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our work in Israel Last month, I explained about our medical partnership with the Addis Ababa University School of Medicine to deliver better healthcare for all Ethiopians. And most of you already know that Gesher regularly helps the over 25,000 abandoned Jews (the Beta Yisrael people) who remain stranded in two regions of Ethiopia – Addis Ababa and Gondar. This month I'll explain about our work among the Beta Yisrael who have left Ethiopia and now live in Israel. –– From Ethiopia to the Deserts of Sudan In 1984 Kenubesh, an eighteen year-old Beta Yisrael girl, traveled on foot across the Sudan desert in the hope of immigrating to Israel under Operation Moses. She walked for 35 days with a group of approximately 50 Beta Yisrael to reach Sudan from Ethiopia. Sadly, her aunt and brother in-law died on the desert-trek from malaria and starvation. Kenubesh explained what happened, "We only had the clothes on our back and a little food. So when one of us died, we had to dig the grave with our bare hands. But our agony didn't end there. After arriving in Sudan, we found that most of our community had already left for Israel and all immigration had stopped. We faced a hostile Sudanese government who arrested many from our group. I was able to hide and later get work cleaning houses. I remained in severe poverty in Sudan's capital of Khartoum for five years, yet always inside I had hope of coming to the promised land." –– From Sudan to Ethiopia Eventually Kenubesh felt immigration from
Sudan was impossible, so in 1991 when she learned about Operation
Solomon from her mother who never left Ethiopia because of chronic
illness, she immediately began walking back through the desert.
Listen to Kenubesh describe her situation, "When I finally
made it to my small village, my family was gone. Like in Sudan,
I had arrived too late. I was joyful that my family was safe
in the homeland, Israel, but empty. I had no hope that I would
ever join them. Each day, I fell deeper into the pit of depression.
I could barely find the energy to work to buy the food I needed
to stay alive. I felt like I might be better off dead. Yet in
my sadness, joy came. Through a precious friend's testimony,
I accepted Yeshua as my Messiah. God gave me hope and soon I
trusted Him for everything. Miraculously, in 1992, He heard my
continual cry to Him and the door to leave for Israel finally
opened." –– From Ethiopia to Israel After arriving in Israel, Kenubish, now 26, found out her mother had died a few days before her scheduled departure to Israel. So once again without parents she made a new life for herself. Conditions in Israel, though better than in Sudan and Ethiopia, were not without hardship. For one year she lived alone in a trailer while studying Hebrew in an Ulpan (special language school). Also her friends and family rejected her after learning of her faith in Yeshua. Yet through it all God proved Himself faithful as she adjusted to her situation and stood strong in her faith. She supported herself with factory work, saved money, and dreamed of marrying and having her own family. In 1997, she returned to Ethiopia to marry with the eventual plan to live as a family in Israel. Soon after the marriage, she became pregnant and decided to return to Israel to give birth and apply for her husband's immigration there. Sadly her husband's application was rejected. Furthermore the authorities, learning of her faith, initially refused to register her son as an Israeli citizen. Now she lives with her three-year old son, still waiting to be reunited with her husband without the thousands of dollars needed to hire the "right" lawyer to speed up the process. You can imagine what kind of life she faces daily as a single parent separated from the husband she loves. –– We Need Your Help What a story! It reads like a tragic movie. I know we must not abandon Kenubish, her son, and husband, stranded in Ethiopia. Please remember this precious family in prayer, that God would end their daily suffering. Unfortunately, Kenubish's story is not uncommon for the Beta Yisrael that Gesher helps in Israel. In May, 2000 we will be going to Israel to help the Beta Yisrael with financial gifts and personal ministry. Will you join with us to meet this important need?
May the Lord bless you,
Robert Winer, M.D. P.S. For more updates on our work, visit our website at www.winerfoundation.org P.P.S. I'd like to you to get to know me
better by giving you a gift. Drop me a note in the return envelope
and I'll send you my book, "Ten Commandments for Success:
Unlocking Principles of Prosperous Personal, Business, and Family
Living from the Life of Moses." if you need any further information, contact us:
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