Walk with Me
‘As they pass through the Valley of Baka (Valley of Tears),
they make it a place of springs...’
As we sat and listened to Ahuva* share her heart and vision
for the terrorised families she works with, we saw a woman who knows from first
hand experience, what it has been like to walk through the Valley of Tears, and
see it become a place of springs – even springs of hope!
Ahuva works with around 70 families, all who have also had
first hand experience with terror – acts of violence committed against a family
member by people wishing to incite fear and terror, often motivated by a
political or religious agenda. Today’s
media labels these kind of people ‘terrorists’.
And the violated ones become terror victims, individuals and their
families who are detrimentally changed from that moment on.
Because of her own experiences, Ahuva well understands the difficult
journey after such an event, and began working with some of these women and
their families. For almost 10 years now, she has been helping them find their way again after
suffering such devastation. The trauma
of having ones personal safety torn away, often leaves the victim in a death
like trance, unable to handle basic daily functions like cooking meals or
paying bills, surrounded by fear and devoid of hope. Through the organisation of Springs of Hope,
Ahuva has been able to facilitate healing and restoration to these families, by
forging deep relationships and providing practical opportunities for them to ‘learn
how to live’ again. “I believe it is
transition time for these women. They have come so far. It's time to move from being ‘victims’, to be more than ‘survivors’,
but now to become ‘overcomers’!”
 |
| Jerusalem Marathon |
Ahuva’s passion for this opportunity was evident. “We want people to come from the nations to
walk with us! We need sponsorship – donations
for the right shoes and clothes. Lack of
finance often means poor eating habits and lack of nutrition. I would like to get these ladies into a gym,
to feed them a good meal the night before the walk. We will have a launching party the week
before at Purim for those who are willing to do the walk. Volunteers are welcome to come early for the
launch and help us paint some of their homes during the week, to connect and
get to know the people that they are walking with. It is transition time for us, to move forward
and work with those who will cross over and continue the journey.”
We came away from our visit with Ahuva encouraged and
inspired to share with you some of the many opportunities there are to serve
the vision of Springs of Hope at this time. From
sponsoring a pair of shoes or so much per kilometre for a particular member, to personally participating in ‘Walk with Me’, if it is on your heart, let us know how
you would like to be involved, to partner with those:
‘...going from strength to strength, till each appears before
God in Zion.’
Psalm 84:6-7
*Name changed