Walking Therein

!!Updated: Prayers For A 15yo Boy Injured From A Bomb

We just received word from our closest and dearest friends in Israel David and Leah Ortiz, that their son, Ami, was seriously injured by a bomb at their home in Ariel today.

Apparently some one left, what looked like, a Purim Basket outside their door. Ami, 15 years old, was holding it when it exploded.

I just talked to David. He and Leah are right now waiting for the doctor to give them a report from surgery. David said Ami is hanging on to life with severe shrapnel injuries to his whole upper body including his face.

Please pray for a complete healing. Pray that they are able to save his eyes and limbs. Pray for David and Leah to have strength through all of this.

Ami is part of the Christian youth group in Ariel which Brayden and Zac are leaders and all of our older children are a part of. Ami is very close to our family and spent many hours at our apartment which is just down the street from his.

We are desperately crying out before our Father for a miracle.

In Yeshua's Name.

Tommy Waller


Update as of this morning:


I just received some positive news that Ami (pronounced Ah-me) is doing better. He was able to say a few words to his mother, Leah. Hallelujah! Our prayers are being heard!

At this moment (Friday, 3 am CST) they are preparing him for eye surgery. This is a critical time so please keep praying ........specifically for his eyes.

Please also pray for Brayden, Zac, and me to have provision to go and be with Ami and his family in Israel. The believing community in Ariel is in shock right now and it is important for us to be there .....to stand with our Israel family during this crisis.

Yesterday was the Feast of Purim. The feast given to us in the book of Esther. One of my fondest memories was last years Purim gathering in Ariel. Ami played King Ahauserus and in my opinion he was one of the best King Ahauseruses ever. I don't remember when I laughed so hard.


Israel is 7 hours ahead of us in the Central time zone so much happens in Israel while most of us in the States are sleeping. I should know much more in the morning.

Please know your prayers are being heard, The battle for Ami, to save his eyes, is still going on. And its not just his eyes ....he has many broken bones and major wounds to his upper body.

My friend Yoav, who is staying at the Ortiz' apartment, just called me. The explosion broke out many of their windows so he's having to keep the place secure. Pray for Yoav and the whole community of Ariel.

Thank you for standing with our family .....here and in Israel.

Tommy Waller

Jerusalem Post: Son of Ariel pastor injured in blast

 

A short update on Ami.

He is out of surgery. The Lord has been merciful. The boy is still a mess but stable. Amazing news - no shrapnel got into his arteries or vital organs. One lung was crushed but they managed to save it. His brain is not injured. His body is intact except for losing several toes (not sure why “toes” instead of “fingers”, but this detail is from his mother Leah). The swelling in his face has gone down.

It’s truly miraculous, given the fact that the bomb was right in front of him. The Lord had to have been shielding him to keep him alive.

That was the good news. The rest… he has 2nd and 3rd degree burns, deep gashes all over, both arms broken. And his eyes are badly damaged. The med team hasn’t even had a chance to take care of that yet, because of all the life-threatening things they were working on all night. He is stable but heavily sedated.

His parents were at the hospital all night and are obviously in a state of shock and exhaustion. I haven’t seen their apartment, but the older Ortiz kids went to the house and they say the entire kitchen and living room are destroyed. No one is even thinking about that, because Ami is alive and that’s enough for now.

The Shabak (general security people) are doing a complete investigation. They were just here at the house. The two theories of “who” are still being considered - either antimissionaries (Jewish extremists) or Arab terrorists.

For the record, I strongly doubt the antimissionary theory. The hostile hareidim do things very differently - usually going wild and/or bringing a crowd to demonstrate. In the most extreme cases they have set fire to a meeting place (while empty). They do not try to carry out cold-blooded murders - and they certainly would not use the tradition of Purim gift-giving (a mitzvah they take quite seriously) for the bait!

In fact it was not a traditional Purim food-basket - it was a wrapped package, unusually bulky and large. Ami called his parents to comment on it, about 20 minutes before opening it….

This bomb was designed by people who knew what they were doing, how to set and hide a trigger, and how to maximize its blast effect. It was packed with metal shards, a trademark of PA-sponsored terror. David has had a “fatwa” on his head (death threat) from Hamas for several years, for the crime of bringing Palestinian Muslims to faith in Yeshua.

There was not much media coverage of this angle. I personally think the police have downplayed the terrorist theory because it would mean having to face the fact that Palestinians got in and out of Ariel without being noticed. (We have never had a terror attack inside our gates for the 30 years of Ariel’s existence, in spite of being in the middle of Samaria.) They don’t want to open that ‘Pandora’s box’ until they absolutely have no choice.

We are praying that the guilty parties will be caught - and I’m specifically praying that they will feel the Lord’s intense pressure on them.

We’re very thankful the Lord has spared Ami. Bless all of you who have been praying, and thanks to all who replied by email and phone. Please keep praying. Ami is still in bad shape. The family obviously has a long, hard trial ahead of them.

blessings and Shabbat Shalom

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9:46 PM, Friday, March 21, 2008 .. Posted by drewsfamilytx

Praying for Ami, his family and the entire community.

Love,
Marsha

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10:08 PM, Friday, March 21, 2008 .. Posted by Anonymous

The Ortiz family is one of the finest families I have ever known. The last time I saw Ami (sp?) and his folks was 6 years ago, but they made a lasting impact on my life, and I am pained beyond description to learn of what has happened.

We must lift them up continuously.

Daniel.

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11:30 AM, Sunday, March 23, 2008 .. Posted by mamasmurf

Our prayers go up for this young man - may the Lord heal and help him through this ordeal and bring strength to his family!
~Chrissy

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6:05 PM, Sunday, March 23, 2008 .. Posted by Training Hearts

As we learned of and celebrated Purim, I was especially touched and in prayer for this family.