Chag Sameach

Well, the holidays are upon us.  Actually they are almost over.  Tonight was the first night of Sukkot,or Feast of Tabernacles.  It is when God commanded his children to dwell in booths to remember the time when God was with them and leading them in the desert for 40 years.  So we had a specail dinner and then went out for a sukkah stroller (to look at all the different sukkah our neighbors built).  It was fun, and by the end Shireli was pointing and saying "Sukkah!"  and we learned next year we need our own.

Here are just a few of what they look like around our area.  More to come tomorrow.  And for the talented in the last picture there are 4 sukkahs.

Freedom and Joy again!

This past week, I (Stefan) had a God encounter that was very significant to me.  Since I'm the one mostly involved at Succat Hallel and Samantha is unable to fully participate in any watches with me at this moment and season of our lives, I've been having some difficulty.  I was fully engaged in the watches, and was even able to feel the move of the Spirit on my times during the sets, but something was not fully there.  Then, last Tuesday night, God showed me how I've avoided fully enjoying my time in His presence.  I'd come to think that somehow, it was unfair if I enjoyed my watches and Samantha didn't have the same experience while watching that kids, or the opposite of my experience.  I had this feeling like, it was rude and insensitive of me to come home all bubbly when her day had not gone that well.  The Lord was so good to expose that lie.  Then as the lie was broken off, I was able to fully embrace the part of enjoying the watches I participate in.  I realized that me enjoying myself fully, would release a breakthrough over the challenges at home as well.  The next morning, I found myself significantly more energetic when I woke up, and the watch that I participated in that afternoon was completely different.  It was alive in every way, and I knew I had fun, because as they say, "time flies when you're having fun" :-)  God took me to a new place in the revelation of the ecstatic pleasure of His presence.  I can truly say, oh, the joy of His presence.  There's nothing else like it.  Oh, the Joy of knowing Him and being known by Him.

Purim

So, it is Purim here in Jerusalem. A time when we are commanded to have fun and celebrate.  So the four of us went to the First Jerusalem Train Station (we heard there was suppose to be a carnival, but it wasn't ready yet).  We all shared a smoothie and played in the kids area with blocks and bubbles.  We had a great time.

But the part I will remember is when we were sitting drinking our smoothie.  This little boy walked by with his mom and just stopped and starred at Shireli with a huge smile.  His mom said he loves Elmo.  It just made my day to think that Shireli being dressed in her costume made this little boy so happy.

It's the little things like this we need to notice.  The rest of the day didn't go the best, having to leave was like pulling teeth.  But we have to remember joys. 

Shireli playing with blocks.

I'm cookie monster, no wait, I'm Aaron.

The three of us at a party, Cookie monster, Elmo, and 80's Pop Star

Cookie monster and Elmo riding the Jerusalem bus

For those who don't know Purim is the Festival of Esther.  A time when the Jews were suppose to be exterminated but God stepped in through the life of a young lady named Esther (Haddasah).  She and her family and friends prayed and fasted and she went before her King uninvited and she found favor in his sight.

Now a days we remember it by reading the story and adding sound effects, we "boo" for Haman, "Aww" for Esther, and "Yay" for Mordechi.  We dress up in costumes.  We give Purim baskets with treats and noise makers.  There are fire works.  It is a time to celebrate life and God's saving grace while our enemies remember it also and increase the rockets fired into Israel.  But God is still faithful like he was back then.

A Grand Christmas

Stefan's CD A Grand Christmas was released just the other day.  It is a beautiful instrumental CD of classic Christmas songs perform on a grand piano.

For more information please visit  stefanmihaescu.bandcamp.com

Long Time No See

Thank you for your patience regarding our update.  We have had an eventful couple of months since you last head from us.  Let’s start with the Elav conference.

ELAV Opening Ceremony

As you are well aware we had the Elav conference in August.  We can legitimately say that God kissed this three day gathering, no question about it.  Being now fully involved with Succat Hallel makes us also fully involved with Elav.  As you know we were located in Haifa, home of the falling fire.  The land mark on which the Prophet Elijah prayed and the fire came, in which event, the false Gods were exposed and the people were once again drawn to the Lord.  With that in mind we had some understanding of what God wanted for this year.  It was a time filled with surprises from Heaven.  Apart from just playing with bands, I (Stefan) also had the opportunity to share about the breaking off of the victim spirit off of Isaac and Ishmael.  I shared after an Arab brother from Bethlehem had the opportunity to share.  At the end of that session, a sister from Iran who had been with us at Succat Hallel joined us on stage and a wave of joy broke out as God began to bind Arabs and Jews together.  This was emphasized every year, but this year God seemed to highlight this point a lot more than before.  The entire conference came to a crescendo on the last evening after a time of Arab and Hebrew worship, when some leaders from Haifa stood up to cry out for their city.  That even as in the days of Elijah, the fire that brought the people back to God would fall again and bring a generation to Him.  We stayed an extra night in Haifa, realizing how much strain it would put on us if we were to travel with two kids back to Jerusalem the evening the conference ended.  That gave us more time to be able to wind down and a little before traveling back home.  The Tuesday we got home something happened that took us all by surprise.

Stefan sharing

Late in the evening we received an emergency email for prayer.  A beloved brother named Steve, who served in Jericho, fell ill that evening earlier and was rushed to the hospital with a ruptured aorta.  Before we could take the moment to actually intercede, another email came across informing us of his passing into eternity.  Not an hour after the time of death, we got a call from our friend Jon and the event that started with a dying friend turned into something much bigger.  They were arranging a team to go to the hospital and resurrect Steve.  It was simple; in the last three days at the conference did we not ask for the Spirit of Elijah to fall on us? Is healing not the children’s bread? Did He not command us among the instructions He gave us when He left earth to raise the dead? Do we absolutely have to know what will happen at the end in order to obey Him? Needles to say, I (Stefan) joined the group that night and, surprise, surprise, the doors were opened for us non family members to go all the way down to the morgue where Steve’s body was laid.  We knew instantly that God was opening the doors for us because unless you are family of the deceased you do not get to go down there.  Not only that, the orderly, on learning what we came for got excited and said we absolutely should press in for this!  By the way, the orderly is not a believer.  So we went in to the small cold room, they brought Steve’s body out and, yes, we laid our bare hands on him and commanded him to come back.   The astonishing thing is that there was nothing creepy about this.  We were for once doing what was ordered before Jesus left the earth.  Whether we would see him rise or not did not matter.  We were there because He said this is what we were to do after He left.  Nothing happened that evening, but it was not over.  We came back the next morning bringing his clothes with us, so he would have what to wear when he woke up.  Again, all doors were open to us.  This grace with the hospital lasted for a week.  At the end Steve stayed where he was and we praise the Lord for His final decision on whether He would send him back or not.  What was left with us at the end of this was a passion to see this happen in our life time.  We did not see Steve come back, but this doesn’t mean we’re quitting.  The Lord had made it very clear to us the direction we are moving in.  With every opportunity we have if this should occur again in any place or time, whether we are close to the scenario or not, we know without a shadow of a doubt that calling Lazarus forth is our first priority.  So we are pressing by laying hands on the sick to see them healed and laying hands on the dead to see them raised.

Praying for Steve and for the hearts of the
father's to return to their sons and the
hearts of the son's to return to their fathers.

Then came the Feast of Tabernacles, know in Hebrew as Succot.  I (Stefan) was involved with a team of musicians for a conference that took place in the Hinnom Valley to release a sound of worship.  The valley is located right below Succat Hallel.  It was a blessing to release a sound of worship and life in the valley where so many babies were burnt to the false god Molech over 2000 years ago, to declare in the valley that where innocent blood was shed in the name of false gods, His blood speaks life.  Succat Hallel had cried out over this valley for years, and it is so interesting that this year, right before we move to our new location, Succat Hallel staff would be involved in the yearly Succot worship time in the valley. 

And now to the big move; we are now in the middle of the moving spree, dismantling the old room and moving things over to the new place.  We have no doubt God is moving us to a new place for a new assignment.  The new location has a similar view of the city walls, only this time we have a clear view of the Temple Mount.  It is ever so clear that God is saying to us that as Succat Hallel has witnessed a garbage dump of a valley turn into a flourishing valley that is green and healthy as a result of worship and prayer being released in that geographical region, that now He is calling us to be witnesses with our eyes towards the Temple Mount, to witness the things He is about to do in that geographical location towards His return as we labor together with Him in prayer, fasting and a deep place of worship.

Shireli worshiping

Finally came the Day of Intercession against Abortion.  We had heard about it and wanted to go.  We found out I (Stefan) was wanted on the worship team.  Originally we were going to go just to be there with our family but once Jon was asked to put together a worship team for the day it was obvious that I would be involved with helping with that.  Despite the fact that we did not get much time to practice, our team flowed well and worship was sweet.  It as well ended up being in Haifa.  It was amazing to see leaders from all over Israel join together to repent for the sin of abortion that started with child sacrifice to the god Molech in the Hinnom Valley.  We repented and then prayed for specific areas, men to have integrity, doctors and nurses to stop performing abortions, women to choose life, ect.  Probably the most amazing thing that day was that God revealed to us the plans of the enemy and handed us our assignment.  That morning an article came out in the news paper with the announcement that the government would pay for any woman at any term of pregnancy to have an abortion if she so desired it, since the costs for an abortion are so high that not all of them can afford it.  So God had made it very clear to us what we were coming up against, and the enemy He wanted defeated through our prayers joined in with heaven.  It was a good day and God even provided help for us with the kids. That was a good unexpected surprise.

So as you see it has been a productive two and a half months.  We are still in the process of planning our trip to the USA in spring 2014.  Please pray that we hear God clearly on the dates to travel and the time to purchase the tickets so we can get the best price.  We are looking at flying in to MN sometime in April and coming back home sometime June.  We want and need to visit CA and are planning on going to TX.  God seems to be very clear with us about touching new areas in Texas.  If you are interested in having us visit and share with your church or congregation, small group or home group, or friends please let us know.  And please keep the trip covered in prayer.

 

Love and blessing from Jerusalem, Israel,

Stefan, Samantha, Shirel, and Aaron

P.S.  Please also keep in prayer the exchange rate.  For every $1000 we change we get about $200 less than we did a year ago.

January February

     Well, it has been quiet the start to 2013. However God has been good and here is what happened in the last two months. To start off we would like to let you know that we are having a baby boy! Aaron Eleazar will most likely be born around the 23rd of March, unless he decides to come earlier like Shirel did. January started off with a Hebrew Arabic Worship Concert at Shemen Sasson. I (Stefan) was involved with the worship team for that night. It was especially nice to have my parents show up for that evening. Followed shortly there after by a snow day. It had been rainy and cold all week and then late Wednesday night it started to snow. By Thursday morning we would say there was anywhere from 3-6 inches of fluffy white snow on the ground. It so warmed my (Samantha's) heart. I had just written the week before that I wanted to see snow this year. We ate breakfast as a family and then got dressed and went out and played in the snow. It took Shirel a while to get used to it but she enjoyed it. By the afternoon it was all slushy and by Friday you could barely tell it had snowed.

     Then followed by the elections. Congratulations Benjamin Netaniyahu, for another term! I (Stefan) was able as an Israeli to go vote for this man, whom many prayed for and believe it is right that he is in office as Prime Minister. Why the big hoopla about that? Netanyahu is the first PMs that we have ever heard of that started a bible study at his home and is extremely open to the world of the Lord being released to him through prophetic people in the body of Christ. We found out during the Monday morning watch at Succat Hallel that he was going to go to a late Christmas party where he would meet some people that Rick and Patti know, who would have the opportunity to prophecy over him and speak into his life. The Word says that the heart of the king is in the Lord's hand, and it is so right that Netanyahu is so open to the input of believers who walk in the power of God in such a way.

     I (Stefan) started leading worship at Succat Hallel Monday evenings for the teaching watch from 7-9pm. That is both good and different since I’m used to usually just having a few people in the room or sometimes none, where as Monday nights are usually full, and it's good when more than just a few come together to worship and agree together in prayer.

     February came with something that we've been dealing with much more now since we moved into our new apartment. The finance or the lack thereof. A squeeze that started mid January and got us even sometimes wondering if we could continue in full time ministry. With my (Samantha) birthday coming up and our congregational retreat, not to mention the daily life needs, we were tied down to limited spending. We had received an electric bill with an amount that came with a blow. During winter time it is common for electricity to skyrocket, and we knew we needed a miracle for this 300 dollar bill. We had to trust that God would provide for the food on our table for the coming days and weeks. The crunch is still not over, but things happened that remind us that Daddy didn't stick us in this field of the Kingdom to fail and die. He had more than enough to take care of us. I (Stefan) had to remind myself of this endlessly, we both did. I was walking downtown one Sunday and I ran into an Israeli brother from our congregation who slipped me a bill. This friend has been faithful to support us with his five dollars a week. It's so unbelievable how much a difference five dollars can make. That evening we were not going to be able to buy what we needed for dinner, and then came this friend. In one way, we are glad that God provides for the smallest needs, and in another way we are so happy to see that, here is one Israeli that had received the revelation of giving in the Kingdom of God and financial partnership, of investing on a normal basis into the House of Prayer and into the lives of those whose job it is to stand on the walls of the city watching day and night for the coming of the King. Then came a blessing in this area that left us with our jaws dropped in awe and wonder. Even though this update is about January and February and this miracle happened this month, we would still like to let you know about it because it was too huge a surprise to keep until the next update. However, we will keep you at the edge of yourseats until we get to that.

     Now let’s take a short break from finance and provision and move on to a fun piece of news; We would imagine that those of you with facebook have ran across some pictures we have posted of cakes that look, how should we say... Different :-) For whatever reason, we've started making cakes. Some for friends and others for events. I (Samantha) love baking and I (Stefan) love decorating, sculpting and the whole artistic side of designing. The latest piece we had done was a cake to celebrate Succat Hallel's 13th birthday. I (Stefan) will admit that I got a little sneaky and made Samantha a birthday cake for her belated birthday party which she loved. We are also now in consultation with a couple of our friends who are getting married, who have seen our work and would like us to make their wedding cake. (However, they are going with another friend who can do it for free, we could only do it for cost.) Needles to say, as Paul had his tent making business this could become something that we do on a regular basis. We've observed people's reactions and to see the smiles and joy that these pieces of art bring to them, it's just priceless. Will this take off as a business? We don't entirely know, but we do know that there is an element of creativity that God is releasing in this hour and season, in baking and food as well as in music, art, dance, poetry, song writing. And speaking of that, the CD that we mentioned about earlier that was recorded live is now been completed, with all song tracks in place. All that is left is getting the CD cover made and that is on its way. And we are planning to have the music tracks set online for people to download. We will let you know as soon as we have it up and running.

     We would also like to let you know, for those who have not been aware of this, you can visit www.succathallel.com and that way keep in tune with what is happening in our sphere. They also have an app for iphones, ipads, and the like, you can also get it for andriods it's a like little bit harder to find but if you want we can get you the steps to find it.

     Now for the surprise that we mentioned before. There was an offering taken last Monday for us at Succat Hallel that left us dumbfounded and with our hearts refilled with a new dose of faith. The offering added up to over 1,000 dollars which really helped with the crunch and we are able to breathe now. It was such a blessing, also because the money that I (Samantha) received as birthday gifts from family had to go to paying bills and utilities and now I was able to have my birthday gifts and enjoy them. And of course, our fridge is once again full, no empty bare shelves and God is proving once again to us that He has not forgotten to take care of His kids.

     In conclusion here are some ways you can pray for us;

       *Finance- We know this one comes up in every newsletter but it is a challenge as we have already mentioned and a place where we're believing for God to break through. We had asked earlier and feel we need to revisit the question. Would you pray and see how God would have you stand with us, whether prayerfully or financially. At this moment we are aware that only a few on our mailing list support us financially and we want to honor and thank you for being faithful in that every month. We would however ask that you would consider sowing financially into us with a one time offering or with monthly support as we minister here full time. Two weeks ago when we had the financial miracle happen, I (Stefan) observed how a room full of people each put in a small amount which added to over 4,000 N.I.S, around 1,100 U.S.D. The same way, if the 80 people on our mailing list (who don't give) gave 5 or 10 dollars a month, we would be easily looking at $400-$800 a month that would help cover expenses here. So please pray about it and let us know how the Lord would have you stand with us. (Part of the reason the crunch came is that when we moved the dollar shekel exchange was higher [$1 = 4shekels and now $1 = 3.6shekels] and our property tax increased 20% in 2013.)

       *Cake Business- We've been feeling as we mentioned earlier that we need to start a small family side business with the cake making. This is something we both love doing and it puts joy and smiles on peoples faces every time we bring our cakes in. Pray that we know how to move along with this and that God would place His kiss and blessing on this.

       *Aaron Eleazar- As we approach the big day and the upcoming birth, pray that all goes well. Aaron will be the first child in my (Stefan) immediate family that undergoes circumcision and a Jewish boy born into the line of Israel according to the law given by God to Abraham. See, the way things are done here is that friends and family come together and witness and the child gets his name on the 8th day of his life. Here in Jerusalem we have been blessed with a Moel who will do this for Messianic believers. It is rare to find a Jewish Orthodox man who is willing to look beyond what we believe and still do this for us. Pray that God provides us with the money we need to pay the Moel who will perform the circumcision.

Blessing and Love from Jerusalem,

Stefan, Samantha, Shirel, and (soon to make his appearance) Aaron

November and December Update

It's hard to believe that once again another month has past and new one is over. So it is time once again to share how life has been for the 3.5 of us. However, we will be going back a few months as we want to share some things that did not make it into last months letter.

October: Near the beginning of October we had a friend from the States come and stay with us for a month. She was a blessing in many ways. For example; while I (Stefan) had to be at work with Succat Hallel or taking care of things down town, she would be home with Samantha and Shirel, meaning that Samantha would have someone there most of the time I was gone. This was what you'd call a God moment. This friend who had been for the last few years in and out of hospitals, many times on her death bed and then supernaturally restored. God literally restored her broken organs in full view of the doctors who ran out of options, and all this with medical files to prove that she was dying one moment and well the next. Needless to say, would you ever give up an opportunity to have someone around that has seen God's supernatural favor in such a way as this? We wouldn't and we thank God for every moment we had to spend with her while she was here. Mid October we had a mandatory conference at Succat Hallel about Birthing Houses of Prayer. People involved in house of Prayer ministry from all over the middle east and some from the Mediterranean area gathered at Succat Hallel for a four day conference. The way Rick and Patti lead this conference is by sharing how God birthed Succat Hallel. It was good to hear the story and for all the staff members to be there and hear Rick and Patti's heart for Succat Hallel. During the conference days we also went in for our yearly interview at the Ministry of the Interior, and my (Samantha) visa was renewed. Then came a moment we've waited for a long time. Our dear friends, Momma Brenda and Pappa Aaron showed up. They've been precious spiritual parents to us and we were so glad God opened the financial door for things to fall into place for them to come and visit. We've not seen them for a very long time and it was a beautiful reunion. We were able to have a Shabbat meal together with them, Barbara who we already mentioned was staying with us and our dear friend Jillienne. That evening the Holy Spirit broke in and the communion with each other and Him was absolutely wonderful! At the end of the month Barbara took us and this same group from Jerusalem and friends from Bethlehem to the Dead Sea to celebrate one of the Arab ladies birthday. This was the first time I (Stefan) had the chance to meet this family from Bethlehem since they are not allowed to cross into Israel and I am not allowed to cross into Bethlehem which is Palestinian territory. It was a fun day. And this brings us to November.

November: November was full of surprises and blessings. We had a week to ourselves without any one else in our apartment, just our family. During that week we had something amazing happen, which encouraged us to know we are exactly where God wants us and showed us again that He is always faithful. No challenge of ours has ever been a worthy opponent for Him. We got a property tax for the end of the year from the municipality that added up to approximately 2700 shekels that had a twenty day dead line on it which we knew we couldn't pay. I (Stefan) was not a very happy camper that morning and this bill was put in my hand right before my noon worship watch. I had to force myself to step into a greater reality then our bill, which was that He said He would take care of us. During that watch someone approached me with an envelope containing 2000 shekels. He's teaching us to never doubt Him. He's so good. Then after the empty week Samantha's parents showed up for Shirel's birthday which was to take place on the 19th. They arrived at a very unusual time. The day they flew in was when the Gaza conflict erupted. And as you would know from news broadcasts, that was the week that Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem had missiles flying in for the first time since the 1st gulf war. That Friday our congregational meeting was interrupted as air raid sirens went off outside. We were used to hearing those before since drill sirens had gone off in the past in preparation for a real attack. That evening everyone in the meeting hall knew this was not a drill. Sure enough the radio updates confirmed that missiles had landed in the suburbs of Jerusalem. That week was a crash course for all of us to learn what it really means to walk in God's perfect love, loving those firing the missiles, loving our enemies and praying for those in extreme suffering. The reality is that when something like this conflict week happens, the residents of Gaza and the territories are hit worse than Israel, with many casualties, which was also the case this time. It is no secret that the Hamas is oppressing its people and in such times using them as human shields. If anything during conflicts like these it is so important that we cover our Arab brothers and sisters in prayer. Then came the 19th and Shirel turned 1. A happy first birthday it was, no question. And yes, the year did fly by. One day we brought her fresh from the hospital and the next day, she's 1. At the end of Samantha's parents stay we started again getting used to not having people around, just the three of us going on to the four of us.

December: This has with no doubt been a time of mixed feelings, bitter sweet you might say. Not being with family during this season is not the easiest. But we did with what we had and things have been a blessing. My (Stefan) parents flew and we were able to spend Christmas day with them. In Israel Christmas is not usually seen as a positive holiday, being a celebration of the birth of the Messiah during the wrong season, pagan roots and all that. Here people tend to be pickier about these things, but we go with this simple thing; He came! That should be the reason of celebration not just during the holiday season but all year around. And so we did, with my parents in town it was a sweet and delightful experience. What was also delightful was to have my dad here as I led worship and our congregation this past week. That truly was a first and I'm looking forward to more times like that in the future.

Things to pray for:

CDs and recording projects-

I (Stefan) already mentioned earlier that I'm working on a CD with some of my songs on it. There are a few things happening with that. We've had close to a month of Wednesday afternoon worship watches at Succat Hallel that took place before, during and after the Gaza conflict in which we went in, turned on the recording button on the sound system and some amazing things were birthed during those watches. I am currently working right now on finishing a CD project from those weeks. The amazing thing is the recordings of each week overlap. It's like God gave us a puzzle piece every week and now I've been piecing it together. I've found that as the sounds from every week overlap, it's been like putting together instruments for an orchestra. We recorded every week separately having no idea that things would overlap so perfectly. It's been a time of sitting in front of the computer and editing and piecing things together, adding in instruments where needed and all this as the Holy Spirit revealed where things needed to go and what sounds needed to be heard. We sense that this project needs to be released as soon as possible so I'm asking for prayer and grace with time to be able to finish this project. Then there is my own CD which I will need to get back to after I'm done. So I'd appreciate your prayers for this.

Finance-

First off, we want to thank everyone partnering with us financially. We appreciate and love you all. As we stand on the walls of our city watching for His return we are honored to have you standing with us. Things have been tight during the last couple of months due to moving into a larger apartment and of course every time God did intervene and we saw a breakthrough. In this season we are learning the reality of leaning on Him for provision.

In a week or so we will get an email out to you about partnering with us through the coming year. Please start praying as to how the Lord would want you to get involved.

Health-

We would say that neither of us escaped the winter cold this last month. Everything from coughing to stuffy noses. My (Stefan) dad flew in with a bad cold as well, so yes, pray for health. This had been a season cursed by peoples words as the season of the cold, flu and sickness. We want to change the game. It's time to walk in the health that He has for us.

 

Blessings to all and to all a Happy new Year