3 influencers

There were three men who transferred something very precious into my heart - their love of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Two have passed into eternity. Only my father remains on earth. But all three have played a role of impacting my heart for Israel and the Jews.

My father was the first one to instill the love of the Jewish people into my heart.

The first man to influence me to love the Jews was my father. He was the son of a history teacher. My grandfather loved to tell my Dad stories that were found in old history books. My father was only ten years old when the British Army left Palestine on May 14th, 1948. The Jews in the land gathered and declared themselves to be a nation, creating a Declaration and recording it for all the world to hear. After 2,000 years, they finally returned to the land! The very next day war broke out. My father heard the stories and recaps from his father and even at ten-years old, he realized he was watching biblical events coming to life. I was 12 years old when I asked my Dad a question about the Jewish people and Israel. “Who are these people?” I asked him. “What makes someone a Jew?” It ended up being a very impactful conversation that lasted for two hours. His love for them was transferred into my heart.

Gordon Lawrence was our Pastor who gave us a love for Israel.

The next person to influence me was my Pastor, Gordon Lawrence. My husband and I joined a small church where Gordon was shepherding his flock with great love. Pastor Lawrence had been to Israel several times. With his Messianic Jewish friend he helped our little church experience our own Seder meal (at Easter time) with lamb, haroset, bitter herbs, salt water and horseradish, unleavened bread and juice/wine. I was 25 years old when I saw Jesus represented so beautifully in the Passover Seder meal! “How do they not SEE it’s Jesus?” I said to myself. Gordon Lawrence is now in Eternity, but his influence in my life is strongly felt today.

Dr. Stashevsky influenced me and many students with his faith stories from Bergen Belsen Concentration camp.

When I was in my mid-thirties I met a Holocaust survivor. My children attended Maranatha Christian Academy and Dr. Richard Stashevsky was the headmaster. He was five years old when the first bombs of WW11 exploded in his backyard in Poland, ripping off his year and removing his eye. He survived. A year later, he and his mother boarded a train and spent a few years at Bergen Belsen concentration camp. They survived due to the fact his mother was a beautiful woman and was chosen to work in the sugar beet factory. His story is miraculous. Together, Dr. Stashevsky and I created a “Holocaust Memorial Day” event at MCA. We invited other schools to join us, and we held an art contest and essay contest. Dr. Stashevsky spoke to the students about his experience and how God kept his hand on him and his mother. He learned to love the Jews who became his mothers, sisters and playmates in the camp. The reason little boy Richard made it into the women’s camp was due to being dressed like a girl at the train station as the Nazis separated the men and women.

These three men have had a great impact on my life, teaching me to love the Jews and to pray for them. I pray for all of Abraham’s children - Jew, Arab and Future Believer. I pray for their hearts to be moved toward love, redemption and forgiveness. I pray for their lives to be transformed by the Passover Lamb who gave Himself, took our sins upon himself, died in our place, taking our punishment, so that we might live with God forever - forgiven, free and full of love. It is His marvelous work and His perfect plan. My Savior is a Jewish carpenter and I love Him!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Romans 6:23