...One special moment was praying at ancient Olympia with our team. The roots of western culture are found primarily in ancient Greek thought. Most people don't realize that the ancient Olympics were performed nude, with much accompanying homosexual activity. As we prayed at the site of the original Olympics, our daughter, Bethany, began fervently praying for this generation of young people to have their eyes opened to the false "Greek" value system which exalts athletics, beauty, sexuality, and pseudo-intellectualism above eternal values. As we prayed (near closing time, in a nearly empty site), suddenly about 300 school children/youth filed past us, about five abreast, during the duration of our prayer for this generation! Bernard Piaget, a missionary to Greece, who traveled and prayed with us all over Greece, explained to us that the average Greek woman has had several abortions. In almost all the shops in Greece, even post-cards displayed at child-level showed full nudity. Please pray for Bernard and his family, as well as all others ministering in these difficult circumstances.
ROME AND TURKEY
...We again experienced deep remorse and travailing
prayer as we led a prayer journey of Messianic Jewish and Gentile Church leaders (brought together by
a group called "Toward Jerusalem Council II, co-chaired by John Dawson and Jewish Messianic leader,
Marty Waldman. We washed the feet of Jewish believers in the ghetto of Rome, where Jews were first
required to live in a ghetto, and wear a distinctive badge. We repented In the Lateran Church, where
many early Church councils had formulated anti-Semitic decrees. Another touching and significant
moment was praying at the Titus Arch, which commemorated the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70
AD, killing a million Jews, and taking 100,000 as slaves. This same Jewish/Gentile team traveled
together to pray in Nicea, Turkey, the site of the Second Nicean Council, where the church had forbidden
Jewish believers in Jesus to keep the Old Testament Biblical feasts, circumcise their children, etc.
These moments together revealed once again how deeply we Gentiles have wounded the Jewish people,
and hindered them from seeing the true Jesus (Yeshua).
ISRAEL ...Rick had the joy of leading the
American delegation, and serving on the leadership team of the "All Nations Convocation", a ten-day
conference praying for all the nations of the world. Delegates of 200 nations prayed together, with
special emphasis on the Moslem nations and Israel. What a blessing to see Palestinians, Egyptians,
and Israeli Jews praying together in such unity. While in Israel, we also met and prayed for/with many
Messianic ministries there. Please pray for all of them, who live under intense pressures. Please pray
especially for our new friends, Israel and Efrocine Auerbach. They own property on Samuel's mountain
where they are surrounded by Arab villages, and where Orthodox Jews come to take ritual purification
baths in the ancient Biblical springs of Hannah and Samuel. Their worship tent (where we had led a
group of internationals in worship) was burnt down last week by hostile Orthodox Jews, who resent
worship to Jesus taking place there. Several days ago, we received word that Israel Auerbach and Vitali,
a young Russian Jewish believer who helps him, were beat up by hostile Orthodox Jews. Israel's
shoulder was injured, his hand was broken, and Vitali was taken to the hospital for life-threatening
injuries to his skull, brain and eye. After much prayer and emergency surgery, he was found in the
recovery room, sitting up in bed, preaching to the hospital staff! Please pray for total restoration, no
brain damage, and for the workers and finances for them to go on. Also for emotional strength and
healing from these traumatic experiences and lack of sleep, etc. Also in ISRAEL, Rick was privileged to
be the first non-Hebrew speaker to address the Fellowship of Evangelical students at the Hebrew
University. Please pray for their very significant work there, led by Seth ben-Haim, son of our good
friends Eliyahu and Hannah ben-Haim, who lead Intercessors for Israel.
GAZA ...We visited Gaza, in the
"Palestinian Authority", in 105 degree heat. Patti and Anna had to wear big scarves to cover all their
hair, and developed a real compassion for Moslem women who have to wear them in the heat all the
time. We prayed in Gaza City, where Yasser Arafat has his headquarters, proclaiming Zech. 9:1-4. We
also prayed with an American family who live and minister in the Palestinian refugee camp. They take
seriously ill children to Israel for medical care (often saving the children's lives) and explain to the
parents that most of the financial help for this came from Jews who live in Israel, who love Jesus. What
an incredible witness to these Moslem, Palestinian refugees. We will not mention their names for
security reasons, but please pray for them. The wife shared that only three times in their ministry in
Gaza, had another mother come to pray for and encourage her like Patti did.
