Updates from Israel: October 23 and 24, 2023
Here are some ministry updates directly from Staff on the Ground in Israel. Not all the staff have time to send in their updates, so please pray for the amazing unspoken ministry as well. Please keep the staff in prayer as they are serving with all their abilities and strength. Please pray for their safety and wholeness.
Photos and Videos:
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0cJr1PPdJFedLN
From Rachel
We were visiting family in England for Sukkot and got stuck – after October 7 all the flights were canceled (except ElAl). After a time of assessing and much prayer, we returned home to Israel yesterday. We are ready for what the Lord has in store for us. Before leaving, Chosen People UK purchased five suitcases filled with supplies for soldiers and Israelis evacuated from their homes. Much needed things like watches, head lamps, flashlights, batteries, power banks, warm socks, gloves and kosher protein/energy bars. These supplies will be distributed through the hands of believers in the Army and to those who have been evacuated. We pray this is a blessing and can continue the dialogue of how much the Lord cares for and watches over us, even through difficult times.
From Jason
“I’m just calling to see how you guys are doing.” That was the call we got today from one of our friends serving on the border. He wanted to make sure we were OK, when he is quite literally, a watchman on the walls. He was always servant hearted and until the war started, was eager to call and ask how he can serve at our upcoming events. He said God is really blessing him. On his first day on the base, he went to a nearby town to buy socks and underwear for his unit. At the counter, a local paid his bill for him. This treasured brother needs your prayers. Pray for Yiftach* that God would continue to allow him to boldly share the gospel with his unit and that he would be safe from harm.
This week we were able to purchase some supplies for displaced people located at hotels in Israel, by buying basic things like toothpaste and hand soap. Also, since our reservist soldiers are not allowed to use their phones, they needed simple wrist watches so they could get to meetings on time. We were able to buy 200 units today and will make sure they get to the units with believers! When our care packages are delivered to these believers and their units, we have opportunities to share the gospel and explain that this aid comes from believers who stand with them and support them in prayer! Thank you for supporting our troops through your prayers for the Peace of Jerusalem. Soon, washing machines and dryers will go to a location with 2,500 displaced refugees, so that the evacuees, mostly women and children, can do laundry. By God’s grace, the store sold them to us at cost!
From Maxim
I want to share what happened in recent days!
1 . Soldiers
From the first days of the war, we began to help the Golani unit on the border with Lebanon. Two of our leaders from our camps serve there, and through them, we have the opportunity to show the love of God. There are more than 300 soldiers there, and we brought them sandwiches, Shabbat treats, and drinks. This week, we are again preparing 300 sandwiches, 120 bottles of water, and Shabbat treats for them.
We continue to distribute gifts to our soldiers. Last week, we distributed 40 packages of smears, power banks, and flashlights to 40 soldiers from the ‘Agoz’ unit on the border with Gaza. We bought 15 fleece jackets for one of the special forces where our brothers serve!
Today, we bought a few more things, and tomorrow, we will deliver 50 boxes for our soldiers. Everyone will receive thermal underwear, a T-shirt, gloves, a unique towel, disposable razors, Shaving gel, deodorant, sanitary napkins, callus plasters, a power bank, flashlights, and energy bars.
Here are the messages we received from the soldiers: “Thank you very much for your help. It’s great to see such love!” “You can’t imagine how you saved me. It was freezing, and here you are, like an answer from the Almighty,” “Cool, everything worked out. Just what you need.” “Thank you very much, especially for the letter with verses from Scripture. It was very supportive.”
- Ashkelon
Together with a congregation in Ashkelon, we serve more than 100 people. Many have lived in bomb shelters for at least two weeks. We prepare hot food for them in Jerusalem and deliver it to their homes and bomb shelters. We distribute grocery bags filled with necessary food and supplies. Today, we bought hygiene items: shampoos, toothpaste, pads, and much more for 70 women. On Wednesday, we are going to a nursing home in Ashkelon. We have had a ministry there for several years; we will visit people and pray with them.
We receive a lot of gratitude from people, and one old grandmother especially struck me. When they brought her hot food, she divided a piece of fish into three parts, and when they asked her why, she answered: what if there is no food tomorrow? We told her that we would bring some food for her.
There are a lot of young families in Ashkelon who have not worked for two weeks and are now worried that they will not be able to pay for their apartments. It is a challenging situation, and please pray that the government will find a solution to this problem.
- Holocaust survivors;
The entire group of Holocaust Survivors from Sderot with whom have become friends with and minister to was evacuated and scattered to different places around Israel: the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya, and Eilat. We visit as many as possible. We are in touch with everyone by phone. We support them and pray with them.
Every week, we go to Ofakim, where more than 60 people remain from the friends and community of believers we have established. We deliver food and necessary things to them. When we arrive, they come to the club and don’t want to leave. We communicate, listen to them, and read the Bible together. We constantly visit our old people in other cities, paying particular attention to the lonely! One story broke my heart. XXX from Kfar Aza, a Holocaust survivor, first left with her children for America, but then she and her husband decided to come to Israel. They have been living here for 30+ years. Her husband died several years ago. She was supposed to fly with us to Poland on October 22, but on October 7, terrorists attacked Kfar Aza. A lot of people in the village were killed. XXX miraculously survived for the second time in her life. She was evacuated to Eilat. We called her, and she had nothing: no money, things, or documents. We found people who could help her, but a few days ago she called us and said in tears: “My dears, I don’t need anything. I’m already in Tel Aviv, my documents have been completed, and tomorrow, I’m flying to my children in America. I love Israel very much, but my home is destroyed, my friends are killed, and I can’t live here!”
- Refugees at the Messianic Center
Sixteen people continue to live in our Jerusalem Center, five families from Ashkelon. We constantly communicate with them, pray, and discuss biblical topics. They help us a lot: together, we prepare hot food for distribution, grocery bags, and much more. Yesterday, I gave them a tour of Jerusalem. It was a perfect time. We went to eat ice cream, and one religious woman, learning that they were from Ashkelon, offered to help. It turned out that she lives not far from the center, and in the evening, she brought toys and a lot of different treats. Naturally, she asked whose house it was, and we had the opportunity to share the Good News with her!
On Friday, we celebrated Shabbat together. We invited Holocaust survivors who were evacuated from Sderot to a hotel in Jerusalem, and we also had friends from America who, despite the war, came to give concerts for people. It was a very blessed time. At the table, everyone said what worried them most, and we prayed for it. We sang a lot, ate deliciously, and talked until late in the night! The grandmothers from Sderot said ‘thank you – for the first time in two weeks, we smiled, forgetting all the horrors for a few minutes!’
