This past Monday through Wednesday, For Zion's Sake visited the community of Sderot were Kassam rockets have been fired on practically every day for the past seven years. Though there was supposed to be a cease fire started this weekend, rockets were fired from Gaza on to the Sderot community each day we were there.

As many of you know in late April, a team from Switzerland, Canada and For Zion's Sake met with 15 family residents of Sderot who were injured from these Kassam rockets that threaten their lives every day. We are asking for your prayers for all the citizens of Sderot, but especially the dear folks we met:

1. Rena - A single mother of six taking care of other children as well, was hit by a bomb while in the car.
2. Shlomo - His family home had been hit twice.
3. Casa - A grandmother living in the home were her grandchild, Dorit, was the first to be killed in Sderot.
4. Gabi – This is Casa’s son who lost his child, Dorit.
5. Ruti - She lost her son of three years and Ruti lost part of her leg at the time as well.
6. Matan - A 15 year old boy lost his foot from a Kassam rocket while playing football.
7. Admir - He was also injured while playing football with Matan.
8. Shula - Her family's house was hit after coming through the neighbor's roof.
9. Kobi - He went to work and a rocket hit. He had a severed artery and was in the hospital over a year. His leg is paralyzed and shrapnel is throughout his body.
10. Marcell and Uzi - They live on the kibbutz between Sderot and Gaza. The school yard got hit and the restaurant was completely destroyed.
11. Ifrat - Her family fixed up a store only to have it destroyed – her husband is now deaf because of the rocket attack on the store.
12. Maya - She saw a man get blown up and she’s forever impacted by that memory. Our whole visit she never spoke, only clenching her fists.
13. Viktor – Over a year ago, a bomb fell as he was getting out of his car. He blacked out and has had multiple surgeries. Three month's ago he began to walk.
14. Dojtono - This Ethiopian family has a son who was injured.
15. Dina – A believer in the land with a congregation needing relief from the tramatic stress.

Remember the children who have serious problems of helplessness and extreme anxiety and stress.

Many seek to leave Sderot but cannot afford to. They would lose all the investments they have in their homes. No one wants to buy property under Kassam attack. What little benefits they have from the government will be lost if they leave.

It's hard to imagine what it's like to have rockets shot at you every day and you cannot get away. The sirens scream in an urgent robotic tone with a woman's voice calling out, "TSEVAH ADOM" "TSEVAH ADOM" "TSEVAH ADOM" over and over.

Our hearts were torn for these terror victims in Sderot. That's why we've established "Bridges of Blessings" because we believe God wants to bless these wounded Jews. It is a privilege to offer them a brief time of rest, healing and restoration in the Swiss Alps at at FZS's Schönegg Haus.

This week we delivered the airline tickets for the three families who will be visiting Switzerland next month.

FZS brings flight tickets for Matan's Family

After visiting with these families we had a bar-b-q at the kibbutz where we stayed and we got to witness the whole night. The people on the kibbutz just kept asking question after question - why do we believe what we do and what caused us to do what we do here in Israel? It truly was of the Lord. The potential to share the love of Yeshua with hurting people in Sderot is endless. We saw the Lord give a word to each of them. A tear came to Kobi's eye as he was told Yeshua knows what it is like to have a piece of metal go through His body as that spear went in His heart. Kobi has much shrapnel left in his body after a year and a half of surgeries.

We quoted 2 Chron 7:14...

"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land".

As Uzi heard it, you could see the word penetrate his heart. Itzik heard how important it is to read the bible and he promised he would start with the one we gave him. He asked if we would walk around the grounds again and pray. We of course walked the grounds and prayed all the way. The Lord is doing a wonderful work there and I look forward to the next trip down to see them again.

Kobi offered to help us the next day to distribute the blankets to people he knew in need. We met with five families and shared God's kindness and left several blankets with a social service office.

After all this, the kassams hit. Our hearts all dropped at the sound when they hit, one after another. I was glad we remained under cover of the stair way.

As we left Sderot, we stopped to see Uzi who told us. "you have a sparkle in your eyes and I guess I know where it's from and although I don't want to say I'm jealous, I guess I am."

God is amazing. If He hadn't provided Kobi who speaks English and Hebrew (as well as other languages), we wouldn't have known how to speak with anyone. Hallelujah and praise to God for His love for us and the ability to help others.

'If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. (Lev 25:35-36)