Dear Brothers and Sisters in our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah,
On March 12, 2023, we will be holding a special workshop for teens from ages 11–14 in a congregation in Jerusalem. The topic will be on sexual harassment and assault. As you can imagine, these are sensitive and difficult issues to discuss with young people. Topics discussed will include how to identify, report, and handle sexual harassment and assaults in a manner that will honor and glorify God.
Please pray for us as we present this topic, that the Lord will grant us great wisdom in sharing, and for the youth that they will find truth and hope in what is ministered, and gain confidence in the Lord in how to handle situations that are sadly, increasingly common in our modern society.
We are working on another update regarding our other programs, seminars, conferences, and translation projects into Hebrew. However, that will have to wait for another time. In the meantime, we hope you will be blessed by our new 2023 banner, and the photos shown above.
We have been quite busy since our last major update – one of the reasons why we do not post more often. We are deeply thankful to the Lord for His great grace and mercy poured out repeatedly into the preborn children and their mothers that come our way. We never cease to be amazed and humbled at how He works and brings light into the darkest places and hope into the most desperate hearts.
Most of the women who have come to use in recent months are relatively young. Tragically, despite their youth, they are also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Katya*
Katya is in her mid-20s, now the mother of two, and suffers from eating disorders and PTSD. Her oldest has a life-threatening allergy to dairy products. But even worse, both have suffered from severe physical and emotional trauma. After giving birth to her son, the baby’s father wanted to kill them both. Thankfully, the father failed in his attempt to murder her. After all she had gone through and struggling with her son’s physical condition, Katya was very abortion-minded when she first came to us. However, after counseling, she made the courageous decision not to abort and gave birth to another son. K’s financial situation is quite difficult, and we are helping her as much as we can through our First Year of Life Program.
Rikki*
Rikki is 21 years old. Born into an ultra-Orthodox religious family, she was severely exploited and sexually abused. Her situation became progressively worse, and Rikki finally decided to leave home. However, with no reasonable means of support, she ended up living on the street and became involved with prostitution and drugs. When she was 17, Rikki became pregnant and decided to give the child up for adoption. After giving up her child, Rikki’s life continued along the same path of prostitution and drugs until she discovered she was pregnant again. Referred to us by a friend, Rikki has been undergoing extended counseling with us. She has been able to get off of drugs and left her life of prostitution. Two months ago, Rikki gave birth to a daughter and is now in the process of getting an apartment from the government.
Elana*
Elana is 28 and has been diagnosed with manic depression and PTSD. She was repeatedly raped by her father for several years, became pregnant, and had an abortion. Elana came to us during her second pregnancy, hesitant about carrying the child to term. After two counseling sessions, she decided not to abort. Please pray for her, as she continues to have awful nightmares because of the abuse she suffered.
Tammi*
Tammi is in her 20s. She and her husband both have backgrounds of drug addiction going back several years – in both of their families. Tammi’s mother and adoptive father both died from an overdose. After becoming pregnant, she was considering an abortion. However, she changed her mind after receiving assistance from A Future and A Hope, and the local community. Tammi is now looking forward to giving birth in another two months.
Batya*
Batya is 23 years old. When she first came to A Future and a Hope, we learned that she had left home when she was 17 after suffering from severe sexual abuse. As often happens in cases like hers, Batya’s life went into a downward spiral toward prostitution and hard drugs. Pregnant when she came to us, Batya was afraid she would not be able to care for her child properly. Thankfully, as the months passed, she changed her mind and made great strides to rehabilitate herself. She became excited about her pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in June. As of this post, Batya remains off drugs and is doing well.
Shula*
Shula, 32, is among the older women who have come to us. As a child, she suffered rape and sexual abuse over an extended period. Shula too, fell into prostitution and drugs and eventually had three abortions. Shula came to us during her fourth pregnancy, having decided she wanted to keep her child. She is now clean from drugs and gave birth in May. Shula hopes to give her child a happier life than the one she experienced. Please pray that she can do that and more by God’s grace!
How A Future and A Hope Makes a Difference
All the women mentioned above have undergone or are undergoing childbirth preparation and a breastfeeding and baby care course given by a trained Doula who works with A Future and A Hope. They also receive parenting guidance and counseling from our staff. All of the women receive help through our First Year of Life Program, and quite often, the women stay in contact with us long after the financial support ends.
However, preserving life and encouraging mothers in crisis pregnancy situations is only one aspect of our ministry. In addition, we provide seminars and workshops on sex education, harassment, pornography, pedophilia, good touch versus bad touch, and other related subjects geared toward parents and teens as well as the Messianic community. These workshops are not just important but necessary in this increasingly sexualized world – even in Israel. While the need for these workshops is a tragic fact, we are deeply grateful for the grace of God in opening doors for effective service and His power that is still touching and changing the hardest of hearts.
Prayer Points
As you pray for the women who come through our doors, please remember that what we have shared is but a tiny drop in the bucket of sorrows they have suffered. Pray for them that the Man of Sorrows would heal their broken and bruised hearts; that they would come to know and trust the Father of Light – the Father of the Fatherless as the Father who truly cares for them and loves them as their own fathers never could. Pray that the Lord would protect them from evil and the evil one and that their children would indeed grow up in homes filled with love, light, and hope.
Please pray for the staff of A Future and A Hope. May He give us the wisdom to guide each one He brings our way. When we speak at seminars and workshops, may the Lord give us HIS words to help the Body of Messiah and unbelievers learn to discern the truth regarding these timely topics. May the attendees have teachable and soft hearts that will turn to the Lord and seek purity.
Our Prayer for You
We give thanks for each of you. You are standing with us in this fierce battle, and your prayers are making a difference. Your giving is making a difference. May the Lord bless you and keep you from all evil; may He meet your needs, and hear the cries of your hearts.
Bless, be blessed, and be a blessing.
Marvin S. Kramer (for us all)
*All names have been changed for the safety of those involved.
On May 22 and 23, three workshops will be held in Jerusalem on the topic of online and physical sexual abuse. Each workshop is aimed at a different group of participants: youth counselors, Junior High students, and High School students.
Hanni and Orit will be giving the workshops. They would be grateful for your prayers on their behalf — for protection, grace, and wisdom. The topic is complex, sensitive, and full of information. Most attendees will be from the believing community, though others may also come. Please pray that all those attending will have hearts willing to hear, open to receive, and ready to change.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Messiah – and Friends of A Future and A Hope,
This is a special prayer request for a young mom (we will call her “C“). C is in her twenties, has a one-year-old son, and she immigrated to Israel a short while ago. When she discovered that she was pregnant, she wanted to perform an abortion. After she counselled with Irena, she did a total turn-around and was convinced that she needed to continue with the pregnancy. She was and is in serious financial distress.
About a week ago, C‘s gynecologist told her that she was unable to detect the heartbeat of the child developing in her womb. The doctor sent C to the hospital where, after being examined, they told her that there is indeed a heartbeat, that her pregnancy is OK, and that she would not have to abort the child.
C took the results given to her at the hospital to her Ob-Gyn. She was examined a second time by her physician, who told her again that she could not hear a heartbeat, and that she would be given Mifegyne (RU 486) to induce an abortion. The doctor gave her the pill and she took it. Afterwards, she contacted Irena in tears, saying that she can’t even think about the possibility of aborting the child and didn’t know how she could think to do so earlier. She so regretted her earlier intentions and didn’t know what to do. Irena encouraged her in every way possible, but C became very depressed over the possibility of losing the child.
Irena is in touch with her by telephone and learned last night that C tried to commit suicide because she didn’t trust enough that her pregnancy was OK, despite the hospital’s reassurances, and that she had followed the advice of her Ob-Gyn and taken the pill to induce an abortion. A spirit of death is hovering over her and she is having difficulty getting over her decision. A week has gone by since she took the Mifegyne and she still has not aborted the child. Her Ob-Gyn said that if the child is not “expelled” by the end of the day (today), she will have to perform a D&C tomorrow and clean out C‘s womb of any trace of her pregnancy.
We serve a God Who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond anything we can ask or think. He has done so before. We are asking for your prayers that the abortion pill will have absolutely no effect, that C will be delivered from this depression, and be able to continue with a healthy pregnancy.
As you receive this post Orit will be sharing in Shavei Tzion near Tel Aviv (evening of November 1) about the roles of men and women and sexuality, both from a Biblical perspective, sexual abuse, basic rules in sexual education of children and how to protect children from sexual predators. Her presentation was requested for a group of teens from three congregations to the north of Haifa. Please pray for attentive spirits, listening ears and receptive hearts, not only among the youth, but also for those who are responsible for them; and pray that the Holy Spirit would work HIS good work in the hearts of the young people receiving this important message.
On Wednesday, November 6, Orit will be speaking in Jerusalem to a women only group about female addiction to pornography. She has also been asked by the Israel College of the Bible to teach a course to women about feminism, starting this month.
On November 14 there will be a pro-life conference in Karmiel; there, Orit will speak on “Whose body is it, anyway?”
Rejoice
Here are a couple of two precious babies that were just born.
Ana-El, meaning “God Answered”, born in December, 2018 (see “19 Years Old and Already Five Abortions,” below)
God has given us a wonderful start this year: Several women
made decisions for life and there were several births by abortion-minded women
who also chose life following counselling. In addition, we have two events
coming up shortly – both of which need your prayer and spiritual covering. Read
on to find out how to pray for us and rejoice in some amazing examples of how God
is changing hearts and lives.
NOTE: All the mother’s names have been completely changed to protect their identities. As you pray for these women, don’t forget, the Lord knows their real names!
A 19-year-old girl (we’ll call her Tehilla – for that means praise) came to us for counselling. Between 15 and 19 years of age, she had already undergone five (!) abortions. She contacted Orit following the advice of a friend of her whom we had helped to keep her baby. Tehilla was considering another abortion—number 6. After visiting our office and receiving counsel, she made the decision not to abort. As a result, Tehilla was rejected by her own family, and the father of the child wanted nothing to do with the baby. She gave birth alone in the hospital. Orit spoke with her afterward and asked what Tehilla wanted to name her newborn daughter. She answered that she hadn’t chosen a name yet—would Orit name her? Orit suggested naming the baby “Ana-El” (God answered). Praise the Lord—That is now her name!
February Workshop for Messianic Youth
Earlier in February we held a workshop for believing youth
on the subject of shaming and bullying, through the internet and in general. We
spoke about real-life incidents and asked the children to share if they had
been involved in similar incidents; what they would do now in the circumstances
described. Obviously, we spoke on the subject from a Scriptural perspective. We
also asked if any of the attendees had witnessed incidents of shaming and
bullying. The responses were far beyond what we had anticipated. Many shared
that they, themselves, suffered from social boycotts, shaming, and bullying
because of their country of origin and skin color, as well as for their faith
in Messiah Yeshua. They left the meeting encouraged and understanding the
importance of being more alert and aware of their surrounding and to the words coming
out of their own mouths.
Prayer: Upcoming Seminars
On March 11 and 25, we will be conducting two seminars in
Jerusalem for parents. The seminars are being organized by the pastor of one
congregation, who is inviting other “local” congregations to attend. One
seminar will focus on shaming and bullying in social media. The goal is to give
parents the tools they need to understand, discover, and relate to their
children regarding these matters, and to stimulate awareness of the importance and
need for open dialogue. Parents will also be helped to understand their
critical role as the defenders of their children. The other seminar/workshop
will deal with awareness and recognition of sexual predators and the growing
impact of pornography and pedophilia among today’s children and youth. Parents
will be taught how to speak with their children about sex, sexuality, and
sexual identity. These topics are of great importance for modern families, and
the spiritual warfare in these areas is great. Your prayers for these upcoming
events would be greatly appreciated.
From Sex Slavery to a Future and a Hope
In mid-February, a 29-year-old woman came to us. Her story was
extremely difficult and painful—however, we share it with you because we cannot
hide from the horrors being perpetrated in the name of sexual liberty and freedom.
(We shall name her “Aliyah” for she is coming up out of the depths to find
hope.)
From an early age, until the age of 14, Aliyah was
repeatedly raped by her father, who would drug her and use her as his
personal sex slave. If that wasn’t enough, until only a few years ago, he would
also pimp her and exposed her to hard drugs, which she also sold. Aliyah became
pregnant twice from her father and had early abortions. She tried many times to
commit suicide, but failed, and finally ended up living on the streets. And
perhaps most tragically, she suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID, commonly
known as multiple personality). This is a disorder that is far more common than
people realize, and is often the result of severe mental, physical, sexual, and
spiritual abuse. Aliyah has suffered from all of these.
At this point, Aliyah’s story came to the attention of someone
who provided her with a place to live, saving her from having to live on the
street. In mid-February, a woman whom we had helped in the past came in contact
with Aliyah and gave her our phone number. Aliyah called us right away. Pregnant,
she didn’t know how to deal with her new situation. Following the
first counselling session at a Future and a Hope, Aliyah has decided that
she will not abort this child and has asked us to accompany her in the process.
She is dealing with heavy spiritual matters and desperately needs the Lord. We
have been sharing the Gospel with her and she is open to it. Please pray for Aliyah
and for us—for wisdom and protection from the attacks of the enemy of our
souls. In particular, pray that she receives wise DID counselling and therapy. Pray
for us to have the wisdom and sensitivity to know how to respond to her in love,
and that she will truly hunger and thirst for righteousness to gain the emotional,
mental, and spiritual healing she so desperately needs.
Late Term Abortion is NOT “Still Birth”
We will call her “Alicia.” Thirty-two years old, Alicia came
to us following an abortion. A street girl for many years, she had been in her
seventh month of pregnancy when the doctors told her that the child’s brain was
not developing normally. Alicia decided to have a late-term (third-trimester)
abortion. In Israel, the politically correct term for this kind of abortion is
“still birth,” since the child is born dead as a result of the abortion
procedure. Alicia told us afterward that following her experience of the “still
birth,” and the fact that she went through it alone, with no one by her side to
explain what she was going through or to encourage her, she would have
preferred to continue the pregnancy to term.
Our genuine regret is that we were not in the picture at the
time, as we could have prayed and trusted God that He would bring her through
with a healthy child, as has happened so many times in the past. Alicia is
still traumatized by her experience. After she became pregnant again, God
directed her steps to us. Today, after giving birth to a healthy child, she is
set up in a rented apartment and continues to receive counsel and support from
us; she is no longer alone. Alicia is open to the Gospel and we continue to
pray that she will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord and the healing her
heart so desperately needs.
An Immigrant Story: Vitali and Natasha
Also in mid-February, 23-year-old Natasha contacted us. She
and her husband, Vitali, are new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and
have been in Israel about a year. Their story is both sad and fascinating. Vitali
is now 29. At the age of 22, he had an accident in a swimming pool, injured his
back, and became paralyzed. In some ways his story is similar to the story of
Joni Erickson Tada). The couple married a few years ago and decided to
immigrate to Israel. Shortly after arriving in Israel, Natasha became pregnant.
They were both rejoicing and fearful at the same time. While Israel is a leader
in providing support and assistance to disabled people, a plus, such assistance
can only help so far. The young couple is alone here, and have realistic
concerns for how to face the future. They want to continue the pregnancy and have
asked us to pray for them, particularly for Vitali who is also suffering from a
severe urinary tract infection (a condition that can be quite serious in
paralyzed people). Please pray with us for their salvation, and for their
physical, emotional, and spiritual needs to be met.
Bedouin Update
In October of last year we asked for prayer for Na, from a
Bedouin background, who made a decision not to abort following counseling with
us. We are regularly in touch with her. She is married and has three children. Na
became pregnant with her first child at a very early age when she ran away from
the village where she grew up. Na decided against all odds and pressures to
keep the pregnancy, to hide from her family, and to continue her life in the
big city. We are asking prayer for that child, who today is six years old. He is
being “boycotted” and suffering shaming by other children in his kindergarten
because of his skin color and background. Residents in the community where they
live laugh at him and he is isolated from others his age. This boy is adorable,
sweet, very likeable, and doesn’t understand why he is going through this
shaming. Please pray for the salvation of the family, and for a breakthrough in
their lives and for Na, who still carries the scars of her childhood in the
village.
Praise Photos
We don’t always get photos of the babies who are born. That is a choice that the mother usually makes. But, when we do receive a picture, we are happy to share it with you. Attached are photos of two “January” babies: Shai-Li (My Gift –what a wonderful name!); and Emma.
