September Prayer Points from EMUNAH ISRAEL

Shalom to our Christian Friends of EMUNAH,

Fall is right around the corner – the season of renewal and for celebrating God’s wonderful bounty in the Holy Land. Children in Israel (as in much of the world) are on their way back to school!  This is the time of smiling faces, freshly sharpened pencils, new boxes of colorful crayons, along with great expectations for the coming year! At EMUNAH we know that education is the key to long term success and to breaking the cycle of poverty and despair that so many of our children and families have been mired in from generation to generation. Every child deserves to be given the best opportunities to succeed in life. Sadly, though, not every child is born into a warm and loving environment, one which is able to provide the necessary tools to break the destructive cycle of poverty experienced by more than 33% of children in Israeli society.

Many of these children suffer from food deprivation and unhealthy living environments, often traumatized by the physical and mental abuse they have experienced at the hands of their parents. Their situations are so unbearable that they must be removed from their home for their own protection. This is where EMUNAH steps in. They suddenly find themselves in a safe and healthy atmosphere; they are clothed, cared for and fed with love and are surrounded by top professionals in their fields, enabling them to heal and to transform their lives for the better.

These children who have experienced so much trauma and hardship in their short lives deserve a chance to succeed in life.  They deserve a quality education.

EMUNAH is a Jewish charity in Israel providing life-changing services to help the most vulnerable children and families in the Holy Land. The aim is to break the cycle of distress, abuse and poverty that they are all too familiar with and help them to heal, so that they can look to a brighter future in which they are able to build their own rewarding and stable lives and families. The Hebrew word ‘EMUNAH’ means faith, loyalty and faithfulness. For over 80 years, EMUNAH has been providing residential care for children who are not able to live with their families.  We are so thankful for the care, support, and prayers of our Christian friends, as we seek to be faithful to our calling to care for the most needy in the Land.

Please would you pray (in faith!) with us this month…

For the Nation of Israel as they celebrate Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets) this month (on September 15-17). Rosh Hashanah is a celebration of the New Year based on God’s creation of the world. Pray that the children and families of Israel will have a sweet new year – full of hope and restoration – as they look to their Maker. May the New Hebrew Year of 5784 be one of shalom (Peace), safety, joy and unity for all of God’s children the world over!

“This is what the LORD says– the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker….It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshalled their starry hosts.” (Isaiah 45:11-12)

​​“So it shall be in that day:​ The great trumpet will be blown;​ They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria,​ And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt,​ And shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.​” (Isaiah 27:13)

For the 1000+ boys and girls who currently live in EMUNAH’s five residential homes as they begin their new academic year. Please pray these children would know how valuable and precious they truly are. May they feel safe, loved, welcomed and secure in the family-type settings that EMUNAH provides. Please pray for their academic success as they enter the next grade level. Pray they would build healthy, safe relationships with their teachers and classmates.

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)

For the healing process as these children receive a wide range of therapeutic professional services on-site in the residential homes, including psychiatry, social work, occupational therapy, outdoor therapy, pet therapy, music therapy and more. Please pray these precious children would know true healing and love in their young lives, and will be envisioned with hope and skills for their futures. Pray God will meet their deepest needs. Please pray for wisdom for the professionals at EMUNAH as they work with these hurting children.

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me. Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.” (Isaiah 49:15-18)

For the Jewish People making Aliyah at this time – pray that their transition back to their Biblical and historic Homeland will be smooth and welcoming. Please pray that EMUNAH would continue to be ready and able to help them in their places of greatest need. EMUNAH enthusiastically and compassionately serves the diverse needs of many immigrant families with more than 160 significant programs across 73 Israeli cities.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up My banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground…Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:22-23)

For new bridges of healing and reconciliation between the Jewish community and the Christian community, especially as we work together to care for the orphans and the needy in the Holy Land.

“In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations, and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:2-4)

For the financial provision for the practical needs of these 1,000+ children, including for the backpacks and school supplies needed for them to have a successful school year (see more about this below). EMUNAH is a charitable organization that provides a safe, nurturing environment for these vulnerable children and youth, which cares for their whole person – providing food, clothing, education, life-skills, therapies, a ‘home-away-from-home’ and more. May these children see the generous provision of the Lord tangibly and meaningfully in their lives.

“For the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for his dwelling, saying, “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it. I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor I will satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful people will ever sing for joy. (Psalm 132:13-16)

Would you like to help EMUNAH children feel prepared and confident as they go back to school this autumn?

12 year old Sari* will be attending school for the very first time.  As a recent immigrant, her goal is to learn to read and write.  Sari’s dream is to be the first in her family to attend high school, then college.  Sari’s dream is to be a teacher and help other children to learn and dream about a better future. Sari’s dream is to break the cycle of poverty and helplessness she feels every day.  Will you help make Sari’s dream a reality?

• A new backpack = $20
• School supplies (pencils/pens/notebooks) = $35
• Textbooks for Math, Science, History, and Judaic studies = $75
• A Tablet = $150
• School uniform, shoes, and gym clothes = $175