I went to Sderot. I was a bit concerned -- OK, a bit scared. You have only 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter after you hear the code red alarm.

Despite the Jan. 18 ceasefire, rockets continue to rain down on Southern Israel. I have three children and a husband, live comfortably in Potomac, so, why did I go? One reason is that I am one of the founders of Operation Embrace, a nonprofit organization. O.E. provides financial and emotional assistance to Israeli victims of terror and helps them rebuild their lives. I've been to Israel many times, but never on an official Operation Embrace Mission.

Operation Embrace hosted 11 families from Sderot to spend a Shabbat at Kibbutz Nahsholim (in the North) with O.E. mission participants. The parents shared their stories. One woman told a heart-wrenching story of how she takes showers in her underwear because she is afraid that the tzeva adom (code red alarm) may go off and she'll have to run out, grab her kids and run into a shelter. Anxiety is everywhere. They learn to live with it, with the trauma, with the uncertainty and with the terror. Some sleep huddled in one room -- a bomb shelter. We were told of a generation of children who do not go play outside. In fact, the parents thanked us for helping them teach their kids how to play outside again. Some young people told us they would leave Sderot, but most people want to stay. It is their home, their families live there; their jobs and their lives are in Sderot.

After the weekend, we went to Sderot, where we visited Avi, who walked us through his rocket-destroyed home. Avi cannot go home and is wondering how he will ever be able to afford to feed his family, keep a roof over their heads and rebuild his home. We visited Matan, 16, and his family. Matan recently had his foot amputated; we have been in touch with him since he was 13 and struck by a rocket. Matan, who is undergoing rehab now at Tel Hashomer hospital, gave us the biggest hug and smile when he saw us. His life will never be the same, but he is resilient and trying to move on. Matan is one of my heroes.

One of the other injured survivors we visited was even younger. Orel, 7, was injured in a recent rocket attack and in a coma for several weeks. Slowly recovering his speech, he suffers from a severe brain injury and is paralyzed on the right side of his body. He may never fully recover.

On the counter behind Orel's hospital bed was a photo of him several weeks prior -- a beautiful healthy boy. It was hard to look at this photo. We provided some funds for his parents. The hardship of traveling back and forth to the hospital, taking time off from work, finding baby-sitters for their other child can put a tremendous financial burden on many families. The parents were so appreciative. It felt uncomfortable to accept their gratitude. We met trauma, terror, sadness and resilience head-on with this visit.

I now understand real heroes. I now better understand terror. I am proud of the work of Operation Embrace. I wish the world would better understand that "unguided random rockets" causes trauma, terror, injury and sometimes worse. It changes lives forever.

Anne Clemons of Potomac is an accounting consultant and CFO of Operation Embrace. She is one of four original founders of Operation Embrace.