Life Over Sees

Couple continues mission in Jerusalem

Web Extra: Q&A with Alex Pettett  

Alex and Jamie Pettett continue mission in Jerusalem.

When we profiled Alex and Jamie Pettett in December 2006 ("Following the Heart," by Lisa Hoffmann), the young couple were expecting their first child as well as preparing to move to Jerusalem. They left Gastonia that January so Alex could begin his job as Jerusalem director of Shevet Achim, a ministry that brings children from the Gaza Strip and Iraq to Israel for life-saving heart surgery. Daughter Abigail arrived in May.

"I've been here a year and I've seen a lot of different challenges come up," Alex says. "This is a society whose first response is always ‘no,' so you really have to fight to get some things done."

In January, his ministry hosted four families whose children were receiving surgery, and that, he says, makes the difficult times worth it. And it's been equally challenging for his wife.

"She's far exceeded my expectations of dealing with life here while having to adjust to being a new mom," he says. "It's pulled us together dynamically as a family."