The gruesome terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, threw not only Israel into emergency response mode but also our missionaries and staff there. Even though they had themselves and their own families’ safety to consider as rockets were being launched above them, our staff mobilized into many forms of practical and spiritual service.
When Israel called up 360,000 reservists to aid the standing army, our staff immediately stepped into action, organizing vehicles and drivers to transport hundreds of meals and other items to soldiers near the war fronts. Our staff brought the basic necessities of underwear, socks, and T-shirts to hundreds of soldiers and police since they rushed off to serve without enough personal items. Our eagerness to help in the war relief effort sparked curiosity in the grateful soldiers and provided many opportunities to pray for them, proclaim the gospel, and show our loving heart for Israel.
Ministry to Israeli Evacuees
Besides the dangers of the war itself, one of the biggest and most urgent troubles Israel has faced is the displacement of half a million of its citizens who evacuated from more than 103 cities, villages, and kibbutzim (collective farming communities). Although some stayed in hotels or found accommodations with family and friends, many were left homeless without basic conveniences or supplies. Evacuees included the elderly, families with children, orphaned children, and adults. Thanks to the Lord, your donations, and our dedicated staff and volunteers, we provided thousands of cooked meals, packages of food staples, hygiene products, toys, and even some washers, dryers, and refrigerators to multiple evacuee sites. One day, we packed 1,000 boxes full of non-perishable food supplies to deliver to evacuees in several areas.
Just ten days after October 7, some of our staff took sixty people who evacuated Ashkelon to a hotel at the Dead Sea. This group included families with many kids. It took three hours for them to drive to the hotel, and a tank had to escort their bus out of the city. More people came than we invited. The hotel was so full people slept on mattresses in the hallways. But—praise God—we were able to accommodate everyone for at least a few days and provide them a haven from the threat of missiles. By God’s grace, we have been able to support people emotionally and spiritually during this difficult time and even see people saved and baptized, such as Yael (name changed), whose smile after her baptism, despite very grim circumstances, we will never forget.
Post-October 7 Ministry to Holocaust Survivors
Every day, our staff in Israel tries to explain to people how the God of Israel loves and cares for them. For many, it is not easy to accept this. They always ask, “Where was God on October 7?” This issue is especially concerning for Holocaust survivors. They ask so many questions, and their lives have become filled with fear of another holocaust. Our staff try to give them answers and find the best way to do so. When the war began, they started bringing groups of survivors to spiritual healing retreats, which have worked out so well they have held four such events.
One week, our staff held a four-day retreat for a group of forty-two Holocaust survivors from the northern part of Israel, which had been under constant shelling. The event was so successful they saw the fruit of the Holy Spirit immediately. The key element of the meeting was reading the Word of God. Our staff taught the whole group about the identity and land God has designated for Jewish people, the promises believers have from Him, and about the Messiah Jesus, in whom we find fulfillment and are able to withstand the difficulties surrounding us.
Singing worship songs of thankfulness to God and praying together supported the message and provided hope. There were wonderful spiritual discussions and sometimes arguments, but in the end, agreement and peace emerged. “It was heavenly,” said one of the elderly women, and the rest of the group agreed with clapping hands.
Reflecting God’s Love to Young and Old
We also housed displaced families at our Jerusalem Messianic Center, including eleven children ages three to fifteen. Across Israel, children suffered intense emotional and mental trauma and wounds from the October 7 massacre and the constant danger of incoming rocket barrages from Hamas and Hezbollah. Our hearts broke for them, and we prayed for healing and restoration to come to their little hearts. At our center, we organized some fun for the children with time at a local pool, a yummy pizza lunch, and a trip to the movie theater to see Paw Patrol. Our hearts burst with joy to see them smiling and happy again. Their parents were also grateful, and now they read the Bible with us and ask us more spiritual questions than ever.
Our staff also worked diligently to visit and assist those who could not evacuate because of their health, including many seniors. We prayed, talked, sang with them, and brought smiles to their faces. We cheered them up with donuts as a sweet treat, and some friends even brought a therapy dog. The nurses and staff at the home were surprised by our love and generosity and asked many genuine questions about what we believe.
Israeli Missionary Sees God Still at Work
One of our Israeli missionaries who was living in the United States at the time of the attack felt a strong burden to be back home with his people, fighting alongside his fellow soldiers during Israel’s darkest hour. After praying and talking with his new wife, they both made the difficult decision for him to return to Israel. He landed in Tel Aviv on October 23 and volunteered for one month with army units in various capacities as well as with our ministries in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. One day, he was delivering food in the city of Holon to a Holocaust survivor when a rocket barrage fired toward the city. He had to stop the car and run to a nearby shelter.
Despite the danger and all the horrific reports heard on the news, this Israeli missionary wants everyone to know God has been doing amazing things amid terrifying events. People are praying with us and are incredibly thankful for our help during their hour of greatest need. He also brought over letters from American friends and supporters written to Israeli soldiers, who were greatly uplifted when reading them, with their encouraging Bible verses and even prayers ending in Jesus’ name!
Spiritual Conflict and Hope in Israel
News commentators and social media influencers focus exclusively on the war and the physical destruction it wreaks. But another type of war rumbles behind the scenes, targeting the heart and soul. This invisible war is spiritual. During ordinary life, most people manage at some level to ignore the spiritual conflict in their soul, but in Israel, since October 7, life has been anything but ordinary.
Our staff in Israel continue to serve the physical needs of Israelis, including Jewish and Arab, elderly Holocaust survivors, evacuees, displaced families, those who have lost jobs, soldiers called up to duty, folks of all ages who lost loved ones in the attacks, and unsettled students. Still, our core work is to serve the spiritual needs of those whose hurting hearts and shell-shocked souls search for hope.
Every conversation nowadays goes deep, and our staff do not even have to try! Everywhere our staff go, people hear who they are (believers in Jesus), who Yeshua is (the Messiah and Savior), and how the Lord invites anyone who is weary or heavy-laden to come and find rest!
Regarding our wartime ministry, one of our staff from Jerusalem wrote:
After the war began, we met a woman whose husband had tragically died six months before. She had a twelve-year-old daughter. They were already going through difficult times, but when the war came, and their city began to be heavily shelled, they lost all hope. By “chance,” they ended up in the group we were transporting from the south. The mother was wary of us and kept saying she was not religious and closed to our faith. I invited them to live with other evacuee families in our Messianic center in Jerusalem anyway.
After the woman and her daughter arrived, the Lord began to work in their hearts. The mother started asking questions, communicating more, smiling, laughing, and opening up. Then, surprisingly, she began coming to the Bible classes I was conducting, and we had long discussions. An answer to prayer became a turning point. They started praying more and telling the others about their experiences with God daily. Their lives changed. The mother said we were God’s light for them. They have now returned to their home and started going to the local congregation!
This story reminds us of God’s promises to the prophet Isaiah: “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes” (Isa 40:11).
We ask you to please keep Chosen People Ministries staff in Israel in prayer as they continue to sacrifice themselves and their own safety to bring the hope and comfort of the gospel to desperate souls. Please continue to pray about Israel’s troubles and for Jewish people suffering antisemitism everywhere.
A destroyed home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza © Yehoshua Halevi | Dreamstime.com