January 1992 Personal Letter

Dear Friends,

Zola agreed to let me write our monthly letter to you, the faithful supporters of our ministry, in his stead this time. Some of you have travelled to Israel with us, but for those of you who do not know me, I serve the ministry (and you) as associate producer of Zola Levitt Presents, tour director of our travel department, and general assistant to Zola – three of the most rewarding jobs in the world.

At the close of what has been a very exciting year for me, I am especially grateful to have this opportunity to say shalom to you. Shalom is one of those words that has many meanings: It means peace (when Jesus said “Peace I leave with you,” the word he used was shalom); in Israel it’s used as both hello and goodbye; and on the Sabbath Jews greet each other with Shabbat shalom (good Sabbath).

This time, when I say shalom to you, I mean goodbye. On January 17 I will be leaving Zola Levitt Ministries to marry a wonderful believer who has signed a one-year contract with the school system in Alaska. (Only something of this magnitude could persuade me to give up my work here.) We’ll be living for a while in a small Eskimo village 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where in winter the temperature is forty degrees below zero and there is darkness 24 hours per day. Quite a change from the 100° plus temperatures of the Israeli and Egyptian deserts that I’ve grown accustomed to!

Since I became a believer in Yeshua approximately thirteen years ago, there has almost never been a time when the Lord hasn’t surrounded me with opportunities to testify of the Messiah to His Chosen People, and I’ll be very surprised if there isn’t at least one Jewish person among the Eskimos waiting for me in that Arctic town.

Because of you and your concern for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, I have even been able to talk about the Savior with Israelis in the Promised Land and I am forever grateful to you for that opportunity. Together with pilgrims who have traveled with us, I have stood on the Mount of the Sermon and listened to the Beatitudes read in Hebrew, the language of Jesus; I have shared communion with my brothers and sisters in the shadow of the hill where the Lord was put to death because of my sins; and I have witnessed the fulfillment of Bible prophecies about the return of the Children of Israel to the land God gave them forever. So I also say to you todah, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

As I leave, I also want to tell you about the terrific staff of Zola Levitt Ministries. This small group of people comes to work each day for the purpose of promoting the teaching of God’s Word to a lost world and they are all grateful to you for your part in this ministry. Your donations are spent responsibly and I invite you to write to us for a copy of our audited financial statements so you may see exactly how those funds are allocated.

Although I’m going on to a wonderful new life and a new husband, I am saddened at what I am leaving behind: Israel and the friends I’ve made there; a full-time part in proclaiming the Good News to the Jews and helping Gentiles witness to their Jewish friends; the people who labor together with you in this work; and Zola, my brother in the Lord.

I’d also like to tell you a little about some of the dedicated servants of the God of Israel who work with us on your behalf. There’s Josef, our native Israeli guide, who takes care of the pilgrims who travel with us to the Holy I.and. Josef, a distinguished veteran of several Israeli wars (including the 1948 War for Independence, the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War), came to know the Lord through the witness of our Christian tourists. He often tells of how, as a guide, he saw many different kinds of pilgrims from various groups and he learned to recognize those who were real Bible believers. They were different from the others, he says, and during one tour he took Zola and another of our tour leaders to the Western Wall in Jerusalem late at night and as they prayed Josef quietly told Zola, “I’ve come to believe as you do.” In the years since then, Josef has endured derision and a great loss of income because of his stand for the Lord, but, as he always says, “When Zola’s groups come to Israel I am alive again.” He is now occupied with telling other guides about the Messiah.

Some other people I will especially miss are our television production crew. A friend once told me that she had heard my name in a church I knew nothing about because Ken, our producer, had been there and during a prayer service asked for prayers for my work. And in Egypt, while most of us are avoiding the throngs of pushy young peddlers, Phil, our sound man, is out in the streets playing with the children and giving them coins. Although these things may not seem very important, such acts of love are typical of the everyday lives of the people who are involved with carrying out your work for God through this ministry.

So this is my opportunity to ask for your prayers for these beloved friends, as well as for Zola and those who will be taking over my responsibilities during this transition period. I know that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16) and I am always aware that we go about our ministry here wrapped in your prayers.

So thank you again, and shalom for now, until we praise Him together in the Kingdom!

Yours in His service,

P.S. Our Spring tour to Israel will be March 15–31 and includes optional excursions to Eilat in southern Israel and to Egypt. If you’d like more details, write or call (214-690-1876) for a brochure.