.
Pray for us: that Eddie will have a peace about the whole matter and that the Lord will work out His Will in it and turn it for good.
February 27 – We had a very serious court case against Eddie. Last February, 2007, the Haredim harassed Eddie from the middle of town to the King's Men chess and Bible Shop. When they began circling the van, Eddie tried to drive away. They would not allow him to do so. He got out of the van and they grabbed him. Bits and pieces of this video were put online by the Haredim. They put charges against Eddie when he was only trying to defend himself and get away from them. Because he was alone, the charges stuck and that's what today's case is about. The trial was postponed until March 31. Pray!
The city of Arad has given us fines for allowing the chess players to set up tables outside and they took us to court on February 19. It took about 3 minutes for the Judge to declare that the city case against us was a clear-cut case of discrimination and he told the city to get together with us and come to an agreement and for the city to give an answer to the court within 60 days. It was a good verdict. Thanks for praying!
The down side is that we owe our lawyer, Amir, a lot of money and today's court case just added to it, plus, we need to use his services again in the negotiation with the city's attorney. We still have to pay our other lawyer, Calev Myers, $1,732.50 for court costs and he is ready to take our case to the Supreme Court for Eddie's citizenship: The Interior Ministry is acting illegally with Eddie's citizenship papers.
The city gave us another ticket for having our van parked up by the club while Eddie was using it to unload paint and heavy supplies. They also accused us of disturbing the peace (????) because of having the van parked there. I think in our negotiations we can get that ticket dismissed or we can take the city to court for more discrimination, since it legal for everyone else, but not for believers in Y'shua.
Pray for strength for me. I have been in Beersheva two days in a row and now I must go back again tomorrow morning. It is very stressful and only those who have lived under this kind of constant harassment from the Haredim and the police can understand it. Pray for me as I deal with the anger at the unfairness of the police and the ill treatment of Eddie. We need a "God" breakthrough! We need something that can break through the stubborn will of the Haredim and turn them in the opposite direction. Only a powerful move of the Spirit of God can accomplish that! One man is responsible for ¾ of the cases against Eddie – Menachem (Mendel) Prester. I am asking for strong prayer for this man. I am asking the Lord to change his heart quickly or remove him from Arad totally. He was in the court room today and slandering us to the people sitting around him.
Pray that my husband is returned to me quickly! Pray that we are able to travel together on our upcoming trip in April!
Don't let anyone tell you that the persecution has ended in Arad – it only intensifies and once in a while we have a week or two where things are quiet (God-given breathing space) and then it starts up again.
The children are under intense pressure here. When they see someone dressed in black pants and coat and a white shirt – they freeze in fear. I am not happy with Messianic Jews imitating Orthodox Judaism in dress and in ritual: There is NO REASON for us to imitate the devil's children! There is nothing holy about dressing like our persecutors. God hates religious bondage!
We are working on a Christian school for the children (Sept., 2008) and it will be meeting temporarily in Kuseifa, a Bedouin city near Arad. (See more on website) We need volunteer work teams to come during the month of August to live in the house and finish it. The house has electricity and water, but needs painting and landscaping and a little plumbing. We want to bless the owners for renting it to us cheaply for one or two years while we prepare the Community Center in Arad. We had a YWAM team of 9 here for three weeks and they accomplished a lot. Eddie put some videos on the web so you can see some of their work. They painted, cleaned, renovated, witnessed and praised the Lord! Eddie took them to Sderot near the Gaza Strip; more than 8000 rockets have hit the city of Sderot in less than year. The residents were happy to have the support and received the message gladly. We were happy to have the volunteers and we thank God for them!
Trip to England, Scotland and the USA: We will not be going to California this trip due to lack of funds. Perhaps, sometime in the future, we will travel to the Midwest and CA. This time, we will stay on the east coast. We have lots to share and would love to be able to do that! Please email us if you want to schedule a time with us. It does not have to be a church service. It can be a time of fellowship and sharing and watching two or three very short videos and answering questions. I am going to cut our time short in the US unless I hear from more people this week! If you feel the Lord would have you help us with travel expenses, it would be most welcome! The Lord is BIG enough to do all that we can think or dream and more! He has the resources and He loves you and desires the Best for you! Thank you for being open to Him and serving Him with your gifts and abilities! May He bless you richly in Y'shua's Precious Name!
Lura Beckford, Arad, Israel
P.S. If you feel led, please write to:
Embassy of Israel
3514 International Drive
Washington, DC 20008
Attn: Foreign Minister
and complain about the Christians being persecuted by the Jews. Tell them this is very bad for the Jewish People and must be stopped. Put it in your own words and keep it very simple. You are writing to people whose mother tongue is Hebrew, not English. Mention Eddie’s Name, please. Thanks!
Feb. 29 – Eddie is under house arrest and exiled from Arad until his trial on March 9. Please understand – In the five years of being persecuted, we have not been allowed to show the court one shred of evidence; not one video, not one newspaper clipping, not one witness in Eddie’s favor. This has been a one-sided war against the believers, and Eddie, in particular. The video footage of Eddie’s camera will not be shown because it proves him innocent and the police confiscated and left it on a table where the orthodox Jews could fool with it. The police would not accept any charges against the drunk orthodox Jew from Eddie or Steve. The embassy has not returned my calls. It is a good thing God is listening, watching and taking notes, otherwise I would be very discouraged. He has a Plan and is working it out and we are on the winning side!
Note: The police returned the camera a week later. Thank the Lord!