JUNE 2007

For the L-rd has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His dwelling place;
This is My resting place forever;
Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
I will abundantly bless her provision;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
I will also clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
Psalm 132:13-16

Our prayer for this trip was to:
“Learn to do right! Seek justice, Encourage the oppressed.
Defend the Cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17

We have returned from our ninth work trip to Israel, very grateful for your support that made it possible and for the opportunity to again show our love to G-d’s chosen people. Each trip is a new and different experience. In the past we have worked repairing homes of terror victims and single Moms and painting bomb shelters near the Lebanese border. This time we worked in the homes of abused women, all of whom are Jewish immigrants from Russia.

One woman, “L” has been in Israel for twelve years. She has three children. Two years ago she suffered a complete emotional breakdown from years of abuse from her husband and the stress of having no family in Israel to turn to. As a result she was unable to work or care for her children. The government stepped in, removed her children from the home, and put them in an institution for foster children. This was a very dark time for her and her children. They were apart for two years. “L” began therapy in an effort to put her life back together and worked toward getting her children back. They have been home with her for four weeks now. “L” lives on a very meager budget but is thrilled to have her family together again. We spent one and a half days painting and repairing her apartment. Many of the repairs were simple, the painting was simple but she said it was all so overwhelming to her. For years she looked at the dirty walls, broken doors, lights that no longer worked and didn't have the energy to even begin repairs. The longer we worked the more excited and creative
she became. In no time she picked up a paintbrush and started working beside us and continued working throughout the day.

We had three teenagers in our work group. “L” was amazed they would give up their summer to come to Israel and work in her home. When we were getting ready to leave she wanted to give them something but had no money to buy them a gift. So, she took magnets off her refrigerator and gave each one a magnet.

Another woman, “T” lived in one room with her daughter. Her bed took up most of the space in the room. You could barely walk around it! We were able to buy her a new bunk bed that only took up half the floor space and moved her bed to a shelter that is used for emergencies for women who are fleeing abusive husbands. A bed was her only piece of furniture. We bought her a table and chairs and put up shelves so she would have a place to put food and clothing.

There are four other families, women and their children that we helped. Ana has no stove to cook on. The one she has is beyond repair and she uses it for storage. We hope to collect $500 to buy her a stove in the near future.

Our next trip to work in Israel is planned for October 21, 2007. We have 10 empty reservations waiting for 10 volunteers who are ready to help battered, abused women.

Please pray about taking one of those 10 places. If you cannot go can you financially support someone else going? If you would like to be a part of Road to Zion’s next trip please contact us. We will be glad to reserve a place for you.

David and Jean Dorris
8001 Eastwood Lane
Pensacola, FL 32514
850-494-1266
roadtozion@earthlink.net
www.roadtozion.org

O Israel, hope in the L-rd; For with the L-rd there is mercy,
And with Him is abundant redemption,
And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities. Psalms 130:7-8

You may have noticed the “o” missing from the name of G-d in this newsletter. To honor His holy name, religious Jewish people refrain from adding the “o” when writing the name of G-d. We have chosen to respect their traditions by doing the same.

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