Open Gates - Project Reports by Tiina Karkkainen
October 2020 - Project Update by Tiina Karkkainen
Shalom and blessing from CFI distribution center!
Our last visitor before the lock down was a new emigrant from Poland. His process with the documents was long and complicated, but with God’s help he made Aliyah one month ago. This young man was very thankful to get the food vouchers before the Feast time. We don’t have a lot of men’s clothing at the moment, but to my surprise this happy visitor found many good-looking items for himself. I saw and understood that a grateful attitude about things and situations can make miracles J. That day we also had nice bedding items, which somebody had brought in. Our friend took sheets and pillow cases to his apartment. I invited him to come back in a month, and I am sure that he is more than willing to come. He needs help and support with his first steps in the Land, but he trusts in the Lord. It is great that we can be an answer to his prayer as well.
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I am happy to tell you that we will have a container coming from the States next month. It means that we will have a lot of clothes to give to people for many months. This is an answer to prayer! Even if we can’t receive as many visitors as we used to, because of the restrictions, a lot of individuals will be blessed by our distribution center. I have the privilege to see it with my own eyes. There have been phone calls already. At the moment we are not allowed to make appointments, but I hope that the situation will change soon. People still want to come to our place.
This week I have been sorting things and making a better order in our storage room and in the shopping area. It is good to use this moment for cleaning the place. Some extra items, we will use to donate to other ministries. For example we are able to give excellent baby clothing to an organization, which is helping needy mothers with their challenges with the pregnancy and their newborn babies. May the Lord use us in this place He has put us. May His light shine through us wherever we are and whatever we do.
Thank you for your prayers and your willingness to be part of this good work that we are able to do in the Land. The Jewish people are coming back to their homeland, and it is great to be a blessing to them. Thank God for His goodness!
” … Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel…
” Ezekiel 37:21-22 Tiina
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For a young couple, Alex and Mariya, it was hard to stay in one room for two weeks. “We are used to moving and exploring different places all the time.” They come from the city of Kazan in Russia. Now they are living in an immigration center and studying Hebrew for free for the first half a year in the Land. The start with the new language has been difficult. Anyway they are motivated to learn as much as possible in this language school. After that they will look for a job. Alex and Mariya live in Jerusalem, but in the future they may move to Tel Aviv. “I visited the Land once before. I love Israel.” Mariya says.
September 2020 - Project Update by Tiina Karkkainen
Shalom from a hot Jerusalem, dear friends and supporters!
The last two weeks have been quieter at our distribution center. The situation with the corona virus is still a big factor here in Israel. Anyway there have been people making Aliyah continually during this summer. Today we had four visitors at our place. All of them moved to Israel on the same day 20.07.2020, but by different airlines.
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Makar is a young man from St. Petersburg. It took about three years for him to make the decision and one year was needed to get all the documents ready and done for the Aliyah. He told us that 90 percent of the passengers in their flight to Tel Aviv were new immigrants. The state of Israel provided for two weeks stay in a hotel in Tel Aviv. “So, the quarantine was not so bad”, Makar explains. “We got good food. Everything was fine.”
Dmitry comes from Ukraine. He has problems with his hearing. For him, learning a new language with a class is much more difficult. His father is a Jew. The parents divorced a long time ago. Until now Dmitry was living with his mother. I asked about the reaction of his mother, when he started to plan to make Aliyah. “My mother was happy to kick me out to the new life!” This nice young man explains. “She packed so many things into my suitcase that I don’t need anything at the moment.” Dmitry has already found a part time job. “I just heard from the news that there may be a lock down again. It is not good. I am just starting to work here in Jerusalem,” he said.
We also need to close our place here at the distribution center for couple of weeks. Israel is battling against Corona virus. Now there will be a lock down again during the period of the Feasts. Please, pray that the Lord will touch many hearts and open many eyes among His people in this special season. May He use us for His glory even during the time, when we won’t have any visitors at our distribution center.
Thank you for being with us! Tiina
August 2020 - Project Update by Tiina Karkkainen
Greetings from Jerusalem!
Yesterday there was a young woman visiting the DC. Fernanda made Aliyah from Brazil in January 2020. She took only the warm clothes for winter with her, because her aunt was going to visit her during the springtime. The aunt should have brought suitcases for Fernanda already packed with summer clothes, but because of the corona everything changed. The aunt’s visit was canceled and the summer clothes stayed in Brazil. It is impossible for a new emigrant to buy the many new things needed during their first period in the Land. Thank God that Fernanda knew about us. She came and found good garments for herself. Thank God we still have plenty of shorts, dresses, tops, t-shirts, especially for young ladies like her. Fernanda was thankful and surprised at how many good clothes she was able to find at our place. I was happy too. It is a great joy to see how we can bless the Jewish people as Christians. It was some- thing so real, what happened here yesterday with Fernanda.
Rivka Sara was another new emigrant from Brazil who was blessed by us this week. She made Aliyah in March. You could see that she didn’t have many nice clothes to wear. When I offered her some dresses and other garments, she was more than happy to receive them. “This is so beautiful! I love this,” she said many times. Rivka Sara found good shirts, good skirts and many useful items for herself. She is a religious lady, but in spite of that she wanted to be helped by Christians. In these kinds of cases I would like to give people much more than we have here. Let’s pray that the Lord will make a way for different Christians to do good in this Land. Let there be more opportunities to bless His people in practical ways. I am happy to have a little role in God’s big plan of blessing here at our Distribution Centre, and I am doing this with you, my brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Tiina Karkkainen Project Coordinator
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It has been busy at our CFI distribution center. I get a lot of phone calls every week. New emigrants want to have an appoint- ment and come to take clothing for them- selves and for their families. It is interesting to meet them and get to know about their lives, especially now during the Covid 19 period you can hear interesting stories.
Sometimes we are in a hurry trying to find good clothes in 30 minutes and we don’t have time to talk about our lives, but some- times the clients share about things they are going through. One family from Russia
made Aliyah in June 2020. They had to be in quarantine for two weeks. They were given a room in a hotel somewhere near the sea. They could not leave the room until the two weeks were over. With a little child it was not so easy to be in one room for so long a time. Fortunately for them there was a little balcony included in the space, so they could “go out” and see the sea. One of the first things that the family did after their quarantine was to go to the beach.
