Dec 19, 20232 min read

Day 74 — Powerful Interview with Israeli Commander

Elana and I drove to Tel Aviv to have lunch with our daughter Danielle this afternoon. When we were about five minutes from her house, sirens began to scream throughout the city. It was the first time in about 10 days that Hamas was able to target Tel Aviv, but it was no less terrifying.

We pulled the car over in heavy traffic. Like other motorists, we got close to a construction wall, and got on the ground, covering our heads. The significant danger is shrapnel, which can be like a machine gun. The difference between Ashkelon and Tel Aviv is time. It takes several minutes before the sirens stop. In Ashkelon, it is often over by the time we get to our safe room. When you are out in the open, the waiting seems like forever. There was a young woman in the car behind us on the ground in tears, talking to her mother on the telephone. See the video below for a small taste of what it’s like to go through one of these events.

(Please do NOT share this video, since I didn’t get the permission of the young lady behind me)

Interview with Major Sergeant Roi

Last night, Elana and I were invited to attend an event with a few hundred soldiers from the same pluga (company). None of them has had any significant time with their family for 45 days at least. Through the initiative of one young man, they hold these banquets every few days in different hotels in the south. Soldiers can invite their wives, children, and parents.

These young men did not expect to be in the middle of a war right now. Most of them are reserve soldiers. They’ve had to leave life in mid-stride to go risk their life for me and many others.

I was able to sit down with Major Sergeant Roi. He shared with me some of the things that they have gone through in Gaza and what their major needs are. Please take a few minutes and watch the video. He makes a very powerful statement that we put right at the beginning.

It means so much to these young men and women to know that you were standing with them. There’s something about this war that is different than any conflict I’ve ever been through here. It just feels end-times-ish. Indeed, I believe we are getting closer and closer. The world is getting darker and darker. Come quickly, Lord Yeshua!

Update on Oded

Oded is the young man who was shot in the first week of the war. Elana was visiting her mother today when she thought about calling Oded’s mother Michal to check on her. Elana’s mother’s nursing home is next to the rehabilitation center where Oded is. About a month ago, we bought Oded a gaming laptop. His mother told me it was the best gift he could have received because he is alone so much and bored. He had just asked his mother before Elana called, if we were back from the US and when we were coming to visit. What a sweet young man he is. Elana took her 84-year-old blind mother to go visit him. They had a very nice time.