The Colombia Earthquake Shook MY Family – and My Faith Guest Post from my wife Sarah Eliana

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We're Your Family in Israel  Link to View or Share this Email Online   My hometown of Pereira suffered the most damage WAR UPDATE 115 The Colombia Earthquake Shook My Family – and My Faith Guest Post from my wife Sarah Eliana My brother's apartment collapsed around him. He survived and his family survived. As Colombia rebuilds, here's the question the earthquake forced me to ask myself. On Monday afternoon in Jerusalem, my phone rings. It’s my son Juan calling from Colombia, just as he often does before leaving for work. I answer, expecting an ordinary conversation. Instead, I hear panic. “There’s been a terrible earthquake,” he says. “Everything shook for a long time.” With cellphone lines barely functioning, his voice breaks through in fragments. “Please call the family,” he manages to say before we’re cut off. “Find out if everyone is alive.” Alive? My hands shake as I dial my brother Carlos in Pereira, the city where I grew up. The call doesn’t go through. I try again. Nothing. Then a WhatsApp message appears: Carlos and his family have survived. Their fifth-floor apartment has not. As the roof and walls collapsed around them, Carlos tells me, they crowded into a doorway and hugged one another. Somehow, they made it down five floors and into the street – without a scratch. Their home is a pile of rubble. Yet miraculously, they are alive. Amidst tears, I call my niece Lina. She tells me that her house, too, has been destroyed. By then, videos are flooding the internet: buildings folded into clouds of dust, streets buried beneath concrete, terrified families searching for one another. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia with devastating force. The death toll climbs into the hundreds. Thousands are injured or missing, many trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Electricity, water and communications fail across large areas. I sit in Jerusalem, staring at images of streets I know. The distance creates a sense of helplessness. I can only keep dialing, sending messages, praying, and waiting for the next fragment of news. Jewish law prescribes a blessing upon experiencing an earthquake: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, whose strength and power fill the world.”1 The blessing does not explain the tragedy. It acknowledges that we are small, life is fragile and the world is charged with a power beyond our control. Political Upheaval - A Country Changes Direction Another thought presses upon me: Why has this happened, and why now? Only three days earlier, Abelardo de la Espriella had been inaugurated as Colombia’s new president. On the first business day of his administration, the earthquake struck. The timing is impossible to ignore. Jewish tradition states that an earthquake can accompany the ending of one government and the beginning of another. Colombia was undergoing this transition. Under former president Gustavo Petro, Colombia had severed diplomatic relations with Israel, expelled Israeli diplomats, and moved toward opening an embassy in Ramallah. The new president, De la Espriella, campaigned on an opposite vision. “Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before,” he declared. “Israel can count on Colombia as a loyal friend and steadfast ally.” After his election victory, De la Espriella pledged to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move Colombia’s embassy to Jerusalem. On the day of the earthquake, he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Of course, no one knows the heavenly accounting of any natural disaster. Yet Jewish tradition encourages us to use moments of upheaval to shake something within us. The Talmud offers haunting imagery of an earthquake: When God sees Jewish suffering among the nations, Divine tears fall into the sea, causing the earth to tremble. This is obviously not a scientific explanation. It’s a spiritual image of a country reexamining its direction, while the earth shook. A Jewish Echo Beneath the Ruins As a recent convert to Judaism (a journey I chronicled on Aish.com), the earthquake carries deeply personal resonance. It struck a region populated by many descendants of Bnei Anusim (conversos), Jews forced to convert during the Spanish Inquisition. Large numbers of Sephardic conversos settled in Colombia’s Paisa region. Across the centuries, some families quietly retained fragments of Jewish memory in surnames, customs and stories whose origins they could no longer explain. In recent years, small communities of Bnei Anusim have begun returning to full Jewish life. One such community has emerged in my hometown of Pereira. Many of its members are my friends. One viral video from the earthquake shows a congregation in Pereira reciting “Shema Yisrael” during the morning services, while everything shakes. This was filmed at the home of my friend Devorah, where I’ve spent many Shabbats. The image moved me: descendants of Jews once forced to whisper their faith, now proclaiming God’s unity aloud, while the earth moves beneath them.   The Shofar That Shakes Us Awake The Colombia earthquake coincides with the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul, leading to Rosh Hashanah. In synagogues each morning, we sound the shofar. Maimonides describes its message: Awake from your sleep! Arise from your slumber! Turn inward examine your direction in life. The shofar is like a controlled earthquake. It shakes souls instead of buildings. It interrupts the familiar rhythm of life and forces the question we spend most of the year avoiding: If everything I take for granted were suddenly stripped away, what would remain? For my brother’s family, this question is no metaphor. As they stood in the street, shaken to the core, they understood with immense clarity what matters most. Rosh Hashanah is called the Day of Judgment because all humanity passes before the Creator. Yet judgment is not solely about the past. It is also about possibility. What kind of person will I become in the year ahead? What will I rebuild? Which foundations will anchor the life I want to create? From Jerusalem, I can already hear the shofar’s call, even before it is blown. Wake up! Do not postpone the life you are meant to live. The ground beneath us is never as permanent as it seems. (See this article at aish.com here) IF THIS UPDATE WAS FORWARDED TO YOU. CLICK HERE to ensure you get my next update.     R. Shmuel Veffer and Sarah Eliana Galilee Green Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad Nothing refreshes like a cucumber tomato onion salad on a warm day. Crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and mild onion create the perfect summer side. Long-time Galilee Green subscriber Diana May from Bodega Bay, CA, shared this recipe with us in the summer of 2024. Louise Workman, GG Member from Olympia, Washington loves this salad too! Remember to share your recipes with us so we can include them on our website and newsletter! FULL RECIPE!   Even the Coffee Farm Wasn't Safe   That's Sarah Eliana's brother Carlos at the bottom of the thumbnail above. A few years ago, Carlos, his wife Francia and daughter Laura took us to visit Francia's parents' coffee farm. It was an incredible experience. The views were breathtaking. And the traditional way they grew coffee was fascinating.  Like all coffee growers, the giant international conglomerates pay almost nothing to the farmers for their beans, and most local growers are struggling to survive. Carlos and Francia were trying to help her parents find a way to sell direct to consumers to try to keep the farm alive. All Talents on Deck With Sarah Eliana's music background and my business and marketing background we decided to make a commercial for them. Sarah Eliana composed a tune in a traditional Colombian style and played the guitar and sang along with Fanny, Francia's mother. We had a great time putting this together and I think you will love it too. The day of the earthquake, Francia was supposed to travel to the farm to help out. As you saw from above, Carlos and Francia's apartment and everything in it was destroyed. When Francia was finally able to get through to her parents, they let her know some of the farm buildings were damaged, but their home was still livable. May the Almighty bless all those affected with strength and courage to rebuild what was destroyed.   WATCH VIDEO HERE   Watch to the very end to see Francia, Carlos and Laura with the rest of the family.   Subscriber Photo of the Week   "Bringing Sweet Blessings to Iceland"   This week's photo is ABOUT Ragnar Halldórsson of Reykjavík, Iceland. Okay, I admit I made the picture above with AI. But I was so excited that we had our first order from Iceland to be delivered directly to Reykjavik, that I had to share this with you. As I mentioned, Israel Post recently opened their ecopost service (that we use) to about 100 more countries! That means we have new ways to grow our Galilee Green Family. I still have no idea how Ragnar found us, but I'm glad he did. His package of two jars of Raw Citrus Blossom Honey is on its way. Thank you Ragnar... please take a photo and send it to us when it arrives... and thank you to all of our supporters around the world. You all make a difference. ------------------------------------------------------- Because of the strengthening of the Israeli Shekel against the US Dollar (20 percent since January!) we are trying to make up for our effective loss in revenue by increasing the number of people using our products. Please encourage at least one other friend or relative who loves Israel to give us a try! P.S. You can forward this newsletter to a friend to introduce them to us.  GALILEE GREEN OLIVE OIL One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is the ability to support themselves. Support out small business in Israel and bring the blessings of Israel into your own home! Here's your direct link to order a Two Pack today! RAW NATURAL HONEY Bring the sweetness of the Land of Israel into your own home! HERE'S YOUR DIRECT LINK FOR A TWO PACK Have you read the first five chapters of my upcoming Jerusalem-based Thriller? CONTINUE READING HERE

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Scientists Finally Agree About the Earthquake in Days of Amos But...Which One? - Breaking Israel News

Scientists Finally Agree About the Earthquake in Days of Amos But…Which One? Researchers find archaeological evidence that earthquakes described in the Bible took place “The words of Amos, a sheepbreeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Yisrael in the reigns of Kings Uzziyahu of Yehuda and Yerovam son of Yoash of Yisrael, two years before the earthquake.” (Amos 1:1) Evangelical Leaders Denounce Airbnb’s Jewish-Owned Properties’ Boycott Michele Bachmann said the company's actions "are clearly antisemitic" Israeli F-15 Lands Safely After Dramatic Canopy Loss at 30,000 Feet Crew had to fight buffeting winds and -45 degree Celsius temperatures Bernie Sanders Slams ‘Absurd’ Anti-BDS Bill Democratic Party senator from Vermont accused that proposed legislation infringed on constitutional rights WATCH: Can Israel Get US to Recognize Golan Heights Sovereignty? Will Prime Minister Netanyahu succeed with the Trump administration where he has previously failed? ZEPHANIAH 3:9 Zephaniah describes how in the future, all the nations of the world will have ‘pure speech,’ safa b’rurah (שפה ברורה). Many commentators maintain that the pure speech that Zephaniah promises is the language of Hebrew... Learn » To ask a medical question for an expert to answer, email Judy Siegel-Itzkovich at judy@israel365.com, giving your initials, gender, age and place of residence. Sponsored Content

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Joel C. Rosenberg's - What in the world is going on? Catastrophic hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, terrorism, nuclear threats. Is God trying to tell us something? Yes.

New post on Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

What in the world is going on? Catastrophic hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, terrorism, nuclear threats. Is God trying to tell us something? Yes. by joelcrosenberg What in the world is going on? Hurricane Harvey drops 33 trillion gallons of rainfall drop on the U.S. Experts say the floods are a once-in-1,000-years event. Now Hurricane Irma is bearing down on Florida. 185 mile-per-hour winds. Experts say the devastation could be "catastrophic." At the same time, Mexico experiences the worst earthquake in a century. Record-breaking floods are devastating Asia. Half of Bangladesh is underwater. 100,000 homes are destroyed. Forty million people face severe and potentially life-threatening food and water shortages. Russia is preparing to mass upwards of 100,000 troops on the borders of three NATO countries for a massive series of war games some fear is the prelude to war. The genocidal slaughter continues in Syria. Terror attacks around the globe. North Korea threatens to nuke the United States, then tests a hydrogen bomb and long-range ballistic missiles. And tensions over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem spike and then settle, and then spike again. People have all kinds of theories as to what is happening, but the answer is quite straightforward -- God is trying to get our attention. These events are not random. The God of the Bible is allowing these events to shake us, to wake us, to get our attention, that we might turn to Him and ask Him to have mercy on us and help us. The Lord said through the ancient Hebrew Prophet Haggai that He would shake the nations in the last days. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations….I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.” (Haggai 2:6, 7, 21, 22) In the New Testament, the Lord reinforced that theme. “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven’….Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25-29) The Scriptures are clear: the Lord shakes individuals and nations that we might let go of all of the flawed political, philosophical, intellectual and religions notions that we cling to that won’t give us true peace, that don’t give us real hope, that can’t bring us any security, that can’t provide forgiveness from our sins much less eternal life for our souls. The God of the Bible wants to shake us loose of such things that we might turn to Him, and to the life He offers through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord isn’t letting America and other nations be shaken because He hates us. He’s letting us be shaken precisely because He loves us and wants us to repent and turn to Him and call out to Him, as individuals, as families, as leaders, and as entire nations. This is a 2 Chronicles 7:14 moment, for the Church, for America, for Israel, for everyone. "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."  May we humble ourselves and seek the Lord while He still may be found. HOW DEVASTATING WILL HURRICANE IRMA BE? National Weather Service warns: "THIS IS AS REAL AS IT GETS....THERE IS STILL TIME TO EVACUATE." 5.6 million Floridians ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma (Naples Daily News) National Hurricane Center warns Irma is "potentially catastrophic." "Regardless of where Irma makes landfall, all significant hurricane impact threats are likely this weekend for the entire Florida Keys, including catastrophic and life threatening storm surge flooding and destructive winds, potentially extremely high rainfall amounts, as well as a threat of tornadoes," warns the NHC. "There is still some time to evacuate, and we encourage all residents and visitors to leave the Florida Keys." Irma breaks another record, becoming first Atlantic hurricane to maintain 185mph winds for 24 hours (UK Independent) Hurricane Irma triggers gas shortages as panicking Florida motorists evacuate(USA Today) HOW DEVASTATING WAS HURRICANE HARVEY? Harvey is a 1,000-year flood event unprecedented in scale (Washington Post) -- "A new analysis from the University of Wisconsin’s Space Science and Engineering Center has determined that Harvey is a 1-in-1,000-year flood event....There is nothing in the historical record that rivals this, according to Shane Hubbard, the Wisconsin who made and mapped this calculation. 'In looking at many of these events [in the United States], I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude or size,' he said. 'This is something that hasn’t happened in our modern era of observations.'" Harvey unloaded 33 trillion gallons of water in the U.S. (Washington Post) -- "The overwhelming majority of Harvey’s rains are over, and we have a new calculation for the total volume of water it dispensed on U.S. soil: 33 trillion gallons. This number incorporates the rainfall not only in Texas and Louisiana, but also in Tennessee and Kentucky, which also experienced torrents." Tracking Harvey's toll: 'This is the costliest and worst natural disaster in American history' (Dallas Morning News) -- "AccuWeather is out with the highest estimate yet of Harvey’s potential price tag. The weather foreasting service now expects damage to reach $190 billion, or a full 1 percent of U.S. economic output. 'This is the costliest and worst natural disaster in American history,' said Joel Myers, AccuWeather's founder, president and chairman." 400% SPIKE IN GLOBAL WEATHER CATASTROPHES SINCE 1970 Since 1970, the number of extreme weather events has quadrupled." "There are now 400 extreme weather events every year." "These include storms, landslides, droughts, and forest fires." "This monsoon season has caused devastating floods in South Asia, killing over 1,200 people. The storm has left millions in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal vulnerable to food and water shortages." "Almost half of Bangladesh is now underwater. " Hurricane Irma "has set a new rainfall record in America." Weather-related disasters are increasing (The Economist) Short video on Twitter from The Economist Mexico's strongest earthquake in a century leaves dozens dead (CNN International) "One of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Mexico struck off the country's southern coast, toppling hundreds of buildings and sending panicked people fleeing into the streets in the middle of the night," reported the Associated Press. "At least 61 people were reported dead." South Asia floods: Estimated 40 million across India, Bangladesh, Nepal affected (Australian Broadcasting Company) South Asia floods: Disease fears as floods destroy 100,000 houses in Bangladesh, aid agencies say (Australian Broadcasting Company) I’ll be speaking in Denver on Sept. 30 on the latest threats from Radical Islam, Russia & North Korea. Please register today. I'll be speaking at the 2017 Epicenter Conference this October 6 & 7 in Southern California -- "What Does The Future Hold For Israel & Her Neighbors?" -- please click here to learn more and to register See the list of speakers and their bios Learn more about our 2018 Epicenter Prayer Summit, and Joshua Fund tour of the Holy Land Would you like to make a secure, tax deductible investment in The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net)? This is the non-profit organization that my wife, Lynn, and I founded in 2006 to educate and mobilize Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, to care for the poor and needy in Israel (both Jews and Arabs) with food and other humanitarian relief, care for Holocaust survivors, care for Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and strengthen the Church in the epicenter. The Joshua Fund is a member in good standing of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Please click here to learn more. Thanks so much! Click here to read the 2016 Joshua Fund Donor Report — and watch the short videos, as well Subscribe (free) to the RSS feed (click here) and receive every new posting on this blog directly via email. joelcrosenberg | September 9, 2017 at 7:23 am | Categories: Epicenter | URL: http://wp.me/piWZ7-8dz