Unimaginable

 We got up this beautiful day with no real expectations for what we should do or accomplish. Because the temperature will drop in the days before us we decided that yard work would be in order, at least for a couple of hours. The most demanding aspect of the morning was waiting in the queue at the yard waste depot along with all the other homeowners who then jockeyed for position for the drop-off. On we went to the library and then the farmers market, where we chatted with vendors and people we know.

For the past few hours I've been pondering the unreality of the relative "peace, order and good goverment" which mark our Canadian experience (I'm not endorsing any political party here.) Today, as with most days recently, Ruth checked in with her sister in Israel. Anne and husband Herbby live in a "safe" part of the country yet their lives are fraught with danger, anxiety, and dread. In the past few days she has taken to donning noise-cancelling headphones to keep out the roar of military jets flying overhead and she leaves it to her husband to check the rocket app which warns people of the missiles which are still being directed at Israel by Hamas. Isn't it chilling that "there is an app for that"?  They are aware of the rising tensions in the West Bank which is only a few kilometres from where they live. 

They have oversight of Christian families who are in Israel as part of the ministry which is their employer and tough decisions are being made about evacuation to safer countries. Their  minstry compound in the country is housing displaced persons who fled the area around Gaza as well as cooking thousands of meals a day for their guests and others. They are doing their best to place their trust in God and to receive the gifts of the day. 

For us it is almost unimaginable, even though we can picture where they go about their daily lives.It seems surreal that we were in Israel a few months ago for a couple of weeks of exploration of the country from one end to the other with our loved ones, all without incident. 

Along with this personal news there is the bigger picture of the unfolding ground assault by Israeli forces into Gaza where thousands have already died, including hundreds of children. The loss of life is appalling and it will only get worse. 

We agonize over what is unfolding and wonder how we can make a difference. We will contribute to humanitarian aid for the desperate people of Gaza. 

We have offered to host Anne and Herbby here if they need to exit for a few days of calm and reconnection with Canadian family. He is an American and their adult children live there but the tranquility of Southern Ontario might be a tonic

We continue to pray for them. We will pray for a situation which has no clear path to peace yet cannot continue in this wretched gyre of hatred and violence.