Still Small Voice NewsletterOctober 2020 Tishri 5081. Dear friends: The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of God’s faithfulness to us in EVERY way. In Bible times, something called “Bikkurim” was practised. Farmers gave their first fruits as offerings in the Holy Temple. The giving of one’s first fruits is all about gratitude and appreciation for all that God blesses us with. Israel is blessed with what we call the “seven species” which are; figs, pomegranates, dates, grapes, olives, wheat and barley. Last year our entire immediate family came together in our Succah in Jerusalem. We have harvested our pomegranates, figs and grapes and used some of them to decorate our succah. We know you will soon be celebrating “Thanksgiving” as well. We send you and yours the blessings of Shalom. Shalom means every blessing imaginable! Our Happy Family News How grateful I am for sons who hear and obey the voice of the LORD. David is our ‘first fruit’. For those of you who were burdened for David our eldest, your prayers have been …

Dear Friends who are listening;                                                    Elul/Tishri 5781  September 2020  The following scriptures come to mind as I prepare to write in this letter. “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.”  Psalm 2:4 “Summer is ended and we are not saved.” Jeremiah 8:20 “My eyes overflow with rivers of water …”  Lamentations 3:48 Teshuvah is the result of the tragedy taught in Exodus 32. It was a disastrous time for God’s people. Moses had been inThe Presence on the Mount. Now, returning to camp Joshua said to him, “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of defeat, but the sound of singing.” Exodus 32:18  A shocked Moses, his skin, still shining from his encounter with God looked on Israel’s idolatry in disbelief. A golden calf, was worshipped by drunk nude girating men. He had encountered heaven to face this hell. The tablets in his …

Shalom dear friends:                                    August 2020      Jesus taught in Mark 13:28-31 why we need to watch and pray.                          “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near [May 14, 1948, Israel was reborn as a nation after 2,000 years.]  When you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass way.”  “For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear this is written for a future generation, [dor ah ha roan Hebrew for the last generation] that a people not yet created shall praise the LORD:” Psalm 102:16-18 What would we do if we …

Dear Friends, Summer 2020 is unlike any we have ever experienced! “I didn’t know how to teach my kid to die! I hugged and kissed him every day and said, ‘I love you.’ You can’t kiss a photograph.” Horace Anderson Father of youth killed in CHOP Seattle USA. June 2020 “Where is God in all of this?” You wonder.  Maybe He is saying, “Where are you?” The word education in Latin means: “to bring forth from within.”  The Jewish-Christian ethic gives us the rules of engagement for a blessed life. Today, a small percentage of disgruntled people infiltrated by leftist ideals are destroyers, demanding attention. Like spoiled brats they defy authorities and murder, plunder and rampage. Sadly, Truth has fallen into  the streets. Why?  Because it did not exist in the first place. Hatred and greed grow into explosive rage. Lawlessness expresses itself in destruction of lives and property. We have an ignorant brain-washed generation supported by cunning politicians and powerful companies. This has been carefully planned and now it has exploded. The best-selling children’s book …

Sivan 5780 Shalom Dear Friends: In today’s letter I will address the subject of VOICES! Which voice gets my attention?  Voice is an interesting word.  It  can be understood as: the voice of man or beast, along with other sounds, noises, or cries. To hear anyone’s voice is to obey it.  Pause and consider that!   Photo: Meridel in the garden during Corona. Summer arrived, bringing a week of scorching temperatures. It was 39C – F 96 in Jerusalem and 45C – F 113 in Galilee and Eilat. May 2020 was the hottest May in Israel’s recorded history.  Recently, we celebrated Israel’s 72nd birthday and later Jerusalem Day, marking  53 years of her unification since 1967.  Jay and I hosted family and friends for Shuavot, The Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Pentecost.  We thirst for the living water in this season of REJOICING out of NEED! God’s Voice “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and …

Shalom Dear Friends,                                                                        Iyar 5780 This month, my husband, Jay has word for us all, which I found so encouraging. “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life.  Proverbs  10:11 Last week I was asked to give a message to our senior’s  synagogue Bible study group. Normally we meet  but with the current COVID-19 situation we met via Zoom over the Internet. First, we study the Biblical portion of the week: the same portion is read at that time world wide. Then one of us gives speaks on a subject we all choose. It was my turn. My message was called,“Rabbi Akiva – The Epidemic Then and the Pandemic Now.” An epidemic in his day killed 24,000 of the Rabbi Akiva’s students, in fact all of them. It abruptly ended on the 33rd day between Passover and …

Nissan 5780/April 2020 Hag Sameach… blessed  Passover! Dear Friends;Blessings to you at this sacred season from the Rawlings family in Jerusalem.  The magnificent menorah that stood in the Tabernacle of Meeting was crafted of pure gold. It was made using the pattern that Moses saw, which first existed in heaven. “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” Heb. 8:5c. Modern Israel’s official seal was taken from Moses’s account in the book of Exodus. Photo below.  President Rivlin reminded us in this time of national and global crisis to remember the good things. In the past year, Israel reached the moon, even though the landing was not soft. Also, Israel produced the first 3-D printed vascularized heart! As the father of our nation, he emphasised the importance of strengthening all of our relationships. Around the world, every Passover meal begins with asking the children: “Why is this night different from all others?” This year the world has not witnessed any Passover like it. Hopefully, more than ever before, our …

Beloved Friends, new and old: This morning, Jay read these wonderful promises to us. Like you, we are in lockdown here in Israel, and cannot leave our home. Thankfully we have a garden. The rains have stopped, and the Sea of Galilee is full!  All of creation is rejoicing with the moisture. Earlier today, Jay picked the oranges, lemons, and limes that you see here on the table in front of us. We are taking this ‘time out’ to be refreshed and renewed within. How about you we would love to hear. “I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. I am He that lives and was dead; behold I am alive forevermore. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you. My peace I give unto you.”  Heb. 13:5, Matt. 28:20b, Rev.1:18, John 14, 18, 27.  My first Swiss friend was Meni Roth. We met in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall of 1984. She invited …

Shalom dear friends.  Jay and I are celebrating 2020 for a very good reason. We left Canada for Israel in 1969 and 50 years later, continue to serve Jesus full time! This year we plan to visit many friends among the nations that we have worked with over these five decades. “And who is like your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth who God went to redeem for himself as a people to make for Himself a name and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land …” 2 Samuel 7:23 Welcome to Switzerland: An invitation to our meetings by Christoph and Margrit Sager. “Dear small group leaders! After Washington, journalists are focused on Jerusalem. This shows the importance of Jerusalem in global politics. The Middle East is a powder keg. And if you take a closer look, you will find that Israel, especially Jerusalem, is often the focus of criticism. Why? Rawlings are profound experts on the history of Israel. They will lead us into the history of …

December 2019 To my treasured friends: Jay and family join me in sending loving blessings to you. It all began when Father spoke mysteries to his Prophets. Then in the fullness of time, in Bethlehem just 6 km south of Jerusalem, God chose to reveal His secret first to humble shepherds. Would you or I qualify for such an honour today?  Just think about it; what is the cry of our hearts?       Take time to read it all: “…Bethlehem Ephratha… out of you shall He come, unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel: whose going forth has been from of old, from everlasting. And He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord His God: for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth; in the majesty of the Name of the Lord his God; and they [Israel the nation] shall abide: for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth.[In believing Jews and Christians in 2020] And the remnant of Jacob …