Last month, we visited government offices and met with the Welfare Department on the national level. We offered practical help for the many needy, pregnant women whom they serve. It was agreed that we would cooperate to help women in crisis. Notification was sent out to the hundreds of local welfare offices. One of the social workers contacted media reporters to complain that we are “against abortion.” We trust God that this free publicity will help women in crisis know that we are here to help them. As our Board prayed about this situation, one board member reminded us of the words of Joseph in Genesis 50: As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today (Genesis 50:20). We believe that God will use this intended evil to save many lives. This is the link to the article in Hebrew. I’ve attached an internet translation in English.

It continues to be our goal to give every woman in crisis pregnancy the courage and means to choose life as we protect the mother and the unborn child.

Thank you for partnering with us to achieve this goal.

Yusra and Baby Girl Naomi

Yusra is deaf and receives disability benefits. Her husband sought work, so they moved to a different village and rented a small apartment. In June, their apartment was damaged during the shower of missiles from Iran, and they were evacuated to a hotel in Ashkelon. There they met our counsellor Yael who reached out to families in need who had been forced to leave their homes. In July, Yusra gave birth to a sweet baby girl whom she named Naomi. Be’ad Chaim provided them all the necessary baby items through our Operation Moses Project, including a bed, stroller, and bathtub. They will also receive monthly vouchers for the year to purchase baby products.

Yusra wrote: An ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all that you gave me. I don’t have the words to express how happy I felt when I received all the furniture. I pray that you will always be on the side of the giver and never be in need.

With thanks and appreciation,

Yusra and baby Naomi.

THE GARDENS OF LIFE – a Place of Memorial and Healing

Laurel, the prayer hostess at the Gardens of Life shared this:

The four-acre forest property, located in central Israel, consists of a grove of wild pine trees, cultivated olive trees, and the more than 2,000 cypress trees which Be'ad Chaim has helped to plant during the last twelve years. We lease the land for a small symbolic fee from the monks of the Latrun Monastery, as their contribution to pro-life effort in Israel.

Women and couples come to us to plant trees as a step in the healing of grief over babies who were lost through stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion. Women who choose abortion often do so out of fear of poverty or pressure from someone. They may not realize that this choice goes against their motherly instincts, and they will be haunted by guilt, even for decades, until they face what they did and seek healing. Mothers who suffered the loss of a pregnancy unintentionally grieve the loss of their hopes and dreams for the child. In both cases, we offer compassionate and respectful listening. We share hugs and tears as they recount their stories.

If possible, we recommend that women receive either group or individual emotional healing before coming to plant a tree. When they feel they have made some progress, they come to us. The physical act of planting a small tree provides a marker on the road to healing, as if to say to their lost child "I will never forget you, but I must keep walking." After we plant the tree, I ask permission to bless them; I speak out loud to our Creator a few relevant statements of thanks and praise. For some people who described themselves as agnostic, this simple prayer has brought forth streams of tears which had been withheld, as secular Israeli society places a premium on "being strong". Tender-hearted men also need permission to grieve, and they do so here.

We also plant trees for people in other countries who cannot visit Israel. We communicate by email to allow them to express what happened and how they feel about it. I send them photos of the Gardens and the planting of their trees. A beautiful certificate is provided to visitors or mailed to those outside the country, which allows them to honor the child and name him or her.

The following are a few examples of the people we've served:

• A lady from Canada, now eighty-four years old, requested we plant a tree for a baby she aborted when she was forty-three, because she couldn't face the shame of a pregnancy outside of marriage.
• Many women from the US, Canada, Brazil and China have come to plant trees for babies they aborted more than forty years ago.
• A couple from the US asked us to plant a tree for their daughter who died in utero at thirty-two weeks.
• A woman who is now a believer came to plant three trees for three abortions she did many years ago. She knows that she is forgiven but says it still hurts.
• A few of our visitors aborted babies who were more than halfway through the pregnancy, because their doctors said the child had deformities, had only one kidney, or had Down Syndrome. Eugenics is actively practiced in western countries.
• A man who is serving a long prison sentence asked us to plant two trees for abortions he was a partner to more than forty years ago.
• An Israeli couple came to honor their baby whose heartbeat suddenly stopped at thirty-seven weeks in the womb. The wife underwent grief counselling, and they planted a tree at the one-year anniversary of the baby's death.

Monalisa, Mother of Balan

Several weeks ago, the hairdressing course in Be’er Sheva concluded. Each of the three women who had faithfully attended and learned the required skills received a certificate of completion. It was a delight to experience the warmth, peace and excitement that filled the beautiful new center. The new mothers cut and styled the hair of the staff. A treat for each of them! Monalisa, one of the mothers, showed special talent. Manuela the trainer said: “She is the best hairdressing student I’ve seen in my thirty years. A natural. She should open her own shop.”

Monalisa is the mother of three girls, including newborn Balan. She is single and suffered abuse, which caused trauma for her and her daughters. Despite the social worker’s referral letter saying that she was going for an abortion, after speaking with our counselor, she very bravely chose life for her little Balan. Monalisa agreed to be interviewed, and when asked if she would have aborted had we not provided help, she responded: “I would not suggest that anyone who isn’t able to raise a child become pregnant, but if you are pregnant, you can’t abort. I had two other girls and knew that I just couldn’t abort.” She also shared, “I was looking for a way to thank you for all your help. I’m so glad that I’m able to do this interview and publicly thank you.” For several years, Monalisa has created gorgeous braids for Ethiopian women’s hair. She is quite well known in her community. She wants her business to grow out of her house and to open her own beauty salon. We promised to pay the first month’s rent when she opens her shop. May God give Monalisa success.

Twins Taley and Tulik Need Your Prayers

Maria is thirty-one years old and is the mother of nine children. She and her family went through a tough season in the year since the war broke out in October 2023. Until then her husband had a stable job as a minibus driver. On October 7th, he was driving as usual when he was caught in a hail of bullets as terrorists invaded from Gaza. He was somehow able to turn the bus around and escape without injury, but he has never recovered from the shock and trauma. He can’t sleep and is being treated for this but hasn’t returned to work so far. Obviously, their financial situation has gone downhill since then. When Maria discovered that she was pregnant again—and expecting twins—she heard about Be'ad Chaim through a friend and decided to come to us for help. We happily agreed to sign her into our Operation Moses project and supply her with two baby beds, a twin stroller and a bath. The twin girls were born in August last year. They were named Taley and Tulik, the names of flowers. Now, at more than a year old, the girls need your prayers because they are not putting on weight and have been in the hospital several times this year. They are weak and can’t stand up yet. Both Maria and her husband suffer from anxiety. They are trying to get a stipend from Social Security because her husband is unable to keep a job due to his mental state. They have nine more children in addition to the twins, and of course it’s not easy to feed such a large family. They are deeply grateful for the support that they have received and appreciate prayers for the twins to flourish.

Home For New Moms - a Safe Haven in a Storm

Be’ad Chaim’s rented apartment for women continues to be a safe haven for those who have no other housing or are in danger. Recently, another young mother entered the home. Salina is only twenty years old and has seven-month-old twins. She is in the process of divorce because of domestic violence. The babies will be allowed to see their father only in the welfare office with supervision. Salina, like the many other mothers who have lived in the women’s home, feels protected, covered from danger and relieved from financial pressures. Thank you for your prayers for Salina to raise her twins in safety and with dignity.

Hannah and Baby Girl Ann

Our counselor Rose shared this praise report: I’m thanking God for a miracle! Ann was born against all odds! Her mother Hannah, a seventeen-year-old girl, became pregnant by a boy who struggles with addiction. Both sets of grandparents pressured her to terminate the pregnancy, but thank God, she stood firm and brought Ann into the world! Late in the pregnancy, she slipped on the stairs and was hospitalized out of concern that there would be a premature birth, but it did not affect the baby, and she gave birth naturally to a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Hannah explained why she didn’t abort Ann:

“I realized that there was life inside of me. I saw the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. I was afraid of the consequences of abortion.”

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