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Hatikvah
Film Foundation
Australia
/ England
Dear Prayer Partners and Supporters,
Shalom and greetings from the international headquarters of Hatikvah
Film Foundation in England.
First of all, our apologies for not having brought you any updates
for such a long time - this letter is long overdue and there is
a lot of news to tell, much to thank the Lord for and matters to
pray about, so without further ado we will get on with it:
The Lord has been blessing "Jerusalem the Covenant City" -
the video and the book - more than we could possibly have imagined.
Since the release of the video in late May 2000 at the CFI organized
Shavu'ot Conference in Jerusalem, at least 7,000 videos have been
distributed world wide, and new avenues are opening up. For this
we give the Lord much thanks and praise, as it is His doing! It
is a continual source of encouragement for us to hear from people
all over the world saying how much they have been blessed by watching
the video, and then the 'knock-on' effect of the interest it has
generated from other individuals or groups who have subsequently
seen it.
Work on a number of foreign language versions is in various stages
of progress and some have reached completion (Hungary, Hong Kong,
China, Slovakia, Russian and Singapore)
Hebrew version:
As far as the Hebrew version of "Jerusalem the Covenant City" goes,
this is proving to be a much bigger project than we had first anticipated
- bearing in mind that years ago, while praying about this whole
work and long before any filming in English had begun, we felt
impressed by the Lord of the importance of a Hebrew version. As
a result Hugh has been seeking the advice of Messianic pastors
and leaders in Israel regarding exactly how this version should
be approached in terms of content, length, emphasis etc to 'tailor-make'
it for an Israeli audience. It has become clear that this will
involve a complete re-write of the script and a re-make of the
film. At present, this version is on the 'back-burner' waiting
for the Lord's leading, timing and provision.
USA:
Last year a new avenue of distribution was opened up in North America
with 'Galilee of the Nations' taking on "Jerusalem, the
Covenant City". As one of the main distributors of things
Messianic in the US, this has opened up the video and book to
more than 4,000 Christian bookshops and churches across America
and Canada. It has been suggested by our main distributor that
a modified version of the video be produced especially for the
US market which would have greater appeal for American audiences.
So far "Jerusalem, the Covenant City" has only just
scratched the surface, so to speak, of its potential there. Please
pray that we will know the mind of the Lord on this issue.
Israel:
Israel has seen some of the best sales of "Jerusalem, the
Covenant City" to date. However, with the escalating violence
and the sharp drop in overseas visitors, video and book sales have
been affected. This is symptomatic of a far more serious problem
that is affecting the livelihood of countless numbers of Israelis
who have lost their jobs because of the current situation. Please
continue to uphold this troubled nation and her people before the
Throne of Grace. Please pray for our ministry representative, Colin
Ross, his wife Rosie, and their three children. Please also continue
to uphold the Christian ministries in Israel as they encourage
the people.
Other projects:
We have been seeking the Lord about a number of ideas that have
arisen over the years. The Lord seems to be moving us towards
the production of a documentary based on Joseph Hunting's book "Curse
or Co-incidence?" which was written and published more than
30 years ago by David House Fellowship. This is the same organization
for whom Hugh made the original version of "Jerusalem, the
Covenant City" in 1981 and "The Last Generation" in
1977. "Curse or Co-incidence?" is based on Genesis
12:3 where the Lord said to Abraham: "I will bless those
who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you." "Curse
or Co-incidence?" traces the fate of individuals, nations
and empires that have come against Israel from the time of the
Exodus from Egypt to the present day. Without exception, they
have all been consigned to the graveyard of history or gone into
serious decline. And yet Israel lives on in fulfillment of the
promises of God. Does "Curse or Co-incidence?" have
a message for our nations today - and for Islam? And what about
the churches that continue to embrace Replacement Theology, which
is effectively a curse upon Israel? Genesis 12:3 has great prophetic
significance today, as does Zechariah 12:3, which concerns Jerusalem.
We shall explore the link between the two. Please pray for the
Lord's anointing as Hugh, Lance Lambert and others develop this
project, and for David House Fellowship as they publish a new
edition of the book.
As well as the on-going work of Hatikvah Film Foundation,
Hugh has been involved in some challenging and inspiring 'tent-making'
work over the last 15 months. He was asked by Johannes Facius,
the then Chief Executive Officer for the Ebenezer Emergency Fund,
to produce a new video for this organization, who are involved
in assisting Jewish people from all over the former Soviet Union
to make aliyah to Israel. While some Jews are flown to Israel,
the majority of those whom Ebenezer help are carried on 'the ships
of Tarshish' from the port of Odessa in the Ukraine, back to Haifa
in Israel. This project involved Hugh in making two trips to the
former Soviet Union last year - one to Moscow and the Far East
of Russia in the depths of winter (where he experienced temperatures
of minus 50!) and then one to Ukraine in the spring. He was then
asked to make a further filming trip to cover the National Co-coordinators'
Conference from Kiev, to Odessa and then on board the ship carrying
the Olim to Haifa. It was a pleasure for both of us, that Noreen
was invited to accompany him - as camera assistant! We both feel
that it has been a wonderful blessing and privilege to be working
with Ebenezer and for this to have been the Lord's financial provision
for us. Hugh has just completed the final touches to the update
of the 50-minute documentary "A Banner for the Nations" and
has recently finished putting together another video, from the
wealth of material he shot, as a tool for those who are involved
in intercession for this important work. These videos are now available
from Ebenezer's Head Office in Bournemouth (UK) and should be available
at the end of the month from other national Ebenezer offices worldwide.
We thank the Lord for the provision of some further work projects-
currently in the pipeline - for Hugh, both of which relate to the
Lord's involvement with His people and His land and the fulfillment
of His plans at this time.
Having not been in touch with many of you for such
a length of time we do just want to say that we are very dependent
upon the
prayers of our supporters and that we know we would not have been
able to proceed thus far without prayer covering from the Body
of Messiah Jesus. May we ask you at this time to stand with us
for the Lordship of Jesus over all these foreign language versions
that are in various stages of production. For us to be in the centre
of the Lord's will regarding how to precede with the other foreign
language versions which Hugh is directly involved in bringing together.
For us to have humble hearts submitted to the Lord for His instruction
and guidance, and for His wisdom to be imparted to us for the management
of these projects, and for the business side of the ongoing distribution
of "Jerusalem the Covenant City". And for the overall
provision of the Lord, not just for finance, but for the right
personnel, equipment and timing of the work to be undertaken.
We are well aware that whenever we are touching anything to do
with the restoration of Israel to God, we are touching upon that
which is the apple of God's eye and hence become a particular target
of the enemy who is attempting to thwart God's purposes. We are
so grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness throughout this work
and His enabling us to overcome the various problems we have encountered
along the way - and indeed the Lord's faithfulness to us when we
have wavered and become despondent at times (to be perfectly honest!).
Please pray that we do not let anything distract us from what the
Lord has called us to do and that we will keep our eyes, and hearts,
upon Him on this journey. May His Name be glorified in all that
we do.
Thank you once again for your prayers, love and support. May the
Lord
richly bless you in your walk and service for Him.
Hugh and Noreen Kitson
Hatikvah Film Foundation
PO Box 2025
Steyning BN44 3QW
England
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