The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2025
Helping Young People in Israel
Israel’s war with terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon has changed life for Israelis forever. The Israeli people always have known their neighbors are sworn to their destruction. However, October 7, 2023, elevated this concern in an unprecedented and horrific manner. Traumatic changes have unsettled them, affecting young people especially, in ways most of us cannot understand.
Our Friends of Israel (FOI) Israeli field representatives’ vital ministry with young people matters more than ever now. Filled with anxiety and the fear of missiles and suicide bombers, teenagers and children in Israel need to hear the certainty that God is with them and always loves them, ultimately displayed in Jesus’ work for them.
FOI Israeli Field Representative Pastor A (full name withheld for security purposes) and his family know this need all too well. For years they have worked with children and teens in a church plant in Rehovot, Israel. They have observed how the war has hurt these young people emotionally and spiritually. Yet, like everyone else in the country, they must carry out their daily responsibilities of school, chores, and work. Pastor A and his team of volunteers give these children hope despite the ongoing war.
“This is life now in Israel,” he said. “Many things are unknown; so we can only trust in the Lord, which is always the best thing we can do. We lead teens in faith with the hope that they will shine the light of Yeshua throughout the nation of Israel and the whole world.”
As Pastor A and his wife continue to minister to the teens of Rehovot, their own family faces war-related difficulties. Three of their children either serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or will do so soon. Their eldest son has served in an IDF advanced sniper unit since the war began, spending significant time in Gaza. Two of Pastor A’s teenage children study in pre-army training programs designed to prepare high school graduates for their two years of mandatory military service. Pastor A and his wife teach their children to view their current challenges as opportunities to share the gospel of Messiah with other graduating teens preparing to serve in the IDF.
Ministry to Israeli teens and their families is always a crucial need. But now the cold realities of war for Israel, surrounded on all sides by enemies, make our outreach to these families much more urgent. Please pray for our representatives in Israel as they bring the hope and light of the Messiah to this battle-weary nation.
You can support our Israeli team and other FOI International Ministries around the world. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
In Canada, please give here.
Building a Friendship Through Faith and Language
When Alicia Rouse, an FOI field representative in Florida, attended her local Chabad’s Lag BaOmer celebration, she met Hannah, a Jewish woman. Their initial meeting was brief, but the following Sunday brought another opportunity to connect at the Chabad Women’s Floral event for Shavuot. Seated together, they had a lovely conversation; exchanged phone numbers; and sensed the beginning of a meaningful friendship.
Later that week, Alicia and Hannah met for dinner. Aware that Alicia is a Christian, Hannah asked her new friend about her beliefs. Alicia sensed Hannah’s sincerity and felt the Lord’s prompting to share the gospel. Alicia explained that she trusted in Jesus the Messiah as her Savior, planting a seed that she hoped would grow over time.
Throughout the summer, the two women stayed in touch, chatting regularly on the phone and via text. As their friendship deepened, Alicia prayed that their ongoing conversations would lead Hannah to explore the truth of the gospel.
They reunited in person in September at the Chabad’s Challah Bake-off. There Hannah offered to teach Alicia some Hebrew. Alicia had begun learning Hebrew while she briefly lived in Israel years ago, and she wanted to learn more. Despite the gusty winds from Hurricane Helene, the two arranged to meet at a local park to work on Hebrew vowels.
During their lesson, Hannah asked if Alicia had a Hebrew New Testament. Alicia retrieved one that she always kept in her car; and as she read from Matthew 1, Hannah excitedly recognized the words in her native Hebrew language. The name Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah) stood out to her. As Alicia read the Hebrew names in the chapter, Hannah realized that she was hearing the lineage of the Messiah, sparking a newfound interest in Him.
Alicia later realized that God had used her previous experience of learning Hebrew in Israel to share the Scriptures with Hannah. She continues to pray for her friend, hoping that their friendship and shared language studies will lead Hannah to know the love of Yeshua.
You can support Alicia Rouse and others like her serving in North American Ministries. Thank you for your prayers and financial support!
In Canada, please give here.
Photos: The Friends of Israel Archives
