The Child Welfare office called us, asking if we had room to take in Sandra (age 4) and Tolyk (age 6), just before they were to be put into separate orphan schools. Their old and very sick grandfather could no longer feed them, nor protect them from serious harm and abuse, at the hands of their alcoholic grandmother, mother, and her live-in boyfriend.

The children were born out of wed-lock, with different men. Tolyk's father was murdered at age 23, being thrown from a
balcony by his alcoholic associates. Sandra's father is unknown. grandfather is Jewish. So the family sold their apartment, and
all their belongings, in order to move to Israel. So Sandra and Tolyk, their mother and her live-in boyfriend, their grandfather and grandmother, all moved into a one-room apartment to live, until they were able to move to Israel. But their mother and grandmother drank away all the money that had been saved for their move. as well as any other finances they received.

When their mother, her live-in boyfriend, and their grandmother would come home intoxicated, Sandra and Tolyk would get beaten, kicked, and thrown down as worthless objects. Many times, Sandra's head was beaten against the wall once so hard that she was knocked unconscious, and lost her memory for awhile. Then one time, in an uncontrolled rage, Sandra's grandmother took a large knife and stabbed both of her knees. Sandra described to us how the blood flowed down her legs. Because of the abuse, it became Sandra and Tolyk's habit to hide under their bed anytime the door opened, and during the night at the sound of any noise. All this produced various sicknesses and disease inside their bodies through stress, tension, and mal-nutrition. Sandra now has a bad case of rickets. And if she had been sent to the orphan school, doctors told us, because of neglect, she would have been an invalid the rest of her life!

But now, these children have a family! They have hope and a future! From the first day of their arrival at Joshua House, they felt at home: as all their new family scooped them up with love, gentleness, care and prayer. God is now healing these two precious, little ones, who were appointed to death. And this year, Jesus will have two new precious gifts for Christmas. That is why Jesus came into
the world to seek and to save that which was lost. Now that's the spirit of Christmas!