David & Leah

 David and Leah Ortiz left in the United States to share the good news of Christ with Jews and Muslims in Israel. The couple settled in the West Bank, and David has picked up some Arabic in his work with their Palestinian neighbors. "What they have done for years with Muslims-background Christians and Messianic Jews is very impressive," said a VOM worker who knows the family. As David and Leah shared the gospel of Jesus over years, they weathered threats and lived through the second Palestinian uprising. Activists threatened them and left anti-Christian literature throughout their neighborhood. Yet they remained in the West Bank, boldly preaching Jesus.
 But they faced a painful test of faith on March 20, 2008, when their son, Ami, was nearly killed in a bomb attack likely intend for David, his pastor father. That morning, Ami opened a gift basket that had been left in front of their apartment by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish nationalist. A bomb hidden in the basket exploded, destroying the apartment and tearing through Ami's body. When Ami arrived at the hospital, he couldn't see; his body was covered with burns and riddled with shrapnel.
 More than three years later, Leah wrote, "Ami lives with at least 100 shards of metal and glass still lodged in his body and eyes, scars from his neck down to his feet, and the loss of part of three toes. We still pray for complete restoration physically, but we can honestly say that in his mind, heart and spirit he is totally healed. To know him is to feel the miracle shining through his life...He is our hero!"
 The VOM worker said the family has stayed in the same West Bank apartment and continues to work with underground believers. "Their perspective on forgiveness, persecution and suffering is amazing," he added.
 And David's words reflect that forgiving attitude: "The Lord forgave David and many people in the Bible," he said. "My goal and my prayer for [the attacker] is that he will repent and be saved."
Point 1: Ami has endured 14 surgeries since the bombing. But he and his family have never even considered leaving their adopted home in the West Bank.
Point 2: The Jerusalem Alliance Church was burned in late October 2010. The church was near an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.
About Gaza: "Category: Hostile (Gaza, West Bank) / Religion: Jewish 75.4%/Christian 2.04% / Ideology: Orthodox / Head of State: President Shimon Peres"
Please Pray For Israel: Some view Jews who worship Jesus as a threat.
"David and Leah Ortiz nearly lost their son in an attack prompted by their evangelistic work. They forgave their attacker and continue to demonstrate the love of Christ to their Jewish and Muslims neighbors. Pray for them and for others who follow Jesus in Israel."Source: http://www.persecution.com/