Last night (Tuesday, Feb. 3rd, 2004), I saw holiness and shalom (the peace of God), on Shuli's face and demeanor. It was in her words and in her walk. She was at ease for the first time in her life. All her life she has had to be her own god. Last night she began to fully trust in Another.

Approximately two weeks ago, Ruti and I told Shuli that we couldn't, in good conscience, continue to support her if she had cable T.V. put back into her home. She had had it for years. When we began helping her to pay all her bills and to feed her and her family, and to buy household items that she needed, she had cable. But it was being cut off because she couldn't pay the bill.

At that time we told her that we would not pay for it. We couldn't see paying for food and bills, etc., and also for cable T.V. Aside from the fact that it cost about $60 per month, money that could be used for food, it brought mostly trash into the home in the form of 'entertainment'. But the cable people didn't turn it all off. They left on a channel or two. It was a 'gift' to her. About a month and a half ago the gift ended. Now all Shuli had was Israeli T.V. which is mostly (bad) news of terror attacks, etc., and talk shows about the terror attacks, the government, and the so called peace process. Suddenly there was 'nothing' to watch and the children were complaining and Shuli was distraught also.

A few weeks went by and Shuli was feeling the pressure. She came to us and began 'to deal'. 'What if my son, Ae'al (19), paid for the cable? He's missing it so.' We told her that even if a relative paid for the cable, we could not continue to help her financially as it would not only break our agreement about 'no cable', but also be using money for an item that wasn't a necessity, and only impoverished the home.'

Shuli, true to her Moroccan ancestry, told us in no uncertain terms that what we were asking too much of her! And that the 'next thing' that we'd be asking her to do, was to get rid of the T.V.!

Just a few days before this, we conditioned the amount of our giving for food money, upon how many cigarettes she smoked in a day. Shuli had been smoking about two packs of cigarettes a day for many years. And now, after praying over her and for her about Yeshua taking away her desire for cigarettes, she had begun to consume less. About a pack a day. We now thought the time had come 'to help her' to descend. I asked her to smoke only a pack for the next week. And for the week after that, only a maximum of 15 cigarettes. Then the week after that, 12 cigarettes a day. And then, only ten a day. Shuli said, 'O.K.' but balked at the ten cigarettes a day. I said, 'Let's walk it out and see what happens.

Two things we saw here. One, with less smoking meant more money for food. And two, it meant a healthier Shuli. She saw this too and wanted it, but was afraid of going too fast.

But all this, the cigarettes and the cable, were too much for her that day and she broke off from us. She told us that she couldn't lie to us and that what we were asking was too much. She was not about to change that much for the Lord or for us. She was not about to lie to us for the money. She'd rather have a possibility of cable 'someday', than to have money for food and some cigarettes today. That was a Thursday. We didn't see her again till the following Tuesday or Wednesday.

She came to us and said that she was ready to continue. We had been praying for her. We knew it was a tough step but we thought it needed to be taken. It's one thing 'to follow the Lord' when one is being fed all the good things and nothing is required of one. It's quite another to follow when asked to give up things that one thinks they need.

Even her son, Ae'al, when he heard what Shuli had done on Thursday, told her, 'We don't have the money for cable anyway. So what are you doing?!'

She came back and was resigned to walk with us and Yeshua. Resigned. It was an obedience born of necessity.

In her struggle, she thought we wouldn't want to ever see her again. And that if she came to our door, to 'make peace with' us, we would tell her 'to get lost'. She wouldn't be coming to continue but only to make peace and still be 'friends' but she was afraid.

The Lord Yeshua spoke to her and said, 'They would never do that to you.' And so she came and we rejoiced to see her. She came and said that even if we didn't give her any more money, she still valued our friendship. We told her that we wanted very much to continue to help her. We walked with her for two and a half weeks and then came last night.

She came and we sat down to dinner together, as we normally do (about four times a week), so she can eat some healthy food. Ruti served lentil soup, which is Shuli's favorite. We have it just about every day, it's so good. And we had brown rice, with some humus beans on top, and steamed broccoli on the side.

Shuli loved it. She began to speak of what life was all about. She had come to see that all her running after money was for naught. Yeshua was the important thing. The way she said it, I heard it coming from the heart, not just her head. Something was changing, had changed about her. Shuli was saying that she was looking to feed her pregnant daughter, Sagit, good food, for her and her baby, and we discussed a number of good foods to eat. And we spoke of the Life that Yeshua was giving us.

After dinner we sat in the living room and read from Hebrews, the first chapter. It's speaks of Yeshua being the Son of God, and even the angels worship Him. We traced the quotes in it from the Tanach (Old Testament), to their sources in the Tanach. Shuli was excited. It was 'all there' in the New Covenant, how Yeshua was our Messiah, and how much of it came from the Tanach. 'Why don't the Rabbis see this?!' I said, 'They don't read it, and they have been lied to about Yeshua.'

As our time together was ending, Shuli said, 'Avram, ah-nee yal-dah tovah. B'emet.' ('Avram, I am a good girl. Truly.' I am 52 years old and Shuli is going to be 50 in April but she has come to see me as a father figure, and Ruti as a mother figure, because we have fed and supported her, clothed her, etc., and are showing her the Way of Life.) I asked her what she meant and she said that it wasn't too long ago that the cable and smoking incident happened, and she wasn't about to go along with those conditions. But now, here she was, there was no cable in her home and she was down to smoking only about three cigarettes a day on her own when she could be smoking ten), and even those three she was only half smoking and throwing away. She was pleased with herself and she thanked us for all that we had done to get her there. She was at peace with herself and the world.

I could see the shalom, holiness and contentedness of our Lord in Shuli's words. It was all over her face. There was 'rest' for her. She was truly trusting in Yeshua, and not 'another', herself. She had crossed the bridge of self-will, and had died to self. Her baptism in water (Rom. 6), was becoming a reality.

I have seen many 'wonders' in our Lord, among His people. But nothing compares with last night. I have seen where Shuli 'has come from'. And I have just seen the glory and holiness of our Lord resting upon this Jewish woman, giving her the peace that only Yeshua can give. Her countenance has changed. There was a gentleness in her voice and face that wasn't there before.

As the Apostle Paul might have said, 'The Messiah has been formed in Shuli.' She is truly walking with Yeshua and no one, not even Satan, can take Him away from her. She is beginning to grow as His daughter.

There is much ahead of us to tackle and defeat but the first major victory has been recorded.

And after she left, I began to think of how the Lord has used Shuli in my life, to teach me of His Love and Gentleness; His Patience and Long Suffering. He is training me to be a shepherd, like Him. I thank You for that, Yeshua.

Ruti and I are so grateful for your prayers. We believe that we could not have come this far, without what you are doing for us. We are thankful.

And one day you'll meet Shuli and she'll express her gratitude to you for your prayers that brought her to her Messiah.

To You, Lord Yeshua, be all the Glory, and Honor and Submission,

Avram & Ruti Yehoshua
Eilat, Israel

P.S. This is a song that came to me today, just before I began writing this up. It epitomizes Ruti's and my heart, not only Shuli, but for all our Jewish people. I hope that it touches you too:

COMFORT YE MY PEOPLE

by Joel Chernoff

No more will you turn, to another for help.
Nor will you turn to yourself, to yourself.
Nor will you say, 'My God', to some other,
For in Me will you find mercy.

I will heal your wrong ways.
I will love you so freely.
You will dwell, beneath My Shadow.
I will be as the dew to My people.
And they will blossom as the lily.

Your beauty will be like the olive tree,
Your fragrance as Lebanon.
You will live as a well watered garden,
And you will flourish like the vine.

I will heal your wrong ways.
I will love you so freely.
You will dwell beneath My Shadow.
I will be as the dew to My people.
And they will blossom as the lily.

Comfort ye My people...
Comfort ye My people...
Comfort ye My people...
Comfort ye My people...
Comfort ye My people...

Song by Joel Chernoff of the Messianic singing group, LAMB. (Words taken from Hosea 14:4-7; Isaiah 40:3)

Hos. 14:3: 'Assyria will not save us. We will not ride on horses. Nor will we say again, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. For in You, the orphan finds mercy.'

Hos. 14:4: 'I will heal their apostasy. I will love them freely. For My anger has turned away from them.'

Hos. 14:5: 'I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily. And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.'

Hos. 14:6: 'His shoots will sprout, and his beauty will be like the olive tree and his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.'

Hos. 14:7: 'Those who live in His Shadow will again raise grain. And they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon.'

Is. 40:1: 'Comfort ye, Oh comfort ye My people,' says your God.'

Is. 40:2: 'Speak kindly to Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has ended. That her iniquity has been removed. That she has received of Yahveh's Hand double for all her sins.'