From a Man From Israel
Let us never forget, Governments may war, but it is men who fight and families who sacrifice.
During my travels I get to meet some very amazing people. Earlier this year, I believe by Providence, I met a business man from Israel.
I was staying in a hotel in Dallas, when all of the sudden the power went out in the entire hotel. As I was coming out of my room to discover the problem and how long before a solution, I met a fellow hotel guest. He suggested we take the elevator together. I warned him, that I didn’t think the elevator was safe in this situation and if we got in and got stuck, since I am extremely claustrophobic, it would not be pleasant! He tried to reassure me that he would save me if that happened and we laughed. The elevator wasn’t even working so we decided to take the stairs together, equipped with our cell phone flashlights. That’s how I met David.
As you can imagine, when we got downstairs, there were many other guest with the same questions.
Since the emergency generator was lighting the lobby, we decided to have a seat and wait for the power to return. We began talking and ended up sitting in the lobby for over 2 hours talking about our lives, our families, and the world around us. I learned so very much from him about world politics as it relates to Israel. I chuckle now, because the first thing he said to me was, “If you believe everything you see on CNN, then you think Israel is a terrible place, bombs blasting non-stop and war everywhere. But let me tell you, don’t believe everything you see on CNN.” Of course I reassured him that rarely do I ever watch CNN and NEVER do I believe anything they say. Then, we laughed together.
He told me about all the beauty in Israel and all the places I have to visit. We talked about the travels of Jesus. To hear about those places from someone who has actually seen them was an exciting experience. We talked about the current conflict and he gave me something really interesting to think about. He said, “Let me ask you a couple of questions. If the Palestinians stopped fighting today, what do you think would happen?” I actually thought about it for several seconds and answered, “The conflict would be over and there would be peace?” He responded, “Yes. Ok, now if Israel stopped fighting what would happen?” I said, “Israel would be annihilated.” He said, “Now you understand the real conflict, the story that is not being told on CNN.”
At some point the electricity had been fixed for over an hour and it was nearly midnight; both of us beginning to visibly wilt at the lateness of the hour. On our way back to our rooms, we asked the clerk what had happened. He told us that they were not really sure what happened. It turns out that it was just our hotel. The clerk said they were able to fix the transformer that served the hotel and all should be fine now.
That conversation was June 16, 2014. With everything that was going on lately I started thinking about David again. I sent him an email yesterday telling him that I am praying for him, for the safety of his family, and peace for his nation. I didn’t know if I would hear from him or not, but I needed to at least try and let him know that there was someone over here in America praying for him. Today, I got an email reply.
“…Thank you for your prayers. I have been called to the army since the beginning of the operation…”
My heart sank. I cannot imagine what this man and his family are experiencing. I do not know why David and I met that night. But I am certain that it was absolutely meant to be. Perhaps God just wanted me to have a personal connection with a foreign conflict so I could sincerely, in my heart and soul, pray for them.
Please join me and pray for David and his family. Governments may war, but men have to fight and families have to sacrifice.
