Today, my congregation announced my engagement to Rich… the Elder (John) said, “The name of the man is Rich, and now that he is engaged to Debbie, he is Richer…” Afterwards, John and his wife invited me and a few friends and other couples to dinner at a restaraunt run by a friend. What a combo we were, in a Chinese restaraunt with Korean, Jewish and Arab Israelis, Americans, and Russians all sitting at the table talking in a zillion different languages and translating for each other, sharing, and praising the Lord together.

People asked all kinds of questions that I still don’t have the answers to, (except the how did you meet, and how did God show YOU this was right)… timing, how/where, plans… we are praying and trusting the Lord to work everything out in His good time.

Well, I have a lot of mail, but just wanted to post this update to whomever is interested… The Lord keep you all in His love…

Dvora Elisheva….

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Original Comments

God is so good… what can I say? This has been a long week in many ways. I saw “R” for far too short a time and now we are back to emails, IMing and phone calls… back home, I’ve had a sore throat and cough for a full week now . But I talked with a couple of people today who are also fighting bad colds and coughs… and we are all feeling in the dumps… not that there is not something to be sad about. One friend is getting a reduction in salary, another is trying to find their salary, and 20 people at work today were laid off due to cancellation of a project.

I was talking with a couple of friends this evening, and realized, well, duh, of course we all feel lousy when we are sick… not a good time to think about what we have to do, need to do, or need to trust God to do… better to just put it ALL in His hands and let Him work things out. (Not that there are not some things He asks us to do, like get up out of bed in the morning…). But I am still learning what it means to r-e-s-t… what is real rest, in Him, in life, after work, on Saturdays (or Sundays, depending on where you live)…

So I will close with God is good. No matter how I feel, no matter what lays ahead, it is His unchangeable goodness that we can trust in. May not fix my throat, but reminds me of who is in charge… and I can sleep knowing that…

Have a blessed day/evening.

Dvora

I was very hesitant to post this here… but had a nice email from R advising his thoughts on the matter… so I would just like to let you all know that I am still in stunned amazement at God’s goodness to us. On January 8 R asked me to marry him – I was too stunned to give a coherent reply, but the next morning, after a time of prayer and clear guidance from my Father in heaven, I was able to give him a very coherent yes…

Since then, it seems like the Lord has been confirming in so many little ways that this is the right decision. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for R. I never did marry. One of the guys at work and I were talking. He was freaked when he found out. “I thought you didn’t WANT to get married,” he exclaimed. He went on to remind me of a conversation we’d had this past spring when he came to work there. He had asked me why I’d never married. I’d answered, “Well, I could say that no one wanted me, but that would be a lie. If I’d really been desperate to get married at any cost, I could have… but I guess, deep down inside, I never really wanted to get married.” (He did not know of my internal thoughts of past quite unrealistic relationships which confirmed to me that inside I did not want to marry and was terrified of the whole idea.) So I told him a bit about R and I meeting, and how good God is in His leading.

I pray that in the months to come, as I prepare to leave work, God will open many doors for me to be a testimony to those around me of God’s faithfulness. Culturally, everyone here is expecting me to do a big party when we get married. R and I will discuss, and I will take counsel with others here in Israel about how I can do something that will be a light to my Israeli colleagues, honoring to God, and yet meet the cultural expectations here. Sometimes its a bit overwhelming…

My heart is so full. I can just hear you saying, so tell us about R… (I don’t like using people’s names on a blog, but those who know whom I talking about know…). All I can tell you is that R is probably the most kind and courageous man I’ve ever met. He has a heart that is bigger by far than he is… I don’t know how it fits in his chest… He has a deep love and trust in His God, his family… and amazingly, for me… I think only God could have given him that love.

If you would have told me that I’d be willing to leave Israel to get married, I would have answered, “he would have to be an amazing man for me to do that.” Well R is…

Bless the Lord O My Soul, and ALL that is within me, bless His holy name!

Rich and I at Niagra Falls

=====================Original Comments=======================

From Cheryl

Your happy smiling laughing face in the picture says it all. God’s blessing on the both of you

From Rich

It is my prayer also that God will open many doors for you to glorify God as you prepare to leave your job and join me in a new adventure. You have been a huge blessing in my life already and I’m sure the Lord will work out all the details as He brings us together.

By the way, you look much more vertically challenged in the photo than you did in person. I was just so proud to be with you as we walked around the Falls. Your presence makes me feel like I may really have some value. Thank you!

Rich… (“R”)

From KHopper24

Congradulations!

From Dvora