A Call to Israel

Reasons to Support the Compassion Team in Israel:

• Judith and the children have citizenship in Israel and do not need to rely on visas.  Michael has permanent residency and the right to citizenship as Judith’s Husband.  The Israeli government limits the number of visas they give out and often denies visas for Christian workers.
• Judith and the children speak Hebrew at a mother-tongue leave, allowing the children to attend public school and allowing Judith to communicate with Israelis in their own language.  Michael has also recently achieved a “High Level” score on a Hebrew proficiency exam given by the Israeli government.
• Michael has a ministry certificate with the Assemblies of God, and his secular experience as an Accounting Supervisor gives him the leadership tools and knowledge needed to direct our ministry in Israel.  Michael also served on the council and as treasurer for an Assemblies of God congregation in North East Philadelphia.  
• Michael and Judith have a heart for the people of Israel, and Judith’s gift of hospitality and language skills allow her to build trusting relationship and touch people’s lives.

We are currently the only members of Jacob’s Hope who have the ability to live full-time in Israel and reach the people of Israel in the primary language spoken here.  Our ministry here has recently received a certificate of good standing from the Israeli government, which could not be done from outside of Israel or with short term visas, and gives us a greater ability to work with local believers and serve the needs of the Israeli people.

We have our own budget and need to raise our own support, which is completely separate from Jacob’s Hope.  Although Jacob’s Hope funds many of the projects we do in Israel, they are not able to pay us a salary.  

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”  Esther 4:14, NIV

We are not being threatened with destruction as the Jews were in Persia, nor have we come to a royal position, but God has placed us in Israel, for such a time as this, with the talents and abilities to serve Him here, bringing relief and deliverance to the Jews.  And He is giving you this opportunity to be a part of this ministry.

We need you to support our family in order to continue the work we started with Jacob’s Hope in Israel. 

 
Commitments to us can be made through the Assemblies of God using the green "Donate Now" button on the right of this post. 

Tears of Joy

We shared this story of Facebook last month and many of you seemed to enjoy it so we are sharing it again here: 

Sometimes we get people who come in the store who are not in need, but appreciate what we do and want to help support us. Today, such a women came in, picked out a coat and put 100 NIS in the Tzadak box (donations). Later, a woman came in and wanted to know if we ever got any wigs. Her hair was thinning terribly and she was obviously embarrassed by it. We could tell she was desperate. We sent her next door to a wig shop and made a deal with the owner for a wig which she styled. It was more than the 100 NIS in the Tzadakah box (we made up the difference), but when the woman who was losing her hair left, she was crying tears of joy. When you donate, you never know how God is going to use what you give. Someone out there thought they were donating a coat, but they really bought a balding woman a wig. #tearsofjoy

The Compassion Team is responsible for all of Jacob's Hope's projects in Israel, but they are funded independently of Jacob's Hope.  Without their guidance and hard work, many of the opportunities we have to work with local congregations and municipalities would not be available.  It is important to us to have their oversight on the ground.  They are currently raising support for a second term in Israel, but we can't afford to have the work we began together in Israel be interrupted in order for them to return to the States for an extended period of time (to raise the support they need to live there).  Please prayerfully consider supporting this family directly at https://giving.ag.org so they can continue with this important work we have started together. 

Galina, Mother of Eight

Woman with child at a center

Shalom Rav (Much Peace),

We would like to thank everyone who works at Jacob's Hope, those at the distribution center and those who donate.  I have a large family, eight children.  Only my husband works while I take care of the children.  We have received clothing, food, furniture and more from the Jacob's Hope distribution center.  The money we save on these items allows us to use the money my husband earns to pay our rent, utilities and other necessities.

Thank you for all that you do!

Galina

The Compassion Team is responsible for all of Jacob's Hope's projects in Israel, but they are funded independently of Jacob's Hope.  Without their guidance and hard work, many of the opportunities we have to work with local congregations and municipalities would not be available.  It is important to us to have their oversight on the ground.  They are currently raising support for a second term in Israel, but we can't afford to have the work we began together in Israel be interrupted in order for them to return to the States for an extended period of time (to raise the support they need to live there).  Please prayerfully consider supporting this family directly at https://giving.ag.org so they can continue with this important work we have started together.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

We regret to inform you, our faithful supporters, that as of the end of this month we will no longer have a compassion project in Tel Aviv.  Our partners in Tel Aviv, Agape, are no longer continuing this work.  We searched for other partners, however, while we were searching God provided other opportunities to bring compassion to Israel.

Tzfat is a city on a hill with an elevation of 900 meters

As we close one project, we are opening several others.  Two weeks ago we announced the grand opening of our new compassion center in Nazareth Illit.  This week we opened what would have been our tenth compassion project in the town of Tzfat.  Tzfat is literally a city on a hill, and with an elevation of 900 meters, is the highest city in Israel.  You can read more about the rich historical significance of Tzfat on Wikipedia by clicking here.  Tzfat's population of 32,000 is 99% ethnically Jewish.

This week we also signed the lease on a new store front in Hadera.  We have been providing food cards (to purchase food at local stores) for 17 families in this city of 80,000 along the Mediterranean coast.  According to the welfare office, there are 12,000 needy families in this city.  With our new store front, we will be able to supplement our food distribution with the availability of clothing and other household items.  We will have the grand opening of the Hadera center after Passover.

The Compassion Team is responsible for all of Jacob's Hope's projects in Israel, but they are funded independently of Jacob's Hope.  Without their guidance and hard work, many of the opportunities we have to work with local congregations and municipalities would not be available.  It is important to us to have their oversight on the ground.  They are currently raising support for a second term in Israel, but we can't afford to have the work we began together in Israel be interrupted in order for them to return to the States for an extended period of time (to raise the support they need to live there).  Please prayerfully consider supporting this family directly at https://giving.ag.org so they can continue with this important work we have started together.

Grand Opening in Nazareth Illit

The Compassion Team in Israel, along with Rivers of Living Waters, is opened the ninth project for Jacob's Hope in Israel, yesterday, International Good Deed Day.  This compassion center is located in Northern Israel, in the city of Nazareth Illit.  Nazareth Illit has a population of over 40,000, and is ethnically 83% Jewish and 17% Arab.  Use of this location was donated to Rivers of Living Waters by a politically connected individual in Israel.  In addition to clothing, Jacob's Hope will be proving monthly food bags for 50 families from this location.

New Projects and Purim Celebrations!

Mishloach Manot

Jewish people around the world celebrated Purim, on Sunday February 24.  Purim is the Jewish holiday which commemorates the events found in the book of Esther.  It is tradition in Israel to dress-up in costumes and give gifts of candy or food and drinks called Mishloach Manot.  Along with our partners, Rivers of Living Waters, the Compassion Team of Jacob's Hope gave out 200 Mishloach Manot gifts to less fortunate children in the Northern Israeli cities of Karmiel, Hatzor HaGilit, Tzfat, Nazareth Elite and Akko. 

Hatzor HaGilit

While Judith and I were in Hatzor, we were able to see the small distribution center Rivers of Living Waters is currently running out of a small room in someone's apartment.  We got to hear about the needs in this city and the municipalities desire to bring our help to their town.  It is our desire to work with Rivers of Living Waters, and the municipality of Hatzor HaGalit, to find a larger location where we can make more items available and assist a greater number of people.  We were told that even those who live above the poverty line here, struggle to pay their bills and provide for their families.

Donated Building in Tzfat

We have just begun work in two other Northern cities, in partnership with Rivers of Living Waters.  In the town of Tzfat, the municipality has donated the use of a bomb shelter where we can distribute food and clothing.  Also in the town of Nazareth Elite, a building is being donated by a private citizen so that we can distribute food and clothing in that community.  We are currently working to renovate these buildings so be on the lookout for us to officially begin these new projects soon!

The Compassion Team is responsible for all of Jacob's Hope's projects in Israel, but they are funded independently of Jacob's Hope.  Without their guidance and hard work, many of the opportunities we have to work with local congregations and municipalities would not be available.  It is important to us to have their oversight on the ground.  They are currently raising support for a second term in Israel, but we can't afford to have the work we began together in Israel be interrupted in order for them to return to the States for an extended period of time (to raise the support they need to live there).  Please prayerfully consider supporting this family directly at https://giving.ag.org so they can continue with this important work we have started together.

Moving forward with our Eighth Project

Packing Bags for Distribution

As many of you may have deduced, Jacob's Hope has an eighth project in Israel. We have joined with "Love for the Needy," our partners in K'far Saba, to begin a food distribution in the city of Hadera.  Love for the Needy distributes bags of food to 17 families in Hadera and Jacob's Hope currently is supplementing these bags with "food vouchers" that can be used at a local grocery store to buy meat, fish and fresh produce. Additionally, we are working with a local congregation to find a small storefront we can rent, where we will be able to make clothing and household items available to the 12,000 people in this city living below the poverty line.  The total population of Hadera is 77,000, 99% Jewish and other non-Arab, and has a significant number of immigrants from Ethiopia.  

Last week I was able to help put together the bags for distribution and joined a small group to deliver some of these bags. We were invited in to the home of a Russian-speaking woman who's children were adults, but are not in the position to assist their mother financially.  This woman was being visited by her sister when we entered with the bags of food.  Although their Hebrew was still basic, we were able to communicate our concern for her welfare. Her sister sat and watched us quietly as we asked this women about her needs and offered to pray for her physical aliments. After we prayed, I looked up at the sister and saw she was crying. She was very touched and appreciative of the love and concern we showed for her sister. It means so much to these families to see that someone cares, and it gives them hope.