Dear Friends and Family, Batya (L.) from our email circle and Heart to Heart group, has been forwarding this amazing experience of the Ortiz family, and hundreds affected by their story. In all God has been magnified, and his goodness and mercy have followed this family. God bless all the intercessors, and let’s continue to pray for Ami in Israel. Although I have received different accounts of this happening, I am posting the reports from http://www.restorersofzion.org which have been forwarded to me. For God’s glory!
The first posting is inclusive of the dated March 22, 2008 through March 31, 2008. Kairoswomen received the first circulation on Saturday March 22, 2008 as follows:
This afternoon at around 2:30 there was an explosion in the home of David and Leah Ortiz (long-time believers from Ariel, the only Jewish city in Samaria). Their youngest son (Ami, meaning “my People”) was badly wounded. It was a bomb in a “mishloach manot” (the traditional food gifts exchanged among Jews for Purim), which was left at their door. It said “Purim Sameach” (“Happy Purim”) on it. Ami (15) happened to be the one who opened it.Attached is an update sent to me by Hannah Weiss, who also lives in Ariel. The Messianic community in Israel is shocked and prayerful. Will you please join us and especially the aching family of Ami through this ordeal?This day, over 2,500 years ago, a young lady was raised for such a time as this and annulled a decree to destroy our People. We all know that this decree has been issued again and again through history, and the Messianic Jews are now the target of it from all sides.As for this morning, Ami is out of surgery. The Lord has been merciful. The boy is still a mess but stable. Amazing news – no shrapnel got into his arteries or vital organs. One lung was crushed but they managed to save it. His brain is not injured. His body is intact except for losing several toes (not sure why “toes” instead of “fingers”, but this detail is from his mother Leah). The swelling in his face has gone down. It’s truly miraculous, given the fact that the bomb was right in front of him. The Lord had to have been shielding him to keep him alive. That was the good news. The rest… he has 2nd and 3rd degree burns, deep gashes all over, both arms broken. And his eyes are badly damaged. The med team hasn’t even had a chance to take care of that yet, because of all the life-threatening things they were working on all night. He is stable but heavily sedated.His parents were at the hospital all night and are obviously in a state of shock and exhaustion. I haven’t seen their apartment, but the older Ortiz kids went to the house and they say the entire kitchen and living room are destroyed. No one is even thinking about that, because Ami is alive and that’s enough for now.The Shabak (general security people) are doing a complete investigation. They were just here at the house. In fact it was not a traditional Purim food-basket – it was a wrapped package, unusually bulky and large. Ami called his parents to comment on it, about 20 minutes before opening it…. This bomb was designed by people who knew what they were doing, how to set and hide a trigger, and how to maximize its blast effect. It was packed with metal shards, a trademark of PA-sponsored terror. David has had a “fatwa” on his head (death threat) from Hamas for several years, for the crime of bringing Palestinian Muslims to faith in Yeshua.There was not much media coverage of this angle. I personally think the police have downplayed the terrorist theory because it would mean having to face the fact that Palestinians got in and out of Ariel without being noticed. (We have never had a terror attack inside our gates for the 30 years of Ariel’s existence, in spite of being in the middle of Samaria.) They don’t want to open that ‘Pandora’s box’ until they absolutely have no choice. We are praying that the guilty parties will be caught – and I’m specifically praying that they will feel the Lord’s intense pressure on them.We’re very thankful the Lord has spared Ami. Bless all of you who have been praying, and thanks to all who replied by email and phone. Please keep praying. Ami is still in bad shape. The family obviously has a long, hard trial ahead of them.Blessings and Shabbat Shalom, Hannah Weiis (Restorers of Zion)Kairoswomen received the first circulation on Saturday March 23, 2008 as follows:
We received this e-mail this morning reporting on Ami’s condition. First, Ami is stable. For Ami to be alive is a great miracle. Just a while ago I talked to Yoav, who is at the Ortiz apartment. He told me it is impossible to look at this apartment and believe someone could be alive. The top and bottom floor windows are broken out. There is shrapnel all over the walls. He just pulled a two inch by one inch piece of metal out of the refrigerator. Every piece of furniture destroyed. Like our apartment, their apartment is on the 3rd floor. (Operation Outreach is sending finances to help the Ortiz family) The windows on a car parked below were blown out from the blast. I tell you all of this to tell you that Ami was holding the bomb when it exploded. He is alive!I also just got off the phone with David, Ami’s father, and it is amazing what God is doing. David could barely talk without crying just sharing with me what has happened so far. The doctor, a specialist in this kind of trauma who has seen several terrorist bombing victims, told David that a miracle has happened. He has never seen this kind of recovery! As I share what he said please make note of the continuing prayer points. Starting at the head: He left eye is okay. They pulled a large piece of metal out of his right eye and there is still a lot of pressure on that eye. We need a miracle for his right eye. The doctor believes there is a chance now to save it. There is no brain damage! Remember he was holding the bomb! Hallelujah! David said the swelling in his face has also gone down considerably.Neck: There are large and deep cuts to the neck, but no damage to the main arteries – a miracle.Chest: One lung was severely damaged and they are in the process of trying to save it. We need another miracle here. The doctor believes there is a chance. No damage to the heart or vessels. Praise God!
Stomach: Most of his internal organs were severely injured from the blast. Reconstruction of the intestines and kidneys was done last night. Today he is able to urinate – a miracle sign that his organs are beginning to work again. He also has 2nd and 3rd degree burns over most of the front of his body.
Legs: The muscle in one of his thighs is completely exposed and terribly lacerated. The doctor believes there is a chance it could be saved. Some news reports are saying that they have amputated the leg, but that has not happened. We are believing for a miracle here to save his leg. He has lost some of his toes. I don’t know how many.
David and Leah have been at the hospital now without sleep going into the second day. Pray for them.
Israel has faced it’s share of terrorism in the Jewish community, but never has it faced anything like this …….something solely directed at Messianic Jewish believers. How will God use this? How will He use us and not just our family, but you as well? We must stand with the Body when it suffers. Look at your newspaper and national news …….the world and Israel is watching.
Kairoswomen received the first circulation on Saturday March 25, 2008 as follows:
Hi all – That “all” has been increasing daily to a very wide network of believers. You guys are representing the Body on literally every continent. (except Asia… but knowing the strength of the persecuted Chinese believers, I’ll bet the Lord has notified them to pray without the need of email…!) In a nutshell, Ami is improving with every passing day. The scene at the hospital last night, outside the intensive care unit, was more like a party than a vigil – believers coming and going, a table of food and drink, Ami’s parents mingling and joking. There are a lot of challenges ahead for the boy and his family, and there are still potential dangers, but for now we can’t help but celebrate. And one of the things we were celebrating was the strong support of the Lord’s people, which crossed all sorts of boundaries. David and Leah are aware of your prayers and are receiving your personal messages, and they are drawing strength from you – which is ultimately from Yeshua our Head. Just as it should be. People were discussing new signs of the Lord’s careful watch over Ami… the damage in the apartment showed that most of the bomb blast-force went to his right, left and upward, while Ami himself was thrown backward. Leah’s comment: “It was like the Lord was holding up His hand and saying to the enemy, ‘This is as far as you go.’” Okay, some details about Ami: There are some false rumors going around, mostly because of sloppy media reports. Unfortunately, even the usually reliable Jerusalem Post got things mixed up. Although it made a great story, Ami was not saved by his mom (his parents were in Jerusalem and had to fight their way through traffic to the hospital). There are not “50 families” of Messianic Jews in Ariel (don’t we wish!! – the number is closer to 9 or 10 families, plus several volunteers who come and go on tourist visas). Ami did not need to have his intestines and kidneys reconstructed as far as I can determine, although shrapnel and glass was removed from lots of places I don’t want to think about. Nor were any limbs amputated (he lost 2 toes only). He is still in a medically induced coma, but they are beginning the gradual wake-up process, which may take a few days. They have lowered the anesthesia to the point where he can hear his surroundings, and he’s now got an i-pod in his ear so he can hear music (as a mother, I’m resisting the urge to make wisecracks here about teenagers and their i-pods). They have started giving him specially formulated liquid nourishment through the stomach to get his digestion going again. They were not yet able to remove all the metal bolts that had pierced both lungs (they need to wait and see how his body responds). But they were able to take the drainage tube out of one lung, because the bleeding has stopped. They are still battling to save the lung that is collapsed. Still waiting for final results on the injured eye. Still using the word “miracle” at every turn. The burned-off skin and exposed tissue beneath remains a very big concern, along with the risk of infection. The Ortiz’s got a visit from another Ariel resident, who knows what it’s like to survive this ordeal (the Anter family, who lost 2 boys in the Kenya terror attack several years ago). She had also been severely burned, and she came to encourage them. Ami’s class visited the hospital too. Apparently they had a meeting in the school, where kids were allowed to stand up and talk of how they felt about the incident. (This is a widespread practice in Israel, to help kids deal with the trauma of terrorism.) The usually rowdy kids were respectfully silent as their classmates shared the things they love about Ami. Details about the damage: The apartment did not lose all its furniture, as reported by some - by a fluke, the sofa and TV are fine. The phone and electric work, and the computer works, but the spiral stairs to the upper floor are rickety. It may take a while before all the damage is known. The windows are in process of being fixed. One group of believers has already undertaken to replace the refrigerator. The Ortiz’s did have house insurance. Those of you, who were asking about this aspect of their needs, stand by until we know more. And about the investigation: I have become aware that many believers are arguing over whether the perpetrators were Muslim terrorists (disguised as orthodox Jews) or Jewish anti-missionaries (acting like terrorists). Brethren, we aren’t going to nail that one down, no matter how much we discuss and argue. But be assured that the Lord knows EXACTLY who they are, and that is enough. I’ll tell you what I am praying – That He will (1) turn up the pressure on them and fill them with unbearable fear of Him until they crack, and (2) guide the authorities unerringly right to their door. ”The weapons of our warfare” are not in the Shabak arsenal…. we need to do our job, and let them do their job. So let’s unite in prayer and pull down this stronghold with the tools the Lord has given us. With that said, there are some new developments. The mayor of Ariel, Ron Nachman, visited the hospital yesterday. He has been very supportive and openly determined to defend the rights of believers here. He told the family that the investigation of the attack has been moved to a higher-level department in Jerusalem, to avoid any local conflict of interests. I consider that a direct answer to prayer, because our own interaction with the local police revealed possible bias and blind spots. Some others also visited David – members of the local orthodox community. Having concluded that the media reports (all favoring the “Jewish extremist” theory) must have some factual basis, they apologized to David and disowned whoever did it. Likewise the leader of Yad L’Achim, who publicly denounced the deed in the media. I’m not saying any more, since these are the only real facts I have. In summary, Ami’s progress is miraculous from one day to the next. From here on, the changes are going to occur more slowly, and so my updates can be a little less frequent. I will be taking a breather to give my neglected home and job some much-needed attention. So if you write to me with a personal question or comment, please bear with me if I don’t answer the same day. Local believers – we have hot-meal coverage up through Sunday, Mar.30. This has been a tremendous practical help to the family, and it would be good to continue it. So anyone who would like to participate, please email me. They have a small refrigerator and microwave at the hospital for their personal use. People on this list — I’ve added your name because you wrote expressing the desire to pray or help Ami in some other way. I have NOT added your name to the regular Restorers of Zion update list unless you requested that as well. We do not send our ministry newsletters to people who didn’t specifically ask (everyone gets way too much unwanted mail as it is). But if you do want to be included, drop me a line and I will be happy to add you. A new RZ Update was almost ready to be sent out before this attack happened.
Kairoswomen received the first circulation on Saturday March 28, 2008 as follows:
Shalom! I salute the Body of Messiah worldwide. Your prayers and love are coming through loud and clear! BTW I am happy to stand corrected in my note about “believers from every continent except Asia” — our brothers and sisters in the Far East are also circulating the reports and praying for Ami. Your prayers are being heard, and the Lord is moving things faster than even the doctors were prepared for. In fact, I have had several delays in sending this out, because the news keeps changing! Ami was to be taken out of the medically controlled coma slowly, over several days. Instead, he woke up by himself last night – another miracle, and one that must have startled the ICU team. Moreover, he was aware of his surroundings. He couldn’t focus his eyes to really look at people, but he was able to respond to questions by blinking. There were reports from his family that he is having periodic panic attacks. Small wonder. Imagine that you are 15 years old, you wake up feeling weird, not sure where you are, can’t move freely, something is wrong with your eyes, struggling to breathe (he is off the respirator, but still has a collapsed lung)…. and the last thing you can remember is a basket of goodies exploding in your face. Pray for the Lord’s peace to totally surround Ami, that he will feel SAFE in His arms. So now your prayers need to cover his battle to rebuild his life, which is only beginning and will be a long one. Pray also for his family, who is now staying with him in shifts. Although none of them would want to go back to the time when he was unconscious, there was an illusion of peace and serenity during that time. His fight to recover is now out in the open and must be shared by them. This can bring on a new sense of loss. It has got to be tough to see him struggling (the “baby” of the family, no less) and feel helpless to rescue him. Pray that the Lord will give each of them wisdom to do the things that are good for Ami. Okay…. that’s what I wrote this morning. By afternoon today (exactly a week after the bombing), this news, incredible as it was, was already out of date — the Lord has moved so fast, He’s left us all huffing to catch up! This afternoon, Ami began moving around and talking. His first request was to see his brothers and sister, give them hugs and tell them he loved them. Then he began complaining that he wanted to go home. THEN he tried to get out of bed! (not possible because his legs are still in bad shape) By this evening they were moving him out of the ICU into a regular room. The nurse who settled him in his bed came back a short while later and could SEE the improvements in his face! He is literally changing hour by hour. Tell me that’s a normal recovery, under ANY circumstances. Let alone a kid who was at death’s door exactly a week ago. And that’s not all. We have been joined in prayer by the children in Ami’s class, who informed a family friend that they are not “stahm” praying (going through the motions of liturgical prayer) but praying every word from the heart. Imagine the impression God’s amazing response is going to leave on each teen who poured out his/her heart to Him on behalf of Ami…. Since these are secular Israelis, it’s probably the first time most of them have ever attempted to reach out to Him. “Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” There are still challenges ahead – recovering the use of his legs, for example. Also he can hear out of one ear only. One immediate need is thing is healing from the emotional trauma (he is having flashbacks of the explosion). Please pray that the Lord will relieve Ami of this torment. According to another brother (thanks Tommy!) Ami is also expressing intense anger over the whole event, a very normal response and a necessary one. There are no easy answers to give him, and the Lord knows what he needs in order to work through that. Local believers: I don’t know yet about visiting hours in the ward where he is, or who will be allowed to see him. You should call the hospital for more details, or stand by until I get that information. Now I want to comment about our support system as a Body. It has been wonderfully effective and dedicated, and has crossed all sorts of barriers that tend to separate us. It is a selfless giving and a unity that I have never had the privilege to see before in my 46 years of walking with the Lord. It is conduct that is surely pleasing to Him and brings glory to His Name. Yet this is only a beginning. If we are going to grow from this experience and continue following where He is going, there are some matters that need our attention and prayer. There are groundless rumors being passed around. I have tried to correct some of them, but I did not mean it as criticism. This kind of thing is inevitable, and we need to watch our responses to the mistakes being made. All of us reporting to you from Israel are relying on those closest to the situation for our information, but these same people are under the most stress, obviously. Over the past week, they have had very little time to recharge. Under those conditions, it’s easy to get details garbled or add personal feelings to the factual stuff. They do not need to be graded on accuracy right now. And we should be quick to forgive anyone who innocently repeats something that turns out not to be true, or who was not exact in passing on what they heard, or who maybe could have chosen their words better. I personally apologize if I made anyone feel bad by correcting such mistakes – you are all doing a labor of Love by sending your own updates abroad. Please, please continue. I don’t think the Lord intends for me to do this alone. If you make a mistake, just correct it in your next letter. (I’ve done that twice already.) With that said, the disinformation has had two sides to it. There is the harmless kind of rumor, like the one going around that the police have arrested a suspect. We all want that to happen very much, but if the police have detained anyone, Ami’s own brothers are not aware of it (as of this morning). At any rate, there is no harm done, other than widespread disappointment. But there is another kind of rumor, which can hinder what the Lord may be about to do in Israel. I’m talking about the consensus being expressed among nearly all believers that this was the work of hostile anti-missionaries or a Jewish vigilante group. As we deal with our pain before the Lord, are we giving Him permission to send us to minister to the very ones who have abused us? (For the record, I am no armchair analyst, but speak from firsthand experience.) Or do we pray only that He will settle the score, and pay them back for the damage they have done to believers? This is a sign that we have closed our hearts to responding as the apostles did in the book of Acts. How can we expect to receive the power they had, without paying the price they paid? Let me start a different rumor, which is based on more reliable information than the above, but so far has not made it into the Messianic/Christian grapevine: God is doing something strong and unlooked-for in the religious Israeli community. We need to look and listen carefully, or we are going to miss it. I began writing about this phenomenon two months ago, in a Restorers Update that never seemed to get finished. I am now realizing why – what is happening here belongs in the picture. Lord willing, I will share more of the picture in that framework (this is not the time or place). For now, I appeal to believers who are speaking to the media about Ami’s experience: Promote our faith and proclaim our rights to practice it and share it, but avoid speculation about who committed this crime. For love of Him, avoid putting extra stumbling blocks in the way of the orthodox believers-to-be, who the Lord is calling out for Himself. Believers worldwide, please include us Israeli believers in your prayers, that we will stay in the Lord as we navigate through this complex situation. Blessings, a very tired Hannah signing off at 4 am, Israel time.
Kairoswomen received the first circulation on Saturday March 31, 2008 as follows:
Shalom to the worldwide network of the Lord’s people – the true Restorers of Zion. And on behalf of the Ortiz family, thank you for all your emails, prayers, visits and other expressions of love. I am still trying to catch up with a flood of emails, and I apologize for missing a whole bunch that were sent last week, which I just now noticed are sitting unopened in my Inbox… I’ll try to answer as soon as I can. Each one of you is a reflection of Him, and your unselfish, unified love is a praise to His name. “…that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that You did send Me, and did love them, even as You did love Me.” (John 17:23) A lot of non-believing Israelis are watching the Body coming together for Ami and his family… neighbors, security people, hospital personnel, anti-missionaries. Some of it is due to the media coverage (which has been hit-and-miss), but a good deal more is just by word of mouth. And it’s catching! Tommy, a brother in Ariel, reports that the Ariel police took up a collection for the family and presented it to them. In short, there are a lot of communication channels opening that weren’t there 2 weeks ago. Pray that the Lord uses every one of them. Ami’s progress (a combination relay report, with thanks to Roz and Tommy!) continues to move quickly. An operation on his right eye took place on Shabbat, a delicate procedure to remove a large metal shard near his cornea, and it was successful. His lungs are still full of metal bolts, and yet his brothers say somehow he is breathing okay. (no one is sure about the collapsed lung, whether it has been re-inflated or not.) He was suffering from a fever and chills yesterday, but that seems to have passed. The plastic surgeon saw him today and will soon start the skin grafts. The word from this doctor is – if all goes well, Ami might become an out-patient in two weeks or so. Some of the brethren have written about natural substances that can speed up and ease the painful burn-healing process – I am passing on this information to the family as soon as I see them again. The post-traumatic stress is slowly subsiding. Leah says that for the first time today, Ami’s personality is coming back in his responses. (He is really annoyed at not being allowed to get up and use the bathroom…) And he is calmer. Please continue to pray the Lord’s healing peace into Ami’s soul and mind, as he works through the intense flashbacks that still come now and then. Leah is concerned for Marina, the housekeeper who found the package and who was one of the first to see Ami after the explosion. Marina is also suffering from post-traumatic stress symptoms, and needs to be supported in prayer. Local believers, bless those of you who have expressed love to the family by bringing hot meals to the hospital. This has proven to be one of the most valuable practical actions – they love it and feel quite spoiled! And Ami actually nibbled on some real food today (congratulations to the loving sister who made the irresistible blintzes!) We will continue to coordinate this service until they let us know that meals are no longer needed. Israelis who would like to visit – Ami is located at Schneider Children’s Hospital, in the Burn Unit (5th floor). Schneider is behind Beilinson Hospital (Petach Tikvah). The apartment repairs are in high gear this week, a combination of professional workers and believers volunteering their renovation skills. Those who took to heart the plight of the Ortiz family dog and were praying for him, you also can rejoice in His mercy! Dusty appears able to hear again, and is starting to eat normally. He is still very nervous and hides a lot, but he comes out and sleeps in a corner when some of the Ortiz boys are around the house. As a dog-owner, I am relieved that the little rascal is returning to normal. We should not underestimate the healing effect this will have on the family, and eventually Ami when he comes home. Please pray for the Ortiz’s neighbor, who lives on the first floor of their building. She was one of the first to arrive on the scene of the bombing (she is a trained nurse), and at the time she acted professionally and helped stabilize Ami. But she was so traumatized by the sight of Ami’s wounds (“he was open and bleeding everywhere”) that now she cannot sleep at night. She really needs to visit him and see God’s miracles, but her memory of what he looked like is probably preventing her from considering it. The investigation is still under a media black-out. I have checked on the persistent rumors that the police are dropping hints about the direction they are taking - I have confirmed that they are saying NOTHING, not even to Ami’s parents. So please discount any rumors you might hear about “leads” they are following in pursuit of one group or another. Consider such speculation a distraction from praying on target – that the Lord will uncover the guilty party, and that by the time He does, the party will be repentant and full of the fear of the Lord. Never forget that our enemy is not flesh and blood – if we want to hit him where it hurts the most, we should pray that he loses his grip on many, many souls as a result of this incident! David and Leah are praying for the Lord to forgive whoever did this thing. We should unite with them in this prayer, and release His full power to turn this evil into good. Please keep holding the family up before Him as well – they must be exhausted with the nonstop stress of the past 10 days. Leah has asked me to pass their intense gratitude to each one of you - your prayers are holding them steady through all the ups and downs. Increasing numbers of believers have been asking about where to send donations for the Ortiz’s. Now that the dust is settling, I have asked the family if there is a more direct way to do that, other than sending it through us. You can contact their legal representative, Calev Myers, who has opened up a special account to receive donations for them. Send an email to: myers@yraveh.co.il. Blessings to you all, Hannah
