“She’s only a 24 year-old student, but this young woman is taking care of the refugees from Sudan instead of the government.

Elisheva Milikowsky, a social work student from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is tired. She’s a young woman with curly hair and a colorful canvas bag from the Far East. It’s hard to imagine that she is responsible for the fate of the hundreds of Sudanese refugees who arrive in Israel.

For the last few nights, the “Angel of the Sudanese” as they call her in Beersheba, has not slept. Since the IDF decided that every day they will send refugees from the border with Egypt directly to the streets of Beersheba, she has not rested.

Nearly every night Elisheva receives a call from an army source who leaks the news that between 30-50 refugees have arrived. Everyone has their conscience pricked when they see refugees on the street, but very few actually help. Elisheva and her friends from the Spitzer Department of Social Work are doing most of the work.

The Sudanese refugees already know her name and some of them have a note in their pockets with her telephone number. They even call her before they enter the country: a few days ago she received a call from a Sudanese refugee in Egypt who needed help. Meanwhile, she has managed to find solutions for most of the refugees, around 1200 people since the beginning of the year.

This year she was due to graduate with a degree in social work. “How is it possible to study for an exam when you know that outside there are 15 families who have just entered the country and have nowhere to go?” she asks.

“One day I read a story in the press that IDF soldiers serving on the border were providing milk powder and diapers for the refugee children,” Elisheva recalls.

“Together with other volunteers, I immediately organized an emergency appeal, together with Ben-Gurion’s Community Action Unit. But it was nothing compared to what happened when the story broke about the bus that the IDF sent to the police station in Beersheba with 35 refugees.

“The police refused to receive the refugees and the bus began to travel through the streets of the city. Our e-mail inboxes were overloaded with requests to help. It became a full-time job. Then we made contact with Irit Rabinovitch from Smart in Eilat, who absorb the refuges and find them work in hotels. I began sending refugees and their families,” she said.

“The slow trickle of refugees became a flood. The IDF decided that everyone who crosses the border from Egypt will be sent to Beer-Sheva. There are soldiers who feel terrible about what is going on and call me asking for help for the refugees.”

While Elisheva is speaking, her phone rings. She receives word that at that moment the IDF has dumped 50 refugees in Beersheba. She cuts the interview short and hurries away.”

YNetnews.com

As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.

I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance - - My love and my devotion.

To the Flag - - Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody’s job.

United - - That means that we have all come together.

States - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic - - Republic–a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation - - One Nation–meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible - - Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All - - For All–which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?

Red Skelton

The latter part of 1940 nine year old Freddie Williams ran home from Catholic School to tell his mom that he had said a number of hail Mary’s and Our Fathers for a little brother. July 3, 1941 Charles Waggener Williams was born in Vicksburg, MS to Dorothy Waggener Williams and Fred H. Williams.

He was taken home to the same house his mother had lived in with her family since she was 5 or 6 years old.  His Dad had his office on one side of the the basement(which was street level) and two family friends had a floral shop on the other side. He spent many hours as he was growing up visiting in those two businesses. There was easy access with the stairway that went from their kitchen to the basement between the two shops.

He lived across the street from the Vicksburg YMCA where he spent many hours playing. One of his good friends was a older black gentlemen that was the janitor.

Chuck and I lived in an era that is foreign to our grandchildren now. We lived when prayer was in school, everyone knew what the ten commandents meant, there was at least a respect for Church property, abortion was not legal and kidnapping, rape and killing of innocent children was a very very rare occurance. He roamed Vicksburg as a young child on his bike without fear.

He was raised in his mother’s Episcopal church and became an altar boy. He had one priest who was a very godly man that was very influential in his life.

He grew up to be a loving man, a good husband, a good father and a tender caregiver for his mother.  I, for one, am very grateful for the childhood prayers of his brother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHUCK

In five days I am off to Nashville, TN with friends. I have lovely new friends who are allowing me to ride with them to the Call gathering on 7/7/07.  From there I will be going alone, so to speak, across country with 100 other sojourners.

This is a totally jumping off the cliff type adventure for me.  Talk about being out of your comfort zone, whoa baby.  When the Lord first impressed me to do this, I explained to Him(as if He does not know my every thought) how I do not like camping.  I heard in my spirit “son of man had no place to lay his head”. Well, that argument went out the window real quick.

When I stopped giving excuses and accepted the call, then an enemy called fear came to me.  I have been in a full war battling this enemy for the last 34 days.  He has shown me every imaginable scenario of danger that could happen.  Day after day I have had to stand on the faithfulness of God and the power of His blood.  Then it dawned on me, hey, this must be important or the enemy would not be trying to sabotage this trip.  Isn’t it odd how exposure disarms the enemy.  It is like you are fighting this huge giant and when you get revelation he is deflated small enough to step on and crush.

I really don’t know the fullness of why I am to go on this trip.  I do have a sense that I will come back a different women.  When I see the photos of our soldiers and the conditions they are living in to fight for our freedom, then the conditions I will endure look like the Hilton.  I will be joining a group fighting for America also.  We will not be fighting flesh and blood but spiritual strongholds that are trying to destroy this country. We will be praying for revival to sweep this land.  I am not only doing this because the Lord asked me to, I am doing it for my children and grandchildren.  I want them to live in a God fearing country and experience revival too.

My journey will end at Bethel.  This is Bill Johnson’s church in Redding, CA.  I will be visiting friends that go to school there.  I am believing to see angels ascending and descending as Jacob saw at Bethel and an encounter with God like he experienced that changed his name and his destiny.  More of HIM is the cry of my heart.