Something unexpected…

On a Thursday evening, my friend Emma and I went out for a girl’s night. Emma is a new friend from Canada; we immediately became so close because of our similar history and our love for God. We began this evening with her counseling me in my spiritual healing of wounds from my past of living a worldly life. That subject is for a separate post but I want to share with you all about an evening that changed my perspective on life forever about humanity. We encountered the most raw and real experience with two girls, our age, about their shocking but very real life here in Israel. You’ll need to take a moment while you internalize the truth that I am about to expose.

The young night life of Israel is very similar to most modern countries around the world. Many bars and restaurants are open. All different types of people sitting outside all throughout the streets of Jerusalem city. Different kinds of food, drinks, sheesha, dancing, and laughter echo all through the night. Emma and I found ourselves sitting together outside speaking about relating topics and our young crazy childhoods. A lot of moments filled with laughter and sayings like, “Wow me too!” and “Oh, no way that’s crazy!”. To give just a little insight, we both grew up in difficult circumstances when it came to family life at home. But then we grew into a conversation about how God carried us through and we were able to experience his grace and mercy in our lives. Somehow, someway, we were kept close and here we both were, answering His call, living in Israel serving others. We decided to grab a drink at this local bar before we headed to the shuk to get vegan wraps for dinner.

We walk in and we see these two beautiful young blonde girls sitting together at the bar. As we stand next to them waiting for a drink, we over hear them giggling and talking about how there night is going. Emma and I look over and they immediately made eye contact with us and began to talk. A minute later introductions were made. Laura, the youngest, was sitting and Mia, the oldest (by a few months), was standing and both were facing us. These girls were adorable, they had a sense of innocence and joy within them ESPECIALLY towards each other, shortly after explaining they were cousins and knew each other since the age of “zero.” These girls welcomed us and began to tell us about themselves as if we married into the family.

Mia was in the IDF, she grew up in a loving family, and she was madly in love with her boyfriend of two and a half years. She expressed her pain about how her father hates him, but she was ready to marry him. She expressed how she hates being in the IDF because she’s away from her family and never sees her boyfriend, but she loves it because it is a fulfilling purpose for her as an Israeli. Laura then expresses how she has a loving family, who recently lost her father, who was attacked and died a month ago by a terrorist. She expressed how this is her first time since the event that she’s gone out to do normal life again after the grieving period. She told Emma her last name; Emma was shocked. Emma met her father a year ago and who interviewed her on Ben Yehuda street because he worked for an organization very similar to the one we work for now. This was the same guy who was all over the news a month ago, and ironically here we were meeting his daughter at a casual setting.

Me and Emma were only planning to just make a quick stop before we went to dinner, but we saw these girls who were beginning to become unstable. We felt like we had to stay with them. They walked to the place next store to dance, shortly after they walk out and we follow, Laura begins to break down, and Mia begins to be too drunk to understand wants going on. It wasn’t more then just a few moments for both of them to take hold of themselves and get there bearings back. As Emma and I stand on the other side of the walk way, we keep an eye on them as Mia tries to comfort her cousin who is in tears. As the night life was hitting a prime time around us, our attention stayed fixed on these two girls.

They then see us and walk back to us, tensions from them as if they’re embarrassed and are ready to head home. We comforted them and told them that everything is okay. All we cared about was that they got home safe. Emma and I both look at each other, reading each other’s thought that were not leaving there side until we can rest assured they’re getting home safe. So we begin to direct towards the bus stop. A ten minute walk. But this ten minute walk gave me a new weight on my understanding of life. Something that I have never had to think about before. And the entire time all I could do was listen.

We begin the walk, the cousins are walking in front while me and Emma follow behind. And this is the conversation.

“Laura are you listening to me? Listen to me. Listen to me! You want know why.. you want to know why I put on that green uniform everyday!? It’s because I love you! It’s because we are Israel and this is our land. This is our country. This is our F******* country! This is my street. I will defend this country until my dying breath. No one deserves to live like this. 6 million Jews did not die for us to live in fear. I hate seeing you cry and I hate that this has happened. But we have to be strong, and your father raised you to be strong. And guess what, as long as I am living and breathing, I will fight for your dad, I will fight for our families, and I will fight for our right to live!”

While Mia is speaking, Laura is balling her eyes out. Covering her eyes knowing that this is the dark truth of her life as an Israeli. Her father was taken out by a man who wants nothing more then her people to be wiped out forever. At this moment she was feeling pain, but her cousin was lifting her up speaking real truth.

“Laura listen to me, I am never going to leave you. We’re going to get married together, we’re going to get pregnant together, our children our going to best friends just like us, and were going to be grandmothers together!”

Laura is crying but bursting out in laughter imagining this hope for their future. And they both looked at each other and agreed, nothing was going to keep them down. No one was going to end there lives, for they declared that they will live, and live a happy life.

Walking behind them I reach for Emma, and at a loss of words I just had to grab her, to remember that this is actually really happening. This is their reality every day, they face hatred and danger for just being Israel… I was blown away. I couldn’t fathom this reality back home. These are girls my age; and I’m a huge daddy’s girl. I couldn’t imagine losing him to someone who hates my nation. As I’m writing this, I don’t think I could have the strength of these two girls if I were in their shoes. But also, that’s their only choice, but they refuse to accept death. So I honor and congratulate these two girls. For they don’t allow the enemy stop them.

We now arrive to the bus stop. We come together and they ask if we look at them any differently. Immediately we say “no, not at all!” We then hug them and share a moment of love and silence for them. A close friend of theirs recognizes them and walks closer. They see him and embrace him with a feeling of peace. He was a childhood friend of theirs, and knew the rest of the way to get them home. He knew the story, and he thanked us for helping. A moment before we had told them we loved them, and we hope to see them again soon. They were happy to hear the words, and after exchanging numbers, they left.

Emma and I were blown away. We couldn’t believe how coincidentally we met those girls and the whole rest of the night displayed an allegory of what life is like here for a local Israeli. Relating on a whole new level that we were all young woman, with loving families. But they had this fear that has always been there with all their ancestors, of something always trying to wipe them out. Being God’s chosen people, Satan has orchestrated terrible acts on this nation of people since the beginning of time. Even now in modern day, it is still just as real as it was in the beginning. My heart cries out for those girls, for their people. As an American I stand with Israel. I stand with those girls, and I stand with anyone up against evil. May God be with us all.