From the Frontlines:
Can You See the Hope?

Holocaust Survivors are Provided Permanent Shelter in the Dead Sea
Mark, our staff member who was called up to the army, received supplies from us today, and he will share them with his unit. Among the supplies are power banks for phones and headlamps.

Praise God for the many friends who helped us buy and deliver these supplies while our staff was ministering elsewhere! We are currently at a hotel by the Dead Sea, taking shelter.

It is unbelievable but there are 900 refugees at this hotel, and every hotel by the Dead Sea is the same. They are absolutely packed with refugees from the area around the Gaza Strip.

There are also soldiers and Homeland Security staff who have brought in psychologists to help with the trauma. A lot of the holocaust survivors we know from the South are here as well, and today, we met with the ones from Sderot.

We also bought and delivered adult diapers to the people who need them. The refugees from Sderot were supposed to leave the hotel on Sunday, but now the army has called for a complete evacuation of the city. Maxim met with the deputy mayor of Sderot today, who gave us good news—the Holocaust survivors can continue to stay at the hotel, hopefully until the end of the war!

Our activities with the group from Ashkelon are going well, they have lots of kids with them. Maxim is talking about how to trust in the Lord and what it means to trust in Him . . . and guess what? A lot of people want to pray with us!

Fifteen people have decided they do not want to return to the areas where there are still heavy rocket attacks, so we will be giving them shelter in our Jerusalem Messianic Center. Our center will be full of refugees. Gidon is also working to get the required medicine for our elderly Holocaust survivors.

In the north, we sent meals for the weekend to soldiers, and our volunteers brought these directly to their bases. They were so grateful to have food for the weekend. Everyday, we have lots of opportunities to explain who we are as believers in Jesus, the Messiah.

Later today, we are going to meet with more Holocaust survivors we know from Ofakim, a city close to Gaza. Five of their community of Holocaust survivors were murdered and one is still missing, so we are going to minister to their needs. The hotel is giving the refugees a 50 percent discount, but of course, there are complications because the hotels do not take cash, and many people fled without their credit cards. We need prayer for a resolution to these matters.

Soldiers Surprised by Our Japanese Friend’s Testimony
Today, we dedicated the entire morning before Shabbat to serving the people of southern Israel. We delivered underwear, socks, and T-shirts to the soldiers stationed on the Gaza border who spend the whole day on duty. The soldiers were thrilled to see us!

Isaac, a representative of Chosen People Ministries—Japan, joined us. The soldiers were pleasantly surprised to see a Japanese person in such a challenging area during these difficult times. They were eager to learn more, and Isaac shared how he had come to Israel to support the Jewish people. He expressed his belief in the God of Israel and his faith in the Messiah, Jesus. I was delighted to witness how the seeds of the gospel were sown in the hearts of these young IDF soldiers.

Later in the day, we experienced a rocket attack from Gaza and took shelter. During this tense moment, one of our friends who accompanied us on this trip began singing a song with the lyrics: “The people of Israel have hope in the God of Israel.” The song quickly resonated with everyone present. When the shelling ceased and we left the shelter, I turned to Isaac and said, “You and I will never forget this day.”

Now, we are safely back home. Dear friends, thank you for your love and support, and Shabbat Shalom to you.

A Fruitful Prayer Request

I will keep this short for you today—I am opening up a vegetable stand in our front yard this morning for neighbors. Pray for open doors to minister to them.