War in Israel: Updates from October 31 and November 1, 2023
Here are some ministry updates directly from Staff on the Ground. 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/#B0cGVfZ2vGYRSja
From Maxim (a recap of the last few days)
The Lord has done marvelous things over the past few days. On Friday, we again prepared 70 hot lunches for families spending most of their time in bomb shelters in Ashkelon for the third week. Volunteers from the local congregation in Ashkelon helped to distribute food and had the opportunity to pray with many. People send us many thanks for the blessing of delicious food! After this, we held a second Friday night Shabbat meeting with refugees from Ashkelon and Sderot. We had a wonderful time together, I shared a word from the Bible, and we talked a lot.
I feel now people are under adrenaline-stress, and after a while, they will begin to experience post-traumatic depression. In such cases, it is imperative to let them speak and let them share about what is worrying them. This is precisely what happened during our time at the Shabbat meeting. I asked questions and they poured out their pain, and this is very good because then it will be much easier for them to bear the pain. We prayed a lot together. The children were happy with the ice cream and games!
On Saturday, we finally had time to visit Slavna’s parents. Her mother’s dementia is progressing very quickly, and her father, despite his age of 78 years old, still works. They live on the 7th floor, and the shelter is on the first floor. If the siren sounds and mom is alone, she doesn’t go anywhere, and we worry about it. In Tel Aviv, rockets and sirens come several times a day and we thought about taking her to our home, but she doesn’t want to. Please pray for this situation.
On Sunday, we were in Holon, where Jason, Gidon, Sergey, and volunteers helped pack food bags and deliver them to Holocaust survivors. Jason already wrote about this. We received many thanks from the people who received the packages. They say that at this time, this is a huge help, and it has saved them from going out shopping in this challenging time for them! There are many rocket barrages to Holon every day. We prayed for their peace and safety.
On Monday, we were in Jerusalem, packing gifts for the soldiers and the people remaining in the kibbutzim on the border with Gaza. We made 80 boxes, and our assistants took them and delivered them to the recipients. I also taught how to conduct Bible studies for people living in our Messianic center. Half of us are believers, and half are not. The non-believers asked me to start these lessons, and sofar it’s going well!
On Tuesday, we were in the city of Ofakim, where we met with our friends who survived the Holocaust. Forty of them came; we sang together, rejoiced, and read the Bible. There was interesting spiritual communication – people are very hungry for touch, to talk, share, and feel that they are loved. After the meeting, we delivered food packages to those in need. In Ofakim, many Holocaust survivors find it difficult to leave home and are lonely. We brought a box to one grandfather; he lives alone, and it turned out that it was his birthday, he turned 95 and we were able to celebrate with him. He was so happy that he started crying and we cried along with him. Pray for these people, as it is challenging for them mentally, physically and spiritually! The elderly don’t really understand what is happening, they are in fear and many don’t understand Hebrew enough to follow the correct instructions. We try to support them and visit them, but there are many of them. We remember them in prayer.
From Rachel
Please pray for our HaMercaz team as we are in the midst of some new projects. Please pray that the details come together, the volunteers are able to come help us and for the outcome to serve many. HaMercaz will be a hub for packaging nonperishable food items for those in need (food insecurities), those who have been evacuated and for Holocaust Survivors and elderly. We will work closely with Maxim and his team, as they take these boxes of food to many living in the South, as he has mentioned above. Through this, people’s physical needs can be met and we can encourage them spiritually. Please pray that this ministry will continue to open doors for salvation of many, as they speak with us, hear our testimonies and see the light of the Messiah in us. It’s not just food – it’s spiritual food.
There are a number of plans in the works. Please pray for wisdom, logistics, clarity and endurance for our staff and leaders. We look forward to share stories and conversations that have come out of it. May He go before us and behind us.
