Dear Friends,

Exactly 15 years ago, I took my position at Be'ad Chaim to defend the unborn. I was blessed to be able to build on the foundations of prayer and faith that had been laid since Be’ad Chaim’s establishment in 1988. Weekly prayer meetings had begun back then and continue today with our prayer requests now being sent to nearly 800 locations around the globe. When I began, one of our faithful partners would pray week after week that God would remove the boulders from our path, so that we could save lives. She saw the boulders in the road and God’s bulldozers pushing them out of the way. It’s been a joy to see God open and clear paths to hearts so that Be’ad Chaim has saved over 3000 lives. It’s been a joy to see lives healed and released through counseling and memorial planting in the Gardens of Life.

Recently, it was a great joy to share a Banquet for Life with leaders from across Israel. The support, interest and enthusiasm were deeply touching and gave us the motivation to work together to stop abortion. We realized that we have the ability to stand, march, and speak for the lives of the unborn as people who serve the LIVING GOD.

Thank you for being a vital part in all that God has done and all that He will accomplish to protect the lives of the unborn here in Israel.  

With gratitude,

Sandy

Sherri and twins Noam and Zohar: 

Sherri suffers from chronic colitis and is often in pain, has a restricted diet and has to have weekly shots. All of this is quite tough for her, but her husband is very supportive and does all that he can to help her. Because of her illness, she couldn’t imagine having another child. Her very kindhearted and sympathetic Be’ad Chaim counselor spent hours listening and encouraging her. Moms tell us that this love, support and encouragement actually means more to them than practical help. They need someone who will listen non-judgmentally, be there for them and let them know that they are able to be good mothers despite their difficult circumstances.

Twins, Noam and Zohar, just celebrated their first birthday and are generally doing well, but this winter was hard. Like many of our Be’ad Chaim babies, they were often sick because it was unusually rainy and cold. Despite the sickness and her illness, Sherri has continued to do her best and the babies are flourishing in their development and are happy. She told me that her two older daughters are also doing well. The child in first grade is very smart and the other will go to first grade next year. Sherri is a very caring mother who continues to do her best for her family even when she doesn’t feel well. She said that although she sometimes feels that she doesn’t have the strength to go on, she presses on for the sake of her family. “I thank God for what we have. Many people cry and pray to God to be able to have children.” During her pregnancy with the twins, doctors told her that they would have health issues. They said that one of the babies would have a leg that was shorter than the other, and the other child would have a hole in his heart, as well as other problems. As a result, she underwent many tests and was very anxious. She often spent time crying with her Be’ad Chaim counselor who was able to encourage her. Both twins were born totally healthy and are thriving.

Sherri went on to thank me profusely for all that Be’ad Chaim has done for her family: "You are something special. I loved the carnival that you held last summer. You could see all kinds of people there – religious, secular, a real mix – everybody all together. You do a holy work. It’s unbelievable how you help people in trouble with all your heart.  When you see someone in trouble, you receive them with a kind word and a smile. The people who give out the clothing do it with a hug. I’m so deeply grateful – I am at a loss for words. That you choose to help others is your commission from God. May God bless you with health and strength - you and all those who work with you."

I told Sherri that we’d be praying for her health. Her response was "Thanks so much. No prayer is ever in vain."

Ruth with baby David:

Ruth is a shepherdess in the Judean hillside between Bethlehem and Hebron. There she tends her flock, and there she raises her newborn son David.  Ruth, being a single mother, doesn’t have an easy life. Some precious Korean friends befriended her and asked if Be’ad Chaim would be able to help her in her tough situation. It gave our staff much joy to see precious David cooing and smiling as his mother Ruth chose beautiful baby clothes from our Jerusalem boutique. We pray that this little David, as he watches his mother tend her sheep, will have the heart of a much earlier David – a heart after God.

Erica and baby Lior:

Erika is a young mom who lives in Jerusalem. She worked as a security guard and her husband has a stall in the Mahane Yehuda outdoor market.  Erika and her husband have two children, a 9 year old and a 5 year old. The living costs in Jerusalem are very high and the young couple really struggles to pay their rent which eats up most of their salary. So, when Erika discovered that she was pregnant again, with their third child, she was not happy at all. She and her husband thought that abortion was the only solution. It was an unexpected pregnancy and because their financial situation was very tight, neither of them could see how they could afford to raise another child.  They were barely making ends meet with two children. 

Searching “abortion” on the internet, Erika found our site which offers help. After speaking with one of our tenderhearted counselors, they decided to choose life for their baby. Erika was enrolled in our Operation Moses Project which provided her with a baby crib, stroller, bathtub, bed sheets and monthly vouchers for a whole year to buy other essentials that her baby would need.

Just two months ago, Erika gave birth to a precious little girl whom they named Lior, meaning “you are light to me”. However, Lior was born with no fingers on one hand which came as a big shock to Erika and her husband. In the beginning, their children found it very hard to accept and love their little sister the way she was born. Now, as time passes, Erika says that they love her more each day and enjoy holding and playing with her.

Erika wants to extend her maternity leave and stay with Lior for at least a year, because of her condition. Please pray for the right solution and for their situation. Erika is thrilled that she chose life for her baby. The help that she receives from Be’ad Chaim gave her the hope to continue her pregnancy, for which she is deeply grateful.

Batya with baby girl Emma:

Batya is originally from Spain and lives in Tel Aviv with her husband, 7 year old son, and her father. She comes from a large family and lost her mom when she was only 14. Her husband does not work and is in serious debt.

When she found out she was pregnant again, she wanted to have an abortion because she felt that she could not cope with another child, not having her mother to help her.  She felt all alone and had no one with whom she could share her fears about the pregnancy. She said that she had not stayed in touch with any of her siblings except her older brother. 

Batya suffers from an accumulation of fluids on her brain and is constantly seeing specialists. Her pregnancy was very high risk. Despite the danger and her health issues, Batya chose life for her baby after meeting with a Be’ad Chaim counselor and being assured of emotional and practical support.

In the 8th month of her pregnancy, her older brother had a stroke and died. Batya was devastated and went into a deep depression. She was also very worried about her dad who had lost his wife and now a son.

Baby Emma was born in November and instantly became Batya’s joy. She said, "She is so pretty! I love watching her just sleeping so peacefully.” Please pray for her to find comfort and peace in her heart. She longs for her family to care but they all live far from each other and barely stay in touch.

Tu Bishvat in the Gardens of Life

Each year on Tu Bishvat, the celebration of trees and new flowers, we gather in the Gardens of Life to remember children who were not held. This year, we planted for children and grandchildren who had died through miscarriage. There was a time of sharing, prayer and love as trees were planted in memory of these ones who are now in the Presence of the Loving Father.  All are welcome to find closure and comfort through planting a tree in the Gardens of Life.

Precious Nesia:

With sadness, we want to share with you that precious baby Nesia, daughter of Sivan, for whom we asked prayer in our February newsletter, has passed away. She was only two months old.  

Nesia’s parents welcomed her into this world although she had a genetic condition called Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards Syndrome. It is very rare that a child born with this condition would live past the first year. During the pregnancy, doctors didn’t find anything wrong with the baby. At the birth, Sivan and her husband had been completely taken off guard when they were told that she had health issues. Yet, they gave her as much love as they possibly could during the two months that they had with her. They decided to count every day that they would have with her as precious.

We honor these loving and brave parents for caring faithfully and with determination for their daughter, even though most of her days were spent in the hospital. May God comfort these grieving parents and her one year old sister, and remind them of His Love and mercy. As Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” May their hearts be soothed with His Peace. May He shine His face upon them.

Upcoming Events:

-We invite young adults ages 18-35 to join us for a Brunch for LIFE – March 13th, Celebration Hall, 10:30 am

-SAVE THE DATE: International LeChaim Conference 2020, November 2020.

-First ever March for Life November 2020.

-Prolife t-shirts will be worn during the Jerusalem Marathon, March 20th

-New campaign for an Israeli release of the movie "Unplanned"

Click here to download the Newsletter as pdf