Look what YOU helped build!   Our Elohim is so good!  We are so very pleased to announce that the Yad Hashmona sportcourt/playground has become a reality!  We finished gathering the funds needed and many of you were a part of this… and now there is finally a place for these children and their neighbors to play.    Thank you, thank you to each one who contributed toward this ‘building of Tsiyon’.   As you will recall, Yad Hashmona is the only Messianic moshav (community) in Yisrael and they have been needing and wanting a sportcourt/playground for many, many years.     Yonathan and his wife Damaris and baby Geffen, whose name means ‘vine’… they just had a new baby girl Adi, which means ‘precious or forever’… Adi was born on 6/6/10   We were so very blessed to have Yonathan Bar David in 2008 as our guide, who was a resident of Yad Hashmona… and that is how our Elohim began to bring this forth.   Here is note from Ayelet, Executive Director of Yad HaShmona.  She has been very encouraged by the gift that you helped make a reality… the ‘emphasis’ in the note is from me:   Dearest Constance,   We have such a "young untouched" soil in Yad-Hashmona that with little help will grow to something amazing: the youth ministry, young mother and babies facility that can host many activities, the Messianic music classes, a public facility for meetings… we don’t have any of that but have a growing need for these that is real and daily. I believe with help and prayer we can build something here that will be a GREAT service for the body of believers. I am against people taking salaries from donations, or "warming seats" while doing not much, I believe if we receive, as we did from you, so generously and with so much trust, we must give MUCH of ourselves for those purposes.  That is why men in Yad-Hashmona, my husband first, AFTER their work hours, and in late evenings worked to prepare the playground field, and pipes, and access to it and so on.. so ALL the money will go only to the materials themselves.   This project and this great gift gave me so much hope that God can and wants to fill our needs and our ministry so that we will do the work while He provides the givers.   I never had such a generous supporters as you and I thank you for teaching me a lesson in God's abundant grace to us,   Much love in Him, Ayelet (end quote)   And here is another note as they were finishing all the work.  The men of Yad Hashmona, led by Daniel, Ayelet’s husband did all the hard work… we just sent the funds.  Sending funds is the part that is truly a privilege.:   Today I sent out a package with photographs and thank you's from the children of Yad-Hashmona.  This is by far the BIGGEST gift we ever received here and the excitement is GREAT!  Kids are on the structure 24/7 and I am not exaggerating!  From morning until night they are around it, on it and under...( the little ones love the space under the ladders...very cute to see).   There is still much to do around, but the main game area is all complete!   We could never have done this without all of you and I wish you were here to see the JOY it brings, not only to the kids but the mothers as well - we all know now WHERE the children are during the afternoon hours since it is so much fun for them to be there.   Families from the neighboring village have discovered the place as well so there are more kids around.   I praise God for bringing you to us and using you in such a practical, useful, loving way.   Send our love to ALL the friends who gave with so much love to this project, we cannot repay you, but we thank our Father in heaven for His deeds through you and ask Him to pour His grace and blessings on you for doing the same toward us!   Much love and a great big hug to you all,   Ayelet and the Yad-Hashmona children, parents, students and all  (end quote)   Here are pictures from the album she sent… wish you could see them better.  Such great pictures expressing such joy!  Ayelet put this together and you can see her creative, artistic touches throughout.   THE YAD HASHMONA SPORTCOURT/PLAYGROUND PHOTO ALBUM SLIDE SHOW And here is another note from Ayelet after my thanking them for the photo album that they sent to all who gave.  I am sending this to you so you can hear how your giving into this project is building their faith!  Living in Yisrael can be difficult and this is increased when they are believers in Messiah.  They need to feel our love and support… you can hear them just soaking this in as you read their response:   Constance, we were ALL touched so deeply to read it.   Upon receiving it, I stood in the office and read it outloud to the office staff, my mother Esther, Limor, Marina and Yossi. My mother cried the whole way through... I made copies to all the people you mentioned: Bill and Stephanie, Moriah, Limor, Butrus, Neomi, Liat, Anja, kids and their parents, so that they all can read it and feel your love and appreciation.   You noticed each and every one of them, every drawing, every word every picture, I was so so very happy to receive such appreciation from you that I was "high" in spirit and heart all week!   It took us a few good days to put it all together, but I felt it was nothing compare to your gift. and yet you  took all the time to write each one of us something in person...   God blessed us with the gift of love through you and it is teaching us a very important lesson: I feel that we are learning, young and old, that He DOES want to take care of our needs even when we think it is impossible. We would not know to look for you or to put this on your heart if God would have not done this Himself for our good.   I told the children as I shared your mail, that someone far away LOVES THEM very much!  Loves every word and drawing they made and WANTED to give them the gift of the playground. I want them to learn to do the same as they grow up WITHOUT expecting immediate return, to learn to give and praise God for His goodness.   Yad-Hashmona is not a wealthy village, on the contrary, there are lots of needs and people who are below average. But God is good to work here and do amazing things, we really have to trust and obey and believe that He wants good for us - this is something people here felt in person through you... so   Thank you for the wonderful e-mail you wrote.  It really really touched many of us here….   Since then, we had the big Messianic picnic of the feast of Shavuot (weeks, Pentecost) and MANY MANY believers used the playground that day!  I did not have a camera with me since I was busy with many visitors but it was great to see!   As we learned together that day, the words of Ruth to Naomi, words of faithfulness and covenant:   "Your people will be my people and your God will be my God"   Our God is ONE Constance, praise Him! halleluya!   Ayelet  (end quote)   Please be praying for Yad Hashmona!    They are our brothers and sisters and are a very, very special group of people…   Thank you again for giving…   Together we can help build Tsiyon!   In His shalom, Constance www.onestickministries.com    Standing together on the land where the sportcourt/playground now stands   “See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity – Like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aharon, running down on the collar of his robes – Like the dew of Ḥermon, that comes down on the mountains of Tsiyon.   For there יהוה commanded the blessing,   Life forever!”    Tehillim/Psalm 133 http://www.onestickministries.com/shapeimage_3_link_0

Look what YOU helped Build!