God in Action: The ZulaRoo Story… So Far
In the space of only nine months, God orchestrated a series of amazing events, spurring us to establish our first dedicated guest house for Israeli travellers.
Approximately 40,000 Israelis travel each year after completing their military service, with a significant number venturing to Australia and New Zealand.
For over 20 years, Lawrence and Louise Hirsch have hosted many Israeli backpackers in their home,albeit one or two at a time. Knowing how effective their own hosting experience has been with opportunities to share their love of Yeshua with Israelis, their vision was to encourage others to host Israeli travellers.
This vision became a reality in February 2023 when Celebrate Messiah launched Host Israelis. Since then, individuals, couples and families have registered through our hostisraelis.com.au website and opened their homes to host Israeli travellers, free of charge.
As you can see from the testimonies of both hosts and travellers on pages 4 and 5, the experience is a blessing for all involved. Israeli travellers will often ask, “Why are you hosting us for free?” and “Why only to Israelis?”. This provides fruitful opportunities for the hosts to have interesting conversations regarding their love for the Jewish people due to their faith in Yeshua.
However, while the number of people hosting is growing, the Hirsch’s had a vision to have a dedicated guesthouse in Australia, that could accommodate more Israelis at one time than any one family could take in. The inspiration for this came from our partner ministry, Celebrate Messiah New Zealand, who have been successfully reaching out to young Israelis by hosting them in their two lodges on the South Island. The first lodge, aptly named “Zula” – Israeli slang for a “comfy place,” has been highly effective as they openly share Yeshua as the reason to provide Israelis with a few nights’ free accommodation.
For many years, it was our firm belief that God was calling us to do the same here in Australia, to provide a safe and peaceful haven for Israelis as they explore our land. We referred to this vision as ZulaRoo. A ‘comfy place’ in Australia.
Then, starting in April 2023, the Lord orchestrated a series of amazing events to make this a swift reality. Through various individuals, Celebrate Messiah received:
- a new lounge suite,
- a refrigerator and a washing machine,
- $357,000 specifically given as a house deposit for this vision, and
- a caravan!
We knew God was moving, however, there was one very important missing component: Who would live-in and run the ZulaRoo?
Amazingly, within weeks, the Hirschs received an email from an Australian missionary family living in Israel. The email read:
“Our time in Israel looks like it’s coming to an end…as we pray about what the Lord wants us to do next, we have been thinking about hostels and backpacking. We are aware there is the Zula lodge in NZ but noticed there is nothing like that in Australia. If you were thinking of setting up a hostel style place, we’d be interested in exploring that with you.”
Wow! God was clearly doing something here!
The family made plans to move back to Australia and we started looking for a house, trusting the Lord would provide the rest of the finances needed to pay it off.
Then, on October 7, 2023, tragedy struck in Israel as 1,200 Israelis lost their lives in a horrific Hamas invasion from the Gaza Strip. The Israel-Hamas War has become a time of grief and sorrow, and Israel seems increasing isolated across the world in their efforts to live in peace.
As the war unfolded, we realised that the ZulaRoo vision might have an even greater purpose than we initially thought. When Israeli travellers begin their journeys anew, they will be carrying the weight of trauma and heartache, seeking meaning and healing. With the rise in antisemitism worldwide, they may be questioning, “…Where is God in all of this?”
In the days following the attack in Israel, God continued to show us favour. We were able to acquire a spacious home along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, exemplifying the tranquillity we aimed to offer Israeli travellers. This house surpassed our expectations in every way, a clear sign that the Lord was guiding this project.
We got the keys to the home in December, and the first Israelis enjoyed their first stay eight days later. The home has the capacity to take in over 150 Israelis per year!
We invite you to join us in this vision, to show these young Israelis the love of Yeshua, their Messiah whom they so desperately need to know.
Now, we need to secure the full cost of purchasing this home – $1.4 million.
Will you join us?
Your prayers for this project are appreciated. If you would like to help purchase this ZulaRoo Surf House, please phone us or visit celebratemessiah.com.au/zularoo.
