Mediterranean Monday: Ashdod

Today’s Med Monday will be a bit different; I am going to tell my account of our trip to Ashdod yesterday.  If you haven’t been following the news, Ashdod is one of the cities in Israel that has been being bombarded with missiles from Gaza for over a week now.  Its located south of Tel Aviv along the Sea (only a 1/2 hour bus ride) and close enough to the Gaza border to become a target.  Most of the residents in Ashdod are new immigrants, lots of Russians and French Jewish descendants.

During the past week, as we watched the situation intensify, we decided to go to Ashdod to show some love to the people there.  I like to call it Project Light in the Darkness, because simply stated, thats what we went to be.  We bought candies, chocolates, ‘Eggs with Legs” (ask me later about that one), and small toys for children.  We all knew the dangers and the costs, but each one of us was willing and ready to go.  So, yesterday (Sunday) we met in the morning and not knowing what to expect, took a bus to Ashdod.

When we arrived we were told there had already been one missile, which hit an apartment building.  Apparently the red siren had not gone off, so they weren’t expecting anything and one lady was badly hurt.  There was hardly anyone on the streets, and it was pretty quiet, so we headed to a cafe that was owned by a friend of a friend.  Once we all sat down and got coffee things started rolling.  We didn’t even have to go out to the people, they came to us.  We met 2 dentists and talked with them for a while , with many other people coming to see what we were doing there.  We were even interviewed by the French newspaper and they took some pictures as well.  Its amazing how just a small gesture of love, like handing out candy and toys, can attract so much attention.

People were amazed that we would leave our comfort zone and enter into a war zone to do this.  All we would say when giving anything out was, “With love, from Tel Aviv.”  Then if they asked more, we would tell them how we just wanted to show our support, and remind them they are not alone.  Even though we have not been bombed in Tel Aviv, we are all in this together.

I am serious when I say that people’s countenance completely changed.  They were so grateful and appreciative, and we began seeing smiles in an area where none were shown.

Due to the war, all the schools have been closed for over a week and the children were at home for the most part.  We were able to visit a type of child care center in the Central Bus Station of Ashdod, where we gave out goodies and sang a few songs with the children.  It was great!  The director was beyond ecstatic

Coming home, we realized how blessed we were from this trip.  Its funny how when you start out with a mindset of blessing others, the amount of blessing you receive in return.  This was an unexpected treasure.  We were even blessed at the cafe when one of the dentists paid for our entire bill without us knowing. Amazing!

Thanks for your emails, messages, and prayers over this trip!!!!

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