When is the right time to have a new baby? Often, we hear, “A baby will ruin my future.” Our counselor, Miriam, was sixteen and homeless when she became pregnant with her firstborn son Osher. She said, “The baby in your womb does not ruin your future. HE IS YOUR FUTURE.” With tears, she added: “I can’t imagine what my life would have been without my son.” God’s timing often surprises us. Our moms didn’t plan, didn’t expect a baby, but their joy when the new baby is born is beyond words. God’s timing is always perfect. Even in times of war, there is season for new birth. Even in times of weeping, there is a time for the laughter that comes with new life.

JAMA AND SHEPHERD BOY DAVID IN BETHLEHEM

Jama first visited our office in 2020. She was pregnant, afraid, and feeling very alone. Despite her apprehensions, she chose life for her son David, who is now four years old. At the time, she was fighting a court battle to be allowed to remain and settle on a hillside near Bethlehem with her flock of sheep. Courts finally awarded her the land and she has created a peaceful home for herself. David has turned into a shepherd boy from Bethlehem! Jama has taught him how to be patient, especially when it comes to taking care of the farm with its many sheep, donkeys, and dogs. He loves to help feed them.

Recently, Jama sent us this photo of her kind David with a thank you note for standing with her in her season of trials. At that time, she couldn’t see a bright future, but God has blessed her with her precious David, and they are thriving.

WAR IS MESSY

It’s now been nearly eight months since the war began on October 7th 2023. Our hearts yearn to see healing for our nation. There are still over 122,000 people who are evacuated from their homes.

Our counselor, Yael, who lives in Ashkelon where there were thousands of missiles and much suffering, wrote these comments:

“Let’s remember to faithfully pray for the families in hotels who were evacuated from their homes. This situation has caused havoc in many families. Many of them live in one room with not enough space, no privacy, and the children are very upset and families are broken. Many of the women have husbands who are serving in war areas. The women feel like their partners don’t understand what it’s like to be left alone with the children, that they do not see the pain and loneliness that they bear as they shoulder the burdens of the family alone. The men, on the other hand, need healing for the trauma that they have endured. They carry pain in their hearts for the friends whom they have lost and the difficult things that they have seen and experienced, and struggle to return to homes where it seems that wives managed without them. Couples have split up as a result of the emotional and financial pressures, and women are being pressed to abort pregnancies as a result of the traumatic situation they are experiencing.”

Social workers and municipalities continue to phone us for help for the new mothers living in the hotels. In Jerusalem, we are currently supplying gift cards to over one hundred new mothers. Here are photos of some of the adorable babies who received gift cards.

DINA & TWINS SANA AND SIRAJ

Dina is forty years old and lives in Haifa. She called our hotline for help and advice when she found herself in an unexpected pregnancy. She had experienced violence as a child, seeing her father beat her mother, until her mother left him and took the children to a home for battered women. During the last war against Lebanon, she was injured by a bomb and suffered mental and physical injuries. She still suffers from the trauma and has had difficulty forming stable relationships. Several years ago, she met a Bedouin man at work, and despite family objections, they married. They moved in to live with his family in their nomadic community. Dina suffered numerous miscarriages as a result of her health issues. Shortly later, her husband was imprisoned for murder and given a life sentence. Dina returned to Haifa to begin a new life on her own, although she continued to visit her husband in prison. After a prison visit, she surprisingly found herself pregnant with twins! Her income is solely from minimal government support. Dina feared that she would not be able to support twins. Be’ad Chaim’s Operation Moses project came through for her, providing two baby beds, a double stroller, a bathtub, and monthly gift cards for both babies so that Dina can afford all of her baby necessities for the twins. Son Siraj and daughter Sana were born in January. She is delighted and grateful for her adorable children and the terrific assistance and support from Be’ad Chaim. At the age of forty, these babies have filled Dina’s life with joy and gratitude. God’s timing has not disappointed her.

HADAR & BABY BOY NITAI

Hadar, twenty-three years old, is married and lives in Ashdod. When she found herself in an unplanned pregnancy, her husband had been called up for reserve army duty. She was alone and afraid. Their financial situation was very bad, and they were experiencing a lot of sirens and explosions. Hadar doesn’t have a bomb shelter in her building, which added to her stress and fear. A friend recommended she contact Be’ad Chaim. When she sat down with one of our counselors, she was still very confused. At times, she wanted to keep her baby, but then she would think about what kind of world she was bringing a child into and change her mind again. She considered a late term abortion. Thankfully, the counselor was able to give her all the emotional support that she needed. In the end, Hadar decided to continue her pregnancy. Hadar gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy, and named him Nitai. Despite her worries, she said that her precious baby boy has brought her so much joy and happiness. She plans to stay at home with Nitai until he is old enough to go to daycare, and then she will look for a job. They need two wages in order to survive. At the moment things are quieter in the south, so Hadar is less anxious. However, she says that in this country things can never be 100% sure regarding safety, but that’s part of life here. Hadar said, “It’s not only the practical support that made such a difference, but knowing that there was someone to talk to and share things with.”

BLESSED AT THE MONTHLY MEETING

TIKVA & BABY BOY ORIEL

Every month, we invite mothers to our Jerusalem office for a special brunch and inspiring message. In May, our guest speaker shared how she had found healing after her baby daughter died in an accident. Hearing that healing is possible, even after such huge loss, other mothers opened their hearts and shared their own stories. Tikva and her husband now have seven children. When she was pregnant with her sixth child, she suffered a serious car accident. The fact that both mother and child survived is a miracle. On top of that, two years ago, she was in a shooting attack in her neighborhood. Her car was hit by bullets, her windshield shattered. Miraculously, she was not injured, but this was a very traumatic experience for her, and she started suffering from anxiety. Shortly after the incident, she heard gunshots and panicked, which caused her to fall down a flight of stairs, breaking her leg and receiving injuries to her face. She and her husband had tried to prevent additional pregnancies, yet she found herself pregnant again. Tikva is against abortion but did not think that she could cope with another baby. The encouragement from her Be’ad Chaim counselor and the promise of financial assistance gave her the courage to choose life for her son, Oriel, who was born in January. Tikva often visits the Jerusalem office to pick up her monthly voucher, attend our lectures, and talk to her counselor and the staff in the office. It makes her feel seen and valued. Despite the difficulties that she’s experienced, Tikva finds new hope every day. Her son’s name—Oriel, meaning “God is my light”—is evidence of her faith that every tomorrow brings new hope.

GARDENS OF LIFE

Over 2,000 trees have been planted in the Gardens of Life, four acres of forest in Latrun. Women and men plant trees in memory of babies who were aborted years ago, children who died, and babies lost to miscarriage. Often, women who lost a baby to miscarriage many years ago, even over fifty years ago, will cry as they remember the loss. One woman recently shared how the loss of her first child to miscarriage caused fear and deep disappointment in her heart. God’s love through the Spirit of Comfort heals the broken hearts. It continues to be our goal to bring comfort and solace to all who were not able to hold their baby. “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord” (Psalm 118:19). May those who enter through the gates of the Gardens of Life find mercy and help in their time of need. All are welcome to plant in the Gardens or ask our prayer hostess, Laurel, to plant in your proxy.

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