Seven weeks have now passed since the Purim gift package blew up in the arms of fifteen year-old Ami Ortiz. Those of you that have been following the story and praying for Ami know that his initial condition was so severe that they didn't know if he would live. If he did live, they didn't know if they would be able to save some of his limbs, an eye and one of his lungs. He had a huge gash in his throat; his body was burned and full of shrapnel and bolts.

Due to the Lord's healing hand, this week Ami was actually able to walk up the stairs to his family's third floor apartment and spend a couple of days there before returning to the hospital to begin extensive physical therapy and rehabilitation.

The journey home could not have been easy as Ami anticipated returning to the location of that traumatic event. However, he assured his father that he was not afraid.

Postcards from all over the world have been arriving at the Ortiz home since the attack. Ami finds great comfort in knowing that so many people are praying for him and care enough to send a note of encouragement. We are told that Ami's mother Leah reads at least 20 postcards every night to Ami before he falls asleep.

We encourage you to send Ami a postcard. Tell a little about yourself, your family and your community, or include a short inspiring story. Feel free to send a picture of yourself or your family in an envelope . Please encourage others from your community, your congregation, children and youth groups, etc . . . to send Ami a note.

Mail postcards/envelopes to:

Ami Ortiz
P.O. Box 1903
Ariel 40700
Israel

-The doctors have told Ami's parents that a full recovery could take at least a year. Please remember to lift up his family in your prayers and pray for the finances they need to make it through this long recovery period.

-Ami is having difficulty moving his hands and may need more surgery to re-attach ligaments and muscles.

-There is still shrapnel embedded in his lungs.

-He is easily fatigued and needs prayer for increased stamina and physical endurance.

-The security forces are still working hard on this case. Please pray that the criminals are quickly caught and brought to justice before anyone else is injured.

Friday, May 23rd at 10 AM Israeli time (3 AM Eastern Time USA) believers from all over Israel will be gathering to pray and fast for Ami and his family. They will also lift up all those who are being subjected to the growing persecution across Israel.

The enemy is angry! What he meant for harm, the Lord is using for good, as He promised. The body of Messiah is uniting and standing firm through these days of adversity.

Lisa Rhoades

Blessings,

info@lydiaworldoutreach.org

Thursday, April 17, 2008

I received this letter from Ami Ortiz's mother. In case you haven't received any of the updates or stories about Ami Ortiz, he is the fifteen year old Israeli boy who was seriously injured by a terrorist bomb that someone sent to his parents in Israel . (click on the story at bottom of this letter)

I am in the process of planning a trip to Israel from May 26 through June 11 to distribute funds and supplies to the ministries The Lydia World Outreach Project is working with.

We are planning on filming some of the outreach work so that we can show the needs of those who live in the Land when I share at the Shavuot 2008 Conference in Denver , June 13-15.

Michael and I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers and finances from everyone to help the widows, orphans and poor in Israel.

"LETTER FROM AMI's MOTHER, LEAH ORTIZ:

Ami and all of our family thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers. We have felt them and seen the results before our eyes.

Everyday our Ami improves dramatically. He can walk and sit in a chair.

He sees perfectly with both eyes, and he improves daily, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

His wounds are healing so fast that it astounds the nurses and doctors.

I can truly say that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that he will eventually return to normal life. Even though a horrific act was perpetrated, the Lord has been Good, and we are grateful.

Ami has received hundreds of post cards, emails and letters from all over the world that have been a real encouragement to him and to us. It has helped him to know that families and people know what happened to him are holding him up before the throne, helping him go through the pain and hardship of recovery.

Ami will God willing move to a rehabilitation facility soon where he will begin intensive physical therapy. Please continue to pray for continued total healing.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Leah Ortiz"

This family will need more prayer and help over the next months. Please ask Yahweh to reveal His will for you regarding The Lydia Project and the Land of Israel .

Shalom Aleichem,
Judith Rood
National Chairperson

We want to thank you for your prayers for Ami, the Jewish Israeli teen who last Thursday, March 20, was critically injured by a bomb that was disguised as a Purim gift package. Many of you have written and asked for more details regarding how Ami and his family are faring, as well as wanting to understand the circumstances that might lead someone to devise and carry out such a horrendous act.

Ami's family is extremely grateful for the love and care that the world-wide body of Messiah has extended to them throughout this past week. Ami's physical progress is generally improving, however, there are still some major concerns, such as one of his lungs being collapsed and full of metal bolts. Doctors have operated on his right eye and saved it, thanks to their skill and the power of prayer.

Initially, Ami had been placed in an induced coma, but he is now fully cognizant and having to fight through the physical battle. He, as well as his family, are also fighting through the emotional and spiritual battles that accompany an event such as this. For Ami, processing the trauma has only begun. He's had only a couple of days to begin dealing with what must be a flood of emotions coursing through him, with the physical evidence to survey, as well as the pain that must seem to come from every square inch of his body.

Ami is having trouble sleeping because he is having flashbacks of the explosion. His blood-pressure is high; he has a fever and the pain is increasing as they slowly reduce his medication. Besides the much needed prayer for Ami's ongoing healing, we need to pray that no anger and bitterness will take root in his precious young life or in the hearts of his family.

A Brief History:

Ami's father is a pastor of a small congregation in the Jewish city of Ariel, located just inside what many refer to as the West Bank. Ami's mother is a Jewish believer and most of the congregation is Jewish. However, as we shared in the original update, much of his father's ministry has been to Muslims and he has been blessed to have led many to a life set free through Y'shua (pronounced Y'sua by Arabs). Because of his work among the Muslim Arabs, Ami's father and the others that serve alongside him have over the years been subject to beatings and retaliation by members of the Muslim community.

Ami's father and the congregation have also impacted the Jewish people within their own community and have been blessed to see Jewish men and women come to know Y'shua as their Messiah.

"Missionary" is a derogatory term in both the Jewish and Muslim world, so much so that most Believers here in Israel completely avoid using this word. The Rabbis have convinced the general population that anyone living in Israel who believes in Y'shua is a "missionary", even if you are an ordinary citizen working a normal job and not involved in any evangelical activity.

It's fairly safe to say that most, if not all, secular Jews do not condone any type of violence toward Jewish Believers in Y'shua; even most religious Jews would probably agree as the Torah does not allow for such deeds. However, most religious Jews are convinced that if a Jew believes in Y'shua, he is no longer a Jew and his soul is condemned to hell.

For centuries, certain Jews have been able to reflect upon many acts of persecution leveled against them by those who called themselves "Christians". This has tended to inflame their feelings of betrayal when one of their own becomes a follower of the "Christian" Messiah.

Over the last couple of decades, the believing community in Israel has been subject to periods of harassment and violence at the hands of Ultra-Orthodox Jewish/anti-missionary groups. The most common types of aggression has been tire slashing; fire-bombings; intrusions into places of worship; protesting outside of the homes of Believers; posting pictures of Believers on walls, in pamphlets, through the mail and the Internet; slander; cursing; spitting; and video taping of Believers in public places. All are meant to intimidate and humiliate.

In recent years, these Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups have been outraged by Ami's father's openness in sharing his love of Y'shua and they have used some of these tactics against the members of this congregation. Eventually, Ami's family was able to convince the local police to set up a surveillance camera to help determine who was involved in this harassment. Because of an image captured on this camera, the police now know who left the Purim gift package at the front door of Ami's home. The investigation of this atrocity has been referred to the Shabach, Israel's internal general security service. They have determined that the perpetrator is connected to a radical Jewish religious group. Thankfully, the authorities are working to apprehend the perpetrators.

Judith has asked me to be the point person in Israel to be sure your donation goes where it is needed. Our goal is to prayerfully and discerningly help those in need.

We will continue to do our best to keep you updated on Ami's recovery and on the welfare of his family.

Contact info@lydiaworldoutreachproject.org