They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:22-25) 

 In this short account, the man was partially healed and could see, but his perception of what he saw was wrong. He saw people as objects rather than people. This is often how the unborn are perceived – as objects that are disposable – rather than as people. Today a new mother, who is a refugee, shared that she had been treated with disrespect as though she were an object. During her pregnancy, when she asked her social worker for help because of the difficulty of being a single mother with four children, her social worker simply told her to abort to solve her problem. My heart went out to her. Dignity should be shown to every creature created in the image of God whether in the womb or standing in front of us.  The Psalmist wrote: “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” In Isaiah 45, the Lord says: “Woe to the one who says to a father, ‘What have you begotten?’ Or to a mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’” The simple answer can only be a ‘child’, a human being designed by God.

The mothers in this newsletter have chosen to see their unborn children as people, despite pressures, fears and lack of finances. They could have blinded their eyes and seen their children as a problem that had to be solved, but instead they chose to protect them as mothers should.

Grateful that you, our partners, see the unseen children.

Mika with baby girl Talia:

Mika is married but sadly her husband was sent to jail recently for selling drugs. As a result, Mika made the decision to ask him for a divorce. When Mika discovered she was pregnant, she wanted to have an abortion because she could not imagine how she would be able to cope with a child on her own.  Thankfully, she contacted us, met with our counselor and chose life for her baby! Her gorgeous daughter Talia was born in August.  Through the Operation Moses project, she has received wonderful new baby furniture and monthly help to purchase baby needs. Mika loves her little princess and says that she can’t believe that she ever considered an abortion. She is so happy that she chose life for her precious daughter.

Talia’s father and his parents haven’t taken an interest in her yet, but we know that God is able touch hearts.  Mika told us how much our help meant to her, and indeed was instrumental in her decision to give life to her little daughter.

Mali with twins Eli & Yoel:

Eli and Yoel were born only a few minutes apart in July 2019, by natural birth, which is becoming less and less common for twins who are often delivered early by C-section. They were both situated "head down" in a good birth position, also not the usual pattern for twins. At this point, more than a month later, they are gaining weight nicely and look like their mom.

Mali’s last job was with the ground crew at Israel's largest airport. It was there that she met the man who would be the father of her twins. The pregnancy came as a shock. Her own father passed away not long before and she wasn't thinking responsibly, so she says. She considered aborting again (she had an abortion at age 15) until she was told that she was carrying twins. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to do it, even though her relationship with the man had ended and her financial situation was less than good. Her family had encouraged her to abort, until they were shown the twins on an ultrasound. She was forced to quit her job and be on bed rest for most of the pregnancy because she has a medical issue that could have caused her to give birth prematurely.

Since the boys' arrival, Mali has been trying to get her bearings. She lives alone and must manage baby care and errands all on her own. She is so thankful for the help she is receiving (a twin stroller, 2 cribs and monthly assistance) and it has greatly encouraged her. We are so grateful to all of our partners for helping to save the twins' lives!

Nadia and baby boy Mikael:

Nadia and her husband immigrated to Israel from Uzbekistan almost 4 years ago. They have a little daughter who is almost 4 years old. Sadly, two years ago, they lost a baby four days after the birth. 

When they discovered that Nadia was pregnant again, they didn’t know what to do. Being new immigrants, not having a stable job or even being able to communicate in Hebrew, they were struggling. They considered having an abortion until a friend told them about Be’ad Chaim. They realized that they weren’t alone and that there were people who were willing to help and support them.  After contacting us they decided to keep their precious baby, becoming part of our Operation Moses project.

Nadia’s husband had worked in a factory but he suffered a work injury when a heavy weight fell on his hand and broke one of his fingers.  He was out of work for a while but, praise God, he found a different job that does not require heavy lifting. Nadia and her husband were absolutely thrilled when their precious son Mikael was born this summer.

Nadia and her husband are deeply grateful for all that they have received.  She shared that when you don’t have anything, absolutely everything counts. Every little bit of help is very significant.

Monthly Mothers' Meeting

Once a month, several of our offices host a get-together for the local moms. This month, our Jerusalem office invited a baby massage coach. Moms had a fabulous time learning massage techniques using baby oil and hearing how important touch is for bonding with their child.

Rama with baby Shiran:

Rama is married and has 4 older children ages 13, 12, 10, 4.5, and now the precious newborn Shiran. Rama grew up in a boarding school, and in the past had suffered from anorexia, depression and anxiety. She had been dependent on drugs for many years but after going through a rehabilitation program, she has been totally clean for the past 16 years. Her husband is also a former addict. He is clean but is still going through rehabilitation and is in need of support. They live in an apartment subsidized by the government. 

When Rama and her husband discovered that she was pregnant again, they planned to have an abortion.  They had many debts and could not see how they would be able to afford to raise another child.  Then, thankfully, Rama’s friend referred her to Be’ad Chaim. Our loving counselor encouraged Rama, befriended her and let her know that we’d help them with the baby’s needs through the Operation Moses project. Throughout her pregnancy, Rama had been told that everything was well but the day before her scheduled C-section, it was discovered that she had a condition called placenta previa. Indeed, there were several complications which resulted in Rama needing to be sedated and connected to a respirator for about a month after the birth. It was a very traumatic experience. Since then, Rama has had problems doing basic things like walking.  She shared that the first time she tried to walk, she fell on the floor, as she had no control over her legs.  Praise God, she has slowly been able to learn to walk again.  Her ability to recall has also been affected. She describes it as “holes in her memory”. Despite Rama’s many continuing health issues, often requiring hospitalization, we praise God that her precious newborn daughter Shiran is totally healthy.

Rama shared that she believes it was God who saved her life twice - once many years ago when she nearly died from an overdose, and now during the birth of her 5th child when she almost lost her life. She is so thankful to God for keeping her alive. Rama is also deeply grateful for the help that she is receiving from Be’ad Chaim’s generous donors who are blessing and supporting her and her family during this challenging time.

Update from the Gardens of Life:

The Gardens of Life is a place of healing and memorial for unborn children. All are welcome to plant a tree and receive a beautiful memorial certificate. Here are two short testimonies from Laurel, our Prayer Hostess in the Gardens of Life:

All are welcome to find healing and closure through the symbolic planting of a tree in the Gardens of Life. Please contact our office for more information.

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