Standing with Israel and Finishing Well!

A Father’s Memory

One father walks Rabbi through the rubble that was once his son’s home. He shows him the walls of the home shelter, peppered with bullet holes, where his son, 29-year-old Yuval, was killed. 

The home, beyond recognition, has fire damage, bullet holes, missing walls, and busted concrete everywhere, making it difficult even to find a steady step through the ruins. 

Rabbi picks up a single boot, and the father tells him it is one his son was wearing and fell off during the attack. 

The father recalls Yuval’s zest for life and his love of cooking and celebrating. He smiles as he shares pictures of his son with Rabbi and is reminded of the joy and pride he brought to the family.

Nearly a Year Later…

Yuval’s father is still cleaning up debris but is hopeful for the coming restoration promised to his people.

Kfar Aza is closed to the public and considered a military area, yet people are eager to return, and many are beginning their journey back. The aid received from the government allows for food but not much more. 

This is where many of you have stepped in! Your gracious support and partnership provided many appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, and ovens for those returning so they could rebuild the life they had. 

The Story Isn’t Done! 

The story isn’t done yet. Kfar Aza and other areas need restoration. There is more to do. Many in this area, and in others greatly impacted by the war and the attacks, need support. 

Those who have received support tell us that the supplies, basic needs, and food help tremendously, but what moves their hearts the most is the fact that Believers care for them.  

Let’s continue moving their hearts in 2025 by finishing 2024 well! 

Here is one resident’s story…

Chanel entered the foster care system at age 6. Her challenging childhood planted seeds of loneliness, anxiety, and rejection in her young heart. She grew up in boarding schools and aged out of the system at 18. This is when she came to live in one of our Safe Houses.

“As a child, I asked to leave home because I had no future in a place where there was so much violence.”

Now, fast forward to October 2023, when Chanel found herself in a national war. The war that had been within her, the war of her childhood, had resurfaced as she faced a national war. 

“I had great difficulty as the war began. I had finally gotten organized and found my comfort zone. Now, I hear incessant artillery fire overhead and powerful explosions. This has become normal.” 

The last year has been particularly emotional and tragic for her, intensifying the difficulties she faced as a child. 

“I lost quite a few close friends in the war, including my cousin who fell in the battles in Bari on October 7. His death brought me back to difficult places of abandonment, anxiety, and daily fear. During my time in the reserves, I often suffered from loneliness.” 

Chanel found comfort in knowing there were others who had similar experiences to hers. Other Safe House residents who served with her also had struggles as children, and through the program, they leaned on and encouraged each other. 

She has learned to talk about her difficult experiences and now says, “I am proud of myself for contributing to the victory over our enemies.”

Chanel’s Story Continues! 

Chanel’s story isn’t done yet. She hopes to heal, continue the journey to emotional wholeness, and learn the skills needed through the Safe House program to be successful in her next stage of life. 

There are hundreds of stories like Chanel’s—stories of destinies waiting to be written. 

Your support is the pen and paper that continues their stories, taking them into the next season. It provides what is needed so that these young people heal from emotional and physical wounds and step into their destinies as part of God’s chosen nation. 

Decide today to help write the next chapter of a young man or woman’s story in 2025. They are the hope and future of Israel.